As I peer across my Fourth grade class room the book choices of the students are dramatically different. Boys are deep into their Bones, Diary of the Wimpy Kid, Sharks vs. Killer Whales to name a few. What is familiar is the genres of books boys enjoy. In general boys prefer books with more action, gore and non fiction books that relate to their lives. As educators when we are assessing their writing and reading abilities it usually based on materials that were given to us by our district. Thomas Newkirk points out in his book Holding on to Good Ideas in the Time of Bad Ones it is crucial educators allow boys to read and write what interests them. When educators stifle the students creativity, learning becomes frustrating and they lose interest. Perhaps their writing prompt asking them to describe their favorite after school activity is about playing Mortal Combat 3 with their friends, it is our job as educators to grade the writing not the topic.
I am going to explore different educational resources through technology to find out what educators can do to keep boys thriving in Reading and Writing.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
What the Experts Say....
Boys have fallen behind girls in Literacy, many have referred to this as a crisis. We need to find out what we can do to stop the trend. " Research also points out that, overall, boys devote less time to reading, tend to be less confident readers, have less motivation to engage in reading, do not especially value reading as a free time activity, and have less interest in reading than girls." (Baker & Wigfield, 1999; Chen, 2008; Gambell & Hunter, 2000; McKenna, Ellsworth, & Kear, 1995; Mok & Cheung, 2004; Sokal et al., 2004).
Technology can improve interest in Reading, according to Baincarosa and Griffiths Technology tools to support reading in the digital age. Using a tablet and E-Reading programs can help with phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension and interest. To help students there are also organizational skills, binder apps. Programs can also offer stories of interest and on their reading level while the graphics can help with their conceptual comprehension. The down fall to using technology in the classroom is not all students have the access to the devices. Socio-economically struggling students will fall behind because they do not have the means to purchase technology.
Technology can improve interest in Reading, according to Baincarosa and Griffiths Technology tools to support reading in the digital age. Using a tablet and E-Reading programs can help with phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension and interest. To help students there are also organizational skills, binder apps. Programs can also offer stories of interest and on their reading level while the graphics can help with their conceptual comprehension. The down fall to using technology in the classroom is not all students have the access to the devices. Socio-economically struggling students will fall behind because they do not have the means to purchase technology.
Monday, June 3, 2013
What To Do...
We know boys literacy skills and interest is lower than girls, so now what?
Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys by Reichert and Howley recommend five lessons from teachers used in their study of effective lessons for boys. The common theme of the lessons is group work, untraditional structure of class (less lecture), and technology. The research included students range from middle school to upper high school with modest to high aptitude. Teachers were from various places in the world with 3-38 years of experience. The first lesson, required the students to build something, this got the boys interacting and experiencing hands on learning. The second lesson was based on a game. Boys respond well to competition, this keeps them engaged. Lesson three was based on active movement, this helps students grasp and retain a wide variety of conceptual material. Lesson four was called "Triumph of the Nerds: The transitivity of engaging boys in consideration of their deep nature" This lesson focused on boys discovering their own nature and character. The final lesson was developed around a unit of slavery. The students had to act out a situation a slave would encounter, this took the students out of their comfort zone. The teachers incorporated technology through research, recording, and games. As educators we know the more involved the student is in their own learning and discovery the more information is retained.
Male Call: Fifth Grade Boys Reading Preference is a research based article. In this article, they present the results of a qualitative study conducted with fifth-grade boys who dialogued about books they were reading using e-mail exchanges with female teacher education candidates. The purpose of this qualitative study was twofold: (1) to examine the reading preferences of fifth-grade boys and (2) to motivate inner-city boys to read more. This study was part of a federally funded Teacher Quality Education grant from the U.S. Department of Education. (pg. 182)
The results of the study was that boys read books that "looked good" they chose books based on their cover, struggling readers choose books with large fonts and margins. The students would stick to a favorite author. The study did not include comics, magazines or a large variety of informational text. The boys enjoyed using technology to interact with a teacher and share their book. The boys prefer books with characters that have realistic flaws.
Peter West wrote Ideas Schools Could Use to Increase Boys Achievement, he believes mentoring, reflecting on school grouping, harness fathers influence, monitor behavior, more active learning and increase rewards.
The common theme to improve literacy among boys is to have more active learning, using different technology outlets, having books and reading materials that would appeal to boys. It is still to early to thoroughly evaluate if technology has made a dramatic impact but educators believe it has.
It is also up to us as educators to attend technology workshops. I know my district has done a poor job providing training in technology. Especially with the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) being implemented next school year. Our students were born in the technology era, it will difficult to keep up with them if we are not educated ourselves.
Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys by Reichert and Howley recommend five lessons from teachers used in their study of effective lessons for boys. The common theme of the lessons is group work, untraditional structure of class (less lecture), and technology. The research included students range from middle school to upper high school with modest to high aptitude. Teachers were from various places in the world with 3-38 years of experience. The first lesson, required the students to build something, this got the boys interacting and experiencing hands on learning. The second lesson was based on a game. Boys respond well to competition, this keeps them engaged. Lesson three was based on active movement, this helps students grasp and retain a wide variety of conceptual material. Lesson four was called "Triumph of the Nerds: The transitivity of engaging boys in consideration of their deep nature" This lesson focused on boys discovering their own nature and character. The final lesson was developed around a unit of slavery. The students had to act out a situation a slave would encounter, this took the students out of their comfort zone. The teachers incorporated technology through research, recording, and games. As educators we know the more involved the student is in their own learning and discovery the more information is retained.
Male Call: Fifth Grade Boys Reading Preference is a research based article. In this article, they present the results of a qualitative study conducted with fifth-grade boys who dialogued about books they were reading using e-mail exchanges with female teacher education candidates. The purpose of this qualitative study was twofold: (1) to examine the reading preferences of fifth-grade boys and (2) to motivate inner-city boys to read more. This study was part of a federally funded Teacher Quality Education grant from the U.S. Department of Education. (pg. 182)
The results of the study was that boys read books that "looked good" they chose books based on their cover, struggling readers choose books with large fonts and margins. The students would stick to a favorite author. The study did not include comics, magazines or a large variety of informational text. The boys enjoyed using technology to interact with a teacher and share their book. The boys prefer books with characters that have realistic flaws.
Peter West wrote Ideas Schools Could Use to Increase Boys Achievement, he believes mentoring, reflecting on school grouping, harness fathers influence, monitor behavior, more active learning and increase rewards.
The common theme to improve literacy among boys is to have more active learning, using different technology outlets, having books and reading materials that would appeal to boys. It is still to early to thoroughly evaluate if technology has made a dramatic impact but educators believe it has.
It is also up to us as educators to attend technology workshops. I know my district has done a poor job providing training in technology. Especially with the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) being implemented next school year. Our students were born in the technology era, it will difficult to keep up with them if we are not educated ourselves.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Resources
Here are some blogs and websites I found. The blogs are useful not only for information on boys and literacy but with ideas on how to implement the lessons.
Boys Learn http://boyslearn.com/: This is a blog created by a Canadian teacher. The focus is how to use technology to enhance boys literacy skills. It is also filled with information and tips on how to teach the lessons.
Getting Boys to Read http://gettingboystoread.com/content/technology-and-boys-literacy/ is a site dedicated to boys, technology and literacy. Suggestions on how to use technology to interest boys in reading.
The 35 best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools http://www.edudemic.com/2010/07/the-35-best-web-2-0-classroom-tools-chosen-by-you/ and 101 Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers http://www.goedonline.com/101-web-tools-for-teachers are wonderful resources to use to get ideas on how to use technology in your classroom.
There is also an interesting article Boys may be boys, but do they have to Read and Write that way? by Bronwyn Williams, he gives anecdotes about his sons and their gory writing. The other parents are shocked as his sons describe aliens and laser guns. He also explains many time as teachers, we stifle male students writing with our beliefs. This can lead to discouragement and frustration, if this is continuous many males will give up or resent writing.
Boys Learn http://boyslearn.com/: This is a blog created by a Canadian teacher. The focus is how to use technology to enhance boys literacy skills. It is also filled with information and tips on how to teach the lessons.
Getting Boys to Read http://gettingboystoread.com/content/technology-and-boys-literacy/ is a site dedicated to boys, technology and literacy. Suggestions on how to use technology to interest boys in reading.
The 35 best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools http://www.edudemic.com/2010/07/the-35-best-web-2-0-classroom-tools-chosen-by-you/ and 101 Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers http://www.goedonline.com/101-web-tools-for-teachers are wonderful resources to use to get ideas on how to use technology in your classroom.
There is also an interesting article Boys may be boys, but do they have to Read and Write that way? by Bronwyn Williams, he gives anecdotes about his sons and their gory writing. The other parents are shocked as his sons describe aliens and laser guns. He also explains many time as teachers, we stifle male students writing with our beliefs. This can lead to discouragement and frustration, if this is continuous many males will give up or resent writing.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Citations
Farris, P. J., Werderich, D. E., Nelson, P. A., & Fuhler, C. J. (2009). Male call: Fifth-grade boys' reading preferences. The Reading Teacher, 63(3), 180-188. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/203283487?accountid=109192.
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