We need to change the way we look at individualizing and customizing education. There’s no doubt about that. Our students are not cookies to be shaped with the exact same cutter. We have talked about learning styles for years: artistic vs. verbal vs. auditory vs. tactile. Ali Carr-Chellman talks about another angle- the gender differences between students. As an English teacher, I read about the reading differences between boys and girls. This TED talk goes beyond just reading and approaches the whole male child’s learning process and environment.
Her TED Talk focuses on boys from age 3 to 13, and how the traditional elementary classroom does not always meet their needs. For example, there is a large discrepancy of elementary teachers who are female to male. What does that tell boys about school? Is it a girl’s place instead of a place for them? Ali Carr-Chellman also shows a 100 girls comparison section that is telling in how boys are pictured and are reacted to within our schools.
Ali Carr-Chellman challenges educators to look at what many stereotypical boys enjoy doing in their free time: gaming. How can we engage boys with these same skills, ideas, and activities within our classrooms? I believe the growth of Gamification within our schools may start to meet the needs of the students Ali Carr-Chellman is describing.
In this talk, Ali Carr-Chellman challenges some very basic practices of our educational system. Some may make some educators uncomfortable.
How do you react to her suggestions of what is holding back boys in our schools today?