Breakout sessions

Session Descriptions

Keynotes

• “Is there anything good about boys?” Dr. Roy Baumeister, Professor of Psychology and Director of Social Psychology at Florida State University
  Tallahassee, Florida
  Boys everywhere are more likely to break the rules and ignore the grown-ups, compared with girls. This phenomenon is very robust across cultures. How come? Is there anything good about boys? A better understanding of what makes boys tick might lead to more effective teaching - and parenting. (This presentation is adapted from Professor Baumeister’s hugely popular invited address at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.)  

• Storytelling ALICE: how to get teenage girls excited about computer science Dr. Caitlin Kelleher, professor of computer science at Washington University, is a world leader in best practice for engaging teenage girls in computer science. While earning her Ph.D. in computer science, Dr. Kelleher noticed that much of computer science — particularly in artificial intelligence — seemed to be devoted to making virtual worlds in which you could blow things up, or race exotic vehicles. Dr. Kelleher pointed out that many girls don’t get excited about blowing things up or racing exotic vehicles. She developed a different way of teaching computer science, built around storytelling. And her approach works. Girls who use her approach are three times more likely to want extra time doing computer science, compared with girls who are taught the traditional way.
  

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  General Session

• “The Agony and the Ecstasy”
  Leonard Sax MD PhD
  Executive Director, NASSPE
  Malvern, Pennsylvania
  In this opening session, Dr. Sax will share some high points and low points in the recent history of single-sex education in the United States. Some topics:
  1. The lesson of Greene County, Georgia: how to guarantee that your program will FAIL
  2. A tip from Auckland, New Zealand: how speeddating in French can make your school better!
  3. What the AAUW doesn’t know about girls — and what we can teach them
  4. What we can learn from Australia — and why they envy us
  5. Three things you MUST know if your program is going to live long — and prosper!

  
  

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• Middle School Chemistry for Girls
  Beth Roueché
  Langston Charter Middle School
  Greenville, South Carolina
  All classes at Langston Charter Middle School are single-sex: girls in girls’ classrooms, boys in boys’ classrooms. I cover exactly the same material with the girls as I do with the boys; the girls and the boys have the exact same questions on the test. But I take a completely different route to get there. What works for girls doesn’t work for boys, and vice versa. In this workshop, I will present lesson plans I use for accomplishing specific curriculum items with girls and with boys. I will also provide strategies for each particular lesson.  

• Self-esteem: does it matter? for girls? for boys?
  Professor Roy Baumeister
  Florida State University
  Tallahassee, Florida
  For roughly thirty years, most American educators have believed that there is a positive correlation between self-esteem and academic achievement. Students who believe they are smart do better than students who don’t believe they are smart — or thus went the conventional wisdom. Recent research demonstrates a much more complex and indeed troubled relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement — with some remarkable gender effects.  

• Single-sex education in public schools: what’s happening around the world Josep Maria Barnils
  European Association for Single-Sex Education
  Barcelona, Spain
  Josep Maria Barnils is a co-founder of the European Association for Single-Sex Education. He has helped to establish new single-sex schools throughout central and eastern Europe, as well as in Mexico, Central America, and South America. He will present his findings on the state of the movement in more than thirty countries around the world. This seminar will provide a unique opportunity to hear what’s happening, first-hand, from the man who knows more than any other individual in the world (literally!) about single-sex education in Europe, the Americas, and Africa.  

• Meet David and Mary Beth (literacy for boys, math for girls)
  Ruth Owens, 2nd grade teacher - literacy
  Shannon Ingram, 5th grade teacher - math
  Beech Hill Elementary School
  Summerville, South Carolina
  This is a hands-on opportunity for participants to experience a single gender classroom from the point of view of the students — not the teachers. Using research from their own classrooms, the presenters will guide participants in a journey into the academic worlds of single gender students in a boys’ second grade literacy class and a girls’ fifth grade math class. This session is designed to provide teachers with a fresh perspective on addressing the specific needs of single gender students in lower and upper elementary school.  

