Anne Goiran-Bevelhimer has been a pioneer in the online teaching industry and a role model to students everywhere. Please enjoy her wonderful post on writing ability, and I hope you get some good ideas for your own teaching strategies!

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Hi Angela, Thanks for inviting me to do a guest blog about one of my favorite topics-
boys and writing! I write and develop graduate level classes for teachers to renew
their license or earn credits to move up the salary scale. Over the years I have
published over 20 courses and try to pick topics that are not only meaningful to
teachers, but will help them in their busy lives better serve their students.

Several years ago there were headlines about the disparity between boys’ and girls’
scores from state assessment tests from across the nation showing boys lagging
behind girls in reading and writing. I decided to delve into the research and see
what I could find. And what I discovered was mind-blowing, particularly in the
differences in brain development between boys and girls. Here are a few things that
help me to understand boys:

• Boys are about are about 1½ years behind girls in development.
• The right side of the male brain develops first. This means that a boy is wired for visual and spatial thinking, map making, math and abstract thinking.
• The left hemisphere, responsible for language tasks (i.e. reading and writing) develops later for boys. Boys do catch up, but not until puberty.
• Testosterone, the male hormone, effects boy’s behavior. Boys need to move. They need to do. They need to talk. They like ACTION. And they like to be active and social when they read and write.
• Boys like competition as a way of fulfilling their need to be competent. This often gets linked to boys and violence.
• Boys like gross humor. It is often a genre only appreciated by other boys.
• Boys seek approval from other boys. They are motivated by status.
• Boys are motivated by their interests.
• Boys like choice. It helps them feel empowered, competent and in charge.

The more I interviewed boys and men, the more I learned that I needed to look at
literacy and writing from a boy’s point of view. Learning about boys and how their
physical and neurological development is different than girls, led me to look at what
kind of methods would work better in a classroom. So, here are a few pointers to
help teachers with boys and writing and a story from a teacher who is currently
taking my course, Writing Strategies for Boys as a testimony that boys do write,
write well and actually like to write when the topic interests them.

In writing:

•Boys prefer to write stories about protagonists that act alone. Usually the
protagonist is really them in superman proportions.

•Boys prefer to write about subjects outside of themselves, i.e. without feelings but
with a lot of action.

•Boys prefer to write efficiently and often literally. If you ask them a question, you
may get a simple answer. On a state writing test, the topic stated: “Describe your
favorite outfit.” A boy responded, “I don’t have one.”

•Boys prefer to use a lot of action in their writing and little character development.
However, give them the skill, a mentor text, and a reason that they can buy into, and
they will dazzle you with detail.

•Boys will write a lot on something they are interested in.

•Boys will become an expert and know many specific details about an area of
interest.

•Boys love to use gross humor in their writing. This becomes a form of status among
their peers.

•Boys explore violence in their writing as a way of learning about who they are as
a “man” and about power and control.

Putting this all together, teachers have developed some strategies that they have
used successfully with boys (good for girls, too!)

• Inspire writing through read- aloud.
• Using mentor texts to show how authors craft with detail.
• Daily writing practice.
• Writing is social. Talk about it. Write about it. Share it. Revise as play.
• Publish. Writing for boys is messy and noisy and active.
• Focus the writing lesson on a specific skill.
• Where have you seen this kind of writing in the world? Create authenticity
• and purpose.
• Model writing skill. Be a writer with them.
• Allow time for incubation-think, talk, draw, sketch, storyboard, list.

From an 8th teacher, working with boys in social studies comes this picture and
story:

“We are studying the Civil War. As we end the study of each war,
we gather around the campfire and write a letter to our relatives
explaining the current situation. The fire is fake. I bought the light/
fan unit from Amazon and then added the wood. Each student chose
the side (North or South) and writes from that perspective. I have
both Union and Confederate hats to wear. In the picture you can
see the students writing their final draft on antique looking paper
(I made it by soaking it in tea and heating it up in the oven). I try
to make my classroom as engaging as possible. Having so much
activity also invites problems as students are constantly moving
around. But it’s worth it. “

And one more from a home school mother who shows what she did to encourage
the writer in her preschool son, Charlie .

“We were reviewing the four seasons and learning about Spring.
I wanted him to express what he liked about Spring and what he
valued about Spring and what he valued in general at that exact
moment in life. It was sweet to hear what came out of his little heart
when he wrote from the “top of his heart.”

“I like Spring! I like to play in my backyard and play soccer. I like to
go to the beach. I like to read inside my house. I also like to lie down
and sleep. I really like to catch butterflies in a butterfly catching net. I
love to snuggle with mommy. Spring is 159 fun and exciting!”

He also illustrated his writing by drawing a picture of himself
playing soccer – very cute. The other thing Charlie has just
recently started doing is assigning a number to his emotion.

For example, he gave Spring a high number of 159! He often
tells me “Mommy, I love you one hundred, five, nine, eight,
one, seven hundred, million…” He rattles off the numbers as
fast and as passionately as he possibly can – it so sweet.”

No kidding!

I just got a note from his mother when I asked permission to post his writing
on you blog. She gladly gave permission and told me,”Charlie is a big first grader
now!!! His favorite hobbies are reading, writing stories, and playing sports.
You will be happy to hear that over the long Presidents’ Day Weekend he
spent most of it writing and illustrating a book… all of which was his idea
and he even got up at 5 am on Saturday to work on it some more. (He
had started it Friday evening.) He always seems to have a book and a
notebook with him wherever we go ’ Way to go, Charlie!

It is transformative to watch teachers learn about boys, tweak their
writing curriculum to meet a boy’s perspective and see what happens.
If you would like more information, please contact me, Anne Goiran
annegoiran@collegecoursesonline.com or visit me on my web site
www.collegecoursesonline.com

Thanks, Angela, for encouraging me to share this on your blog. What you do for
teachers and kids makes a difference!

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For more information and to check out Anne’s brilliant work, check out her website! 

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