Can anyone suggest why girls at 6 change their view of girls' ability to be brilliant?

[Italiangreyhound]

Can anyone suggest why girls at 6 change their view of girls' ability to be brilliant?

Just that?

What's the cause?

www.theguardian.com/education/2017/jan/26/girls-believe-brilliance-is-a-male-trait-research-into-gender-stereotypes-shows

One simple thing I think could help is for schools to try much harder to reference females in their learning rather than primarily males.

I have 3 dc at primary school and my heart always sinks that they're studying yet another male scientist or artist etc. Oh let's throw in Florence nightingale for a token woman.

At my kids' school we had to battle for the 4 school house names to be changed to include 2 women instead of all men.

Kids learn young that the world is male and female is an afterthought

I tell you what Pigg My heart sank at them 'studying' any historical figure at age 6 . (I speak as an ex primary teacher) The dcs have no concept of historical time at that age, it's damn stupid if you ask me.

Also people often say that education in the EYs at the moment is aimed at early socialisation (sit still, listen etc. for long periods) , to the detriment of some of the boys' development.

Can you explain more about why it's to the detriment of some of the boys? I'm wondering how that works.

It's down to the development of some of the boys' brains (not all of course) But they really do find it difficult to sit still and listen at age 4 5 and 6. So many boys have 'sad' faces put next to their names on the whiteboards in their classrooms. There isn't enough playtime for a lot of them.

And the punishment for "dancing' on the carpet is to miss their playtime !!! It's mad!

I'm a primary school teacher and have taught the really young ones. Usually boys find it much more difficult to sit still and listen than girls. Perhaps it's a developmental thing like fine motor skills. Girls usually develop faster in that area too.
Interestingly, there's actually a big concern in education at the moment (and there has been for years), that boys don't do as well at school as girls. This is a national trend. I'm involved in an action group at school to try to improve our boys' attainment.

Exactly Seachanges

It's surely got a lot to do with what they do before they get to school. If they're not exposed to activities that encourage fine motor control, or sitting down etc then that will no doubt affect what they're like aged 4 or 5 in reception. Will your action group look at what your feeder nurseries, pre-schools, childminders, parents are doing before children start reception?

Sea changes what do you think of same sex education? In view of the different developement of girls and boys at young ages etc.

And this kind of behaviour contributes towards boys getting labelled as naughty, which in turn makes them behave worse, turns them off school and affects their attainment negatively.
Also, they are expected to be able to write neatly before they are able. Some of them feel like failures so they give up.

Not sure about the maths thing. I don't think boys are naturally good at maths. In fact aren't girls generally the ones who do better at school - it's only later on when you get to A Levels that more boys choose it as girls think it is for boys.

I agree that it is school - it's like a collective mindset kicks in. I noticed it with ds - the peer pressure is ridiculous. I'm constantly having to remind him that your gender does not define your abilities.

I'm glad that I work - it is a tangible example to my dcs that men and women can achieve. Not just men. My dcs have seen my office and know that I'm a "boss".

The fact is there are some differences between boys and girls' rates of development (with exceptions from the general groups of course). Boys do fine motor skills at home just as much as girls do although the actual activities they choose/ are encouraged to do might typically be different.
harriet I think sex education should be the same for both at a young age. Being taught that some parts of our bodies are special and only for us to touch ourselves for example.
assasin we aren't looking at what they do before they come to school because we don't have any control over that, but we will be getting parents involved, particularly male relatives.

Do boys and girls do as much fine motor stuff as each other at home? As much sitting and concentrating type activities? Is this something that's known?

I thought there was various evidence that boys are often encouraged to do more macro physical activities than girls, and that often parent interaction is different with different sex children.

Sea changes 😅😅😅

I mean single sex schools! A lot of parents are worried about the issues you mention with you boys.

As I mentioned before we have 3 dd and my sister in law has 3 ds. i do not see much of a difference between the two sets when at play.

It's school.

And that's why we sent our DDs to an all girls' grammar school, which is also a specialist maths and science academy. Chatting with my DDs and their friends it's clear it doesn't occur to them that they might be inferior, either socially or academically, to boys.

They just take it as read that they are academic, and 'good' at maths and sciences etc. They are very comfortable with the idea of becoming doctors, engineers, scientists etc. It probably helps that their school always whups the boys' grammar at GCSE & A level results too

In playgroups the majority of boys 'rush about', the girls enjoy 'cooking' etc. I bought my 2 girls and 1 boy up with the same toys, didn't dress them in any particular colours either (until they could choose their own clothes) I didn't encourage any particular type of play and they still played with stereotypical toys.

It's nonsense to say it's all socialised, if it was there'd be no gay people would there?

What?! I don't understand the comment about gay people.

There is research that adults interact differently with boys and girls, even as babies, and that the adults weren't always aware that they did so. I'll try and find it online, in case I'm misremembering.

If we all interact differently with boys and girls , Why would there be girls who like wearing trousers and (as one of my daughter friends did ) call herself a boy when she was 2 and a half.

Not all adults, clearly, but the research shows a majority. Some children's individual personality will be less prone to socialisation as well I suppose.

I think differences in play are clear from a very young age. As to whether that's purely socialisation I think it's hard to tell for sure.
I have two DS myself and I really tried. I got my eldest a doll and tried to play tea parties with him, but his heart wasn't in it. He liked cars and wasn't interested in things like drawing at all, no matter what I did (likes it now though). He is the most stereotypically boyish boy you've ever met. He's loud, runs around all the time making karate poses and plays Star Wars with his friends. However, he's also very kind and caring, has never hit another kid, is respectful of others and 'looks after' his imaginary pets very well!

. I've got 3 children all totally different , I've been nanny\CM to 12 children once again all different. Oh and I've taught EYs for years. Of course children are all individuals BUT speaking generally; boys are more 'rushing about' types , speaking later. And girls can concentrate better earlier , also speak earlier.

Yes seachanges EXACTLY . I had unisex toys for our girls they weren't interested in the cars, etc. but LOVED the dolls and buggies etc. Our boy played with the cars trains etc. he did concentrate early though not much rushing about ! He was into guns (there was no way we encouraged that !) It's innate IMO and E.

Assassinated, there's research that suggests that that kind of differentiation even before babies are born. That women who believe they are pregnant with boys report them to be more active than women who are pregnant with girls.

That even pre-birth beliefs around the sexes might exist is fairly worrying imo.

Yet there is evidence that babies are treated differently from birth, spoken to in different amounts, touched different amounts, interacted with differently etc etc. IMO there are perhaps very minor differences at birth that are then amplified and exaggerated by the socialisation process.

School has a massive impact imo. DS very quickly came home with 'x said purple is a girl's colour' and 'y's dad said my little pony is for girls and there are things that are just for girls and ones that are just for boys'
I don't agree with the innate differences in interests mentioned by PP. DS was very quick to speak and has never played with cars or train toys (even though we had a wide range of toys). He's always preferred little figures and soft toys to any type of vehicles. Although he does enjoy playing at Star Wars now too - but that again is an influence from school.