Are we socialising boys to be poor writers?

[Campaspe]

Found this blog piece and thought it very interesting and insightful.

What do others think?

thequirkyteacher.wordpress.com/2015/05/21/are-we-socialising-boys-to-be-poor-writers/

Similar to mrz, my most able writer is a boy. My three most able readers are boys. We use books a lot. Not all of them are for analysis, some are just for pure enjoyment. It has led to a class, who love reading. They are happy to discuss the texts and will use some of the features in their own writing. (One of my girls incorporated lines from Kipling's "If" in a letter she was writing. Said child finished KS1 on a Level 1 and is currently on track for a level 5.)

I do sometimes get the impression that boys in this country are simply not expected to perform...and they live up to that expectation. (We were quite balanced in terms of gender at grammar school, across all subjects.) My most able boys do well because they try hard. They work hard, concentrate and are able to persevere. They learn from mistakes and listen to advice. That's got nothing to do with "behaving like girls", although we have worked hard to get rid of the attitude that being good at school is something to be ashamed of. It isn't. Most of my boys take pride in "being clever". Luckily, their parents are supportive in that respect. They want their children to do well. Their writing tends to be different to that of my girls,...getting to the point more quickly and technically much more accurate. They tick different boxes at different times, if that makes sense. It doesn't make one type of writing less or more successful than the other.
I would suggest a first step in helping boys achieve more is to actually expect them to achieve more...instead of making the excuse "well, he's a boy..."

Surely nobody in a school environment thinks "he's just a boy"

I'm sure you've heard ...boys learn differently....boys find handwriting more difficult....boys don't read fiction.....boys can't put their heads down and work ....
Certainly one parent on this thread thinks expecting boys to work is "girlie"

I've had several parents - and indeed TAs - tell me in the past "well, he's a boy, isn't he.." when making excuses for poor behaviour, lack of organisational skills (well, don't do everything for him, then) and weak literacy skills. I find it rather baffling...

I may have heard it from parents but never staff.Sats levels are Sats levels,gender doesn't come into it.I doubt any teachers would treat boys differently,all I know want all their children to reach the best of their ability.

Have to say I do think boys can mature later though which can have an impact.I think early years are key. I have 2 high achieving boys and that view has never made me treat them any differently to their sister.I have always had the same expectations but handle them in ways that suit them.

Re organisational skills sorry but this can be prevalent with Dyspraxia which occurs higher with boys. Slightly belittles the condition inferring that if you simply stop doing things for children the problem of lack of organisational skills will just disappear.It won't,children learn to live with it.

I don't think being a leftie helps either.That too is more prevalent amongst boys.It's no excuse for poor writing but lefties can end up with a poor grip and/or having to work harder at handwriting. I have one and had to do a lot at home to ensure the issues got sorted.

I have also heard several teachers and TAs say (in front of my son) that he's a typical boy, that "of course he doesn't like writing because he's a boy" and "it's a boy thing". It makes my blood boil.

It wouldn't be acceptable to say "it's a girl thing" if a girl didn't like maths would it?

When DS1 (now in Y2 and having spelling issues as I mentioned earlier) his teacher said to me, "he is reluctant to write but he is a boy." My daughters reception teacher this week said to me how well she was doing and as an aside, "boys take longer to get going."

On one hand based on my family experience I think girls are maybe ready to begin writing earlier than boys and that putting pressure on boys very early in life to do what they just aren't developmentally ready to do isn't a great idea. Having said that it's not ok to just shrug our collective shoulders and say' " oh well, he's a boy." Boys need to be encouraged to continue developing their writing skills but not continually be compared to girls!

I've heard colleagues say it to parents ... Don't worry he's a summer boy you can't expect ....
I've been told it by my son's teachers ... Don't worry he's a summer boy you can't expect ....

Soooooooo what do you think is the problem? Girls and boys are sat in the same lessons,boys are achieving less.

That said I do think maturity is an issue in early years.

I don't think there is a single answer
And I think primary is different to secondary

I don't think boy's need to be active excludes them developing other skills

Being active does not preclude literacy development, but it takes an imaginative practitioner to combine the two.
I go into schools to deliver literacy enrichment activities, and IME boys of all ages have the potential to excel at literacy. I deliver sessions outside classrooms, in Forest School areas, and use a multi-sensory approach to storytelling, which really engages both genders.
If boys are choosing not to access literacy areas of classrooms, perhaps we need to bring literacy to them, where they are physically and socially. Put books/catalogues/magazines they will enjoy in places they are playing (construction area/outdoors etc.)
Boys who shun fiction can often find a love of reading through non-fiction.
My DS loves train magazines, engineering magazines, popular science books and will occasionally read an Artemis Fowl book. My DS reads voraciously,but largely dystopian fiction or fantasy. I'd say DS is exposed to a broader vocabulary than DD in their respective reading choices.

It has been suggested that boy's choice of non fiction is a barrier to to story writing

I'd counter that argument by asking why they need to specifically write stories to demonstrate their vocabulary. I write stories for my job, but even I know that it's not a necessary skill for the vast majority of adults. Why do children need to be told they are failing at it from a young age?

They don't need to write stories to demonstrate their vocabulary but they do need to write stories to demonstrate that they can write stories ...

Who is telling them they are failing ... You?

All children need to demonstrate they can write for different purposes

Story writing and story telling are important life skills for all human beings. They are at the heart of good communication.

TBH I was playing devil's advocate on the story-writing front. I wrote a blog post recently on the side benefits of storytelling.
Still, non-fiction has its place in getting especially boys reading, and I'd rather they read the Washing machine manual and enjoyed it than were forced to read a more "worthy" text and hated it.
Surely, it's best to use children's formative years to build a love of reading, and to respect each child's reading preferences, than to risk putting them off books for life?

As I've said many times my son's favourite bedtime reading age 5-7 "the deployments of NATO troops in Europe" this following on with his love of the Financial Times. in the long term it didn't do him any harm, as an adult he is a prolific reader but it certainly limited his exposure to literacy effect at school.

My ds is dyslexic. At primary he really struggled with writing but we were told that he would probably catch up later and excel in things he was interested in. I didn't really believe them at the time, but he's 16 now and running an A average this year, in particular really enjoying critical appraisal.

Not sure why there is a belief that playing games means poor vocabulary. My son certainly talks a lot on line, way more than if he just talked to us. Last week he was busy arguing with someone about the relative differences between slaves in Aztec, Africa pre-colonial, Roman or pre-civil war America. I wouldn't say he was a very typical child, but gaming can be mind stretching and creative, or banal and violent, depending on the game and the child.

Anyway really my main comment on that blog is that ds at six is a very very different person to ds at 16. At 6 he woudl have a tantrum at being asked to read or write anything. Now he takes pride in writing, and does so very persuasively.

I agree.

I also think frankly I'd rather all kids could write a decent letter or e-mail with correct Spag than a wonderfly crafted story complete with literary devices and Spag.

I value story writing but I do think there is perhaps an over emphasis on story writing in primary at times.It's hard to do it well,we're not all born story writers which is why we don't all churn out novels as adults.

I think we expect a lot from children.