I think that this is an article that all of us can easily relate to! This article discusses single-sex education. Single-sex education is definitely on the rise, and the article discusses whether it enforces gender stereotypes or erases them. I believe that we all went to co-ed middle schools, so we all can see the differences in learning with boys and without them. Which one do you guys prefer? Do you think single-sex education enforces stereotypes or erases them? The girls classes would have a weekly class meeting to talk through their interpersonal issues. Would you like to have this in our school? Do you think it's sexist to only have this session for the girls? The article also says how girls would be in yellow classrooms and boys would be in blue classrooms. Do you think you'd rather learn in a yellow room than a blue room? Critics of single-sex education say that it is unconstitutional and enforces gender stereotypes - do you agree?
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/the-new-segregation-battle-boys-vs-girls-1534925;_ylt=ArovjS6WBOnm2i0e2bZJKWF8bqU5
Although the article did make a convincing argument for the institution of more single-sex classes, I still disagree with the idea for the most part. As Department of Education reported, sex segregation in schools is neither beneficial nor detrimental for the group of students, so why bother? However, I believe there are certain instances in which boys and girls should learn in separate classrooms. For example, trying to teach fifth graders who are only ten-eleven years old about sex and condoms would probably be much easier if the girls were separated from the boys. Learning topics such as these are extremely awkward to begin with, and having the opposite sex present in the room may make students feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. Sex Education and Health are probably the only two classes for which I feel sex segregation is necessary. Placing boys in a classroom with girls while discussing menstrual periods is not the best idea, unless the aim is to have the class laughing the entire time. Also, I feel that having sex segregation for these types of classes would make students feel much more comfortable asking important questions about the topic.
ReplyDeleteAside from these rare occasions, I don’t feel that sex segregation is necessary, nor is it any more effective than co-ed education. In the real world, students will not be working with solely their same gender, and I feel it is necessary to learn how to work with and cooperate with both males and females. Honestly, I don’t feel that the color of the classroom will affect student’s performance that much, so I don’t think it was even necessary to include in the article. Of course we’ve all heard that studying in a yellow room may help you concentrate more, but the color of the room is not going to determine whether or not you get into college. To say that single-sex education is unconstitutional is stretching it a little too far, as anyone can opt out of the single sex classes; but I think that to say it is not necessary is a fair statement. Finally, I think the “sessions” for girls that were mentioned in the article are also unnecessary. Girls will be girls – girls are going to fight with each other, and to hold sessions to try to make every girl get along is a waste of vital classroom time.
Like Jenn, I thought that the overriding statement in this article was the final one: the most reliable study of sex-segregated classrooms has shown that they have proven neither positive nor negative for the learning experience. So instead of heightened learning or a better impact in the classrom, what I'm predicting here is a greater perception that boys and girls are vastly different -- and there don't seem to be any benefits to counterbalance this. Though the curriculum doesn't seem to be any different between the two classes, I can imagine that the students are being reinforced to believe that one place is where girls belong, and the other is where boys belong. Though there is a mixed class in the school examine, the demand to be in the segregated classes (wildly popular) only adds to the stigma that girls DO belong only with girls and boys DO belong only with boys. Doesn't this sound a little backwards? How many of us have been told to "get in the kitchen where we belong" and to make someone a sandwich? Though this attitude specifically isn't promoted, the sentiment behind it (that females go one place and males another) started right in that classroom. Is the workforce segregated? Are public places segregated? Are homes segregated? No. Boys and girls are constantly in the same environment, and this shouldn't be such a shock because we're all just people. This classroom just seems to be putting barriers up against that. I enjoy being at my all-girls school because the numbers and products of this education show that IHA -- not all-girls schools in general -- is superior to my mixed public school. Without any proven benefits of classroom segregation like this, there seem to be some unaccounted downfalls.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very relatable to us today, but I feel as though people are complaining towards either way without realizing that they can choose to put their child either in a single sex class or co- ed. At such a young age I feel as though its necessary to have girls and boys together in class because it leads to conversation, etc. In high school, I choose to come here so I can concentrate on my education, but I am old enough to understand that they aren’t separating boys and girls because of stereotypes. I think the interaction between boys and girls in middle school, etc prepares us for life. We are going to be working with all different people so to choose to go to single sex high school like IHA is your own choice but at such a young age I think co-ed schools is necessary for childhood. It teaches us how to interact with others. I don’t think the special session per week is needed or necessary because trying to force girls to be friends with everyone is clearly impossible and some people just aren’t meant to get along so to force a friendship will lead to larger problems. I think the color of the room that the girls and then boys learn in doesn’t matter that much because we have all been successful students with the walls painted white. The color of the room doesn’t appeal to be important. I think it depends on the type of person you are, school you grew up in will determine how you view what critics say on single sex education being “unconstitutional”. We are all always going to be interacting and seeing one another.
