Engaging lost males: Strategies to reach the neglected males who are academically in crisis

1. Engaging lost males: Strategies to reach the neglected males who are academically in crisis Iris Strunc mor5gan0@yahoo.com

2. Objectives • To gain an understanding and awareness of cognitive gender differences as they relate to education • To provide a friendly academic environment responsive to cognitive gender differences • To utilize the latest empirical research to improve retention of male students • To list, explain, and translate the registers of language • To gain an understanding and awareness of the importance of the acquisition of language for male students to succeed academically • To educate colleagues about the academic challenges males are facing • To discover how to maximize the learning strengths of male students in classes • To explain the importance of choice for the success of males in developmental classes

3. Word Activity

4. POPCORNSORRY HOUSE HICCUPS DANDRUFF TEACHER PENCIL GREEN BABY TOMATO CAR PURSE NOSE ACORN BEAUTIFUL PESKY CUP TURN

5. Use direct statements when giving males information. Instructions must be specific. Signals or cues must be clear. The thumbs-up or “high-five” to indicate approval are associated with doing a good job. (James, 2007, p. 36) Application for the Academic Environment

9. How We Learnby William Glasser • 10% of what we read* • 20% of what we hear • 30% of what we see • 50% of what we both see and hear • 70% of what is discussed with others • 80% of what we experience personally • 95% of what we teach someone else *Within 24 hours, 90% of the material is lost. What the Average Person Remembers • 90% of what they do • 70% of what they say • 50% of what they see and hear • 30% of what they see • 26% of what they hear • 10% of what they read

10. For every 100 females… enrolled in elementary grades, there are 107 boys enrolled. http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2004.html

11. Disturbing Facts: For every 100 females… enrolled in twelfth grade, there are 98 boys enrolled. http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2004.htmlwho graduate from high school, 96 boys graduate(NCES, unpublished tabulation.) expelled from public elementary and secondary schools, 335 boys are expelled. http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d04/tables/dt04_144.asp

12. For every 100 females… Special Education diagnosed with a learning disability, 276 boys are diagnosed with a learning disability.http://www.iteachilearn.com/uh/meisgeier/statsgov20gender.htm Higher Education enrolled in college, there are 77 men enrolled. http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2004.html

13. For every 100 females, who earn a bachelors degree from college,_____________ American men earn the same degree. • 73 • 80 • 83 • 90 73 American men earn the same degree. http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d04/tables/dt04_262.asp

14. Other Indicators For every 100 females… ages 18 to 21 in correctional facilities, there are 1430 men who are incarcerated. http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t26.html

15. Another Poll There are 133 females receiving B.A. degrees for every 100 males from colleges in the United States (BusinessWeek, May 26, 2003).

16. According to the U.S. Education Department demographers, if current trends continue, there will be ___ women per 100 men earning degrees by 2020 (Conlin, 2003) A. 184 B. 127 C. 145 D 156

17. Factors that influence this: • a shortage of male instructors and student services staff, • a persisting belief by members of society that physical ability is valued more than mental ability in boys, • the idea that fidgetiness in boys is intolerable in the academic environment, • the view that hyperactive, competitive males are usually behavior problems, (Coley, 2001)

18. Another contributing factor to the difficulty males have academically is that males are wired differently than females. Unfortunately, these differences in the brains are rarely addressed in the academic environment. (Coley, 2001)

19. Male brains are wired to be literal and objective. Their brains are singular in focus and purpose. Males are deductive thinkers, more compulsive, and more competitive. (Gurian, 20011). Males are wired differently than females

20. They punch, push, and wrestle each other. Rules of society dictate that men do not touch each other. The reality is that boys have to touch to learn. (James, 2007)

21. Think of the brain as a house with many rooms. The male house has a number of rooms, each of which has a special purpose. Men are hardwired to be literal and objective, so it is more difficult for males to access the various rooms in their house. It’s as if their brains are singular in focus and purpose. The male must make a conscious choice and purposely think about accessing parts of his brain. For males, feelings are housed in a special room; one that is often locked. When a male has to stop and think how he feels about something, he must first find the key to unlock this special room. (Slocumb, 2004, p. 15)

22. The brains of females, on the other hand, have rooms that are multipurpose. The are hardwired to be subjective and intuitive. The brain of a female is much more integrated than that of the male. Females access different parts of their brains more readily that do males. Feelings are an integral part of every room in the house for the female. There are no locked rooms in the female brain. (Slocumb, 2004, p. 15)

23. Academic environments, however, do not accommodate the male learners. When girls are placed into a small group for a learning experience, they usually begin working in a spirit of cooperation. Boys will spend much of their time trying to determine who is going to be the leader. (Slocumb, 2004, p. 15) Academic Environments Difficult for Male Learners

24. Learning Applications • Males typically like to work in larger groups, but the goal of the project or cognitive level of the learners may require smaller groups. In any group work, give the students two grades, one for the outcome of the project and one for individual participation. Rubrics work well for group projects. • Serve as a facilitator, but allow the males to work out the leadership roles within the group. Don’t step in too soon if the males are having difficulty assigning roles, but remind them of deadlines. • Group work is most appropriate when high-level problem solving is required of the group and learning a new concept is a desired objective.

25. Student Services Applications • Communication is vital in advisory sessions with male students. Male students need specific guidance when presented with options for careers. • Smile at the male student as you greet him for his advising session. • Use precise language when discussing degree options and plans of study with males. Their brains are wired to be literal and objective. • Include the male in the discussion of the plan, but remember to use precise terms when discussing his plan, and remind him to come for advising on a regular basis to remain on track. • Develop a clear game plan for discussing his study plan; use the words game plan. Help the male develop accurate self-assessment skills, so he can make good career choices.

