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Ian Lillico
INTRODUCTION :
BOYS LEARNINGT
This paper is a culmination of observations, research,
discussion, seminars and readings over thelast six years on the
issue of boys learning . Many of the sentiments and theories
contained in thispaper have been tested and confirmed by my visit
to New Zealand in 1997 and, more recently, theEastern States in
August 1998 . The relevance of those study tours to this topic is
vital in assessingthe extent to which Boys Learning is any better
(or worse) in Western Australia. than the rest ofAustralia and New
Zealand, and if so, why?
When visiting schools in the East and New Zealand I spoke openly
and frankly with Principals,teachers, students and parents . I am
not an expert on the subject and many of the issues raised willbe a
launching ground for debate and further investigation.
Some statements made in this paper may cause anxiety and raise
some criticism, but they are myfindings together with sentiments
expressed by Steve Biddulph, Rollo Browne, Richard Fletcherand
others who are currently leaders on the topic and, certainly, much
more expert than myself. Amuch more detailed paper is currently
being prepared which will address the issuecomprehensively .
Special thanks is extended to the many schools I visited in
Australia and NewZealand.
The time has come to address this important issue if we are to
provide a relevant, meaningful andholistic education for all our
students and be accountable for their outcomes.
THE PROBLEM:
Over the last ten to fifteen years we have seen a steady decline
in boys' academicachievement, appropriate behaviour, selfesteem and
emotional growth resulting inthe increased alienation of boys in
the schooling system, particularly in Years 7 to10. This alienation
has cost individual schools and the education system millionsof
dollars in teacher and administrator time, programs to combat
truancy; -MSB -k 1 `1%interventions etc . In fact the Deputy
Principals and Principals in our schools are giving boys somuch of
their time in pastoral care, discipline and support that they are
not able to spend the timethey would like to, providing curriculum
leadership and teacher support. If we can change thesituation for
boys in our schools there should be gains in teacher morale and
administrator time.
Changing the disruptive influence ofthe boys should also
maximise the potential for the girls in oursystem. The gains made
by girls and women over the last twenty years have been enormous
and asustained set of programs and policies by EDWA and the women's
movement generally has helpedgirls on a variety of fronts. If such
a series of affirmative actions was embarked upon for boys I amsure
we will see an improvement in boys learning with a consequent
improvement in girls learningdue to the removal of some of the
negative actions and behaviours of boys in the classroom andschool
yard . There are no quickfixes and it will take some years to see a
major change in boys, butthere are many things that schools can do
on a number of fronts to lay the foundations on which to
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Page 2bring about improvements in boys learning and behaviour .
To be controversial for a moment, thefirst thing secondary schools
should do is throw out computerised timetables that serve subjects
.We should build timetables around students with the 'unit' of
education being the class and not thesubject. I believe this will
also enable the new curriculum to take hold in our secondary
schoolsand allow for the mixing of subjects and subject areas often
taboo to many teachers currently in oureducation system .
CLASSORGANISATION:
Ian Lillico
One of the striking differences between WA Government Secondary
Schools and their counterpartsin other states and New Zealand is
that when we moved to unit curriculum we mixed students up
indifferent classes for each subject from Year 8 onwards. Schools
everywhere else form classes ofstudents and these classes, be they
8-1, 8 White or whatever move to subjects as a gMup. The
sameapplies in Years 9 and 10 with the change happening in Years 11
and 12 where they form classesbased on subject choice. Private
schools in Western Australia (on the other hand) follow the
samerule as the rest of Australia and keep a 'home class' as a unit
for the whole of their compulsoryschooling with only minor
variations as students arrive and leave.
This is a critical point because boys need territorial stability
in high school and a room they feel istheirs in order to feel
comfortable at school. As soon as they enter High School we move
themevery 40, 50 or 60 minutes to another room with another teacher
and apart from a ten minute formclass, which is irrelevant to them
and an administrative tool, they have no HOME.
