Counseling & Special Ed
BOYS IN TROUBLE: Turnaround Strategies For Educators
Course No. ED452Y, ED552Y
More and more boys are struggling. They are academically disengaged. They are facing social challenges alone. And they are struggling to imagine what their place will be in the wider world once they leave high school (if they even make it that far in school). It is estimated that only 35% of new college enrollees will be boys. Rosalind Wiseman, best selling author, wrote Masterminds and Wingmen, about boys, believes educators are in a prime position to reverse some of these trends.
In this course we will look at the troubling symptoms many of our boys are showing, and then we will pull back the curtain on their inner lives. We will look at the cultural expectations they are facing (both from adults, and each other), and we will look at how they think and feel about their lives. As we cultivate a new understanding of boys and their “Boy World,” new strategies for helping our boys feel more connected, more hopeful, and more interested in their academic futures will become apparent as well. This independent study course is appropriate for Pre-K through grade 12 teachers, administrators, support staff and parents.
| We advise you to review and download the course syllabus before registering. | Syllabus |
- Studied the impact that the unwritten rules of boy world (“Act Like a Man Box”- ALMB) has on the social and emotional development of boys.
- Identified the four (4) social groups that boys fall into and how popularity and status influence these hierarchies.
- Examined the eight (8) different roles that boys can play within their individual groups and how the ALMB impacts the behavior of the boys within their groups.
- Learned the 12 guidelines for a caring adult to follow to strengthen communication with boys.
- Understood the five (5) reasons boys lie and the four (4) “reconnaissance strategies” that caring adults can employ to encourage boys to become honest men.
- Considered how the ALMB dictates the expression of anger and how the strategy of S.E.A.L. can work to restore dignity to both parties in a dispute.
- How the ALMB influences friendships and conflicts and how to support boys who are struggling in their relationships with peers.
