Raising Boys' Achievement in Primary Schools : Towards and Holistic Approach

by Warrington, Molly; Younger, Mike; Bearne, Eve

• ISBN13: 9780335216062
• ISBN10: 0335216064
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-01
• Publisher: Open University Press

Summary

Within the context of empirical research undertaken by the authors during the course of a 4-year research and intervention project on Raising Boys' Achievement, the book will focus on approaches that are successful in raising achievement for boys, and the reasons for that success. It will explore the whole aspect of boys' achievement, and look at how primary schools are addressing the issue, and the processes involved in schools working collaboratively and voluntarily to share good practice. Case study material will be used to illustrate the different contexts in which the strategies have been studied, and of great importance is the incorporation of boys' and girls' own perspectives on their educational experiences.

Author Biography

Molly Warrington is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge, and Director of Studies for Geography at Homerton College and King's College Mike Younger is Director of Teaching in the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education Eve Bearne is Associate Director of Research at Homerton College, University of Cambridge

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	ix
1 Gender differentials within primary education: context and causes	1	(22)
The changing focus on assessment in primary education	2	(8)
Why boys' 'under-achievement'?	10	(12)
Conclusion	22	(1)
2 The achievement debate	23	(26)
Dimensions of the gender gap at Key Stages 1 and 2: increasing complexity	23	(14)
'Under-achievement'	37	(3)
The 'value-added' debate	40	(5)
Reflections on the achievement debate	45	(3)
Notes	48	(1)
3 Raising boys' achievements: inclusivity rather than exclusivity	49	(15)
The Raising Boys' Achievement Project: the underpinning theoretical position	50	(8)
From male repair to gender relational approaches	58	(4)
Conclusion	62	(2)
4 'Working together is invaluable': a collaborative approach	64	(22)
The pilot stage	65	(2)
The intervention stage	67	(15)
The extension stage	82	(1)
Amassing the evidence	82	(3)
Conclusion	85	(1)
5 'Here we really believe in ourselves': tackling socio-cultural issues	86	(31)
The socio-cultural context	86	(2)
Confronting the issues	88	(1)
Triad involvement in socio-cultural strategies	89	(4)
Getting the boys on board through citizenship initiatives	93	(10)
Breaking down barriers to learning through involvement in the arts	103	(12)
Conclusion	115	(1)
Notes	116	(1)
6 'Now I can read faster': reading communities and partnerships	117	(24)
Context and background	117	(3)
Defining the intervention strategies	120	(4)
Reading communities: adult role models	124	(2)
Boys becoming readers	126	(2)
Boys supporting boys: improving reading through shared reading partnerships	128	(5)
Building self-esteem for learning through shared reading partnerships	133	(6)
Shared reading: pre-conditions	139	(1)
Conclusion	140	(1)
7 'I like the good words I used': becoming writers	141	(25)
Context and background	142	(2)
Defining the intervention strategies	144	(6)
An integrated approach to literacy	150	(3)
Drama as a focus for writing	153	(5)
Reflecting on writing in a special school	158	(3)
A more detailed view of talk and literacy	161	(3)
Conclusion	164	(1)
Note	165	(1)
8 'The teachers do try and make it enjoyable for us and make learning fun': a focus on pedagogy	166	(18)
A focus on learning styles	166	(2)
The case studies	168	(13)
Concluding reflections on learning styles approaches	181	(3)
9 Conclusion: Overcoming the barriers	184	(14)
No easy answers	184	(1)
What is success and how do we know it when we see it?	184	(2)
'Girls are stronger on the inside, boys on the outside'	186	(6)
A whole-school ethos of inclusion	192	(3)
Final reflections	195	(3)
Bibliography	198	(21)
Index	219