Based on the many glazed over eyes and head spinning that I witnessed in class on Monday, I can infer that a large number of you are almost at your saturation point for new technology tools. . .Well, this ride continues tonight, with the introduction of a few new assignments. . .We will discuss the presentation assignment, which used to always be PowerPoint, but I would like everyone to try a free, web-based alternative. CLICK HERE to see some awesome alternatives to PowerPoint. We will also discuss how to use GoogleDocs to collaborate on your first NETS narrative for TaskStream. Lastly, I will finish the discussion of the PLN assignment and how to participate in an educational chat.If you read this before you come to campus, please bring a set of headphones so you can work on the Excel assignment. I will be in class early as usual if you need any extra help, or just extra time to work on your assignments. Don't forget that the newsletter assignment is due tonight and the school 2.0/self-assessment was due yesterday. Journal articles 1-5 are due on Monday. I recommend you take the slow and steady approach. . .do a journal a day and spend a bit of time on each assignment whenever you can fit it into your schedule. And refer back to journal 1 when you are feeling frustrated ;-)
Question: How do you feel about single-gender schools (all-boy or all-girl)? Experience or thoughts?
I've had family that went to an all girl school and it was great for her because she focused on her academics. However, when she went to high school there were both genders. She seemed to be a bit boy crazy and was not sure how to interact with them as friends. I think by segregating genders you are not preparing them for a world that is multi-gendered.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with this concept within the public school system. I see my classroom as an extension of my students’ families. We learn to get along, work together, communicate appropriately, have compassion, follow the rules, and of course learn from each other and have fun. Segregating children by gender is not the real world our children live in. Now, if the private sector wants to give parents a choice to have their child attend a gender-segregated school, I'm fine with it. But, I feel it is a waste of money and hurts the child's social interaction.
ReplyDeleteI do not have much experience with single-gender schools. I do believe in integration of special needs students to help socialization as well as generalization with regular ed population. So I guess in a way i'm against single gender school, b/c a mixture will help socialization, gets students ready for the real world, unless they're going to be a monk or a nun.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Thao and Gloria that they don't really prepare students for the real world. I don't have any experience in these types of schools, but I think that it is not the best idea. I can see that it might help students focus, but at the same time, I can imagine how students might get rebellious by being so restricted. I think that gender mixture creates a balance and allows more opportunities for friendships with a more mixed group of students.
ReplyDeleteWell, the real question should be do boys and gils learn differently? I think they do. The traditional way of teaching (sitting at your desk listening to a teacher lecture) works for most girls. Boys however, would do much better with hands on experiences. So if these schools are teaching to boys/girls, then yes I would agree. Not so if they are simply trying to segregate the sexes.
ReplyDeleteI have never experienced a single-gendered school, let alone a singe-gendered class. In college I have had several class' that were predominantly female, but I liked that the few males in the class added a different aspect to the discussion. I believe that integrating genders benefits students for the real world. Especially since there are so many jobs now that contain both males and females working together.
ReplyDeleteI do not have personal experience with single gender schools. However, I have friends who have attended them and I have heard only negative things. I think the only positive in that situation would be less distraction from the opposite gender. However, I think it shelters the children and they can either rebel against it or experience a degree of shock when they enter the real world.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any experience with single gender schools but I agree with Gloria's idea that a classroom and school is an extension of a student's family. The real world does not segregate people based on gender so why should schools do it at such a young age?
ReplyDeleteI've never attended and all girls school or been to an all boys school, but I do coach soccer at an all girls high school. I think there are some great benefits, from what I gather from the girls I coach. The benefits that I see are that the girls are more confident in class(raising their hands...), have strong bonds as friends, and they feel comfortable being themselves more often. As for an all boys school, I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteI have never been in a single-gender class/school, although like Sam many of my last "teacher" classes in undergrad were mostly female. From that experience, I learned I prefer a more mixed population of students and as a future elementary school teacher I think I would like a mixed gender class. The more diversity the better! I think it makes for a far more interesting class with differing personalities, attitudes, and views. Playing devil's advocate, it would be interesting to only teach boys or girls and see differences...how only girls or only boys act together and what is missing from this population without the other present.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not have any experience with single gender schools, nor do I know anyone that has attended one. However, I do think that integrating both genders allows for better interaction skills. It allows for the understanding of multiple perspectives as well as encourages cooperation.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend that went to all-girls Scripps College and I visited her quite a few times when she was there. She said it was nice not having the pressure of dressing up for class or in the dorms. Because it's part of the 5 school system in the Claremont Colleges, she was still able to take classes on the other campuses and would see men in those classes or the dining hall. I think there is a stigma associated with single sex colleges. People will say things like, only lesbians would go to an all girls school. It's sad when people can't look deeper to see what different types of schools can offer.
