Educating Boys: getting some of it right

Commonwealth, State and Territory governments are recommended to jointly fund additional professional development for practising teachers, particularly targeting strategies that work with boys. The QTU's position in relation to this recommendation would be that strategies should cater for a range of students as boys are no more a homogenous group than are girls.

There are also recommendations for teachers to have greater access to professional development.

Ten recommendations relate to literacy and numeracy, including one that seeks to direct the attention of new parents on the effect that certain parenting styles may have on learning and behavioural problems and learning difficulties. Further recommendations seek to encourage State and Territory governments develop programs to assist parents to develop positive parenting skills.

A number of recommendations deal with the issues of health and how this impacts on children's ability to learn. QTU members know first hand the importance of health to students' ability to learn and have for years advocated for adequate health services. Teachers do not, however, want or need to take on the increased role of auditory testing as recommended in the report.

Several of the recommendations focus on issues of literacy pedagogy and intervention strategies.

One seeks the provision of joint funding to staff every primary school with a literacy coordinator and an early intervention literacy teacher, the time allocation being determined by the size of the school and the measured level of literacy need. Another recommendation looks at reducing class sizes to no more than 20 students for Years K to 3.

The QTU welcomes the endorsement of our class size campaign and would endorse improvement of conditions in primary schools and the early childhood sector. The QTU believes that middle schooling and senior schooling should not be overlooked in the delivery of reduced class sizes.

Within the domain of Making the Connection: Schools, teachers and role models, the report highlights the importance of effective relationships between students, teachers and parents in achieving optimal educational outcomes for students - particularly for boys.

A number of recommendations urge the funding of research into areas such as engagement and motivation of boys and girls in the middle years of schooling, and the influence on retention rates and student attitudes to school of various school structures, curricula, assessment systems and alternatives to senior schooling. The QTU would welcome research that will enhance the learning of all students.

The provision of HECS-free scholarships for teacher education is also recommended. The employment of the teachers of the highest quality either male or female is QTU policy and we would have reservations about any system which would give preference to men or women in selection.

The report also discusses the remuneration of teachers and the need for this to be addressed " urgently" not only to retain teachers but also to attract new teachers to the profession. Increased remuneration is to be applauded; however, the provision of allowances is not the most effective way to achieve this. A general improvement in teachers' remuneration would be far more welcome.

The report provides opportunities for the QTU, teachers, and parents to engage in the debate about boys' education in a meaningful way. Some of the recommendations are to be applauded and welcomed but the underlying issues around the definitions of the masculinity and femininity in our society and schools go largely unchallenged. The argument throughout the report reduces gender to a biological proposition of boys and girls. Socio- economic status, geographical location, access to education and services, parental aspirations and education and are largely ignored and are major factors. The report does little to challenge stereotypical behaviours and embrace diversity and this is where the real challenge lies.