Elizabeth A. Johnson
Every teacher wants to reach all of her students. I noticed very clearly this year that my male students were trailing behind their female counterparts. Not unaware of current data, I knew that this problem was much bigger than my own classroom. Still, I know that I have a role in improving education for young males. Working with African American males, the need to succeed with them was greater as underprivileged black males are one of the highest risk groups in our nation. To be an effective teacher, I would have to learn more about my male students.
I began my research online, searching for how males learn differently from females. Then, I looked into how black males in the inner city learn differently from other groups. In my research, I found one fact that turned up over and over: males learn well with images. I began to incorporate more graphic organizers and visuals in my lessons, making sure there were images on every handout. What I really want to move to, though, is a meaningful integration of images into my lessons, an explicit purpose for each image.
