Boys and Literacy

The Research

A growing body of research is emerging in literacy. It strongly asserts what may already be obvious to some; that boy’s brains process information differently than girl’s brains. The results of these studies (see research by Millard, King’s College of London, Christchurch School of Medicine, Warwick University, etc.) show that many boys are underachieving in the classroom, especially in literacy. While every child is different, it is helpful to understand generalizations of behavior and brain function. Some of the most notable recent findings are:

• Boys take longer to learn to read than girls do, and they read less.
• Boys value efficiency and purposeful learning.
• Boys may not perceive themselves as good readers.
• Boys can be impulsive and passionate. They communicate often with non-verbals.
• They see school as what other people want them to do- it doesn’t always meet their immediate needs or wants. They often score lower on tests and earn fewer awards.
• Boy’s reading interests are different than girl’s interests.
• Responses to texts can be difficult for boys, and they prefer active responses like building, acting, or making something.
• Boys appreciate challenges, competition, authentic choices and a sense of control. They respond well to repeated instructions, loud voices, bright light and movement.

The Recommendations

Parents and teachers have an important role in adapting instruction to embrace boys. The goal is to find methods that can help boys stay engaged, learn effectively, and acquire skills to demonstrate what they know. Understanding how boys think helps adults support them in literacy and guide their choices in materials. Below is a list of specific strategies that are proven to maximize performance by male learners.

• Identify the purposes for reading. Make it fun, exciting and full of exploration.
• Provide books with personal relevance, like informational texts, sports or hobbies topics. It helps dramatically if they have some choice of subject matter.
• Boys also embrace certain genres: books with escapism, humor, science fiction, non-fiction and fantasy. They are drawn to bold graphics and bold characters. Because they may like to collect things, books in a series are often well suited for boys.
• Allow boys to explore different forms of reading, like comic books, magazines, newspapers, and short stories.

The Resources

Series books:

Genres and Forms:

Books containing science experiments
Joke and riddle books
Mysteries and scary stories (Encyclopedia Brown stories by Sobel)
Biographies about athletes, scientists, etc.
Informational books (Seymour Simon or Jean Fritz for instance)
Magazines like Sports Illustrated Kids, Spider, Time for Kids, Stone Soup
Newspaper sections: sports, active sections, local news, or the Kids Page

Authors:

See more titles on the cool website: www.guysread.com!

For parents and teachers of boys:

Frames of Mind by Howard Gardner
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
Boys Will Be Boys by Myriam Miedzian
Active Literacy by William Brozo
Differently Literate by Elaine Millard
The Men They Will Become by Eli Newberger
I Read It, But I Don’t Get It by Chris Tovani
Real Boys by William Pollack
Boys, Literacy and Schooling by Leonie Rowan