This afternoon I went to a workshop by Égide Royer called Pour la réussite des garçons à l’école (helping boys to succeed in school). It was part of the APPIPC 2016 conference about French Immersion education. (I was very fortunate to be chosen by my district to have my registration fee and TTOC paif for by a bursary – merci!)
Here are some ideas and resource that were mentioned:
- Égide Royer’s website, with information about his many books
- There are a lot of persistent myths in education, particularly about punishment and consequences. For example: when punishment doesn’t work, the solution is to increase the intensity of the punishment.
- An approach to problematic behaviour: name the behaviour, provide the student with 2 options for solutions, ask them what the plan is, and thank them.
- Acknowledge positive choices and behaviours.
- Encourage students to consider careers that are not “traditional” for their gender.
- For Canadians at age 15 there is a one-year gap in average reading levels of boys and girls (CME, juillet 2013).
- Boys have higher rates of behaviour issues at school, ADHD diagnoses, and autism.
- Ways to help boys at school include: giving them responsibility (i.e. power), physical activity, and being ‘firm but fair’ (e.g. logical consequences after sufficient warning).
- Male reading role-models are important.
- Guysread.com is an online reading program for boys.
- It’s important to have a large variety of texts available.
- Stay “cool as a cucumber” when working through behaviour challenges, and remember that behaviour has a function.
I look forward to the rest of the APPIPC conference tomorrow!
