2009 fourth grade Ohio Achievement Tests show 9% more females preforming at or above proficiency level in writing than males. This compares to a 3% gap in Reading and a 1% gap in Mathematics. In seventh grade the gender gap in writing grows to 13% (“Ohio Achievement”). Clearly, a discrepancy exists between males and females in the writing classroom. This gap presents itself early and grows as students age.

Many issues surround boys and their attitudes towards writing, Julie Johnson, a third grade teacher in Hilliard Ohio, has taught many students with negative associations with writing, “A lot of kids that have bad attitudes have had teachers who focus [too narrowly]. They can’t capitalize, they cant put periods at the end of sentences, they are focusing on the mechanics and not looking at how they can put thoughts together,” (“Teacher Focus Group”). She goes on to explain that choice in subject matter is a huge motivator for students who have been soured to writing.

In addition to a focus on mechanics, the physical aspect of writing is challenging for boys, and thus gains a negative stigma. Ralph Fletcher, a leading writing teacher and researcher, asked boys “To complete this sentence: ‘For me, the hardest part of writing is…’…The first boy reported: ‘For Me, the hardest part of writing is that my hand hurts.’” Others responded, “My hand get’s sore,” “My Finger’s burn,” “Handaches,” (Boy Writers 73). Leonard Sax writes, in Why Gender Matters, “Virginia Tech researchers found

that boys are Years behind girls in development of the area of the brain responsible for fine motor skills,” (Sax 95). Not only is hand writing limiting boys’ enjoyment of writing, but poses challenges for teachers as well. Kathy Ehle explained that using a blogging platform for her Writing Workshop has relieved a lot of her stress. “Its a huge barrier for me to read their hand writing. Having their writing in a typed form allows me to spend more time commenting and responding,” (“Teacher Focus Group”).

While writing is physically difficult, boys are also put off by the concept of personal or emotional writing, which is often a focus in intermediate grades. Many teachers and researchers realize this and are restructuring their classrooms using choice as a way to motivate students. Julie Johnson explained that, “a lot of it has to do with giving kids choice about what they write about. And helping kids realize what they can do right… That’s a huge part of it, finding what they are good at, letting kids know what they are good at, and building on their strengths,” (“Teacher Focus Group”).

“A lot of it has to do with giving kids choice about what they write about, letting kids know what they are good at, and building on their strengths.”

-Julie Johnson, third grade teacher

When giving boys choice about what they write, teachers often find themselves with stories about violence, video games, and bodily functions. Many teachers find these topics off putting or inappropriate for school, especially those centered around violence; however, Newkirk warns against limiting boys’ choice, “It is a mistake I feel, to automatically equate boys’ use of violence in writing with any desire to be vicious or sadistic,” (Nerkirk 296). Despite what might seem like gratuitous violence to a teacher, the stories are often very social. They help to raise one boy in the eyes of others in the class. This is not to say that boys should be encouraged to write violent stories, Fletcher appropriately writes, “there’s a built in culture and gender clash between the student’s world and the world of the teacher. There must be common sense limitations on how much violence we permit in student writing,” (Boy Writers 54). Choice is a huge motivator to all students; however, often the choices that young boys make are contrary to what a teacher may prefer. It is important to remember that a balance must be found between what becomes unnecessary violence and topics that interest and encourage young boys to write.

Regardless of topic, boys are often discovered drawing comics, illustrations and maps alongside their writings. One teacher, introduced by Kelley King and Michael Durian in “Teaching to the Minds of Boys”, has embraced this, “Realizing the need for nonverbal planning tools, especially in males, to help bridge the gap between what students are thinking and what they’re able to put down on paper, Mrs. Johnston now asks [students] to create storyboards, a series of pictures with or without words that graphically depict

a story line,” (Durian 57). Drawing and illustrating is a huge part of the storytelling process for boys. They often find it easier to express their ideas in pictures rather than words because of their limited verbal fluency, especially in younger grades when their vocabulary is still growing. Despite this, drawing is often viewed as something students “sneak” into their writing, an activity that is not encouraged or seen for what it actually is: full of information, important details, characterization, plot, and setting (“Boy Writers” 120-121). Research backs up anecdotal evidence, “girl’s brains are wired for language: words. This contrasts with boys’ brains where more cortical areas are devoted to spatial- mechanical functioning,” (125). Girls enjoy drawing as well, but in contrast to boys often draw nouns, the people in their story, their setting, while boys draw verbs, action, conflict (Sax 23).

In a perfect world it would be fascinating to focus on how visual elements, illustrations and maps, could expand storytelling; however, students are still held to high standards on proficiency tests, which focus solely on the written word. Therefore, it is necessary to realize that drawing is an important part of a boy’s process, but there must also be a focus on how to translate those drawings into well rounded written stories.

As boy’s move past the pre-writing and initial drafting process, they often have difficulty revising and continuing to reread and rewrite their work. Boys often want immediate feedback, and hope the reader likes their writing just the way it is. They feel like they have fulfilled the assignment and can move on (Boy Writers 13). This can be counteracted by taking steps to make writing assignments more purposeful. This can be accomplished in many ways. Creating a social environment throughout the writing process allows students to share their ideas and finished work. Kathy Ehle, Julie Johnson, and Kelly Gorby, all using blogs in their classrooms, have noticed that students love commenting on each other’s work. Kelly Gorby explains that “[blog comments] provide a connection where their Writer’s Notebooks can’t. We can trade our notebooks around, but it wouldn’t be the same. They wouldn’t be writing in each others’ notebooks” (“Teacher Focus Group”).

Learning to give and receive appropriate feedback is an important skill for students to learn at this age. “Learners must receive feedback from other more knowledgeable sources that don’t threaten the learner and allows them to refine their thinking,” (Morgan 35). Students can learn a lot from one another and this exchange of knowledge is both helpful academically and strengthens friendships.

Throughout the writing process boys face unique challenges based on their social and physiological development. In traditional classrooms these challenges are often overlooked and girls thrive much more readily. While I have no intention of excluding female students from my final solution, keeping in mind the challenges boys face will help to provide a well rounded solution.

sources:

Bible, Kay, Kathy Parker-Jones, Kathy Ehle, Kelly Gorby, Julie Johnson, and Meghan Richter. “Teacher Focus Group.” Personal interview. 22 Nov. 2010.

Fletcher, Ralph J. Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2006. Print.

Morgan, Bruce, and Deb Odom. Writing through the Tween Years: Supporting Writers, Grades 3-6. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2005. Print.

“Ohio Achievement Assessment Results.” Ohio Department of Education: Testing. Ohio Department of Education, 3 Dec. 2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2011.

Sax, Leonard. Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about the Emerging Science of Sex Differences. New York: Doubleday, 2005. Print.