Boys being failed by schools?

[TC]

Boys are being failed by schools because lessons have become too \"feminised\" in recent years, an academic is expected to warn.
Dr Tony Sewell will call for more nurturing of traditional \"male\" traits, such as competitiveness and leadership.

Schools focus too much on \"feminine\" qualities such as organisation and attentiveness, he will tell an NASUWT union conference in London.

The government said it was working \"to better engage\" male pupils.

\'Excitement needed\'

Dr Sewell, a former lecturer at Leeds University, will call for some coursework to be replaced with final exams and for more emphasis on outdoor adventure in the curriculum.
He will also demand extra efforts to recruit more male teachers and introduce more \"excitement\" to lessons.

Dr Sewell told the BBC News website: \"On the one hand, boys have to adapt to the world they are living in, which is not all about muscle and machismo.

\"On the other hand it\'s clear many of their needs are not being met.

\"We are often frightened by the traditional idea of the male, where we think it\'s wrong to be overtly competitive, and boys often lack an outlet for their emotions.

\"Young women have lots of support, with magazines and programmes devoted to them, and boys often do not.\"

Dr Sewell is calling for science lessons to include more practical experiments to interest male pupils.

He said:\" The girls seem more able to adapt to more theory-only learning, while boys want more action. They want to blow things up and see science in action.

\"I\'m not suggesting that there aren\'t many lazy boys out there, but there needs to be more done to attract males to learning.\"

Some boys are turning to gang violence as an outlet for their frustrated masculinity, he said.

Male pupils\' exam results lag behind those of girls.

In 2004, 63.3% of female GCSE entries resulted in an A* to C grade, compared with 54.9% of male entries.

A Department for Education and Skills spokesman said: \"We are delivering a curriculum and school experience to better engage boys in education.

\"Massive investment in personalised learning, as well as reforms to 14-19 education, will deliver catch up classes, challenge for gifted and talented pupils, and a new curriculum to keep both boys and girls engaged and excelling in learning.\"

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/5074794.stm
Similar articles: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/s...882644,00.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml.../13/ixnews.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1770
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I wanted to post this because, this story has been all over the british press the last couple of days.

In my opinion, Tony Sewell is well, increadibly lame. His analysis is sterotypical and inaccurate (i doubt school age boys actually have much to do with his weirdo traditional idea of the male and his suggestsions are dumb (i think the idea that they need more hands on outdoors type things to keep them interested, is frankly pretty insulting to boys, as if they all have a sterotypical sortof ADHD or something.)

However, i think the statistical fact that boys aren\'t doing as well as girls in school, and additionally they don\'t enroll or graduate from university as frequently as women, is indicative of a problem in the educational system...just as the fact that the opposite used to be true was indicative of a problem.



So, does anyone have ideas about it that acknowlege that there must be a problem but can make suggestions about what it is, without being as speculatively sterotypical as Tony Sewell?

[Herman]

There is certainly a problem with failing male students, but not because of feminism.

[bloody_capitalist_sham]

I think he pretty much hit the nail on the head.

There are obviously reasons why boys are doing worse, for example, boys are doing worse in maths and science than they were 20 years ago. (in the UK)

I dont think that this hasanything to do with feminism.

However, through feminism, girls might have more support, within educational institutions compared to their male counterparts.

I think that the lack of many, if any, male teachers at schools from 5-12 yrs is a problem.

When this is combined with poverty, and maybe a male to emulate, they look to each other for support when they dont get/cant get it from anywhere else.

Groups of young guys, left to their own devices, with no support from anyone and no hope for the future and poverty seems to me to be a good reason for why they can be roudy.

I will post some a thing later by a male feminist, from a book i bought for my course. just gota wait till after the Brazil game :P

[Dyst]

As for the difference between girls and boys, I think it has to do with culture (which obviously is highly affected by capitalism). Boys are generally more active with things which have little to do with with education (sports, games, etc.) Girls are generally more active with schoolwork, and perhaps (or as a result) also thinks more of the "future" for themselves (workplaces).