Being less mature than girls of the same age and also less
organised we start to lose boys in the firstweeks of year eight and
those that survive we re-gain in year 11, but many are lost in
those threeyears of secondary school and irreparable damage is done
in terms of their love of learning,motivation etc . in those
"alienating years" .
Subject choice, however, has been the catch-cry and was thought
to be the best way to turn studentson to school. The tedious
situation we have endured has seen students study an average of 26
unitsa year and provided a definite sense of discontinuity for our
students with the biggest losers beingthe boys. One of the features
of Hegemonic Masculinity which you can read about in
theoreticalpapers on the construction ofmasculinity, is the need
for a boy in a class to know "where he stands"in terms of the other
students in the class and the teacher . Every time he is faced with
a differentclass or different teacher he must "test the water" to
see what the limitations are on his behaviourand identify his
"order" in the class in terms of academic ability, maleness and
physical ability .
As we all know, every time a new student joins a class or when
certain class members are absentthe dynamics of the class change.
Consequently each time students change classes, rooms andteachers
the boys, in particular, devote a lot of energy and time in
redefining their "position" in theclass . This can mean physical
position in the room, pecking order among peers and his standing
interms ofthe teacher's relationship with him.
One change I urge, therefore, is to minimise class
re-arrangements by keeping secondary classes inyears 8 - 10 as a
unit for as much of the day and week as possible and not allowing
our primaryclasses to specialise too much so that the "home class"
unit is lost there as well .
I found boys in schools outside Western Australia to be far more
settled in school, more motivatedand easier to relate to . The
"home class" was not the only reason for this but, I believe, a
major one.
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[an LilGco
THE TEACHER:
Steve Biddulph ('Raising Boys', 'Manhood', 'The Secret of Happy
Children')believes that boys learn teachers and not subjects .
Girls are able to connectdirectly with subjects, but a boy can only
connect with a subject via the teacher.This is indeed a simplistic
statement but on talking with boys throughoutAustralia and New
Zealand, their parents and others I firmly believe it is true
forthe vast majority of boys, particularly from ages 11 to 16. This
has major ramifications for schoolsand our system, but it
reinforces that the teacher is paramount to successful learning for
students,particularly boys .
The background to this statement is complex and heavy reading
but is based on the need for boys intheir puberty years to believe
that a teacher cares for them as a person, before they will allow
themto impart knowledge or skills to them. I am sure we all
remember talking to our own children orschool students about low
grades on their reports. The teacher and the subject are synonymous
forboys in particular and throughout Australia I have heard the
phrase "I won't work for Mr/Ms X".To us this is ridiculous as the
student is the one who suffers from the low mark, but the boys
cannotreach the subject unless they can do it through their
teachers.
This has always been the case but seems to be even more
important now to boys . The same applieseven more directly to
discipline . The approach to boys' discipline has been masked by
the threat ofthe cane or corporal punishment until the last decade.
During the corporal punishment era thatspanned many centuries, it
was a given fact that a boy would behave for a teacher or get the
cane .Many teachers were feared, loathed or both but the fear of
physical punishment or reality ofit, keptmost boys in check. It is
believed that the removal of corporal punishment about 10 years ago
hasbeen a factor in the deterioration of boys behaviour in schools
as is attested to by the boysthemselves! A breakdown in respect for
authority in society generally, has also meant that ateacher now
must prove himself/herself before they will receive a student's
respect .
Part ofthe "proving" process in terms of boys' learning involves
setting definite limits in the room,explaining the class rules
clearly to students and (most importantly) showing that any
repercussionsto students breaking the rules are carried out
consistently and fairly. Students acknowledge(particularly boys)
that this is the first step to earning their respect. The second
step involves lettingthe real person behind the teachers "mask"
show through . This is a change from some years agowhen many
teachers put on a continuous, and often successful, act but never
let down their bortersfor fear of losing discipline in the class.
These days this is the only way to achieve true disciplinefor many
boys. The third and most important ingredient for success at
teaching males is for theteacher in some small demonstrable way to
inform their male students through actions or words thatthe teacher
respects them as an individual and acknowledges them in the class
as a person theyrespect and care for rather than just an anonymous
"class member" .
