For the Love of Boys
While my boys are active, they are generally well-behaved and liked by the school. There has been the odd bus report and Liam did get a note home because he cannot seem to stop talking with the girls in the class but other than that, I am anticipating smooth sailing at school. But, I think it would be possible to achieve more.
I found a book at the local Indigo, called The Minds of Boys. I am always interested in better parenting and am frequently at a loss to what goes on inside the minds of the men in my house. And, in my faith in academia, I thought a book might help. :-)
For parents of boys, this is an amazing book. It is written by Michael Gurian, well-known in the US for education policies and a behaviour management specialist. When I talked with two teacher friends of mine, they have both heard of him.
The most interesting part of the book is that the author feels that the current set up of our education systems in North America position boys for failure. He starts out with some pretty disturbing facts about ritalyn and behaviour issues in boys and stregthens his "theories" with neural research. This is the part that hooks me. Anyone can have a theory on anything but quantitative research does not lie.
At work, brains of little boys (using national averages) get 25% less blood flow than brains of little girls. Even little girls whose brains are at rest, are getting more blood flow to their brains than little boys struggling to solve a problem.
The body's natural way to increase blood flow is what Gurian calls self-stimulation. Don't get all weird on me. At 5, self-stimulation means tapping your feet when someone is talking with you. Writing on your arm in class. Getting out of your seat to talk with someone. These are not behaviours in the case of little boys. This is the body's natural instinct to increase blood flow to the brain (a muscle, I believe?) in order to allow them to concentrate.
The other interesting part is that boys learn visually. I find that interesting because I learn visually and I am not a boy. :-) When you give verbal instructions to a boy, on average, you will need to repeat it three times before they internalize it. Or you can write it out (spatially), preferably in a grid format of some kind. Once. And they understand and can follow it.
With our school systems, the "excellent" students sit still and listen to the teacher. They complete their work sitting in their chairs and not disrupting the class. They hand their assignments in quietly and sit back in their seats waiting for the next instruction. You can see how this would make it very difficult for boys to succeed.
The interesting part is that Gurian is an education specialist. I have no time for theories where only the complaint is presented. Give me some workable options that could solve the issue or don't waste my time. I am only at page 75 and already Gurian is presenting communication options for young children. Have them repeat the instructions. Don't yell - they don't follow instructions orally anyway. Write out simple steps in a routine. Bedtime Routine: 1) brush your teeth 2) get your pajamas on 3) put your clothes in the laundry basket. Place the list somewhere and offer a reward scheme. Use stickers and books and snuggles. All excellent advice.
The other funny part of this self-stimulation is that Gurian supports allowing boys to "play" with something in the classroom. You know those pokemon cards that the teachers confiscate? They are helping the little boy's brain stay awake. He recommends a couple of pieces of lego or a squishy ball. I have gotten frustrated with my boys as we settle down at night because they both want to fidget with something while we read our night time stories. But, I have learned to ask questions about what we read and so far neither of the older two boys have disappointed me in their comprehension. Now, the third, there is not a squishy ball large enough for that one...
I found a book at the local Indigo, called The Minds of Boys. I am always interested in better parenting and am frequently at a loss to what goes on inside the minds of the men in my house. And, in my faith in academia, I thought a book might help. :-)
For parents of boys, this is an amazing book. It is written by Michael Gurian, well-known in the US for education policies and a behaviour management specialist. When I talked with two teacher friends of mine, they have both heard of him.
The most interesting part of the book is that the author feels that the current set up of our education systems in North America position boys for failure. He starts out with some pretty disturbing facts about ritalyn and behaviour issues in boys and stregthens his "theories" with neural research. This is the part that hooks me. Anyone can have a theory on anything but quantitative research does not lie.
At work, brains of little boys (using national averages) get 25% less blood flow than brains of little girls. Even little girls whose brains are at rest, are getting more blood flow to their brains than little boys struggling to solve a problem.
The body's natural way to increase blood flow is what Gurian calls self-stimulation. Don't get all weird on me. At 5, self-stimulation means tapping your feet when someone is talking with you. Writing on your arm in class. Getting out of your seat to talk with someone. These are not behaviours in the case of little boys. This is the body's natural instinct to increase blood flow to the brain (a muscle, I believe?) in order to allow them to concentrate.
The other interesting part is that boys learn visually. I find that interesting because I learn visually and I am not a boy. :-) When you give verbal instructions to a boy, on average, you will need to repeat it three times before they internalize it. Or you can write it out (spatially), preferably in a grid format of some kind. Once. And they understand and can follow it.
With our school systems, the "excellent" students sit still and listen to the teacher. They complete their work sitting in their chairs and not disrupting the class. They hand their assignments in quietly and sit back in their seats waiting for the next instruction. You can see how this would make it very difficult for boys to succeed.
The interesting part is that Gurian is an education specialist. I have no time for theories where only the complaint is presented. Give me some workable options that could solve the issue or don't waste my time. I am only at page 75 and already Gurian is presenting communication options for young children. Have them repeat the instructions. Don't yell - they don't follow instructions orally anyway. Write out simple steps in a routine. Bedtime Routine: 1) brush your teeth 2) get your pajamas on 3) put your clothes in the laundry basket. Place the list somewhere and offer a reward scheme. Use stickers and books and snuggles. All excellent advice.
The other funny part of this self-stimulation is that Gurian supports allowing boys to "play" with something in the classroom. You know those pokemon cards that the teachers confiscate? They are helping the little boy's brain stay awake. He recommends a couple of pieces of lego or a squishy ball. I have gotten frustrated with my boys as we settle down at night because they both want to fidget with something while we read our night time stories. But, I have learned to ask questions about what we read and so far neither of the older two boys have disappointed me in their comprehension. Now, the third, there is not a squishy ball large enough for that one...
posted by y-vonne at 4:35 AM
1 Comments:
Have you tried reading the book, "Bringing Up Boys" It's a fantastic book about all the need to know things about boys and how they tick. I'd encourage you to look for it.
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