This book gives practical help to anybody who wishes to learn anything about the practical and accessible ways to raise boys' achievement in primary and secondary schools. Its down-to-earth language, easy style and rational sequencing of actions will appeal to all readers. This is essentially a handbook that can be used for reference, background reading, planning, preparing arguments, essays or as a general introduction to one of the most pressing issues in education today. The authoritative case studies and clear explanations of what to do and how to do it will be a boon to all readers. It discusses why some boys underachieve, what can be done to raise achievement, and how current national strategies aim to address the problem. It is aimed at headteachers, heads of department, ITT students, governors and parents in all phases of education.
Based on sound research and experience by leading author Gary Wilson, this Pocket PAL provides and introduction to why boys underachieve along with a practical toolkit of proven strategies to help raise boys' attainment across all age boundaries, enabling every teacher, department, key stage or school to identify the problems and plan a way forward.
Based on sound research and experience from Gary Wilson, one of the UK's leading authorities on boys' achievements, this book provides a practical toolkit of proven strategies that enable teachers to raise boys' achievement across all age boundaries. It is a solid introduction to why boys underachieve at school that will enable all teachers to identify the main problems and plan a way forward.
No matter what you teach, there is a 100 Ideas title for you! The 100 Ideas series offers teachers practical, easy-to-implement strategies and activities for the classroom. Each author is an expert in their field and is passionate about sharing best practice with their peers. Each title includes at least ten additional extra-creative Bonus Ideas that won't fail to inspire and engage all learners. The educational underachievement of boys is a concern for educational professionals throughout the UK, and so is consistently at the top of most schools' agendas. There is no quick fix to tackle this issue and absolve it completely. There are, however, countless ways of addressing the issue which will help teachers support the boys in their class to reach their full potential. In his new book, established writer on boys' underachievement Gary Wilson gives teachers a way to tap into what is going on inside boys' heads, their experiences and their way of looking at the world around them, and how to value and build upon this in their practice to ensure they get the most of out their male students. Packed with practical lesson plans, activities and strategies, plus suggestions of how to take these ideas further, this book is ideal for all primary teachers who are looking to motivate boys in the classroom and move a step closer to closing the gap between male and female achievement in school.
At a time when many boys are in crisis, a much-needed roadmap for helping boys grow into strong and compassionate men Over the past two decades there has been an explosion of new studies that have expanded our knowledge of how boys think and feel. In How to Raise a Boy, psychologist Michael Reichert draws on his decades of research to challenge age-old conventions about how boys become men. Reichert explains how the paradigms about boys needing to be stoic and "man like" can actually cause them to shut down, leading to anger, isolation, and disrespectful or even destructive behaviors. The key to changing the culture lies in how parents, educators, and mentors help boys develop socially and emotionally. Reichert offers readers step-by-step guidance in doing just this by: Listening and observing, without judgment, so that boys know they're being heard. Helping them develop strong connections with teachers, coaches, and other role models Encouraging them to talk about their feelings about the opposite sex and stressing the importance of respecting women Letting them know that they don't have to "be a man" or "suck it up," when they are experiencing physical or emotional pain. Featuring the latest insights from psychology and neuroscience, How to Raise a Boy will help those who care for young boys and teenagers build a boyhood that will enable them to grow into confident, accomplished and kind men.
There is a significant problem in our schools: too many boys are struggling. The list of things to concern teachers is long. Disappointing academic results, a lack of interest in studying, higher exclusion rates, increasing mental health issues, sexist attitudes, an inability to express emotions.... Traditional ideas about masculinity are having a negative impact, not only on males, but females too. In this ground-breaking book, Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts argue that schools must rethink their efforts to get boys back on track. Boys Don’t Try? examines the research around key topics such as anxiety and achievement, behaviour and bullying, schoolwork and self-esteem. It encourages the reader to reflect on how they define masculinity and consider what we want for boys in our schools. Offering practical quick wins, as well as long-term strategies to help boys become happier and achieve greater academic success, the book: offers ways to avoid problematic behaviour by boys and tips to help teachers address poor behaviour when it happens highlights key areas of pastoral care that need to be recognised by schools exposes how popular approaches to "engaging" boys are actually misguided and damaging details how issues like disadvantage, relationships, violence, peer pressure, and pornography affect boys’ perceptions of masculinity and how teachers can challenge these. With an easy-to-navigate three-part structure for each chapter, setting out the stories, key research, and practical solutions, this is essential reading for all classroom teachers and school leaders who are keen to ensure male students enjoy the same success as girls.
Within the context of empirical research undertaken by the authors during the course of a 4-year research and intervention project on Raising Boys’ Achievement, the book will focus on approaches that are successful in raising achievement for boys, and the reasons for that success. It will explore the whole aspect of boys’ achievement, and look at how primary schools are addressing the issue, and the processes involved in schools working collaboratively and voluntarily to share good practice. Case study material will be used to illustrate the different contexts in which the strategies have been studied, and of great importance is the incorporation of boys’ and girls’ own perspectives on their educational experiences.
The problem of boys' underachievement is an issue across the entire developed world and has presented teachers and early years practitioners with challenges as well as opportunities. Only in Scandinavia do boys achieve at roughly the same rate as girls and there they don't start school formally until they are seven. The underachievement of boys continues to be high on the government agenda. For many boys in this country and elsewhere, the demands made upon them in the Early Years to read and write, before they are emotionally and physically ready to do so, can give many an early taste of failure from which many of them never fully recover. This book will address the issues that impact on achievement.
"Boys’ achievement has attracted great attention in recent years in many countries. This comprehensive book based on sound research in schools provides practical insights into how the achievement of boysand girls can be raised. It reminds us that it is not all boys or no girlswho underachieve. It demonstrates the respective roles of teaching andlearning, school culture and social factors. No easy answers butexcellent ideas backed by evidence from authoritative, thoroughresearchers with a firm basis in schools." Judy Sebba, Professor of Education, University of Sussex "Teachers will find this book invaluable. It is based on quality researchwhich actually evaluates the impact of the various strategies suggestedfor raising boys' achievement. What is more, in contrast to many of themore 'quick-fix' works in this field, the authors’ discussion and analysisis measured and nuanced, and supported by an in-depth understandingof the wealth of theory and research around gender and achievement.It provides a welcome and weighty contribution to an evercontroversial debate." Becky Francis, London Metropolitan University In this important book, the authors evaluate different approaches and advocate practical, evidence-based strategies, which have the potential to promote boys’ as well as girls’ achievements. The approaches are discussed within the context of inclusivity, acknowledging the diverse needs and interests of different boys and the invisibility and continuing disadvantage of some girls. The book begins and ends with reflections from students of their own school experiences, and makes practical recommendations for the future. This book draws upon empirical research and work initiated as part of the DfES project on Raising Boys’ Achievement. It brings together theoretical and practical issues, and reflects upon the construction of the debate about boys’ apparent under-achievement from the perspectives of girls as well as boys. The authors critically explore notions of under-achievement and ‘value added’, and consider how useful the concept of the ‘gender gap’ is in advancing the debates. Raising Boys’ Achievement in Secondary Schoolsis key reading for undergraduate and postgraduate Education students, PGCE students, headteachers, senior managers within schools and local education authorities, and policy makers.