Truly successful teachers of boys throughout Australia achieve
this point by finding out a littleabout each student's background,
family, work, sporting heroes, achievements etc. and feeding
backthat knowledge to the boy concerned to "make a connection" with
them that goes beyond theclassroom and the subject being taught.
This is where,Primary teachers have a great advantage dueto the
limited number of children they deal with and the relationship that
is built up, consequently,
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Page 4 Ian Lill ico" with the student and with his or her family
. This is important for both boys and girls but if it islacking for
a boy then his learning and behavioural outcomes in that class or
subject are oftencompromised.
The biggest, strongest, loudest teacher of the 60's, 70's or
80's who taught usingfear and stand over tactics is increasingly
finding discipline a problem unless he(or she) acknowledges that
each boy they teach is a person in their own right andmakes an
attempt to get to know them and show an interest in their welfare
.
It is unfortunate that Western Australia has become paranoid
about teachers "touching kids"because many boys simply need a hand
on their shoulder, grip of the arm or gentle pat on the backfor the
teacher to make that connection, without a word needed. Males are
increasingly being toldnever to make contact with each other except
by shaking hands and even in families male childrenare often denied
that feeling of closeness and reassurance from very early ages to
"toughen themup". Research across the western world is showing that
they are craving that sense more than anyother and we sometimes get
a glimpse of that on the football or soccer field after a goal is
scoredbecause that is somehow Ok.
I am definitely not advocating "hugging" the boys in our schools
but the evidence in the UnitedKingdom from the Boys in Schools
publication is showing very clearly to us, as educators, that
wemust make contact, particularly with the alienated boys, to
somehow "tame them" in the school . Wecan debate and argue this
point because some teachers will take this too far and cause a
backlash,but we must address this important issue for boys in the
11 to 16 year group - particularly thosewho- come from
dysfunctional, aggressive, repressive, fatherless, motherless,
abusive familieswhich unfortunately is a growing percentage in
Australia today and in some schools approaching50%. Boys and young
men have less of a hang up about expressing feelings through touch
in otherparts ofthe world such as the USA, Europe and particularly
Asia.
EMPOWERMENT:
A further need for boys in our schooling system is to take on
moreresponsibility for their learning, their discipline, their
feelings and for other,iayounger students in the school. Schools in
Australia and New Zealand whohave an ethos of student.centred
leaming, peer support for younger students and programs didto
address self esteem and anger management, in particular, are having
much better success withBoys Learning . Schools who have student or
class councils that are more than just tokens but havea say in the
running and/or policies in the school or individual classroom are
making tremendousgains in outcomes for male students, in
particular.
The closer the school is to a true teacher/student team working
together to achieve outcomes thebetter the behaviour and learning
outcomes of its students. This forms a basis for greater
schoolspirit and pride in the school and a more relaxed and happier
atmosphere in class and theschoolyard in general . I found schools
in New South Wales and South Australia to have a less
rigidstudent/teacher demarcation with a consequent reduction in
student suspensions anddysfiinctionality . Students seemed to have
a greater pride in their school when they felt they werelistened to
and "had a say" in classroom and school policy .
There is no doubt that many Western Australian schools also have
"student empowerment" as apriority and are doing great things, but
I feel it should be considered for all schools not only to
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Ian Liilico
improve boys learning but also to ensure a smooth transition to
the new Curriculum Framework andoutcomes based education for all
students in schools. Another strategy used by schools in
NewZealand, the United Kingdom and other parts of Australia is to
pair up whole classes or individualstudents with younger
classes/students in the same school . This pairing form of peer
support hasbeen shown to improve the results, behaviour and
attitude of many boys who are becomingalienated, aggressive or
troublesome in both Primary and Secondary schools .
