Having just read Duncan's email saying that there are 20 boys and 9 girls in Red class, I think it would be sensible to pair up the girls so they're not left on their own and outnumbered by boys within a group. What does everyone else think?
(Zoe)
Zoe and everyone - How did you think the groupings went???
Also, while I realise the dynamics of this group were interesting for lots of reasons, do you have any thoughts on the ways that the girls versus the boys responded to the activities and approaches we used in the woods? Anything you think we should do differently another time?
I found that with making popcorn, the boys wanted to be involved and hold the stick that the sieve was attached to, but the girls were happier to sit back and watch me do it (and still eat the popcorn afterwards!) Zoe
Single gender groups would certainly keep the girls in their comfort zone but I wouldn't have wanted to take a big group of boys who are over excited! Also if all of the girls are together, and some do not want to participate, they might inadvertently influence the rest of the group to be less interested/enthusiastic as well, and so the whole group would then miss opportunities to learn in the woods.
Perhaps groups with mixed 'science confidence' might be more successful -the teacher would have to judge this on previous science lessons. The children who are less confident could then be encouraged by the enthusiasm of the more confident ones, and any over-enthusiastic children could potentially be calmed by the quieter children. This would also ensure that all the over excited children aren't all together because that could result in chaos if they didn't take much care! (Zoe)
Yes, any other thoughts asap please!
ReplyDeleteZoe and everyone - How did you think the groupings went???
ReplyDeleteAlso, while I realise the dynamics of this group were interesting for lots of reasons, do you have any thoughts on the ways that the girls versus the boys responded to the activities and approaches we used in the woods? Anything you think we should do differently another time?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI found that with making popcorn, the boys wanted to be involved and hold the stick that the sieve was attached to, but the girls were happier to sit back and watch me do it (and still eat the popcorn afterwards!)
ReplyDeleteZoe
Any other observations from anyone?
DeleteIn which case... single gender groups?
DeleteSingle gender groups would certainly keep the girls in their comfort zone but I wouldn't have wanted to take a big group of boys who are over excited! Also if all of the girls are together, and some do not want to participate, they might inadvertently influence the rest of the group to be less interested/enthusiastic as well, and so the whole group would then miss opportunities to learn in the woods.
ReplyDeletePerhaps groups with mixed 'science confidence' might be more successful -the teacher would have to judge this on previous science lessons.
The children who are less confident could then be encouraged by the enthusiasm of the more confident ones, and any over-enthusiastic children could potentially be calmed by the quieter children. This would also ensure that all the over excited children aren't all together because that could result in chaos if they didn't take much care! (Zoe)