At the conclusion of our course with Tom Newkirk at the University of New Hampshire Literacy Institutes, our class collaboratively created a list of implications from our learning.  Following a reading of Misreading Masculinity, a viewing of the documentary Raising Cain, and more, we used Google Docs to list the implications of our course for application in our classrooms.

Please add your own wisdom about boys and literacy in the comments!

1. Provide choice: lots of options in topic, genre, etc. – Allow for different styles of storytelling
2. Incorporate more visual literacy – Using mentor texts like Knucklehead, comics, etc.
3. Encourage the writing of fiction as a fantasy outlet
4. Acceptance of the content they bring/the choices
5. Conversation: Ask about choices that seem uncomfortable – build trust
6. Teachers: Recognize the difference between uncomfortable and threatening
7. Respect that students can differentiate between fantasy and reality.
8. Pay attention to the context of the violence in boys’ writing
9. Encourage collaboration in writing and reading
10. Make space for movement and conversation – too often, boys must sit and listen; reverse that
11. Incorporate humor in the classroom and content/curriculum
12. Grant students more autonomy in the classroom
13. Use the note response method we used to have students respond to each other’s work
14. Support social interactions between boys around literacy
15. Question our own motives, preferences, and restrictions as we teach
16. Create a place for non-fiction – demonstrate that non-fiction does not have to be boring
17. Use technology as an alternative medium for both expression and sharing
18. Learn the identities and passions of your students
19. Recognize the importance of listening to students
20. Realize that posturing is okay – it is “trying on a personality” in order to discover one’s own
21. Provide positive role models of masculinity so male students don’t get caught in a bad one
22. Encourage nurturing responsibilities in (ie, provide opportunities for) boys
23. Have a wide diversity of types of male protagonists in available literature – celebrate the same strengths we applaud in female characters when we see them in male characters
24. Be aware of the gender implications of language
25. Open up the genre of analysis beyond literature, eg, new video game
26. Allow and encourage drawing at all levels
27. Expand your repertoire – having a team helps
28. Encourage positive competition occasionally

Tagged: boys and literacy, community, unh