ContentsBrief HistoryDifferences between boys and girlsSingle Sex SchoolsCoeducational SchoolsWindham High StudyVideoDiscussionFinal Thoughts
HISTORY OF EDUCATIONAncient RomeEuropeNorth America
School Characteristic until 18th century: all men with few facilities for girls. Focused on education for boys to learn literacy and
arithmetic Girls received elementary instruction from their
mothers and convents. very few numbers of aristocratic women were
educated in schools.
not in common for women to enroll as students in formal classes together with men;
usually attend single-sex female classes in household duties, good manners, music, and conversation.
Prepared to be good wives and mothers for their future families.
At the beginning of 19th century: the new concern of education for women were
arisen. granted to give similar educational
opportunities in coeducational classrooms in public schools.
Female enrollment in American public schools grew up significantly.
the higher educational institutions accepted women.
Before 2001:Co-education in public schoolsSingle-sex education in Catholic private
schoolsTitle IX
After 2001:NCLB (2001)Guidelines on current Title IX (2002)
Differences in Single-sex education between 19th century with 21stcentury :
19th Century 21st Century
No alternative option
Boys : literacy and arithmetic
Girls :household duties, good manners, music, and conversation
Religious reasons
• voluntary with the coed options remain
• Separated but equal
• Academic achievement orientation
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOYS AND GIRLSCognitive ability
Human Brain Perceptual tasks Memory ability Verbal ability Visual-spatial ability Quantitative ability
“WOMAN IS ALWAYS CURIOUS TO WHAT MAN FORGETSWHILE MAN IS ALWAYS CURIOUS TO WHAT WOMAN REMEMBERS”
Research ONLY found the differences of the human brain; no cause and effect conclusion
Psychological and social developmentAspect of aggression
Myth : boys are more aggressive than girls
Fact 1 : Yes, in physical aggressionFact 2 : Girls are more dominant in relational aggression
FriendshipMyth : girls were more intimate than boysFact 1 : boys feel emotionally closer to friendFact 2 : Girls like to establish intimacy through
discussion and self-disclosureFact 3 : boys likely to do shared activities to
establish close relationship
• Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Myth : girls are at lower risk than boys Fact 1 : girls with ADHD are less likely to be detected Fact 2 : ADHD at boys
Hyperactive type : abnormally high activity levels and decreased ability to control their impulses
Fact 3 : ADHD at girlsInattentive type : distractibility and difficulties
focusing and sustaining attention
Female : evenly distributedMale :
a substantial number in assimilators, convergers, and accommodators
More focus on the big picture of problem, enjoy evaluating process, process, or product
IMPORTANT NOTESPrevious data showed only male and female
differences in general, not how an individual will perform
There is far more variability within a gender than there is between genders
Differences do NOT imply an order of rankGirls and boys are different but doe not mean
boys are better than girls or vice versa
Single Sex SchoolsCreates opportunities.
Strategies used by teachers.
Language and Math. Boys in language Girls in math
Achievement
Single Sex SchoolsBenefit to level of ability
Which boys did better? Which girls did better?
School Size Large, Medium, or Small. Which is best?
Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
Single Sex SchoolsBehavior
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Seattle, Washington
Attendance Results of a 5yr experiment at an inner-city high
school in Montreal
Gender Stereotypes
CBS Videohttp://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=10
90944n&tag=mncol;lst;1
Thoughts?Is single-sex education the wave of the future
or a return to the past?