Many schools in New Zealand use placing a student in a younger
class as a form of "time out" butwith the added bonus of having the
older boy helping out their younger counterparts in
reading,,writing etc . Many teachers have said that it is actually
the younger student helping the olderstudent in their emotional
adjustment in this process. This gives the older student a sense
ofachievement and satisfaction that they can actually do something
to help their younger partner andcan somehow achieve success in the
school. Many District High Schools in Western Australia,including
Bullsbrook DHS, already employ this tactic and it works wonders
particularly for thevery alienated year 9 and 10 boys in our
system. This peer mentoring actually makes periods spentin
"time-out" useful, worthwhile time for both the student and younger
partner . Research in WArecently has shown that the
time-out/suspension cycle in our secondary schools is doing little
fordisaffected boys except in paying them attention which is what
they are seeking in the first place bymisbehaving.
Work carried out by Edith Cowan University in 1996 revealed that
we needed to reassess ourdiscipline structures as they often
negatively re-enforced students' poor behaviour and gave
themrecognition as "trouble makers" and hence "heroes" among their
peers . Again, current research intohegemonic or dominant
masculinity and its negative effects on society indicates that
theauthoritarian lock step discipline policies in many schools are
actually doing little to changebehaviour but rather to contain it
and/or remove it from the classroom. This may be debatable butboys
who achieve their only prowess in schools by getting the attention
of Deputies and Principalsmust be handled differently to just being
suspended repeatedly and often becoming thefodder forour Juvenile
Justice system.
Schools across Australia who are adopting a less authoritarian
action /consequence system ofdiscipline are getting good results in
terms of boys behaviour. There is a need for all of us toexplore
different ways of managing boys' behaviour where current practices
are just not working.
PROGRAM&
There are many programs and courses being run in schools
throughout Australia that deal with theissues of masculinity,
gender construction, balance and respect. A number of schools with
suchprograms are highlighted in the Boys in Schools series
ofbooklets, produced by the Men and Boysproject at the University
of Newcastle compiled by Richard Fletcher and Rollo Browne .
Most of these programs are aimed at having boys come to grips
with their feelings and begin toanalyse their needs, wants and
desires in terms of balance in their lives, stereotypes and
rolemodels. These programs need to be taught by well trained,
inspiring teachers who don't label theboys as "problems to be
solved" or give them the impression that they are somehow
inherently bad.
One such program is Boys Talk produced by Boys and
Relationships, South Australia. Another is aprogram entitled
Improving Boys' Education - A Manual for Schools which is presented
in an A4
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tan Li11ico
file format and also produced by the Men and Boys Project at the
University of Newcastle. Theideal in terms of delivery of these
programs is boys facilitating the program with younger boys in
apeer support/mentoring role as is done at the Norwood Morialta
Middle School in Adelaide .
It is important, also, that any such programs used or devised
employ a number of active learningstyles such as journal writing,
brainstorming, opinion forums, problem solving sessions, and
roleplay / role reversal exercises. The worst thing we can do is
teach these programs to the boys likeanother subject to be learned.
We have to work with them and run these programs alongside
parallelprograms for girls, run by women, to deal with similar
issues from a female perspective - this isbeing done successfully
in Dubbo South High School inNSW. An important feature
ofthisapproach is to bring both boys and girls together a couple
oftimes during the program (eg halfway,and at the end) to discuss
issues that arise and share experiences, feelings and progress in
anordered, supervised way. This enables the boys to make changes at
school and the girls to help themby acknowledging their actions,
re-affirming or predicting their moves. The girls expectations
ofboys in schools has to change as well or the boys will hit a
brick wall if they are ridiculed by thegirls for something "out of
character" etc. By working together both boys and girls can
progress intheir learning and behavioural outcomes.
"Home grown" school programs are even better but take a lot of
careful planning and work. Theyshould however: (from Boys Talk)
(Reference 1)
" Be Whole school involving all stake holders (ie. students,
teachers, parents and communitymembers).
" Support both the expansion of opportunities and expectations
for boys to adopt positive,respectful and fulfilling ways to be
male.
" Affirm the need for complementary strategies for boys and
girls that address abusivebehaviour and violence, equality of
educational opportunities and improved relationshipsbetween and
within the sexes.
" Support existing policies for girls and the expansion of those
resources consistent withGender Equity ; A framework forAustralian
Schools;Involve men and women in working collaboratively on these
issues.
It is also critical that all school staff receive professional
development on gender construction andboys' needs; critically
analyse their teaching practises and try to adopt a continuous
pastoral care /mentoring role in their day to day teaching - not
relying solely on one-offprograms to provide thetype of major
cultural shift needed .
THE SCHOOL YARD:
Steve Biddulph in his book Manhood talks about the change that
comes over hisown son as he nears the school each morning and says
it is true of most boys ontheir way to, during breaks, and on the
way home from school . They are said to
ko"put on armour" as they prepare for the battle of the
classroom and, in particular,playground each day oftheir school
life. Most boys fear the playground as a formidable, dangerousand
turbulent place where they are subjected to bullying,
harassment,putdowns, insults and tests oftheir manhood and
virility. Their survival is often dependent on how well they can
joke aboutsexual prowess, put women down and prove themselves as
macho, homophobic young males. Mostboys invent a series of defence
mechanisms, fictitious stories and actions that give them
standing
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Ian Lillico
among their peers but still bear the brunt of being offside at
some time during their school year orthe victim of bullying of some
sort from peers or older students of both sexes .
If boys can be made to feel safe, physically and emotionally,
they will achieve better results . Thiswill allow them to study
subjects they often shun because of taunts and criticism such as
Music,Home Economics, Drama and Dance - the very subjects we must
get boys more involved in to givethem some balance and meaning in
their lives .
Many schools in New Zealand and the Eastern States have begun to
reassess totallyfree recess andlunch times as those are the times
all the taunts, fights and intimidations occur which flow over
intothe classroom at one time or another . One of my
recommendations from observing a number of
achieving schools in terms of boys learning is to provide a
varied, structured array of activities fromwhich students can
choose which value equally chess, football, drama, music, dance,
etc. Theseactivities should be supervised `in the playground at all
times to ensure students are safe fromintimidation so they can
experiment with ways to express their masculinity in other than
ritualmacho ways of behaving .
One of the features of the "Middle Schools" visited in Tasmania
was the freedom of students toremain in their classrooms or "common
areas" during breaks interacting with both staff and peers ifthey
wished. When the siren went there was no rush out of the room into
the bituminised,foreboding, sterile playground - in fact there was
little movement in classes with students graduallydrifting to one
area or another, not needing or wanting to escape from classes .
This is oftenachieved by a less authoritarian relationship between
teacher and student, but also by the mere factthat their classroom
is theirs, occupied by them for the majority of the day. It
contains work andequipment that is theirs and they do not see the
need to escape as they feel comfortable and safe intheir own
environment .
As we move to different forms of middle schooling and new school
structures to accommodate ournew curriculum framework we should
also start to re-assess the conventional playground andschool
precinct in terms of their effectiveness in the 90's and beyond,
given the increasingdiscipline problems we face when students are
out of their classrooms. I believe more creative,relaxed, varied
styles of common areastcommon rooms etc . are needed with more
comfortable andappealing alternatives to wooden seats in the open,
bitumen, concrete and ovals. Middle Schools inEastern Australia and
Bullsbrook District High School's Year 7 and 8 Middle School in
1999 areproviding common areas for students that will include
lounge fiuniture, carpet, microwaves andfridges to make their work
and play environment more inviting, relaxed and hence productive
interms of student outcomes.
TECHNOLOGY:
Another factor which has had both a positive and negative
influence on boys' behaviour, attitudeand literacy levels is the
technology revolution that we are currently undergoing . There is
no doubtthat computer knowledge, computer games, the Internet and
computer applications (excluding wordprocessing) have become a very
male dominated area. Consequently boys are flocking to thesetypes
of subject offerings . There is debate, however, as to the extent
to which this fixation withcomputers and technology has reduced the
literacy level of boys and their ability to engage in oralrather
than text communication (as per chat modes on the Internet) . On
the onehand experts are saying that they now read fewer books,
speak less and are
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rde,C abecoming more reclusive in front of a computer screen or
TV set . On the other hand other expertswill argue that they are at
least now writing letters (E-mail) where previously for a boy to
write astandard snail mail letter was very unusual except to
celebrate birthdays and the like. Statisticsthroughout Australia
and New Zealand are revealing an increasing trend for girls and
women to useLibraries and Bookshops, and a decreasing trend for the
majority of boys and men to use the same,except to purchase
magazines of a special interest or practical nature .
