Boys’ Learning and Literacy Information
The Ontario Ministry of Education, as part of an initiative to support student success in literacy, has identified boys’ literacy and learning as a priority. The Guide, Me Read, No Way, is based on an international review of effective practices and is intended to stimulate discussion of this important issue among educators in Ontario and to provide practical and effective strategies that teachers across the province can put to use in the classroom, both immediately and over the longer term.
Why Boys?
All educators share the common goal of providing equitable learning opportunities for every student in the classroom. Providing equitable opportunities for girls is a familiar topic; providing them for boys is a relatively recent issue, but one that is appearing with increasing urgency on education agendas around the world.
Quick Facts:
Boys typically score lower than girls on standardized tests in the language arts.
Boys are more likely than girls to be placed in special education programs
Boys are less likely than girls to go to university.
Dropout rates are higher for boys than for girls.
An increasing volume of evidence indicates that gender is a significant factor in both choice of reading materials and reading achievement for boys and girls.
Towards a solution
Addressing the needs of boys effectively will require dialogue and the collective expertise and talents of all partners in the education process, including government, educators, parents, and community members. Among these partners, however, educators play a particularly important role in determining how individual students develop as readers and writers. It is critical that we provide classroom experiences that respond to the interests, needs, and learning styles of all students, and that we explore ways to engage boys and girls equally as readers and writers.
Strategies for Success:
Drive the point home:
Engaging parents in boys’ literacy
The relationship between parental involvement and student success is well-established.
Engaging boys’ parents in the school’s literacy program by keeping them informed and
getting them involved has the potential to greatly enhance boys’ involvement and
achievement in reading and writing.
For More Information see the Boys’ Literacy Website: Guyzzone
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