ReplyDeleteI think that single-sex education is beneficial to everyone in the situation. However, I think what
ReplyDeleteFoley Intermediate School in Alabama is doing is such a great idea. This school offers two all-boys classes, two all-boys classes, and one mixed gender class per grade level. I don't see how anyone could be opposed to this system because it lets the parents choose the environment in which they want their child to learn in. Personally, I loved being in school with boys who would make everyone laugh and distract the teacher, but after being at an all-girls school for four years, I appreciate a single-sex education so much. As much as we all hate not seeing boys everyday, I think we have all benefitted significantly from having only girls in our classes. Even though Foley Intermediate School would have a weekly class meeting for the girls in the all-girls classes to talk through their interpersonal issues, I do not think this is necessary. Some girls may be open to sharing their issues, while others will remain quite and become annoyed by the constant "complainers." But, I do believe that it is sexist to only have these sessions for girls because boys have issues too! When I read about this meeting, I thought that it could be related to Peer Mentoring in our school. We get together with a group of girls and discuss different topics, and sometimes it can be problems a girl is having. I also do not believe that the different colors of the classrooms is that important. We all probably learned from Mrs. Suta that yellow stimulates the brain and helps a student to concentrate, but I never heard of blue doing anything to help a boy focus more.
I don't think that single-sex education enforces gender stereotypes. Single-sex education is meant to give students a better opportunity to learn, so as long as both the all-girls class and the all-boys class are learning the same material (possibly in different ways) I think it is perfectly fine to separate the classrooms. Personally, I do not think I would be where I am today if I attended my public school and went to mixed gender classes.
I wrote my research paper on the effect of gender differences on learning style and performance in school. I think single sex education can be beneficial to everyone. There are many differences between boys and girls that can affect how they learn. Female babies are born with more sensitive hearing than males, and that difference tends to increase with age. In elementary school, boys who sit at the back of the classroom and appear inattentive may really just not be able to hear the teacher clearly, especially if the teacher is a soft spoken female. Alternatively if a girl is getting distracted in class, it may be because eleven-year old girls are distracted by noise levels ten times softer than noise levels boys find distracting. This is a reason why the all-boys classroom with teachers who speak loudly and authoritatively and the calm all-girls classroom are helpful. When they enter kindergarten, boys and girls have a different set of mental and physical abilities. Five year old girls are more fluent and can read more words on sight than boys. Boys have better hand-eye coordination, but often have less developed fine motor skills. I think that co-ed school can be better at a younger age, but with one or two subjects separated by gender. On average, boys are a year and a half behind girls in reading and writing. Separating the students for this subject can be helpful so girls are not held back and boys do not miss the basics of reading and writing. I can also see why only girls would have a weekly session to discuss their feelings. In adolescence, female brain activity associated with emotion moves out of the amygdala and into the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain associated with higher cognitive function. Male emotional brain activity stays centered in the amygdala throughout their life which is why men have more trouble expressing what they are feeling than females. So in middle school and high school boys may not be capable of understanding and expressing what they are feeling. In my experience, I think that single gender schools makes kids feel safer to express their own interests and ask questions without fear of being ridiculed. I think there are many benefits to single gender education. Many studies indicate that allowing boys to stand up and move around during a lesson, especially reading lessons, allows them to be more focused. Whether the improvements seen in the test scores, behavior, and attendance of students in single-sex classrooms is due to better teachers and smaller classrooms or to actual differences in the teaching style and environment, I think giving kids the best education available is important.