ReplyDeleteI don't have experience with single gender schools and while I don't think they're a bad thing, I imagine that keeping the genders mixed in the school setting is a better socializing tool. Although, I wouldn't be opposed to single gender classrooms for certain subjects. Girls and boys learn differently in some areas so separating on a smaller scale might do some good for understanding course material.
ReplyDeleteHaving a pre-adolescent son, there is a small part of me that thinks an all-boy school sounds great! But that is just the mom in me who wants to keep him little and innocent and girl-free for as long as possible : ) From a teaching perspective, I feel that integrated schools are always best, whether we are talking about gender, race, nationality, or special needs. Having our children grow and learn together in a cooperative environment is the best way to prepare them for college and the work force, as well as being well-rounded members of society.
ReplyDeleteI did not attend a single gender school, but my neighbor did. She seemed to like it. However, I would not say that they are any better. At Cal Poly, being a liberal studies major, many of my classes only have girls in them. However, the girls do not seem to be more successful in these classes. I would say they seem to act even more dumb. As sad as this is, it seems to me that having boys in the class motivates girls to try harder and act more intelligent. This probably is not true in all cases, but this is what I have experienced.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to an all gender school nor I have a lot of knowledge on the subject. However, I think that, like anything, it has its pros and cons. One pro would we that guys would be able to concentrate more on school. One con would be concerning socialization because the interaction of both genders are important to understand society.
ReplyDeleteI have always attended co-ed schools. I think that it is important for both genders to learn to work together. Males and females are going to have to work together as adults in the work force, so why separate them at a young age? However, I do know people who attended single gender schools and seemed to like them. I don't necessarily think one is better than the other, but I do think it is important for boys and girls to work together at a young age.
ReplyDeleteLike many of my classmates have already brought out I too have never attended an all girls school. My mom attended an all girls private Catholic school for grades K-6 and she said she didn't like. However, I think her reasoning for disliking it had more to do with the strict nuns than the fact that her school was not mixed. From my experience I would think that having boys and girls in a mixed setting in more beneficial for the socialization aspect.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that there would be benefits and drawbacks to having single gendered schools. It could disrupt social growth by not allowing interaction between genders. It could also further alienate third gender students. As far as benefits, it could allow teachers to focus on gender aimed learning styles to get the most out of their time with the students.
ReplyDeleteI too don't have much experience with single-gendered schools, but just hearing about them makes me a little crazy. I just can't imagine learning in an environment where there is only one sex involved. I remember my school years and some of the best ideas cam from collaboration of BOTH boys and girls. Like I said though, I don't have much experience with these type of schools. It just seems more natural to me for boys and girls to learn together.
ReplyDeleteI think integrating both genders is best and it prepares students for the realities of society. My college roommate had attended an all girl catholic high school. She did not like it because she never had guy friends. When we were in college, she did become a bit boy crazy. In general, I believe classes should always be diverse.
ReplyDeleteI dont really like the idea of having one gender schools. I attended a private catholic school for 9 years K-8. It was pretty brutal. I opted out of going to a private school for the rest of my education. I feel as though to get the full educational experience of HS, you need to have both genders attending the same campus. Girls are petty and boys are brutal to one another. Its better if they are together so they can be easily distracted
ReplyDeleteI agree with most people in class that the idea of a single gender school does not do much justice for the children. Boys and girls need to interact with each other because they are different and I think it is more beneficial since each gender offers its own ways to education. I've noticed from my own personal experience that doing a group project that has both male and females makes for a richer outcome.
ReplyDelete