Segregating Students?

[MJS]

A school in Ga., wants to seperate boy and girls in the class room. Seems like this is geared to making learning more productive, although I really don't see how it makes a difference if you seperate people or keep them together.

Link

Thoughts?

 

[terryl965]

All I can say is if they are doing this, than why mot seperate fat and skinny people as well as long hair-short hair or blondes and burnetts. What is next those that have had a surgery and those that have not.Ugly people to the right and good looking to the left.
This is jsut reidiculas to me.

 

[Andrew Green]

How about gay / lesbian students?

Or worse, bi-sexuals. Lock them up in isolation, anyone could distract them

 

[Ninjamom]

Well, the difference between separating boys/girls, as opposed to brunettes/blondes, or fat/skinny students, or black/white students, is that there actually really ARE differences between boys and girls. Try as we might in our society to deny this fact, every cell in the body human is uniquley marked as to whether it is male or female. Boys and girls mature at different rates and generally, learn in different methods. Splitting up the sexes at certain ages removes a lot of peer-pressure and awkwardness associated with socialization.

While splitting the sexes is not common practice in modern education, I can honestly say that I have seen it succeed in every single place I have seen it used.

 

[terryl965]

So then ninjamom should girls only be tought by female teacher and boys by only male teacher.

I understand your point of view here but there has been studys on both side of the fence with different results.

Me and my wife was are teachers, who says girl mature faster, I have seen some pretty inmature ladys in my time here just like I have seen some very mature boys. Segregation is Segregation no matter what hair we split.

By the way Ninjamom I love your posting and answers.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Back in the days when I went to school some classes where segregated. I can understand where some might feel that classes such as sex ed., gym, etc. would be less stressful if segregated but then it gives students a reason for comparing classes

 

[Ninjamom]

So then ninjamom should girls only be tought by female teacher and boys by only male teacher.

No, because there is no difference in the way males/females (as adults) teach.

By the way Ninjamom I love your posting and answers.

Thanks, Terry! I really enjoy this forum and the friendly atmosphere. I feel the freedom to share real thoughts, feelings, and opinions without worrying about being belittled or shot down, even when we disagree. That says a lot about all the folks in our community.

 

[JBrainard]

...Splitting up the sexes at certain ages removes a lot of peer-pressure and awkwardness associated with socialization.

While splitting the sexes is not common practice in modern education, I can honestly say that I have seen it succeed in every single place I have seen it used.

While I have to agree that it has been done successfully in the past (and still is in some private schools), I have to disagree with you on the socialization issue. Half of the school experience is learning social skills, and you would limit that by splitting up the sexes.

 

[Andrew Green]

Splitting up the sexes at certain ages removes a lot of peer-pressure and awkwardness associated with socialization.

By removing socialization... maybe it might improve some things, but I'd consider socialization a pretty important thing to learn.

 

[punisher73]

I don't have them right off, but haven't there been studies that show kids test better when they are in an all boys/girls setting?

I think it makes sense. Both sexes can concentrate on their education instead of going through all the dumb mating rituals I see everyday in school by the students.

 

[MJS]

Well, the difference between separating boys/girls, as opposed to brunettes/blondes, or fat/skinny students, or black/white students, is that there actually really ARE differences between boys and girls. Try as we might in our society to deny this fact, every cell in the body human is uniquley marked as to whether it is male or female. Boys and girls mature at different rates and generally, learn in different methods. Splitting up the sexes at certain ages removes a lot of peer-pressure and awkwardness associated with socialization.

While splitting the sexes is not common practice in modern education, I can honestly say that I have seen it succeed in every single place I have seen it used.

Doing that is akin to a private school, with the only difference being, that its a free education, compared to having to pay. I havent seen anything like that where I live, except with a private school, but if you've seen it work, I'll go with what you saw.

But, on the other hand, isn't this almost like making excuses for people? A boy may feel awkward because the girl he's sitting next to picks things up faster than he does. Well, unless this boy is diagnosed with a handicap, shouldn't he just put forth more effort to learn?

 

[MJS]

By removing socialization... maybe it might improve some things, but I'd consider socialization a pretty important thing to learn.

True. This would be just like a martial arts class with the females only working with other females and males just working with males. Interaction/socialization is certainly a good thing.

 

[terryl965]

True. This would be just like a martial arts class with the females only working with other females and males just working with males. Interaction/socialization is certainly a good thing.

I have to agree

 

[Fabio]

They are trying to solve a problem they wouldn't have if they could provide better discipline and make classes interesting enough to keep the students focused on what's important.

Just another example of taking the easy, but definitely not better, way out.

 

[Kacey]

I don't have them right off, but haven't there been studies that show kids test better when they are in an all boys/girls setting?

I think it makes sense. Both sexes can concentrate on their education instead of going through all the dumb mating rituals I see everyday in school by the students.

This is, indeed, the theory behind the segregation - and it has proven effective in many settings. My concern, however, is that at some point, these gender-segregated students will have to learn to work with the other gender - and while there have been plenty of studies on the effectiveness of gender-segregated classrooms, I have seen none on the long-term effects of the segregation on students when they are recombined in the future. Perhaps there's none... but I'd like to see the study done.

They are trying to solve a problem they wouldn't have if they could provide better discipline and make classes interesting enough to keep the students focused on what's important.

Just another example of taking the easy, but definitely not better, way out.

Yes and no. There are differences in how boys and girls learn - that's been well-documented. There are also lots of studies that document the negative effects that having both genders present has on both genders, especially once puberty is reached; girls are, in general, less willing to speak up, participate, or in any way appear "smart" in a setting that might cause boys to see them as smart instead of attractive (this has been documented as one of the primary reasons why achievement in math and science for girls falls off in high school), while boys are less willing to take academic risks in front of girls, lest they look stupid. Both genders are less likely to be concerned with their appearance as studious if the other gender is not present.

Can this be "fixed" through discipline? In some cases yes, in some cases no. Maintaining discipline will reduce or remove the showing off behaviors that limit achievement for many students, but will do nothing for the social aspects that prevent students from doing their best in front of the opposite gender - that will require retraining of teachers, to help them draw out the best of in all of their students, and not just those whose learning styles match the teacher's teaching style - an issue that encompasses gender-specific behaviors within it.