ReplyDeleteThe people who believe that single sex education is instituting gender stereotypes are thinking way too much into this. Having attended an all girls high school for four years, I definitely believe in the power of single sex education. It is much easier to learn when there aren’t any boys to distract you, and it is easier to focus when you look around the room and see only girls. I don’t see anything sexist about IHA and I think that single sex-education allows us both girls and guys to grow and learn to their full potential. Single sex schools would only enforce gender stereotypes if the schools taught different subjects to both guys and girls. For example, if the educators assumed that girls were not as good at math at guys were, and decided to just not teach them math, this would be considered sexist. If girls were only taught the subjects which they have previously excelled in, this would enforce the gender stereotype. It would be unfair and bias if girls and guys were taught different subjects, but this is not what the educators are doing. Both guys and girls are learning the same information, just being taught in methods that best cater to their abilities.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the classes to discuss interpersonal issues, this could have both advantages and disadvantages. It could turn into huge catty, girl fights filled with drama and just give room to fighting. However, it could work in a positive way if girls were able to work through their issues. Girls already have these talks with their best friends, and I don’t think it would be necessary for them to also have them with all their classmates, some of which they may not even be close with. Guys would not benefit from these discussion sessions as they would most likely not be willing to open up and ‘share their feelings.’
Being a part of an all-girls high school for the past four years, I can easily say that a single sex education is extremely beneficial to everyone. I think to a point, we may have a little ingroup bias and think we are superior to mixed sex education schools, but I still strongly believe in my position. If we went to school with boys, I think I can speak for all of my classmates when I say we definitely would not perform the same as we do now. Having a combined classroom definitely will change the atmosphere while learning. Girls are very self-conscious, so with boys in the room they will not participate as much and sometimes even get lower grades so they don’t come off as a “nerd.” This nerd concept goes the same for the boys because they do not want to look stupid in front of the girls. They are going to try and act too “cool” and “macho” which will probably result in lower grades for both guys and girls. I do not think single sex classrooms enforce stereotypes because it is looking out for what is best for every student. It sounds like having the class meetings for interpersonal talks is a good idea, but I don’t think people would take it seriously because they are in a room full of friends. They probably would not be able to talk through issues like they would want to so I don’t think this concept would be a success. I think that what the Foley Intermediate School, among others, is doing is an extremely good idea. There are definitely negatives to going to an all-girls school, especially the “catfights.” Going to a school like this, the students get the full package. They get to experience school with boys to make the day more interesting and maybe even avoid a lot of the fights that come up at an all-girls school, but when it comes to the classroom, they perform at their full potential because they are in a single-sex classroom. This school seems like the ideal school!
ReplyDeleteBeing an IHA student I am a strong advocate for single-sex education. I went to a public middle school, and as much as I loved having boys get the teacher off topic I definitely felt that boys were a distraction. I appreciate single-sex education because it allows me to keep focused in class. I think what Foley Middle School is doing is a good idea. Parents can choose whether to have their children be educated in a single-sex or a mixed gender environment. I do think that only allowing the girls to have class meeting where they discuss “interpersonal issues” is sexist. I know the stereotype is that girls tend to be more emotional than boys, but boys have issues as well. If Foley Middle School is going to make girls have these meetings they should make the boys participate in them as well. Bringing up the point of the color of the room, I do not think it matters that much. I know that yellow is supposed to help you concentrate better, but I do not think that it would affect a student’s performance that much.
ReplyDeleteI do not think all-girls or all-boys education contains gender stereotypes. I think single-sex education enforces girls and boys to reach their maximum potential. Because it eliminates distractions and creates opportunities that might not be available in a mixed gender school. Like, everyone else said I think that IHA is superior to my public school, and I do not think that I would be the same student I am today if I went to my public school.
