Battle of the sexes: Single gender High Schools

From the perspective of a student who was educated at an all girls' high school, I can easily divulge some wisdom on how students fare in a single sex environment for 6 years of their adolescent life. Maybe I might be old fashioned but I think, in some ways, this was the best decision my parents ever made. Considering the many physical and emotional changes I awkwardly stumbling my way through during the earlier high school years, I'm was pretty glad I didn't have impressing boys as an added pressure. When it came to senior year most students didn't have the time or the energy to find and pursue any romantic endeavour. Disregarding finding high school sweethearts, there were other burning reasons why I preferred my gal pals. During that difficult transition period in any young girls life, it was a comforting thought that every other student in the class was in the same situation. Teachers, staff and other students were all aware of the mentality of moody acne-ridden teenager girls. They just functioned in a different way to boys. All this might sound a bit stereotyped but that is the general gist of it.

As a pre-service teacher, everything appears very different on the other side of the fence. I still believe single sex schools are the way to go but for more academic reasons. It is known that physically boys start to develop at a slower rate to girls. They also develop emotionally and in some cases mentally later than their counterparts. This difference in development is something that could cause a rift in the classroom dynamic. For the girls who develop early and establish maturity to their learning, they will take their education very seriously. Boys, although just as intelligent as the female students, have a penchant for viewing their education in a less diligent manner (Singh and Thukral, 2010). This changes in the later years of their schooling but the few short years at the beginning of their high school careers, there is a war between the sexes. Interestingly, this idea is so true for male students. Studies show that boys actually study better in the company of female students (Slater, 2014).

Other than the rate of development between students of different genders, there is also the reason of different teaching methods. At my practical a few weeks ago I was given the opportunity of observing a girls class and boys class on the same day. I was stunned to notice the enormous difference in classroom atmosphere. The boys’ science year 9 class was covering the topic of non-renewable energy. This included the boys being asked questions and the students running up the board as the spokes person for their team. This use of active activities that sparked the competitive nature of the students made the class very effective. The winning team was award two good comments in their diaries and the runner up teams were given one. The boys’ teacher had understood his students and employed appropriate teaching strategies.

The next lesson when I attended the girls’ school science class, again year 9, the pedagogy was very different. The class consisted of an illustrated PowerPoint presentation about the introduction to Ecology.  The students were told to copy the small summary of text on the slides as the teacher read it out loud and added more information. I expected the girls to loose interest after a few slides, considered that the lesson wasn’t that simulating. Surprising the students were calm and engaged. When the teacher asked questions to test understanding, most students were happy to contribute to the discussion (Merisuo-Storm, 2006). The amount of work that was completed in the duration of the class was phenomenal (Kleinfeld, 1999).

Both teachers addressed the strengths and temperaments of their students to create a lesson that engaged their respective classes.  Understanding what the students want and need to involve themselves in a class is paramount. Not only is it recommended but also it is mandatory by the NSW Teacher Standards. The boys’ class was conducted to cater to their strengths. The activity was kinaesthetic and competitive (Cleveland, 2011). The girls’ class allowed for the students to shine in their strengths, communicating and expressing their opinions. They were content with completing a fairly monotonous class as long as they are able to engage with each other. This just goes to show how none pedagogy is the correct way to teach. Understanding and providing enthusiastic activities can allow students to enjoy their school experiences.

Enjoy the following video for more information on the debate in Australian schools:

REFERENCES:

Cleveland, K. (2011). Teaching boys who struggle in school. 1st ed. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD

Kleinfeld, J. (1999). Student Performance: Males versus Females. Public Interest, 134, pp.3--20.

Merisuo-Storm, T. (2006). Development of boys’ and girls’ literacy skills and learning attitudes in CLIL education. VAASAN YLIOPISTON JULKAISUJA, p.176.

Singh, S. and Thukral, P. (2010). Social maturity and academic achievement of high school students. Canadian Journal on Scientific and Industrial Research, 1(1), pp.6--9.

Slater, J. (2014). Boys do better in co-ed schools. TES Newspaper.

IMAGES:

http://info.alertsolutions.com/bid/101120/Single-Gender-Education-Finds-Success-in-Hillsborough-County-Schools-FL

http://juniorabq.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/single-sex-classrooms/

Religious education in Catholic Schools: A History

My last visit to placement was a very interesting one. Being a catholic school meant that RE was compulsory for students from years seven to ten. And from years eleven to twelve, students are required to take at least one unit of Studies of Religion. For some of the students who grew up within a catholic parish and attended its primary, this level of faith was a given but for the majority of the students, Catholicism was new and foreign practice. I eagerly accepted the opportunity to see RE teaching in action.

The class was of about twenty students in year nine. The lesson of the day was to read and interpret a short parable. The work was simple enough and the teacher had explained the story in her own words, relating to a modern example, to help the boys engage with the material. Unfortunately, the entire class seemed to be bored and disengaged at the lesson. Some students and walked around the room, others were playing on their laptops and only a mere few students were diligently completing their task. I was a little disappointed to see that all the teacher’s effort in preparing and executing a fairly well structured lesson, falling to pieces. One student got up and barked, “RE should be an elective, and we should be allowed to drop it at birth.”

Both the teacher and I were quite taken by his vehement argument. He expressed, in colourful terms, how pointless he found the work and how much he hated learning a subject in such a boring way. This got me thinking, what is the state of RE today? Was RE pedagogy always like this? So I went away and did a bit of research.

In Australia, there were many factors that influenced the different changes in pedagogy for RE. In total, over the years, there have been several major approaches in how religion has been taught in school. These were examined in detail in Buchanan’s Pedagogical Drift.

