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Single Gender Classrooms. A Pilot Study at Clarenceville Middle School for the 2006-2007 school year. The Inception. Teacher attended the 2005 MEA State Conference Keynote speaker was Dr. Michael Gurian . Physiological Differences. Male and Female brains are inherently different.
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Single Gender Classrooms A Pilot Study at Clarenceville Middle School for the 2006-2007 school year
The Inception • Teacher attended the 2005 MEA State Conference • Keynote speaker was Dr. Michael Gurian
Physiological Differences • Male and Female brains are inherently different.
The Implementation Process • Step 1: Meeting with the Superintendent. • Step 2: Presentation to school board • Unanimously approved, pending legal clearance. • Step 3: Approval from District lawyer.
The Implementation Process • Step 4: Survey sent to 5th grade teachers. • Step 5: Students selected to participate. • Step 6: Letter sent to parents. • Step 7: Summer in-service with Gurian-certified professional. • Step 8: Addressed at Sixth Grade Open House.
The Boys Class • Social and Behavioral Aspects • Accepting • Cohesive • Oriented to team goals, with a competitive “edge” • Pecking order • Discipline information
The Boys Class • Academic aspects • Friendly competition • Pecking order
The Girls’ Class • Very encouraging to each other • Not afraid to ask questions • Work well in small groups • Social issues interfere with academics (Lots of drama!) • Beware of student mix
What Would We Do Differently? • Face-to-face input from 5th grade teachers, rather than relying on written survey (esp. for the girls class) • Take more time to analyze mix of students. • Informational parent meeting in spring of 5th grade year. • Subject area-specific training.