I am one of those people that will support single-sex education til the death. I think that until the genders are at an equal socially and scholarly, single sex schools are a necessity for girls and a set back for boys. At all girls schools, girls are taught independence, confidence, and self esteem. I can still remember grammar school with boys. Gym class was completely intimidating. Boys are mean when together! They look for anything and everything to make fun of. Therefore there's this constant pressure on not messing up. How can people even concentrate in school with that pressure!? That's why I think it's necessary for girls to have a couple years alone to be able to grow into themselves before competing with boys for jobs, colleges, etc. However on the other side, I think that the all boys schools are a disadvantage to boys because without girl competition they really don't have competition at all (in the classroom). At my brother's school, I hear stories from him every day about how the boys completely abuse their teachers. They take everything as a joke and really don't concentrate in school unless they have a teacher that knows how to handle them. The dispute between whether girls schools should have an interpersonal class dances on the thin line of girls wanting to break the "glass ceiling" and then those same girls being the ones to keep themselves there. We want to be treated as men, but in reality we are generally not able to be. Women are naturally much more complex in their thoughts than men. Therefore, yes I think it's a great idea to have this type of class in a girls school. I think I would want to learn in a blue room because it's my favorite color...and that room sounds more fun. I was never really one for group projects. :)
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ReplyDeleteI really don't know if I can say whether I prefer single-sex or co-ed education. While I attended public middle school, and enjoyed that experience, I really enjoyed the experience of attending IHA as well. While I feel more comfortable throwing on my uniform and not having to worry about doing my makeup in the morning, when I go to public school functions I'm always a little jealous of the dynamic. At the same time, going to an all-girls high school doesn't mean you need to be deprived of contact or socializing with the opposite sex. I think that single-sex education enforces certain stereotypes. The stereotype that girls and boys can't focus on learning or that girls in particular will dumb themselves down is kind of enforced by enrolling in a single-sex school. While this may not be the reason for attendance, this may look suspect to an outsider. I think that if you're going to have sessions dedicated to discussing interpersonal issues (though I'm not a huge a fan of the concept myself) you should offer it to everyone. To only have this session for girls implies that guys either don't have emotional issues with each other or automatically uncomfortable talking about them. This type of generalization leads to the strict gender confines which mark the beginnings of prejudice in our society when someone dares to push the societal boundaries. I really don't think the classroom color would make a difference to me, although yellow supposedly enhances performance and stimulates thinking. I think that educationally, going to single-sex or co-ed schools is neither detrimental nor beneficial by nature. The success of any given student is very much attributed to the quality of the teachers, the rigor of the curriculum, and the individual themselves. If anything, one could argue more of a social advantage/disadvantage for segregating children by gender.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think that this article makes a valid argument, I am not sure if I am convinced that single-sex education is always the best for students. I did go to a co-ed school and I do not think that having boys around impacted my learning either way. Given that, I think that if we had boys here now, that might make me more hesitant to ask questions for fear of looking like an idiot(and I tend to ask a lot of questions in some classes).
ReplyDelete“It's quite a different scene in the girls' classrooms, which Mansell says are usually calmer and quieter than the boisterous boys'. To me, this line enforces gender stereotypes. I do agree with this statement for the most part, but I do think that it is an extremely generalized statement. When we think of boys, we usually think of a loud, peppy crowd, but when we think of girls in a classroom, we think of calm and quiet kids listening to the teacher. This statement made by Mansell is a stereotype due to the fact that what we see and think is not always the truth: for example, there might be a lot of boys who are quiet, calm and always attentive during lessons. In my opinion, quiet boys who are placed with loud boys are “hurt” because they will not be gaining as much from what the teacher is thinking. In this instance I believe that it would be better to have co-ed classes, because this way the boys and girls can balance each other out and the classroom experience can be a pleasant one for both teachers and students.
Since I think that sometimes it is better for boys and girls to be together (to balance each other out), and at other times it is better for them to be separated (when neither boys nor girls will get any learning done if they are together) , I think that both classroom settings should be offered to children. In grammar school I believe that it should be up to a parent as to whether or not to put them in a co-ed school or a single sex school. (This is random but it just came to my head.—If boys and girls are separated when they are young, will that impact their maturity??)
“The girls classes would have a weekly class meeting to talk through their interpersonal issues.” I think this is a little strange because I know that I personally am not one to let the whole world know my issues. I talk to people when I am upset about something, but I am not into the whole world (the entire class) knowing what is bothering me—especially if one of them is part of why I am upset! I do believe that it is a little bit sexist if the school does it for the girls and not the boys, because if you do it for one, you should do it for other. But the thing is most boys will probably not respond well to opening up and discussing their lives. (I will admit that that is a little bit of a generalization.)
All in all, I am confused as to whether or not I believe single-sex education is unconstitutional and enforces gender stereotypes. I see both sides of the arguments and cant make up my mind as to which side I agree with more!
