Educating girls

[Piggywaspushed]

Hi all. I am meant to be doing some research for the department into approaches to educating girls. I have done fairly extensive googling and really can't find much (lots on boys!) that isn't about science, which is not my area.

Does anyone in arts subjects (I am an English teacher) have any background in this or links to any research? I am trying to get away from the obvious and the anecdotal.

Someone else is doing boys : she definitely has the easier job!

I did a really interesting research project on self-esteem in 2010 with some interesting outcomes. Although it wasn't specifically about boys//girls (more about how self esteem was linked to students concepts of innate ability versus practice) some of the results are presented with the different views of boys and girls. I am happy to share this with you if you think it might be useful. I teach an arts subject.

That sounds really interesting : but not really the tree I am barking up. Thanks anyway!

Check out future learn there's a course on educating girls starting in September (I'm meant to be doing it...).

Can you do some action research into girl only groups, perhaps? See if it makes a diff in terms of interaction/ involvement etc when the boys are removed? I think the actual research in this area is limited for English as it is seen as a "girl-friendly"'subject so focus more on boys' performance (and girls in science as you've seen).

Think I should have said I need to do this by Thursday...

Action research is built in : we have had girl groups since May so there are some findings on that but I wanted to move it beyond our own experiences iyswim.

But there certainly is a dearth of research into this area, tis true!

Will look into future learn

By Thursday? might be tricky.

Quick graph linking results in your school to girls schools nationally?

Look at organisations like the GDST and see if they have anything?

I suppose I just want to encourage the HOD (who had this idea of split sex groups) that if we are doing it we should invest some thinking into whether, how and how far we should teach the groups differently. She has already vetoed teaching the groups different texts!

For a starter - have you been watching no more boys and girls? They briefly mention some of the issues around teaching girls ... low self esteem, underestimating themselves, poor spatial skills etc... it might give something to start from....? Look at the scholars they reference in the programme, on the end credits.

www.gdst.net/article/effective-pedagogies-girls-learning-report

www.genderandeducation.com

quite a bit generally at the IOE- also look at Dr Jenny Parkes for work on violence against girls in school and Victoria Showumi does quite a bit on Black girls and identity in education.

I may have to catch up on that programme... I was in Spain when it was on but it did look interesting!

Thanks for the links and thoughts all.