26. Student Services Applications • Discuss with male students how they are coping with pressures to make career decisions. Talk about the value of choosing high-paying occupations over ones that are personally fulfilling. • Build a relationship of trust with the male students you advise. • Become the advocate for the male students you advise. • Make an appointment for the next advisory session before the male student leaves your office. • Remember that male students are more likely to succeed in their classes when they feel connected to the school. Build this connection through a relationship based on respect.

27. Mom asks her son when he comes home from school. . . What did you learn in school today? To sit down and be quiet.

28. The learners who bring down the state and federal test scores are mainly boys. The students who lash out against the educational system are mainly boys. The students with whom our teachers feel the least trained to deal with are boys. (Gurian, 2005)

29. Isaiah Olson, a father in Detroit, observed, “I see a big problem with our African American boys in school. They don’t fit. It’s not just about race. The drop out rate for black males is now twice what it is for black females. Gurian Institute Research (Gurian, 2005)

30. Poll Is your academic institution doing anything to train faculty and staff to work with male students? • Yes • No Questions?

31. Until about 100 years ago, in all parts of the world, our sons’ primary teachers were_______ A. Teachers in one room schoolrooms B. Families C. Male teachers in a boarding school D. Military men

32. Building a Team Against Crisis • Revive the role of family in education • Encourage males to use the tutorial centers to access the help they need in their courses • Encourage males to become more active in their academic community • Provide student or instructor mentors who can connect with the males in crisis to provide guidance and support • Decrease the stress of dealing with registration and financial issues as they attempt to navigate an unfamiliar and sometimes unfriendly academic environment

33. Did You Know? According to the study by the Center for Labor Market Studies, even at the present 44% college attendance rate, this generation of young men will A. Be increasingly unemployed or underemployed B. Earn significantly lower lifetime earnings than their peers C. Depend more on in-kind benefits (food stamps, Medicaid, housing subsidies) D. Be more likely to father children out of wedlock and not live with or support their offspring All the above

34. Research shows that the parts of the brain responsible for processing verbal information and permitting the exchange of information between hemispheres were more highly developed in girls. (Kimura, 2005). Girls also mature earlier in the brain regions responsible for impulse control, and, in general, mature earlier than boys.(Viadero, 2006; Nagy Jacklin & Martin, 1999).

36. The differences in language acquisition and the use of language are probably two of the most significant factors that impede boys academically and socially. (Slocumb, 2004). Vocabulary is the key to academic success for males.

37. One of the largest vocabulary sets of all the languages in the world It contains somewhere around 600,000 to 1,000,000 words (Gillet & Temple, 1990) Speakers of English can claim an average vocabulary of 50,000-60,000 words 1945, average American student (6-14 yrs) had a written vocabulary of 25,000 words In recent years, some of this active vocabulary has been shrinking With advent of television & internet, written vocabulary has dropped about 10,000 words Estimated that students must learn more than 88,000 words by 9th grade to read required textbooks (Nagy & Anderson, 1984) English Language

38. At the age of 4, individuals know about 5,600 words At the age of 5, individuals know about 9,600 words At the age of 6, individuals know about 14,700 words At the age of 8, individuals know about 21,200 words At the age of 9, individuals know about 26,300 words At the age of 10, individuals know about 29,300 words In adulthood, many individuals know in excess of 50,000 to 100,000 words The average adult has a vocabulary of about 40,000 to 50,000 words out of a language that has more than one million words. (Gillet & Temple, 1990) Vocabulary

39. Literacy Workshops vs. Literacy Clinics

41. What can you do to help males with academic language? Language 1. When male students speak in casual register, have them say it two other ways in formal register. 2. When male students write in casual register, have them write it two other ways in formal register. (Payne, 2005)

42. “She thinks she is all that!” “She thinks she is better than others.” (Payne, 2009, p. 101) Casual Register to Formal Register

43. What can Schools do to address casual register, discourse patterns, and story structure? • Tell students to write and speak in causal register; then translate it into formal register • Establish a part of a discipline plan a requirement that students learn how to express their displeasure in formal register and therefore not be reprimanded • Use graphic organizers to show patterns of discourse (organizational patterns of information) • Tell stories using the formal-register story structure; then tell the story in casual register • Use stories with students that can be used to guide behavior • (Payne, 2005, p. 34)

44. What does this informationmean in the school or work setting? • Casual register needs to be recognized as the primary discourse for many students • Formal register needs to be directly taught • Discourse patterns need to be directly taught • Both story structures need to be recognized and used as part of classroom instruction • Discipline that occurs when a student uses the inappropriate register should be a time for instruction in the appropriate register • Students need to understand how much the formal register affects their ability to get a well-paying job • (Payne, 2005, p.35)

45. The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. TThe Preamble to th

46. Patterns of Discourse Formal-Register Discourse Pattern Casual-Register Story Structure Speaker or writer gets straight to the point Speaker or writer goes around the issue before finally coming to the point (Kaplan, 1984)

47. Story Structure Formal-Register Story Structure Casual-Register Story Structure Part of an episode beginning Plot Audience participation end (Kaplan, 1984)

48. It is important to model formal register for male students and directly teach it. How does register impact male students academically? If male students do not have the academic vocabulary to use formal register, they will have difficulty succeeding in school. If they don’t have the words, they will resort to physical means to win an argument or make a point.

49. Questions?

50. The lack of words, the driving need to complete the need to be in motion, and the inability to articulate feelings set boys up to have difficulty academically, socially, and emotionally. (Slocumb, 2004) Males and Vocabulary