I thought that this article was fascinating. We've all obviously heard of single-sex schools, but this is the first time I've heard of a public (or private) school where you can request to be in either a single-sex or a co-ed learning environment. I think that this is an interesting concept because it brings in an element of choice--not just about convenience of a public school or the prestige or religious opportunities of a Catholic school--about the way that parents think is the best for their child to be educated in. Reading about the different ways that classrooms are conducted for different genders was eye-opening. It makes sense to me that it would benefit girls to talk about their feelings or "interpersonal issues" in class, but I'm not so sure that allowing the boys to scatter around the classroom in the middle of the lesson will cause any positive effects in the educational environment. Now, this could be for a reason as simple as the fact that I am not a boy and I can not understand how the male brain works. However, I think that it sounds like the environment that these schools have set up for females is more geared toward actual academic and intellectual learning than the setup for male classes.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting that the article states that single-sex education has proved to neither beneficial nor detrimental for students. I think that this statement may be true if the population of school-age students are being generalized. However, from my experiences, I think that for each individual, single-sex education can be either beneficial or detrimental. None of us would have lasted 4 years at IHA if an all-girls environment hurt us more than it helped us. Clearly, the education and the academic environment we get from IHA is beneficial to us and has helped us become the students and the people that we are. However, I think that the single-sex vs. co-ed question is one that really depends on individual preference and on what stage in life the individual is experiencing. For example, how many of us appreciate the all-girls atmosphere of IHA? Most of us do. But how many of us would prefer to go to an all-girls college to continue our education? I'm fairly confident that not many of us would prefer that.
This was interesting. So the whole idea of single-sex schools...When I was getting ready to respond to this blog (I''ll be completely honest), I was not sure what I was going to say, or what my opinion on the single-sex schools were; as I read the article, however, my true feelings did resonate--I think single-sex schools are an awesome tool for further development.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that an "all-boy" school may be a little more detrimental to a boy's development than an "all-girl" school is to a girl. As Danielle said before, and as IHA demonstrates, all girl schools emphasize independence, intellect, and confidence. I feel that boys' schools don't push those same attributes. I think buys are almost expected to have those qualities, so when they're in high school they aren't given direction to better that aspect of their lives.
I still think single sex schools are a great avenue for learning because it definitely eliminates the distraction the opposite sex inevitably causes, but I think maybe those interpersonal classes could be offered for both types of schools. Boys, although society tries to portray"real men" without all of the "mushy-gushy" feeling, have feelings too and having a class where they could express themselves might help them channel their feelings in a healthier way.
I think these interpersonal classes are an awesome idea because they could really shed some light on how to communicate with others and what triggers certain feelings for you; they are gret for building the individual insied a person up. Once the individuality of a person is solidified, I think it is a lot easier for that person to succed in other aspects in life due to the solid foundation that was built for them.
Being a student at IHA, I do really believe in the power of a single sex education, but at the same time, I don't see any problem with a co-ed one. At IHA, I've always felt free to share ideas and communicate without fear of being ridiculed, but I wonder if that is only because it is an all-girls environment or if it is also because most of the girls I've had classes with have been a lot like me -- smart, hardworking, and willing to hear others' ideas. These similarities do not necessarily have anything to do with gender, but I think they are what make a classroom environment helpful and foster students' success. I could very well experience this environment at a co-ed school.
ReplyDeleteI do understand, though, the article's point about inherent differences between males and females, and I think those differences are especially apparent in the childhood and adolescent stages. Because of immaturity on the part of both boys and girls (which manifests itself differently in each gender), we aren't always most helpful to each other in a classroom environment. I definitely think, though, that as we mature and develop solid identities, it can be beneficial to have co-ed classes. At that stage, the differences between males and females will make for stimulating class discussion and a great exchange of ideas.
Overall, like many of you have said above, the choice between single-sex and co-ed education could just be a matter of personal preference. What I've stated here is just my personal opinion, and I think that it's clear from the article that, while everyone may think differently regarding this issue, there is no conclusive evidence to point to either type of education as the better option.
A lot of people, including the nurse I was talking to at the blood drive last week, think that single sex schools are really very strange and a bit unimaginable. Now I don't think its perfect, but single sex schools definitely pose advantages to high school students. We have many confident, creative and intelligent girls in this school. I sometimes wonder if we'd all be willing to show our passions and thoughts in a classroom if there was a guy next to us we were trying to impress. Maybe we would, maybe we wouldn't. But I definitely think I would have grown and developed differently as a student and person in a different environment. I don't go to school everyday worrying about my hair or my outfit, which lets face it is a big challenge and stereotype of high school girls everywhere. When I watch TV shows about high school I always feel relieved that I missed out on that stereotypical high school experience.
ReplyDeleteBut I do think that the single sex education should stop after high school. If we're preparing for the real world in college, we need to experience working with both sexes.