Supporting Boys’ Learning by Barbara Sprung, Merle Froschl, & Nancy Gropper

Supporting Boys’ Learning gives practical advice to teachers about how to best reach boys in the classroom. The authors begin describing how there has been a considerable amount of research showing that boys, particularly African American and Latino boys, are currently underperforming in school, and being over-suspended and over-referred to special education. The authors propose that many boys are coming to our schools without “real school readiness,” which has more to do with having strong social and emotional skills, than with knowing academic content. They also suggest that the schedule, the curriculum, and even the classroom environment in our schools now are not necessarily well-suited for boys. They give very practical ideas to make changes in our practices so that boys’ strengths and needs are better addressed.

Recommended for:

Teachers in Pre-K to 3rd-grade classrooms that feel they often encounter a few very “difficult” boys in their classroom.

Questions and themes to consider as you read:

• How do your preconceptions of gender shape the way you relate to girls and boys in the classroom?
• What can you do to support your “difficult” boys’ social and emotional development?