Tailored for Boys
Let me begin by quoting from a previously used, politically incorrect ‘literary gem’.
“What are little boys made of?
Slugs and snails and puppy dogs’ tails;
That’s what little boys are made of!”
Little girls are described as “sugar and spice and all things nice”.
DID YOU CRINGE? SO DID I. It is sexist, divisive and generalist, but it alerts us to some differences in our make-up. It is relevant to boys’ education. READ ON!
“While girls generally develop earlier physically and socially, refining their reading and writing skills sooner, boys are more spatial and visual by nature, and they demonstrate a natural affinity for areas like abstract mathematics. They are also hard-wired to learn more easily through action than words.” International Boys’ Schools Coalition
It’s a simple fact that boys and girls grow at a different pace. Boys’ strengths are different from those of girls. One of the important advantages of a single-sex education is the opportunity it presents to create a learning environment, literally and figuratively, that accommodates what boys and young men need.
Boys’ brains are wired to require movement, space, action, and rest. They also learn better when material is presented in small portions, and sometimes think most deeply when they are doing something else. Thus, a typical coeducation classroom that favours verbal and auditory learning can put an active boy at a disadvantage.
Using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), researchers have observed differences between the developing male and female brain that demonstrate why boys and girls learn in different ways. When we are armed with evidence-based research, we can act intentionally with our teaching and learning. An excellent teacher of boys draws energy from their natural exuberance, and recognises that boys learn through story and activity, requiring clear purpose, direction and outcomes.
As specialists in boys’ education, our teachers take into consideration the interests and talents unique to boys when they prepare each lesson. They also build in meaningful movement through opportunities to collaborate and be involved in physical movement for resetting focus, kinetic activity, role play, and opportunities for boys to have a voice.
From a young age, boys need to be free to engage with a broad range of pursuits, to explore possibilities, to develop mastery, and to increase confidence and self-esteem. They need things that they are interested in and passionate about, and have competence in.
Boys fear being judged. Without the social pressures of a coeducation environment, students in an all-boys school can explore the full range of their personalities and potential. They can safely take risks, explore possibilities and develop passions; discovering they have many roles to play as a scholar, athlete, artist, musician, friend, and compassionate community member.
Mosman Prep is a place where boys are celebrated for who they are and not who they think the world wants them to be. They are free from the stereotypes that society often places on boys and men, and so can explore their full potential, striving uninhibited for mastery as they develop their love for learning and life.
Peter Grimes | Headmaster
Reference:
International Boys’ Schools Coalition / Link - theibsc.org/why-a-boys-school
