One of the many things I have learned from my time at PDS is how much boys move. They move in the morning, move in the afternoon, fidget in their desks, and run in the halls. Boys move all the time. While this was not exactly news to me, I used to think that students can only learn if the room is calm and quiet. Now I believe that every student learns differently and some, boys especially, need the movement.
Boys learn differently from girls. There are fundamental differences in the cerebral cortex and ways in which boys and girls process information. Now having taught in an all boys environment for the past three weeks, the difference is quite obvious. Yes, there are some girls who likely need to fidget and refocus, but the amount of and intensity of the movement is much higher in this all boys environment. I mean it is ALL THE TIME. At first, this bothered me and I questioned whether I should tell them to sit still or quiet down. After a while though, I realized it was only me that was perceiving the movement as distracting. I even got caught in the "can you repeat what I just said (because your moving around the room makes me think you weren't paying attention)" trap when a boy who was walking around the room was able to repeat the directions word for word. This made me realize that boys are able to multitask in a way that girls might not be. They can pay attention even if they are not looking directly at me. They are able to learn even if they are bouncing in their chair. Boys need the movement. It is who they are and how they learn!
I quickly learned to embrace the movement and now enjoy seeing my students move throughout their learning space. (I think the drumming on the desks might always get me, but hey, I'm making progress!) I am looking forward to designing lessons that incorporate movement and active learning!
I quickly learned to embrace the movement and now enjoy seeing my students move throughout their learning space. (I think the drumming on the desks might always get me, but hey, I'm making progress!) I am looking forward to designing lessons that incorporate movement and active learning!