Gender based classrooms: what they do, do they work?

By: Autumn Hill

          Do boys and girls learn differently? Would being in a single sex classroom be less distracting than a “regular” classroom? What about the instructors in the gender-based classrooms? You may have heard that same gender classrooms can be easier for students, they can learn quicker and easier that way.

Indeed, studies have shown that same-gender classrooms increase students’ motivation, and students tend to become distracted by the opposite sex very easily. In an article on ascd.org, Jamie Smalls states, “Offering single-gender classes is an effective response to school-level data that shows achievement gaps between males and females, where students are not achieving at expected levels, or as a way to engage parents by offering a choice.”

            However, not everyone agrees with this. Tolerance.org, a discussion based website for gender-based classrooms, says, “There is no reliable evidence that segregating students by sex improves learning by either sex.” Diverse Learning Today, a group that looks at gender specific classrooms, states, “Recognizing diversity in the classroom is important. Excluding gender from that recognition limits the options educators can consider. Looking at gender differences and single-gender options as teaching tools can allow educators to better meet the needs of all students.”

Public schools can be more stressful for some (students), for a variety of reasons. Would the same thing happen in single gender classrooms? Some would say that the same gender classes causes students to be more loud, or chatty. Teens tend to engage more rather than focus more when they are with the opposite sex. Many private schools subscribe to the philosophy that single gender classrooms will make students more comfortable and less stressed.  

Perhaps single-gender classrooms are a good idea for some students, but not all. What about when they go out into the world and are put with the opposite gender, however? The Education Development Center asks, “Do boys and girls need different things to get a good education? They well may, because although girls and boys are more similar than they are different, our society treats them as if they are separate species.” If we were put in the same gender classrooms, then we wouldn’t know much about being with the opposite sex, making it difficult going into the real world. Bottom line, more research is needed before we switch to gender based classrooms across the nation.