According to Wikipedia single-sex education is the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools. Research on the impact of single gender education has been occurring for quite some time. Studies are continuously being done to see the effects from separating children in school based on gender. Between the years of 1968 to 2013, the National Science Foundation funded an analysis of grades K through 12. There was a multitude of research methods that were used. 57 used a series of more forceful approaches, such as randomly placing students in either single sex or coed classes without giving the students a choice. Other methods used included looking at grades of students …show more content…
Just like every situation, there are going to be both positive and negatives.
The discussions of single gender schools are known to be cyclical. Author Leonard Sax was one of the many people who took it upon himself to become proactive towards the subject (Dianne). He composed a book stocked full of examples of the impact of single gender schooling. Through research and statistics he was able to inform the public on the reasons of why single-sex education is important from multiple aspects.
One of the many aspects discussed in Sax’s book are the general differences between gender. “Researchers have found that there are biological and developmental differences between boys and girls that affect how they learn” (Sherwin). From birth boys and girls are born very similar, but as they continue to grow their brains develop differently. A group of neuroscientists came to the conclusion that “the influence of [gender has an affect] on many areas of cognition and behavior, including memory, emotion, vision, hearing, the processing [techniques] and the brain 's response to stress hormones”
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In female based classes the teachers are known to be more delicate and understanding, while in male classes the teachers tend to have a more authoritarian approach (Schroeder 71-73). The teachers having different ways of treating the students symbolizes the problem of sexism. Concepts such as this rise the question equality (Strauss). There is a specific example brought about by a court case in 1954: Brown v. Board of Education. It states that things can be separate but they have to be equal. Although the initial case was referring to race, the main meaning behind it still stands. All classes aren’t going to be equal if the teachers (not each individual teacher, but teachers for boys and girls) have different classroom expectations (Piechura 21). This is where the main problem falls in the case of single gender education. Parents wishing to enroll their child in school want to provide their son/daughter with an equal opportunity with a chance to thrive academically. If the teachers aren’t giving each boys and girls the same shot is it actually worth it? Yes. The teachers classroom expectations are built to match the needs of the gender, not the opposite
Because young boys are more active they often are disciplined, while girls are often quieter and naturally become a teacher’s favorite. This causes problems because classrooms naturally become more attuned to a girl’s style of learning, leaving young boys behind in the classroom from an early age. “Boy Problems” by Ann Hulbert goes into detail over the increasing “gender educational disparity.” Hulbert gives the reader useful information about how and why men are falling behind and the increasing gender differences in education. When fixing a problem one must first realize the problem exists. Now that the problem has come to light, action must be
Education was sex segregated for hundreds of years. Men and women went to different schools or were physically and academically separated into “coeducational” schools. Males and females had separate classrooms, separate entrances, separate academic subjects, and separate expectations. Women were only taught the social graces and morals, and teaching women academic subjects was considered a waste of time.
Sending a child to a gender based school, is a very big decision to make. The decision is so big, that looking at what research has to say about the topic could alter one’s decision to send their child to a gender based school. “Educators must apply different approaches in teaching make, and female students” (Gurian). This is said by Gurian, because he also believes that boys and girls learn differently. “Social pressures can be gentler and your child can learn at his own pace” (Kennedy).
It seems that single-sex education perpetuates gender stereotypes and promotes gender bias among students (Taylor). Gender-separate education requires schools and teachers to create gender-oriented courses, facilities, and learning environment. As a result, sing-sex schools exacerbate sexist attitudes and “feelings of superiority toward women” (Guarisco). It is fair to argue that the best way to achieve gender equality is to promote rather than eliminate interaction among girls and boys. However, girls in the sex-mixed class receive less attention from teachers than boys, which may lead to gender bias. More precisely, boys always have disciplinary issues, such as interruption; teachers have to pay more attention to boys’ behaviors in order to proceed the lecture more smoothly. Girls may feel less important and supportive in male-dominated classes; boys may think that males are smarter and far superior than females. Single-sex schools can address both girls’ and boys’ issues of gender stereotypes directly and accordingly. Male students may be freer to engage in some activities they have not considered before in mixed schools. For example, boys feel pressure to follow some non-macho interests when girls stay around them; however, the all-boys schools eliminate their pressure toward gender stereotyping to pursue music, dance, and drawing. Single-sex schools would help boys explore and develop themselves. Also, girls in sex-separate schools show more confidence and power (Guarisco). They could receive full attention from teachers and express their opinions in science classes without worrying about the boys’ banter. They may realize that they are as important as boys. Hence, both girls and boys can be free from gender stereotypes and benefit from a same-sex learning
One of the main issues today 's students face is the act of being given gender roles and experiencing gender bias. To further explain, "Society treats boys and girls differently and expects them to develop different gender-role identities" (87). Throughout the gender section of the book, there are several examples given on how boys and girls are divided and given gender specific roles. For instance, girls are told that “Women aren’t good at math” and boys are told “Men don’t make good nurses” (87). These stereotypes affect the thinking of the students and later become obstacles when deciding careers. One way I would promote gender equality as a teacher is by completely eliminating the use of stereotypes in my classroom. This change will be accomplished by doing group activities and assignments in the classroom which avoid gender bias. It is important for students to have an equal opportunity to achieve their goals and follow their dreams. Sadly, when we expose our students to specific tasks and activities with respect to their gender, we limit their chances of having an optimistic approach towards their higher education and
Sokol, Marlene. "ADVOCATES DEFEND SINGLE-GENDER EDUCATION; Criticism of the Approach as Being Ineffective Will Only Heighten, a Proponent Predicts." St. Petersburg Times [St. Petersburg, FL] 9 Oct. 2011: 1B. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.
The single-sex format creates opportunities that do not exist in the coed classroom. (Edison 1) Researchers are unaware that both genders brains function differently. This lack of knowledge may be why the real truth about single-sex education being more efficient than co-ed education has not been discovered. Some say single-sex education may be the key for a brighter generation. It shows to improve test score dramatically. The number of public schools experimenting with single sex classes is now reported to be more than 350. (Silva 130) Some research also shows that single-sex classes have a more welcoming atmosphere. Single-sex education improves grades while coed educations keep an average pace.
Single sex education is a controversial battle that will most likely continue for decades. However, research and studies have shown in multiple cases and circumstances that single sex education is an extremely important tool that should be utilized in numerous situations. Many people think that dividing students based on sex will perpetuate gender discrimination; however, this kind of education may bridge more gaps than people realize. Not only do boys and girls develop and function differently, they are distracted by one another. Eliminating distractions and making classrooms conducive to each gender and learning style will ultimately result in a tremendous incline in academic grades and student participation.
Single-sex school is a school in which males and female attend school exclusively with members of their own sex. Some single-sex schools have separate classes other have separate buildings. It has been incorporated as the foundation of educational systems from many years ago. Now, Educational environment has brought back a strong enthusiasm toward single-sex schools. It is an old approach that is picking up new momentum. Schools have an important role to play in preparing girls and boys to listen and communicate effectively. Single-sex schools are very bad because it affects children attitude, learning skills and make them think negatively.
How students are students gender should not have to be a problem to separate students. If change where to happen professor would only teach certain groups more than others. I have heard of a school in where it’s a female school and the professor that teaches it is a male. So even if the equal balance where to happen public schools for women would not be that much public as one said they are. I realized schools where unequal by talking to Jenny Verdaze, my ant who went to a female school and was learning the material by a male, my ant would thank the women rights into this day for having schools with equality. How humanity requires both men and women to be treated equal or else it would go back to past times how Jenny had to go to school.
This problem occurs in schools everywhere and is starting to become more evident in today's society. The problem is that boys and girls learning potential are not being reached when put into the same teaching atmosphere. Girls seem to be out smarting boys in many classes. While boys excel in math and sciences and girls seem to be better in English. The styles in which boys and girls feel comfortable with are extremely different. The learning styles of girls usually contain socializing and context. For instance, most girls like to talk in small groups about the current discussion. They also like hands on activities or real life situations to compare things to. Boys are confrontational and formal. They need to be challenged by their teachers to help motivate them to become better students and be prepared. In contrast girls do not like to be confronted by teachers who are asking for an immediate answers. In most cases, girls seem to be more reserved and modest than boys about their intelligence ("What are someÉ) are. Their differences may not seem evident but make a difference to reaching their highest learning potential.
The supporters of single-sex education believe that students are greatly interested in the educational process itself, not caring for their appearance or behavior. These types of schools help students acting freely without any motivations. Series of studies have proved that boys' and girls' brains are organized differently so each of them needs special treatment. Also each gender has its own privacy in joking and talking seriously. The scientists who support the theory of single sex education contribute their opinion religiously, saying that all religions call for separating both sexes as it is forbidden and against the religious teachings. They also think that mixing both genders inside any place is an evil deed that leads to committing sins that all religions forbid and say that there will be a severe punishment in the judgment day .While opposite opinions think that both sexes should exist together to grow up and learn how to be...
The teacher tossed a Styrofoam basketball to the outstretched arms of a fifth grade boy. Catching the ball was the incentive for the boys to point out missing conventions in a paragraph. The teacher projected a paragraph on the board with omitted punctuation for the students to add. The other boys in the class watched him as he went to the board to add the missing comma and then tossed the ball back to the teacher. A few seconds later, other arms shot up in the air to point out other missing conventions (Stotsky). A simple incentive of competition for the boys made them enjoy learning and actually got them to participate in class. Although single-sex classrooms can develop stereotypes for both genders, separating boys and girls can be beneficial for the students. Single-sex classes are more effective because they raise test scores, create fewer distractions, and make kids interested in school.
The ongoing debate to determine which is more beneficial seems to be a constant battle within the education system. However, the benefits of single-sex education outweigh those of coeducation. Single-sex education overshadows coeducation because single gender classrooms alleviates distractions, exploits the differences in which girls and boys learn, and improves standardized test scores. Distractions can cause behavioral issues, along with a decrease in confidence among students. A student’s behavior in a classroom can play a huge part in the students’ academic success in a learning environment.
Since the introduction of single-sex education in the 1990s, the people have debated on whether this type of education system was beneficial to modern day society. After many studies for and against single-sex schools were conducted, proof has finally been developed to support that the advantages of single-sex schools outweigh the disadvantages. Factors that make single-sex schools better than mixed-sex schools include: students achieving higher averages and therefore a higher education rate, an increase in opportunities and advantages based on sex, an increase in self-confidence and finally less distraction from the other sex. Single-sex education leads to students becoming more successful because they have more advantages and less worry