There probably are lots of other reasons too.

I see this as an increasing division, unless it is stopped in one way or another.

I suggest the best way to deal with this problem is to destroy or completely revamp the school system. Abolish wage slavery, therefore ending the need for students being educated into specific jobs, roles and workplaces. The people should calculate how much labour, and what kind, is needed. Most labour is automatized. Establish communities, which works out systems for labour time. The freer (as in the real sense of the word) the better. Each individual should be able to do what they want most of the time. The abolishment of capital interests should completely destroy the idea of "work". Instead, people will do things because they want to do it or simply because they want what they produce, for themselves or their loved ones. Peoples hobby and work will be one and the same.

[Janus]

I think that this can only be applied to some boys as many are still working quite hard.

Of course, there are problems with the education system itself rather than with feminism.

Some boys are quite active and restless (ADD or ADHD) and don't like sitting down in a classroom for several hours. Girls tend to be have calmer demeanors and have been seizing the moment in order to do better at school and avoid housewifery.

[bloody_capitalist_sham]

Some boys are quite active and restless (ADD or ADHD) and don't like sitting down in a classroom for several hours. Girls tend to be have calmer demeanors and have been seizing the moment in order to do better at school and avoid housewifery.

But this has not just been this way in the last 10 to 20 years.

Explanations based on gender characteristics are not valid i dont think.

Why isnt there more help to see what people have ADD and ADHD rather than letting them fuck up their lives?

Girls might have calmer demeanors, but is that because they are "naturally" this way? or is it social reasons? and if its social reasons what are they?

I think that this can only be applied to some boys as many are still working quite hard.

I dont think many people will say boys are not trying hard, its more that they are being let down by the schooling system.

Just look at the suicide rate for young boys, in the U$ and UK. I think the reasons are mostly within the education system.

[Raisa]

If you fail in school because you cant get your balls around feminism then good for you. You better find a woman who can support you.

Shit understand feminism people,
youre only as free as the most opressed.

[Janus]

But this has not just been this way in the last 10 to 20 years.

Explanations based on gender characteristics are not valid i dont think.

Why isnt there more help to see what people have ADD and ADHD rather than letting them fuck up their lives?

Girls might have calmer demeanors, but is that because they are "naturally" this way? or is it social reasons? and if its social reasons what are they?

There are many factors and this decline has been ocuring for some time. However, what I stated was simply one example. I did not mean to say that ADD and ADHD were the sole problems responsible.

I think the reasons are mostly within the education system.

Yes, obviosuly, that would be the major reason for their problems in school.

[bloody_capitalist_sham]

Shit understand feminism people,
youre only as free as the most opressed.

Well it depends how we measure who is the most oppressed.

If you measure it in terms of quality and length of life, then black men in the U$A, are the most oppressed.

Its who education fails the most too.

You better find a woman who can support you. laugh.gif

well for poor men, men in jail, in the army, they will likely end up with women who have also been fucked over by the school system.

poverty isnt one of the characteristics that most people find attractive.

But also, what about gay men? Should they try and find a women to support them, just because of a lack of support while young?

[emma_goldman]

Hmmm..but haven't academic expectations also increased in the last 10 or 20 years? After all, I remember my dad talking about people who were graduating from his high school who couldn't even read! This just doesn't happen anymore.

[Hegemonicretribution]

On the one hand discussion on this matter relates mainly to trends, and not definite causes, and it is of primary importance to bare this in mind.

However there are a few good reasons for this, and it is often suggested that boy's later developement puts them at a possible disadvantage (apart from the higher-achievers). Of course our overall aim is to simply allow for the most equal and benificial education system, but in the short term this could possibly re-adress some of the disadvantage that exists in the current work place for women.

Disadvantaging or failing boys cannot be good, but that girls as a trend) are now outperforming males may well lead to a change in stereotypes and the make up of the workplace.