• Implementing a single-gender program at your school
  David Chadwell, Director of Single Gender Initiatives for the State of South Carolina
  Columbia, South Carolina
  David Chadwell was the inaugural Lead Teacher for Boys at the very successful TWO Academies at Dent Middle School in Columbia, South Carolina. For the past year, Mr. Chadwell has been helping to launch single-gender programs around the state of South Carolina. Mr. Chadwell will share his experience — both during his three years at the TWO Academies and at single-gender programs in other public schools — with particular attention to the key ingredients for success in launching a single-gender program. Questions he will address include:
  Should I implement a single-gender program at my school?
  If so, how should it be structured?
  How should I promote and/or publicize the program?
  What kind of support do teachers need?
  Mr. Chadwell will provide answers to these questions, and others, along with a detailed outline and templates.  

• Show Me What You Know: An Agenda Notebook of Math Strategies
  Sandra B. Allison
  Two Academies, Dent Middle School
  Columbia, South Carolina
  The math agenda helps middle school boys and girls organize their math assignments. It is a valuable classroom tool which includes technology-based project outlines, games, and graphic organizers. It provides daily structure for students and parents using a variety of strategies to help students master their math curriculum. Participants in this session will complete skill and real-world word problem activities using samples from the agenda notebook. Most of the activities move from iconic to verbal learning models. This strategy has been used with our boys and with our girls. This session will include a discussion of how the implementation differed for each gender. The target audience for this session includes teachers in grades 5-12 as well as administrators.  

• Girls love music; boys can too!
  Sandi Chasson
  St. Andrew’s College
  York, Ontario (Canada)
  Ms. Chasson has taught music in coed classrooms for more than ten years, in girls’ classrooms for ten years, and most recently in boys’ classrooms for seven years. She has a unique perspective on what works for teaching music to girls, and to boys. Her conclusion: both girls and boys are equally capable of learning to love music. But the best way to engage girls in music is quite different from the best way to engage boys.  

• Leisure time reading: for girls / for boys
  Linda Staskus
  Cuyahoga County Public Libraries
  Parma, Ohio
  We know that teachers who understand gender differences can teach any of the great books to girls AND to boys. But what about leisure-time reading? What books are best to recommend for vacation reading to girls — and to boys? What kind of girl likes what kind of book? How about boys? This presentation goes way beyond the usual lists of stereotypical “girls’ books” and “boys’ books.”  

• Beyond Anecdotes: setting up a powerful evaluation design in your single-sex classroom Dr. Margaret M. Ferrara / Dr. Peter J. Ferrara
  University of Nevada Reno / Multiple Perspectives About Teaching
  Reno, Nevada
  You are ready to begin a single-sex classroom but you will need to consider how you will know if the innovation makes a difference. What do you do? This presentation covers multiple data collection techniques to help you receive funding and approval from the district, your community, and beyond. Topics covered include the importance of finding an external evaluator; the value in teacher and student journaling; using resources that already exist in your school to collect data (preservice teachers, parents); and making your evaluation report press-worthy. Attendees will receive a CD with the template for data collection tools and an evaluation report outline.  

• Helping Students, Staff, Parents and Politicians Understand and Accept Single Gender Education
  Doug Trimble, Principal
  C. B. Stirling School
  Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)
  C.B. Stirling Elementary School (actually a K-8 school) in Hamilton, Ontario, has offered the choice of single gender or mixed classes to students in grades 7 and 8 since September 2003. In June of 2007, over 98% of the parents of students entering grades 7 and 8 selected single gender classes over mixed classes as their preferred placement.
  In this presentation, we will consider not only the process followed to create this unique learning environment, but also the underlying educational beliefs that created the trust necessary to have parents accept this format. Participants will hear about the challenges faced by administrators, staff, and students as the concept has evolved. Research findings by Brock University, The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s Research Department will be shared. Teachers and administrators involved in implementing single gender programs at their schools would benefit from this presentation.  

• Knock ‘Em Out The Box! Using Hip Hop and Other Art Forms to Teach Poetry & Storytelling
  Rita Renee Hunter Graham
  Atlanta, GeorgiaThis presentation uses a male-dominated, internationally-popular cultural phenomenon — Hip Hop — to help boys to find their own voices. This approach allows boys to express themselves within a given format and teaches them how to transfer the knowledge they presently have to the traditional or classical literature they will encounter as they progress academically. We teach boys about the components of modern day songs by KRS-One, Tupac or Grandmaster Flash while teaching Shakespeare, Richard Wright, Walter Dean Myers, Toni Morrison, and William Golding. This strategy for teaching and learning builds bridges between cultures, time periods and learning styles. Specifically, with this program boys can breakdance, rap, draw, write, and create music all the while not worrying about impressing or feeling intimidated by the presence of girls. 

   

• The Rite Journey: creating rites of passage to turn teenage boys into men
  Andrew Lines
  Nairne, South Australia
  ‘The Rite Journey’ is an Australian initiative which allows each male student to share in a year long partnership with their teacher-guide as they explore what it means to be a respectful and responsible adult in their society. We believe that rites of passage should be rediscovered for boys in our Western culture. Consequently, a central feature of our program is the specially-created ceremonies held throughout the year. These celebration points and rites of passage follow the concept of the seven steps of a hero’s journey: the call, the threshold, the following, the challenges, getting lost, the return and the homecoming.Some of the content covered includes ‘Personal Biography’, ‘Gender Identity and Construction’, ‘Feelings and Beliefs’, ‘Love, Relationships and Sexuality’, ‘Anger, Bullying, Depression and Violence’, ‘Risk Taking’, ‘Stillness, Meditation and Relaxation’, ‘Communication’ and ‘Mentoring’. These topics are explored through the four themes: Relationship with Self, Others, Life, and the World. We employ initiatives such as a Solo Camping Experience, Adventure Camps, World Drumming, Rock and Water, Journal Writing, Mentoring, Talking Sticks and Juggling along with the establishment of strong connection points with the students, teacher-guide, parents, mentors and peers. A strength of the program is its adaptability to schools in various cultures and contexts. At present the program is being taught in a number of South Australian schools. This workshop will explore the genesis of the program and how it is implemented in schools along with feedback from staff, parents and students. 

   

• Upbeats and Downbeats: 6th grade single-sex classes in a coeducational school
  Dr. Mavis Leathley and Dr. James Studer
  Desert Heights Elementary School
  Reno, Nevada
  What lessons can we learn from the placement of teachers in a sixth grade with single-gender classrooms, e.g. a female teacher with all girls, a male teacher with all boys? What differences might there be with a female teacher with girls and boys? In the first year of implementing single-sex classrooms, we reviewed longitudinal achievement data; student attendance; behavior management, and the use of teacher instructional strategies. Topics to be addressed in this session include: preservice teacher insights; teacher journaling; too much “boyness” in the boys’ classroom; intuitive teaching strategies; the reassignment of teachers (female teacher in the male classroom and vice versa); a data review, and single-sex instructional strategies used and not used.  

• Teaching the Male Brain
  Dr. Abigail Norfleet James, Rockhouse Associates
  Orange, Virginia
  As more boys are being identified as having learning problems, more information is being uncovered which supports the notion that boys learn well when classroom activities are designed to use their academic strengths. Teach to boys’ strengths, rather than focussing on their weaknesses. This workshop will present findings from recent research and connect that information to teaching strategies which maximize boys’ learning. Participants will acquire specific strategies to implement in their classrooms to increase student engagement through a variety of active learning approaches. Participants will also receive handouts of the PowerPoint slides together with directions for the approaches described in the presentation.  

• A Girl-Centered Science Curriculum
  Marriah Schwallier Degenhardt
  Columbia, South Carolina
  This session will provide an overview of effective strategies for a girl-centered science classroom. We will consider not only lessons and activities, but also classroom environment and organization. This session is intended primarily for science teachers, particularly middle school grades.  

