What do you think about gender-segregated classrooms?

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I've heard about gender-segregated classrooms before but tonight on the national news they had a big story on it.

I don't agree with it- so far there aren't any hard figures on whether or not it actually improves student success. Part of a school's job is socialization, and I feel that if students are segregated they will not learn a vital part of socialization.

Plus, I think there is always the risk of "separate but equal"...but not really.

What do you think?

[RICHARD]

I've heard about gender-segregated classrooms before but tonight on the national news they had a big story on it.

I don't agree with it- so far there aren't any hard figures on whether or not it actually improves student success. Part of a school's job is socialization, and I feel that if students are segregated they will not learn a vital part of socialization.

Plus, I think there is always the risk of "separate but equal"...but not really.

What do you think?

Stupid,

I do remember the day in junior high when they girls were mysteriously separated from the guys....


The girls would come back to the class pale and tight lipped...

It wasn't until later I found out why! :eek:

[lizbud]

Hey, I saw that segment on the news also. It does work, really. When
I first heard them talking about it, I said, "heck, the Catholic schools have
done that for years. :) Especially for jr high, and high school classes.

I did like the fact that some Virginia classes are useing segregated classes
for math & science classes. believe me, kids learn more & can actually
keep their heads in the class work, instead of on each other. :)

[IRescue452]

From a sociological standpoint it would be great for females' success. Males tend to be more aggressive in the classroom setting and therefore get more attention (positive and negative) from teachers-from preschool on they dominate and the students are socialized this way. Its been studied that even today things happen in the classroom that make it unequal. Males who blurt out in the classroom are often allowed to do so while teachers remind little girls that they must raise their hands.

[Killearn Kitties]

I'm surprised to hear you say there are no statistics available on the effect of segregation on students' success. I have always been under the impression that girls perform better, while boys perform slightly less well in segregated classes.

[smokey the elder]

Statistics were in fact quoted last night for a school (I don't remember which one.) Without knowing the sample size and how they were collected, at face value they seemed pretty impressive. I think it was 100% graduation vs. 68%, and 86% going to college vs. 31%, for a specific charter school (girls only) vs. the public school.

I think it's a good idea with the usual caveats on making sure the resources are allocated fairly between boys' and girls' schools. At the end of the day, it should be up to the parents (and perhaps the student him/herself) if single-gender classes are right for them.

[JenBKR]

I think it's a great idea - studies show that girls and boys learn differently, and with some classes being segregated teachers can concentrate on teaching to that particular gender. Also, I think once puberty starts, many kids (boys expecially!) concentrate more on kids of the opposite gender than on their studies. They've been talking about this a lot on the radio this morning, and there are lots of people supporting it here. I should also add that I personally think it would be best if only some classes are segregated, then have some time with boys and girls together.

[Zippy]

Bad Idea!!!
It just isn't right.It is like if you put the white kids in one room and the black kids in one room.I think the all girls class would fight all the time and I think the all boys class would goof off the whole time.

[Logan]

As the mother of a teenager, I could be totally "for", seperating the girls and boys in all class situations, not just Sex Education and Health.

Logan

[mugsy]

Ok, I have to chime in...(you're surprised right? ;) )

Interestingly enough, in our 8th grade team meeting yesterday, we had this exact discussion. I think it's a good idea. Less distraction, and more focus on the subject at hand. I am FULLY in agreement that P.E. classes should be segregated. I know that the tension in my classroom is often due to the mixed genders. I don't think that it hurts them...they have the ability to mingle at lunch and in the hall during passing periods. I'm not against socializing students of opposite gender, but, I don't think that's what it's about. I know when I teach, each class gets the same information (sometimes presented differently because of special needs kids) and it doesn't matter to me if it's mixed genders or if it is single gender.

Over all the approximately 15 people in the room were in full agreement that in the best interest of the students (which is why we're here!)it's a good idea.

[Laura's Babies]

I think it is a great idea.

[catnapper]

I think its a good idea as well. I listen to my husband's frustrations of how the kids spend more time flirting than they do studying. The girls are all hanging their breasts out to attract the boys. He can't say anything like "please button up your top" because if he did, that means he noticed (believe me, its hard NOT to notice when some of these girls are a D cup, wearing a pushup bra and plunging neckline - all in whats supposed to be the school's uniform!)

I also hear my daughter's frustration when she and the other girls want to learn but a group of boys are busy goofing off and making lewd comments all throughout the class. Both my girls boyfriends actually attend different schools than they go to. They don't rely on school to be their primary social factor. In fact my youngest doesn't have any friends from school - all her friends are from her sports teams.

I helped my husband with a college paper last year on different learning styles and its proven that boys learn differently than girls. It would be great to get them into environments where their learning styles are emphasized to have a greater impact.