Firstly, the Doctrinal approach was introduced in the 1960s. The focus of student was placed in knowing doctrine of Church based on Catholic catechism. The material provided to the students to share between two was a Penny catechism, as explained by Ryan 1997. It consisted of a series of questions and answers, which were a “complete map of religious life”, that the students were forced to memorise.  The text was neither engaging nor presented in way that would appeal to students. 80 years later a new way of teaching RE emerged.

The Kerygmatic approach, was much different to its former method. The focus on this approach was the salvation message of Christianity. Joseph Jungmann (1957) said the use catechism to teach catechesis to children was ineffective. They instead used sacramental and liturgical catechesis instead. Kerygmatic approach maybe considered necessary to enrich students and create integral link to doctrine. Students did engage more with the material but lack of teacher knowledge on this learning techniques meant it was short-lived.

The next approach that followed was the life-centred approach.  A student’s life experiences were taken into account and measured against religion knowledge. This way of teaching was popular in the 1970s. Students and teachers shared life experiences in class and were prompted reflect on them. This led to a faith expression and consideration. This approach was also abolished due to the changing nature of students attending catholic schools. Immigration meant that the student body no longer had a homogenous expression of catholic faith. To cater for these students more forms of RE pedagogy approached.

Today, school in Australia follow the educational approach. A knowledge-centred educational approach to teaching religious education is most favoured. It is wrong to assume that students come from a background of Catholicism, considering the multicultural nature of Australia. There should be a clear distinction between teaching religion and how to be religious. I feel that a careful understanding of how RE has developed over the decades and catering it to suit the students can save any RE teacher much stress and disappointment.

         





         Buchanan, M. T. 2005. Pedagogical drift: The evolution of new approaches and paradigms in religious education. Religious Education, 100 (1), pp. 20--37.

Grajczonek, J. and Ryan, M. 2007. Religious education in early childhood. Hamilton, Qld.: Lumino Press.

O'callaghan, D. F. 1967. Book Review: THE PLACE OF CHRIST IN LITURGICAL PRAYER, by Joseph Jungmann, sJ; Geoffrey Champan, London; pp. xx+ 300. Price 42s. Irish Theological Quarterly, 34 (4), pp. 371--373.

Image from: http://www.serfvic.com/

My First Day of Placement at an All Boys’ Catholic High School

 Alan Porritt, file photo: AAP

It’s been 3 pretty long years since I set foot in a high school and 10 years since I was in a school with teenage boys. This eventful day would definitely be one I will remember for a lifetime.

My first impression of the school was that it was like any other. Students were throwing around balls; others were running across the parking lot to get to homeroom and a teacher was calmly sipping from large travel mug as he kept a vigilant eye on his charges. It wasn’t until I set foot in the classroom that I realised how ignorant I was to the incredible changes in classroom since I was last there.

Gone are the days of black boards, white boards and even projection boards. It’s the age of smart boards and smart devices. Each individual in the class sported a shiny Macbook laptop with access to a wealth of information in the form of Edmodo, E-portfolios, G-drive and good old Google. Once upon a time, in a class quietly copying notes, we could hear the pleasant sounds of pens scratching paper but now we hear the rhythmic tapping of keys as students type information presented to them via a large projected image.

When I questioned the teachers about the new arrangement, many words of praise were given about this new form of pedagogy. Laptops allowed students to complete work in their E-portfolios, an electronic notebook. Work could be viewed and marked by the teacher at any time. There was no longer an issue of illegible handwriting, bent pages, and questionable stains in books. Also, sheets and information could be accessed online for students who miss class. Paper usage has also gone considerably which would probably be given a big-thumbs up by the environment. This revolutionary change to a very ICT (information and communication technology) based learning has been embraced my most teachers in the school, as an essential tool to engage and maintain the academic capabilities of their students.

In the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, an article called the “Transforming teaching and learning: embedding ICT into everyday classroom practices,” was published exploring the use of ICT as a useful tool in classrooms across a range of subjects. The project covered 5 strands that came together to create a complex picture of ICT in education.  Each of the strands were examined to see how teaching and learning, policy and management, subject cultures, professional development and learners' out-of-school uses of ICT were linked in providing students with new learning strategies. One detail that was concluded from the study was that assessment tasks should also evolve along with these new pedagogies. The dominant mode of assessment now is frantic writing with pen to paper. Does that form of testing really reflect on what is important and widely-used once the students leave school?  Reviewing the current methods of assessment might be a good way to finally test the aspects of student abilities that really matter, their knowledge not their writing speed.

Alas, along with tremendous benefits, there appear to be some pitfalls in using integrated technological methods of teaching. Although most students were organised and arrived to class with their laptops, charged and ready to go, some students arrived with various excuses for their lack of smart device. One student claimed to have broken their laptop and another had lost his charger. Most simply forgot to bring theirs to class. A couple of the students with their laptops on their person didn’t have much luck completing their work either. With the endless stream of updates on Apple devices, some students’ laptops were just not compatible to the school’s intranet. Even when the laptops were in tip top shape with perfect access to the internet, there arises the problem of students remaining on task. In my rounds around the classroom I witnessed students playing games, chatting and looking up irrelevant images on Google. How does a teacher kept their class in order while faces are buried behind a screens?

With much talent and experience, I discovered. The teacher I was observing revealed that he tactfully allowed one or two students go off task as long as the rest of the class were completing their set work. It was all about the big picture. By micromanaging the class, no work could ever be finished because the teacher would spend most of their time calling students into order. By relaxing, showing patience and the will to change to the changing needs of students, teachers can become gifted artists, moulding the little people of tomorrow.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi