Speech

Girls and boys are completely different. They think differently, they have different interest, and they react in different ways. So, it should come as no surprise that they also learn in different ways. Unfortunately, our education system is directed towards girls and has neglected to accommodate boys during their early years, ultimately setting them up for failure.

Evidence for this can be seen with the amount of boys being diagnosed with ADHD. Over the past few years it has grown tremendously with boys being diagnosed earlier and earlier. This makes you ask the question, why?

The majority of problems begin at an early age, often starting in kindergarten. According to PBS, boys are less mature when they start school, which tends to make them less verbal and more active. Several years ago this was not a problem because children were not expected to begin reading and writing in kindergarten. But over the past years this has created more of an issue because our society has become more advanced and now expects a higher level of learning.

One aspect of being less mature is that boys are more active, making it harder for them to focus. They are in their motor stage of development where they improve coordination. This causes them to become restless and prevents them from paying attention. They need to have time to get up and move around instead of being confined to a desk all day. This could be incorporated into a classroom setting in many ways. One way is through hands-on activities. Crafts where children get to glue, cut, or color lets then move about and can also be beneficial for their learning style. Another way to promote activity is through recess. This should never be taken away as a punishment because it would increases than chances of the student acting up in class. Recess allows children to get rid of their energy and takes a couple minutes away from school, making them more focused when they return to the classroom.

One reason that girls tend to perform better in elementary school is they are better at writing. Their fine motor skills normally make them more likely to succeed at this age than boys and the left side of the brains which controls language develops first in girls. This gives then a head start in their writing abilities that boys do not have. Boys are also limited by teacher regulations on what they can write. Some of the topics that they might find more interesting such as violence, where the bad guys gets killed, is prohibited by the teacher and therefore limits their creative ability. If teachers were to put different guidelines on creative writing, then the boys might find it more intriguing.

The same problems also occur in book choices. Teachers stray towards their favorite books which are more feminine. Instead, they should try to incorporate a wide variety of books with different subjects that appeal to the boys and girls. This would get more boys interested in books at a younger age because they would actually enjoy what they are reading.

As you can see, there are many ways to help boys do better in school. The school system needs to make these subtle changes in order to help get the boys of to a good start and provide a strong basis for their education.

Bibliography:
"NASSPE: Research Gender Differences in Learning." NASSPE: Home Introduction. 2006. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. http://www.singlesexschools.org/research-learning.htm.

Raising Cain: Boys in Focus. Dir. Paul Stern. Perf. Micahel Thompson. 2006. DVD.

"The Problem with School? . Boys in School . Raising Boys . PBS Parents PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. 2003. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .