Gender-Based Learning - Essay Example

Action Research for Gender-Based Learning International academic assessments like "The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study "(PIRLS) and the "Programme for International Student Assessment "(PISA), confirm what educators around the world have suspected for a while now. Boys do not perform as well as girls in reading and writing (Ontario Education 2004, p.4). As they get older, boys increasingly see themselves as non-readers. Few of these same boys had that attitude in primary or junior grades. By the time they reach secondary school they see themselves as non-readers. It is clear that, as educators, we must take gender differences into account when preparing lessons, evaluating and assessing students, and assessing classroom management techniques. Michael Gurian, author of The Minds of Boys. Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life, and founder of the Gurian Institute has concluded, after 20 years of research (Gurian 2005, p. 9), that there is a "crisis that many boys experience in our educational culture today" (Gurian 2005, p..9). Gurian's scientific research shows that boys learn differently than girls in five significant ways. They learn through sensory-tactile experiences, by attaching learning to physical movement, by chunking or attacking one task at a time, by organizing information into groups, lists or sub-groups, and by exercising their need to physically move between tasks (Gurian 2005, p. 48). I intend to address one of the gender-based differences through an action research proposal which asks the question: Can Art be effectively incorporated into cross-curricular foundation subjects as outlined by the National Strategy, to increase oral communication and literacy skills in boys. Action Research 2 Gurian's research indicates that "girls have, in general, stronger neural connectors in their temporal lobes than boys do; these stronger connectors appear to facilitate more sensorially detailed memory storage and better listening, especially for tones of voice. Boys in general pick up less of what is aurally going on around them, especially when it is said in words, and need more sensory-tactile experience than girls in order for their brains to light up with learning." (Gurian 2005, p.48). Boys should be offered the option of communicating through art and oral communication first. Once they have formulated their thoughts, through art and talk, they can commit their well-formulated ideas to paper. "For boys, the arts provide a vehicle for making meaning visible, allowing them to "see" the story as it unfolds. Through the arts, boys can express and explore emotion in a safe context. Both of these factors have been found to increase boys' understanding and enjoyment of the texts they read." (Ontario Education 2004, p.22). We aren't asking boys to replace writing skills with oral and visual communication. We see them struggle with formulating abstract thought. Because all thinking moves from concrete to the abstract, from the visible to the invisible, we're allowing our boys a more boy-friendly way of putting things down on paper. I choose action research as the preferred method for attaining information because its methods are ideally suited to classroom investigation and it allows for continued Action Research 3 professional development, not only throughout the research period, but also in a continuous manner thereafter. Cohen and Manion describe it as "an on-the-spot procedure designed to deal with a concrete problem located in an immediate situation. This means that ideally, the step-by-step process is constantly monitored over varying periods of time and by a variety of mechanisms (questionnaires, diaries, interviews and case studies, for example) so that the ensuing feedback may be translated into modifications, adjustments, directional changes, redefinitions, as necessary, so as to bring about lasting benefit to the ongoing process itself rather than to some future occasion" (Cohen and Manion 1994, p. 192). Elliott (1991, p. 69) elaborates." It aims to feed practical judgment in concrete situations, and the validity of the 'theories' or hypotheses it generates depends not so much on 'scientific' tests of truth, as on their usefulness in helping people to act more intelligently and skillfully. In action research 'theories' are not validated independently and then applied to practice. They are validated through practice." My action research will be conducted in my Grade 12 classroom in which I will encourage boys to communicate their thoughts and reactions to literature through artwork and oral communication. The "Ontario Government, Excellence for All" Action Research 4 initiative shows that "visualization strategies can enhance boys' motivation to read and write, as well as their engagement in and enjoyment of reading and writing." (Ontario Education 2004, p.23). Boys typically put half as much down on paper as girls do. Many times this is attributed to the fact that boys haven't made the connections to literature like girls do. If they have nothing to say, that's what they'll write. Art allows them to explore what they feel and hear and feel through a medium that is tactile and more concrete. Asking them to orally explain what the art represents is another crucial step in encouraging their higher-order thinking skills. When they know what to say, it will be much easier to write it down. Most girls will find it much easier to put thoughts directly on paper. Drama is also an excellent way to connect the concrete with the abstract. Activities like hot seating, where four or five volunteers are asked to "be" the characters out of a story or a book. The rest of the class will ask them questions about their actions in the book or their motivations or their relationship with others in the book. The idea is to empathize with the human condition, and make important connections to literature. This allows boys to combine the concrete with the abstract. "An analysis of the "concrete" aspects of a text precedes an analysis of one's emotional response to it (Wilson, 2003, p.12). Hot seat should always be followed by a quick journal entry, while the boys still have fresh ideas to put on paper. Action Research 5 In collaboration with the classroom teacher, I will target those boys who are performing below the National Standard in reading and writing. During the action research period, every effort will be made to allow these boys to prepare classroom seatwork through oral and art expression. Only when they have attempted to address their assignments through oral communication or through an art form, will they be asked to put their thoughts on paper. For example, if students are studying a unit on poetry, and the assignment asks them to identify the two things being compared in a metaphor, the weaker boys should first draw what they think the metaphor represents and then tell the teacher what the drawing represents. After the discussion, those boys should commit their thoughts to paper. The written work should then be graded and compared to assessments and evaluations from before. All observations should be recorded. The homeroom teacher will be instrumental in detecting improvements. I will be making daily journal entries, recording everything from attitudes to aptitudes, At the end of the research action project, the marks of the targeted boys should be compared, along with all the anecdotal material. If there has been a positive movement to higher literacy skills, then some or all of the actions implemented during the research program should be incorporated into the teaching strategies. Each writing assignment, during the research action period, should have an artistic option for boys. Incorporate photography, line drawings, sketching, sculpting in your teaching practices and the students learning mandates. Action Research 6 One of the National Strategies' key concerns is gender-based learning. In an effort to raise awareness of this issue, the ministry has created a gender and achievement website. Among the many recommendations we find the following: "A school can be said to be working towards raising boys' achievement when, for example: social learning is allowed - from simply sitting with someone who can help them discuss and reflect on ideas, to well organized and structured group work." (National Healthy 2002, p. 12). The important mandate, here, is the oral communication. Evidence now shows us that efficiency in oral communication is the precursor to literacy development. It is important, of course, to incorporate art into core subjects, as we've discussed. "The isolated concept of art education must be done away with, and the artistic element must be embodied in every subject (Masacz 2005, p.4). Equally important, however, is the incorporation of literacy skills into the art program. Since most boys will enjoy the tactile art experience, we must take the opportunity to combine that with literacy learning. The same strategies should be implemented. Boys should communicate orally about their artistic pieces and then, when they've reached an understanding, they should be expected to put it on paper. This process should, eventually, become automatic and boys will be able to go from thought formulation straight to paper. When this happens, we should see an increase in material produced. Ideas for completion of project. Document all your research material, give a data analysis and then give next steps for the future. Good luck!! Cheers Luise Bibliography Cohen , L. and Manion, L. (1994). Research Methods in Education, London: Routledge. Elliot, J. (1991) Action Research for Educational Change, Buckingham: Open University Press. Gurian, M. and Stevens, K. (2005). The Minds of Boys. Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life, San Fransisco: Wiley Imprints. Masacz, H. (2005). The Reflective Journal 3, Middlesex University: U.K. Ontario Education (2004). Me Read No Way!, Ontario: Queen's Printer Websites http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/genderandachievement/ Read More