Show Notes
A quick interrogation of assessment outcomes for boys in New Zealand education renders some alarming results. Boys achievement is some 30% beneath that of their female counterparts in almost every measure you can come up with.
HoDs of English Gena Bagley (Otago Boys' High School in Otepoti Dunedin) and Chris Waugh (Christ's College in Otautahi Christchurch) examine some of these statistics and set out their intentions with this podcast series: to tackle boys' education - specifically in the teaching of secondary English - to face this truth and set about doing something about it!
More from It's a Boy Thing
In this discussion, Bags, Chris and a Emma Stilwell, the Christ's College librarian examine the reported declining reading habits of adolescent boys and explore strategies we've employed successfully to reverse this trend. We highlight that while students value approachable teachers who connect with them, many struggle with sustained focus due to the omnipresence of digital distractions and AI. We advocate for structured routines, such as dedicated silent reading time in class and at home, to build the "mental fitness" necessary for academic success and personal wellbeing. By treating reading as a disciplined practice akin to physical training, we believe that schools can foster a genuine love for literature. Ultimately, collaboration between teachers, families, and libraries is essential to creating an environment where reading is both expected and celebrated as a core value.
Change is an inherent feature of our education system, but it has to be said that the changes have been coming thick and fast in recent years. Our Curriculum was undergoing what is euphemistically described as a 'refresh' over the last few years, only for us to find that it's now in the bin, to be replaced by a new 'revision'. Similarly our national assessment system, NCEA, which is in the middle of 5 year revision, has been ditched in order to go back to a system that seems reminiscent of the one it replaced 20 years ago. Bags and Chris reflect on these changes on the day they were announced and start putting together plans.
Bags and Chris, in a moment of unexpected synchronicity, both have a class that is uncannily silent. We ask a question: crickets. They're doing good work, they're great young men - but as a group: diabolical. We explore the possible precursors for this and we look at what action we can take to get the boys talking.
In the third week of the school year, Chris and Gena explored the new year as a fresh start, including Chris' newly 'upgraded' classroom (complete with LEDs and a lava lamp). The conversation shifted to celebrating Gena's outstanding achievement of three English scholarships at Otago Boys, including one outstanding scholarship. We discussed the importance of maintaining high expectations, establishing powerful routines, and the positive impact this has on student learning. We reflected on how setting ambitious targets ourselves models the very dispositions we ask of our students, and shared insights about the learning relationships we build with boys who may not verbalise appreciation often but deeply value rigorous, disciplined learning environments.
As a coda to last week's episode about the harm AI is doing to boys' learning in English classes, today Bags and Chris offer some discrete and specific examples of what actually happens in their English classrooms.