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expectations placed on their shoulders in terms of getting children ready for the next grade or standardized testing. I am not saying that the curriculum should be diminished but, what I am saying is that we should be looking at the way we present the curriculum in order to address the needs of our male and female population. Beginning with Kindergarten, we should be integrating movement especially with consideration for the boys within our classrooms. A radical proposal that I would like to make is to plan lessons collaboratively amongst grade levels to be taught to classes where boys and girls have been separated. In other words, the same lesson is taught with consideration for standards and objectives and the different learning styles of the male and female populations. I am not advocating all-boy or all-girl schools, however, I am advocating all-boy and all-girl lessons taught by partnering teachers. Why couldn't we teach lessons according to the needs of these two different populations? Why couldn't we teach parts of grammar, reading, and math facts while children are moving around the classroom? Yes, the school environment would be much noisier and appear more chaotic but, if it helps children learn and achieve then it needs to be explored. Having only boys in a class would mean that teachers would be able to concentrate on teaching in ways that are especially appealing and meaningful to boys using what we know about their need for movement and spatial activity. They can be active, moving around, and hands-on in their instruction with a concentration on the specific learning styles of boys and the same would be true of lessons taught in an all-girl classroom. I am not trying to take us back to the dark ages where girls and boys are identified by very specific identities; I am, however, attempting to identify a way to keep more boys in the classroom, loving school and thriving along with their female peers. I believe that this along with other areas of differentiation would ultimately result in success as these children move from grade to grade and ultimately take the walk across their high school stage to receive their diploma.

Information for this article was obtained from the following sources:

Conlin, Michelle. The New Gender Gap: From kindergarten to grad school, boys are becoming the second sex. BusinessWeek Magazine. May 26, 2003. Retrieved July 11, 2006 from www.businessweek.com/magazine/ content/03_21/b3834001_mz001.h tm.

Gurian, Michael. Pay Closer Attention: Boys are Struggling
Academically. U.S.A. Today. December 3, 2004. Retrieved July 11, 2006 from http://www.gurianinstitute.com /usa_today1.html.

Tyre, Peg. The Trouble With Boys: They're kinetic, maddening and failing at school. Now educators are trying new ways to help them succeed. Retrieved July 12, 2006 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10 965522/site/newsweek/.

Utsey, Monica Z. A Crisis in the Classroom for Boys: Experts say educators must make changes now. CapitalCommunityNews.com. 2006. Retrieved July 11, 2006 from http://www.michaelgurian.com/c cb.pdf)

Learn more about this author, Heinz Sladek.
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