• Developmental Aspects of Single-Gender Classrooms: How do boys and girls differ?
  Elizabeth Heins, Doug MacIsaac, Kathy Piechura, and Mercedes Tichenor
  Stetson University
  How do teachers design effective instruction for girls and boys who develop at different times and rates? This presentation will provide an overview of gender differences in development and learning. Presenters will share information on the developmental aspects of single-gender programs at both the primary and intermediate grades and how developmental differences can impact pedagogy, student motivation, and most importantly, student learning.  

• Getting boys excited about school:
  Four years’ experience in a public elementary school
  Bill Bender and Stefani Prince
  Foley Intermediate School
  Foley, Alabama
  Bill Bender and Stefani Prince, both teachers at Foley Intermediate School (4th and 5th grades), will discuss what they have learned about boys while teaching all-boys classes. Mr. Bender’s 4th-grade all-boy class became Ms. Lawson’s 5th-grade class. That cohort of boys — boys who had single-sex classes in both 4th grade and 5th grade — scored higher on the Alabama Reading and Math Test (ARMT) reading subtest than any other group in the school. On a scale of 1 to 4, 90% of those boys scored a “4″ on the reading test. Ms. Prince and Mr. Bender will share the strategies which they found most effective in engaging every boy in the classroom.  

• Best practice for high school English: girls’ classrooms and boys’ classrooms
  Sara Keller & Amy Richardson
  Boston, Massachusetts
  When creating a lesson for girls, it is helpful to find a way in which the students can connect personally to the texts. “How would you feel if you were the girl in this story?” It is also helpful, for many girls, to progress through levels of questioning and self-analysis; the girls often need very little prompting to do this on their own.When teaching boys, it is more important to vary the type of activity and instruction. The teacher must create a “scaffolding” of questions and analysis. Boys’ classrooms often require more prompting from the teacher. When instructing boys, it is often helpful to begin with the concrete and move to the abstract. 

   

• Using team strategies to motivate boys — and girls!
  Jack Gitler
  Oakbrook Middle School
  Oakbrook, South Carolina
  Team activities can be useful to motivate both girls and boys in single-gender classrooms. The team activity can take place both inside and outside of the classroom. Through team building, the students were more willing to work with others, and network with different students in the classroom outside of their usual peer groups. The activities generally involve movement, problem solving, and group work to complete.  

• Teaching the Female Brain
  Dr. Abigail Norfleet James, Rockhouse Associates
  Orange, Virginia
  The idea that math is difficult for girls - and the corresponding idea that most girls are not ‘naturally’ interested in mathematics - is pervasive. According to widely-held beliefs, girls should not be expected to do well in math or science because their academic strength lies in words. This workshop will present research from recent findings and connect that information to teaching strategies which maximize girls’ learning. Participants will gain a clear understanding of best classroom practices for girls in math and science. Participants will also receive handouts of the PowerPoint slides together with directions for the approaches described in the presentation. In addition, participants will observe some of the strategies in the workshop so that they will have a clear idea of how to implement the approaches in their own classrooms.

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  Conference agenda

  The conference begins informally Friday evening at 6 PM with a welcoming reception at the Marriott, at which time attendees are encouraged to pick up their registration packets (in order to avoid the lines Saturday morning).
  The conference officially begins Saturday morning with registration and a continental breakfast. We will open at 9 AM Saturday morning with a general session led by Dr. Sax entitled “The Agony and the Ecstasy.” We then will break for the first round of breakout sessions, followed by lunch at 12 noon. Following the hot buffet lunch, the second round of breakout sessions begins at 1 PM on Saturday; the third round of breakout sessions begins at 2:30 PM.

  We begin Sunday morning again with a continental breakfast, followed by Professor Baumeister’s keynote “Is there anything good about boys?” Then we will have our fourth breakout session, followed by another hot buffet lunch at 12 noon. Sunday afternoon, Professor Kelleher will deliver the final keynote address, followed by our final breakout session. The conference concludes with a special “bookstore” with books of relevance to gender and education