Boys Education
St Mary’s as a boys only school has worked very hard to become “specialists” in boys’ education. Current research demonstrates clearly that boys “on average” perform at significantly lower levels than girls in assessed areas of curriculum in both primary and secondary. This however masks the facts that many boys achieve very well and many girls achieve poorly. The approach to use is a “which boys” approach that recognizes that while there are some things that work for many boys, each has individual needs. When all the data on different student performance is analyzed, there are some important findings from the research.
IDENTIFYING THE MAJOR SOURCES OF VARIATION IN STUDENT’S ACHIEVEMENTS
· All the data demonstrates more variance at the class level, than the departmental level than the school or system level. TEACHERS HAVE THE GREATEST INFLUENCE on all educational outcomes.
· Effective schools make a difference primarily through the quality of teaching and learning provision.
· Effective schools are only effective to the extent that they have effective teachers.
· The effects of quality teaching on educational outcomes are greater than those that arise from student backgrounds.
WHAT STUDENTS (BOTH MALES AND FEMALES) NOMINATE AS KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF “EFFECTIVE TEACHERS”
Evidence cited in the recent NSW Report of the Review of Teacher Education (Ramsey, 2000) indicates that students want their teachers to:
· Know and understand their subject(s);
· Treat each student as an individual;
· Make learning the core of what happens in the classroom; and
· Manage distractions that disrupt and prevent learning.
A research project by Rowe & Trent (2001), demonstrates that students - regardless of their stage of schooling or training - consistently report that ‘good’ teachers are those who:
· “Care about me and encourage me”;
· “Are enthusiastic about what they teach and want me to share in their enjoyment of learning”;
· “Are fair”.
These understandings underpin our approach at St Mary’s College.