Boys and Girls

There has always been a debate about which gender is better in school. Who's better in gym class? Who's better in science? In math? In art? The list goes on an on...

However, I feel that our focus should not be about which gender is better in any subject, but rather how we can make ALL students successful in ALL subjects.

How can this be done? Lets take a look at this approach in a math classroom setting.

Mission Statement

To make sure that we to this effectively, we need to have an effective mission statement.

"To create a safe learning environment in which ALL students (regardless of their gender) are able to make mistakes, take risks, and become successful in mathematics."

*Notice that the mission statement says for ALL students. This is something we need to keep in mind as we build this

learning environment.*

How do we do this?

1. Knowing your students - Knowing the learning abilities and interests of the students allows you to design lessons and activities that appeal to their interests and learning abilities. This can be done by balancing topics an activities that are on average more appeal between boys and girls (ie, one lesson may talk about shopping; the next lesson on hockey). This would help keep them engaged and focused which would in turn help them to understand the lessons.

2. Real-life problems - As you create lessons that cater to the interests of students, make sure to create problems that are applicable to them. One way to do this is to make real-life problems for them to solve that relevant to them (ie. how many quarters do they need to buy 10 candies each worth $1).

3. Mixed groupings - Don't make groupings based only on gender; instead make groups that contain both genders and contain students with varying skill levels in math. By creating groups like this, students will be able to learn from one another which will help them gain a better understanding in math. 

4. Manipulatives - Students need to be active and be hands-on in their learning. Providing manipulatives for them to use as they learning will help them to make more connections which will help them gain a deeper understanding in math. Manipulatives are things like: geoboards, base 10 blocks, connecting cubes, money, and whiteboards.

5. It's OK to make mistakes - In most math classrooms, students give up when they make mistakes or get the wrong answer. As teachers, we need to teach students to persevere through their mistakes and show that mistakes are a part of the learning. Likewise, if students feel comfortable taking risks and making mistakes in math, they are more likely to have a deeper mathematical understanding because they will see that the process (how they got the answer) is more important than getting the answer.

If we as teachers implement these 5 things into our classroom, all students (regardless of their gender) will be successful!