School is for learning first and foremost, socialization comes as a secondary benefit.

[Miss Z]

There's plenty of girls-only and boys-only schools around here, in fact I nearly went to one myself. In the state system, single-sex schools generally out-perform mixed schools by far (in the private sector, like my school, there is generally no difference).

My school actually used to be a boys school, it's only been co-ed since 2001, so there are no more than 20 girls in each year. I think there's 14 girls in my year to about 100 boys.

Personally though, I think a strict school uniform has a better effect on keeping boys and girls apart during school than separation.

[mugsy]

Personally though, I think a strict school uniform has a better effect on keeping boys and girls apart during school than separation.

I think both are a good idea!

[Corinna]

I think it would be a great idea. I sure wish they could have done it when I was in school.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I am a big advocate of single sex classrooms. Better for both.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Statistics were in fact quoted last night for a school (I don't remember which one.) Without knowing the sample size and how they were collected, at face value they seemed pretty impressive. I think it was 100% graduation vs. 68%, and 86% going to college vs. 31%, for a specific charter school (girls only) vs. the public school.

I think it's a good idea with the usual caveats on making sure the resources are allocated fairly between boys' and girls' schools. At the end of the day, it should be up to the parents (and perhaps the student him/herself) if single-gender classes are right for them.
But, they only used two schools to compare this information, which wouldn't hold up statistically.

I would like to see a controlled study of many different classrooms with different ages and subjects...

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Overall I'm very surprised at how many people find it a good idea!

There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but don't you wonder how students who never have to have any contact with the opposite sex will manage when they get older? Our workplaces aren't gender-segregated.

[Lady's Human]

It's gender separation while during classtime. It's not like you're sending the girls to the arctic and the boys to Antarctica!

There's still mixing of the sexes, just not IN the classroom.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

It's gender separation while during classtime. It's not like you're sending the girls to the arctic and the boys to Antarctica!

There's still mixing of the sexes, just not IN the classroom.
Well, that's true, but no one can deny that the reason children go to school is to learn how to be a productive member of society- they are educated with facts and they are socialized. Class time is an important part of that socialization.

[kitten645]

I went to an all girls college prep (high school).
While at the time we complained bitterly :D in hindsight, I LOVED it and it was the best possible thing for me. I went to a "mixed" grade school which I think is good to develop social skills and frankly, learn to stand up for yourself i.e. be more vocal with the boys in the class. However in high school I loved not being under pressure and distracted with boys around.
There was a local "all boys" school that our schools mixed social activities with. I think it's a stereotype that girls will be 'at each others throats' or bitchy with each other just because they are all girls. If anything, lack of boys around made us less 'bitchy' due to the lack of competing with each other for male attention. :) We competed on academic levels.
I also think it made us more independent with better self-esteem. The support system was much stronger I think.
Mind you it didn't keep some of the girls from getting pregnant and messing up in general but those girls would have probably ended up in the same boat or worse in a mixed environment. :o
My nieces will definitely go to all girl schools for high school.

[mugsy]

And they can socialize all they want after school. The point of the classroom is to learn, not socialize. When I teach my students are in their desks and they are listening to me or to other students. We use the talking stick to make sure that only one person is talking in deference to the stick and the person doing the talking. We rarely talk about who is doing what after school....that's hall talk....totally different animal. The fewer the distractions the better. Comparing mixed workplace and mixed school is like comparing apples to oranges...we are talking about hormonal adolescents in the classroom who are NOT adults who still are learning to be adults....in the work place (in a perfect world) you are dealing with adults who SHOULD be able to control their hormones and work productively.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Well, I'm not sure about middle/high school, but I don't think that elementary students should be separated.

I'm not talking about socializing as in talking about the latest gossip, but as in learning to be polite/ learning basic manners. Many children do not learn this at home. I am currently getting my certificate to teach elementary school, and I work in a school with 2nd and 3rd graders. Learning to be respectful to each other and to adults is important, and I think learning to be respectful to the opposite sex is valuable. Many activities for young children are designed not only to teach them facts but to teach them social skills they need. Many characteristics that people carry with them throughout their lifespans are developed in childhood.

[popcornbird]

I too, think its a great idea. In fact, it isn't really a new idea, because in many parts of the world, this is a 'very' common practice.

I'm not sure if it would make a difference to very young children in elementry school, but once kids hit puberty, their eyes start wandering, and they start focusing more on 'that beautiful girl or that cute guy', instead of on their education. It would probably reduce the amount of teenage pregnancies and unwanted babies too. In fact, I would LOVE for this to happen before I have my own children, and they are ready to begin school.

[GreyhoundGirl]

In my shcool, grade 8 and down are together. After that, they are seperate. GREAT, oh well, I can't say I'll miss some of the guys in my class. They behave really childish.