Strategies to assist boys can help both sexes

Raising the achievement level of male students is the key to raising test scores for the entire school, say teachers at Walton Middle School in Compton. To prove their point, they've started a group effort to bring boys in their classrooms up to speed.

"We're trying to get closer to our male students," says Daphne Dixon, a sixth-grade math and science teacher. "We are trying to find out what's going on in their lives and mentor them as well as teach them. For some reason, many of them are not focused on education and don't consider it important. We're trying to change that."

Several of the teachers, all of whom are members of the Compton Education Association, are mentoring at least five underachieving boys each. Dixon, who has taken eight students under her wing, escorts them on trips to libraries and colleges, including UCLA.

"I talk to them about what they want out of life and how they're going to achieve that," says Dixon. "I tell them that education is the way to achieve their goals. I'm trying to show them a path and help them lay out a plan, beginning with the importance of getting a high school diploma."

Dixon has also involved her protégés in volunteer activities to broaden their horizons and boost their confidence. "We have volunteered at the Midnight Mission, the biggest homeless shelter on skid row, and we've participated in community cleanups and beautification projects. The students start to realize how important they are and that they can make a difference."

Hassan Chavoushi, a seventh- and eighth-grade math teacher, is involved in an after-school tutoring program that is open to both boys and girls, although boys are more often in need of extra help. He is also making an extra effort to talk to some of the boys one-on-one during his lunch break.

Whether teachers are part of a schoolwide campaign or just focusing on their own students, there are many strategies that can be utilized to meet the needs of both male and female students.

Diane Connell and Betsy Gunzelmann offer several in an article in Scholastic Instructor, "The New Gender Gap":

• Tap into visual-spatial strengths. For example, tie in building projects with Legos, blocks or Lincoln Logs to math lessons.
• Allow time for movement and build physical activity into lessons whenever possible. When teaching a lesson on punctuation, let the whole class stand up and act out a period, a question mark, an exclamation point or a semicolon. Highly active children, especially boys, may need brief breaks built into the day to stand up, stretch and walk around.
• Use hands-on material. Allow children the opportunity to show their learning in other ways besides writing. For example, use modeling clay to form letters of the alphabet.
• Incorporate technology whenever possible. Increasing the use of computer-based education, including Internet research or learning games, helps to engage the attention of boys at all grade levels.
• Provide male role models and encourage mentoring relationships. Invite male guest speakers, such as authors, community leaders or even fathers of students, into the classroom. Get high school boys to provide tutoring after school for younger boys who are struggling.
• Allow opportunities for competition. Some students thrive on the energy of contests, spelling bees, math competitions, etc.
• Choose books that appeal to boys. Reading more nonfiction in the classroom can help capture the interest of boys, who often prefer books filled with interesting facts and information. Author and teacher Jon Scieszka developed a reading campaign titled "Guys Read" that includes ideas for teachers and parents to encourage boys to read.
• Create a supportive classroom environment. Make the classroom a safety zone where boys (and girls) can be themselves without putting up a false front. By engendering an atmosphere of respect, teachers can encourage boys to let their feelings show, to feel safe enough to make mistakes, and to understand that every student is there to learn at his or her own pace, in his or her own style.