It was very refreshing and also disconcerting to read through Thomas Bartlett’s post The Puzzle of Boys in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Refreshing from the sense that there is a growing body of academic research that recognizes that boys have unique learning needs that must be addressed. The article was also disconcerting because it reveals that some view this research as a negative reaction to the Gender Equity in Education movement and that they view the “boys crisis as bunk”.
While I don’t want to weigh in on this debate, I want to point out that fact that when we strive to understand boys and girls as unique learning groups with unique needs–this is a good thing. Gender, race, social economic status and many other factors need to be taken into account when we look at our learners preparedness. Identifying and striving to understand that uniqueness will help us all to engage our learners. We should heed Niobe Way’s warning:
If you don’t understand the experience of boyhood, you’ll never understand the achievement gaps.
Barletts list of books cited is excellent but he missed what many would argue is one of the best works on understanding boys–Dr. James Dobson’s Secrets of Bringing Up Boys
