1. Six Point Action Plan
What schools can do to re-engage boys back into the Learning Process
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2. Discipline
Some principles of disciplining boys are:
 allow boys to participate in the construction of
rules so that they understand why certain rules are
necessary
 allow boys to make suggestions as to how the
rules might be enforced
 ensure that ALL boys know what the rules are
and what the consequences are of breaking them
 discipline should be consistent but
compassionate. There is a fine line, but sometimes
zero tolerance is not the best policy. Boys have a
strong sense of justice and respond badly to being
treated unfairly
 avoid public confrontations and never humiliate
boys in front of their peers. This will lead to point
scoring.
 in the classroom, one of the most basic factors
governing attention to task is teacher proximity.
Arrange classrooms so as to minimise the distance
between teacher and students as they move
around the classroom
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3. Rewards and Encouragement
The other side of discipline is
rewards and encouragement
 allow boys to participate in deciding what
rewards will be motivating for them
 be consistent with rewards and praise, but
not to the point where they become
devalued
 recognise good and improved behaviour
publicly. Make sure that boys are not
singled out for sporting achievement alone
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4. Pedagogy
There are a number of simple strategies
underpinned by solid research that can
make boys’ experience in the classroom
more positive and make teaching easier.
 highly structured lessons with short
term tasks, gradually extended, and
frequent changes of activities
 active learning
 clear objectives and explicit instructions
 high expectations tempered with an
appropriate level of challenge
 regular and constructive feedback
 greater emphasis on teacher-directed
work and lesser focus on group work
 competition
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5. Reading and Literacy
It is crucial to focus on literacy in the early
years of schooling. Issues that need
consideration by both school leaders and
the classroom teacher are:
 good monitoring systems and early
intervention
 spelling, grammar and phonics
 talk things through before writing
 introduce boys to literature by reading to
them
 make sure the school library has books boys
want to read, and a catalogue system that
allows them to locate them easily
 make sure that the school has an EXPLICIT
and SUCCINCT Teaching Learning Program for
ALL aspect of the Reading and Literacy
Program
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6. Men in Schools
There are ways that ALL schools
might ameliorate the effects of
decline numbers of males in the
teaching ranks:
 male role and mentoring
programs
 involving fathers
 parent-teacher partnerships
Talking about masculinity
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7. School Structures and Classroom Composition
Each school will look at and attack
the re-engagement of boys in the
way that will best meet their
particular needs. However there are
a few things that can be considered
by the school administrators:
 single sex classes
 focus on middle schooling
 homework
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8. The Final word ...
Boys today inhabit a different world, both in school
and out of school. They have rules and moral
guidelines. They often find school life frustrating
and alienating. This mismatch between boys and
school gives us only a couple of alternatives.
We could try to change boys to suit schools, or we could try to change schools to
suit boys. Neither is an easy task to undertake! And, instead we, as schools and
society tend to attempt a meeting of both somewhere in the middle.
Changing boys does not mean making them more like girls. It means
recognising that boys must take some responsibility for the decisions they make.
They are not passive victims and, if given the right incentives and encouragement,
can affect change themselves. Making changes have taken place in education and
that these changes have not always been in boys’ interests. It means determining
whether these changes are justified. Finally, it means tacking ACTION. We can
another decade or more discussing the advantages and disadvantages or we can
tackle the bull by the horns and start to make a difference for boys ... To me the
choice is easy ....
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9. Hands working together will bring
about the desired re-engagement.
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