Ridge View High Workshop January 15, 2009: Parents

Parenting Boys

• Is there a "boy crisis" in education? Or, why we should be careful with anything being labeled a "crisis". . .

• Can we (and should we) address literacy and educational concerns separated by gender?

• How are boys different than girls?

• What are "learning styles" and "multiple intelligences"? Or, why we should accept there is not one-size-fits-all for any student to learn, regardless of gender. . .

• What are the literacy goals we should have for our boys? (Hint: Passing the state tests or scoring high on the SAT should not be our goals.)

• What should literacy (reading and writing) instruction look like in schools? (Not quiet and still classrooms, not worksheets, and not simply doing as they are told.)

• What are some current issues we should know about?:

(1) Graphic novels/ comics
(2) Single-gender classrooms
(3) Young adult literature
(4) Game culture