The many programs in schools, such as RIBIT in WA, have been
successful in turning boys back toreading for pleasure in year 8
but it is unclear whether this is sustained in years 9 - 12 and
beyondschool . As boys get older, reading (particularly for
pleasure) has been, and is, viewed as a non-masculine activity and
many boys would much rather watch TV, see a movie or video or play
afiction - type computer game than read a book. They seldom see
their fathers/male guardiansreading and get the impressions it is
not a male thing . This has resulted in difficulties inmiddle and
later schooling as we expect students to use books and reference
books as their mainsource of information increasingly as they
progress from secondary to upper secondary and tertiarycourses.Some
researchers believe this is one of the many causes for the decline
in the academicperformance of boys in all subjects relative to
girls, and in real terms, over the last 15 years -coinciding with a
major increase in technology and non-written forms of information .
As Principalsand teachers we have to monitor what students are
doing on the computer . The computer can beused as a tool to
improve literacy but this is dependent on quality programs with
accompanyingwritten materials or interactive programs which enable
the student to take a less passive role. Somecomputer games develop
skills, strategies and problem solving techniques but need to be
evaluatedbefore being included in the schools' repertoire
ofcomputer software.
MALE ROLE MODEL
1dn L1111C0
It is time to revisit the most critical ingredient in helping
our boys balance their lives, behaviour andacademic performance -
the teacher. In particular male teachers and male staff in general,
have aspecial role to play in the lives of boys in each school.
Steve Biddulph in "Manhood" and "RaisingBoys" speaks of the
necessity for a young male to identify with another older male
whether there isa father or male guardian at home or not. It is
clear that boys have difficulty relating to their homefather during
puberty and we should provide other males with whom they can spend
time, talk toand gain some experience in appropriate male pursuits
or discuss issues that are worrying them.This can occur if trust is
present between boy and male mentor. In some schools that person
couldbe his Maths Teacher, Year Coordinator, Deputy Principal,
School Based Police Officer or anyother male member of staff -
Teaching or Non Teaching. Outside school such a mentor could be
anuncle, cousin, football coach, friend's father or doctor. It is
vital for each boy to have one or moremale role models to talk with
and to be with and experience "being male" together in a
nonfather/son relationship .
If this is lacking both in and out of school then the peer group
becomes the only and oftenquestionable source of information,
modelling and values decisions. All male staffshould be awareof
their role and we as teachers and administrators should implement
some type of system in ourschools to facilitate that interaction .
We need to help boys view male staff as approachable mentorsand we
need to give male teachers the skills and knowledge to talk with
boys in a non subject orclass setting where all issues can be
discussed in an open, non judgemental, caring way.
-kltA
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[an LillicoWhen speaking with boys throughout Australia and New
Zealand most had a staff member or maleperson in their lives with
whom they could learn about being male. Some of these "role
models"were perhaps 1oor choices due to a lack of appropriate,
approachable males at school or in theirfamily . Every interaction
between males in class, in the playground, at camps, at excursions,
inshopping centres - wherever, is an opportunity to teach our young
males that the stereotypicalmacho, beer swilling, wife beating male
role models of the 1950's are no longer the norm, desirableor
tolerable in our current society, and that there are many
alternatives to masculinity that arewholesome, varied and equally
acceptable .
In the United Kingdom and University of Western Australia
research has proved that a Principalwho takes time to be with,
praise and stand alongside their students make an overall
difference tothe ethos and performance of both staff and students
in the school . If the Principal is male this haseven more impact
on the boys in the school and praise correctly given by a senior
teacher has aspecial place in helping boys with low motivation and
/ or low selfesteem. Many theorists are now
OTHER FACTORS :
saying that to have an impact on a students' negative behaviour
a chastisement about theirundesirable behaviour must be balanced by
4 inputs of praise (even subtle ones such as apat on theback) in
the same lesson. This'is particularly important for boys who need
to maintain a positiverelationship with a teacher before any real
subject improvement or behaviour modification ispossible, as has
been stated previously .
One way of doing this that has been around for some time, but
very powerful, is an "I-Message" -an integral part of the Teacher
Effectiveness and Parent Effectiveness (TET and PET)
Trainingcourses that were popular in WA in the 1980s. These manuals
can still be obtained in most schoolsand the teacher version is
referenced at the end of this paper.
Basically this technique separates the student from their
behaviour, thereby retaining a relationship.It clearly outlines to
the student the impact his poor behaviour is having on the teacher
and why it isa cause of concern for the teacher. If there is
respect for that teacher, as mentioned before, it willmake some
difference to action in the future which the teacher deems
inappropriate . I-1Vlessagesneed to be learnt and practised but are
extremely powerful tools - particularly for boys .
The issue of the number of male teachers in the teaching
profession (particularly in the primarysector) is a matter for
concern as we need men to be there for the boys as well as to
demonstratethat teaching is a caring profession where men can
participate actively and successfully . We needto devise strategies
to attract males to Teaching, Nursing and other professions
seeminglydominated by females to help balance those areas.
. _
The campaigns over many years to attract girls to historically
male jobs has been very successfulbut the reciprocal issue of
attracting males to female jobs has not occurred in the same
proportionand needs addressing urgently . This is of particular
importance to the boys as the job market forlabouring jobs is
diminishing as technology reduces the number of people necessary in
any worksituation with a consequent increase in robotics and more
advanced labour saving machinery .
As well as the disappearance of many traditional male careers
there has been a marked increase inmale anxiety regarding the
future, employment prospects, role uncertainty and a marked
increase inthe male suicide rate . Since the 1950s the suicide rate
for boys aged between 15 and 24 has nearly
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[an Lillico
quadrupled. The rate for girls has remained steady and low over
the same period . Suicide inAustralia is now the major cause of
death for males up to the age of 25 - overtaking deaths frommotor
vehicle accidents.
Addressing the issues of boys learning, lifestyle, behaviour and
self-esteem in the courses we mustintroduce should address the
problem in time. It is a sad, depressing statistic we must start to
talkabout with our young men after gaining the knowledge and skills
to do so in an appropriate,effective manner .
While visiting the other states of Australia and New Zealand it
was interesting to note that WA isthe only state where, currently,
there aren't any Government Single - Sex schools. The debate
overSingle Sex schools versus Co-Educational schools is very well
summarised in a booklet producedby the Tasmanian Department of
Education, Community and Cultural Development (Reference 9),and
well worth reading .
Research has shown that girls do better in single sex schools
but, at the moment, boys generallydon't make significant gains.
They do, however, offer a less distracting learning environment,
free
SUMMARY:
from intimidation by the opposite sex . Boys are more
corrifortable with risk taking and explorationof non-traditional
gender roles . They can also explore less stereotyped roles and
choose morecultural and artistic pursuits. Learning practices can
be tailored to meet their needs and the wholeschool can focus very
deliberately on producing "better men".
Friendship and camaraderie among the boys (as in girls schools)
can develop much better and morelife long friendships are
established . In a new age school with chosen staff, relevant
curriculum andappropriate discipline boys' academic and behavioural
improvement should also occur. I was veryimpressed by the boys
schools I visited and particularly noted the healthy staff/ student
interaction,school tone, more relaxed but motivated students,
focused student attitudes and general "feeling" ofthese schools as
great places to be. Western Australia, I believe, should set up
some single sexschools, and do some action research to see ifthe
overall improvement in outcomes is achieved.
Middle Schooling and the principles of a Middle School
environment provide the ideal setting inwhich boys can flourish. I
believe the move in WA towards Middle Schooling will improve
theoutcomes for boys by the very nature of the longer, closer
association with fewer teachers and thestudent centred learning
style . We can then focus on students in those Middle School years
withoutbeing compromised by the needs of upper school students and
tertiary institutions. Theconcentration on holistic, outcomes based
education for boys in a middle school setting is an ideallaunching
ground to tackle some of the issues surrounding boys' educational
needs.
t 0, .
In conclusion there is no doubt that the problem of boys
learning is a very complex one. There aremany historical, cultural
and societal reasons for the decline in boys learning and
behaviouraloutcomes over the last 3 decades and the issue is
emotive and requires a long-term cultural shift in
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tan Lillico
the way schools operate. It will mean re-thinking our
curriculum, pedagogy, teacher training,professional development,
pastoral care policies, MSB policies, value systems and
schoolstructures .
We need both men and women as teachers and administrators in our
schools trained in mentoringboth boys and girls due to an
increasing erosion of traditional family life. There are many
programs,structures and initiatives that schools can develop which,
over time, will make a difference in boththe short and longer term.
We need to work with parents, and particularly fathers, to get them
moreinvolved in their child's learning and general development into
adulthood. Schools should offerforums for parents to discuss some
of the problems they face at home and work with them using
theassistance of teachers and other professionals.
I have only touched on a few of the issues surrounding the
concern about boys' learning in schools,but I hope this will
stimulate further debate, and lead to more action research in our
WesternAustralian schools. The time is overdue to throw out some of
our archaic practices and policies inschools that are not working
for our boys. If schools are to remain the major source of
education forall our children, we must ensure that boys get a
better deal . We must experiment with alternativeways of doing our
core business - helping each student (boy or girl) realise their
maximumpotential in a safe, caring environment.
Ian LillicoPrincipal, Bullsbrook District High
School10/11/98REFERENCES:
1 . Boys Talk : A program for young men about masculinity, non
violence andrelationships.
Brooke FriedmanBoys and relationships SA, Adelaide .Note - This
resource can be used at a program for boys as well as a PDtool, and
is essential reading for all of us from pp 9 - 41
2. Teaching the boys : New research on masculinity and gender
strategies for schools.RWConnellThe University of Sydney
3 . Boys work : Whosework ? The changing face ofgender equity
programs in the 90's - Adiscussion paper.
Lyn Martinet
4. The Boys in Schools Bulletins (quarterly)The Men and Boys
Project,Family Action CentreThe University ofNewcastle
5 . Getting Dads involved in Schools.The Father Care
InitiativeFamily Action CentreThe University of Newcastle
-
Page 126. Raising Boys
Steve Biddulph (1997)Sydney : Finch Publishing
7 . ManhoodSteve Biddulph (1994) An action plan for changing
men's lives.Sydney : Finch Publishing
8. What about the Boys ? : Strategies in Boys EducationChris
BonnorPrincipal, Asquith Boys High SchoolNSW Secondary Principals
Council, June 1997
9. Should we Group Students According to their Sex ?Department
of Education, Community and Cultural DevelopmentEducation Planning
BranchTasmania, November 1996
10 . Catering for the Boys - Middle Schooling at Wesley
CollegePrime Focus (August Edition)Professional Journal ofthe
Victorian Primary Principals Assoc .John BednallHeadmaster, Wesley
College.
11 . Improving Boys' Education (A manual for schools)Men and
Boys ProjectFamily Action CentreThe University of Newcastle
12. Teacher Effectiveness Training (TET) .Dr Thomas Gordon,
1974Peter H. Wyden / PublisherNewYork
13 . Teaching Boys to Become Gender BilingualJohn Bednall1995 :
The University School PressHunting Valley, Ohio
14 . Boys in Schools - Addressing the real issues.Rollo Browne
& Richard FletcherFinch Publishing, 1995
15. Leaving Early - Youth suicide : the horror, the heartbreak,
the hope .Bronwyn Donaghy
.HarperHealth: 1997