For years, I have been working with struggling readers. While I work with both boys and girls, the majority of them are boys. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education’s reading tests for the last thirty years show boys scoring worse than girls in every age group, every year. To that end, I have compiled a few questions and answers to help everyone understand how we can get boys reading up to their potential.
Q: Why do we care so much about reading? Why is it important to get our boys reading to their greatest potential?
The most basic reason is that reading is the most important skill that people have which can be used to enhance their intelligence. Through reading, people improve their vocabularies and memories, become better writers, and even relieve stress. On a more practical level, literacy levels are correlated with financial success. In sum, we need to ensure that our boys are reading because their lives will be more fulfilling, relaxed, and comfortable.
Q: Why do boys lag behind girls in reading? What’s the reason behind this lag?
Well, much of it comes down to what happens around them.
Fiction vs. non-fiction. Many English teachers, who also happen to be female, teach reading through works of fiction. Unfortunately, studies show that boys tend to relate better to non-fiction. Thus, during the formative reading years, children are exposed to reading materials that are better suited to one gender over the other.
Role models. Boys will often see their mothers reading on Shabbos afternoon or in the evenings, but they rarely see their fathers engaged in a book. This is not because their fathers do not read. Rather, frequently, this is because their fathers will be learning in shul or with a chavrusah – experiences that boys do not have until they are beyond the elementary stages of reading.
Biology. On the whole, boys develop fine motor skills (such as hand-eye coordination) slightly later than girls. This can create difficulty with reading and writing at a young age.
Limited selection. Teachers don’t always know what is out there for boys that will engage them to interact with a text with empathy and sincerity. Schools tend to work with books that are classics because they will encounter less resistance from parents. However, this sometimes means that books that boys might find engaging never make it into the classroom.
Q: How can we help boys learn to read?
Instruction tailored to boys’ learning style. Teachers should create lessons with clear, structured instructions and short bursts of intense work. When teachers set specific goals and praise the boys for their success, boys will be more likely to push themselves in the future. In addition, hands-on learning models coupled with a sense of humor are great tools for getting boys involved in reading.
Role models. Young boys need to see male role models who are reading. Remember, any text is reading – including fathers and studying Gemara at the dining room table after lunch on Shabbos or reading the newspaper on a weekday morning. The idea is that boys see their fathers reading and understand that this is an activity valued by both male and female role models.
Appealing subject matter. Allow your sons to choose their own books (within limits, of course). If they are interested in cars and baseball, do not steer them towards a story about penguins. They will be more likely to read if they are interested in what they are reading.
Field trips related to reading. Hands-on learning is often the best type of instruction for all children. If your child is in middle of a book about space travel, consider planning a trip to the American Museum of Natural History’s Planetarium. Once he has finished reading the book, he will be enthralled by the way that his literary knowledge matches a real world event. This will encourage him to continue reading in the future.
Expand our definition of reading. Include magazines, graphic novels, and newspapers in school reading. Let boys know that all these materials count as reading. When they see that they enjoy this reading, they will expand their horizons to include more traditional definitions of reading.
Q: What other steps can we take to help boys succeed in school apart from improving their reading level?
More recess. Of course, if we want our children to learn more, we don’t usually give more recess. But the reality is that our boys need to run around more. Their brains will work better when they are in the classroom if they have more time to run around. Many schools and teachers are resistant to the idea, but research shows that exercise before learning helps everyone retain information, especially boys.
More hands-on activities. More hands-on activities allow students to engage their whole bodies in learning, and not just their brains. These activities allow for movement and also incorporate multiple learning styles. The more we involve boys’ bodies in learning, the more learning they will do!
Schools that are boys-only are the first candidates to make their classrooms more boy-friendly! After all, whom else are they catering to? So, let’s help our boys by tailoring the subject matter to them, offering them more non-fiction works, providing more time for recess, and giving them more hands-on activities. In the long run, they will learn a whole lot more!