The decision to send one’s minor child to study abroad, as a rule, is not accepted immediately. It is preceded by long and painful meditations, after which, finally, having weighed all the pros and cons, appreciating the obvious advantages, you solve this question positively: of course, it will be a boarding school!
The British boarding is a long liver; a Swiss boardinghouse is more reminiscent of an elite sanatorium in the foothills; a relatively inexpensive exclusive Canadian private school or an educational institution in the center of America's metropolis - in this case it does not matter. Whatever you choose, you will inevitably "run into" a serious dilemma::
- Separate education or co-education?
- Is it worthwhile, in general, to consider a boarding school with separate education as a possible "haven" for a child in the coming years?
In the United Kingdom, whose educational system is actually the "ancestor" of private boarding houses in Europe, America and Canada, preference is still given to the traditional British sepаrаte eduсtion. Although, it cannot go unnoticed that, recently, some "shifts" to the customary form of joint learning have appeared in Britain.
Common secondary schools for boys and girls are opened, many schools transfer to the joint eduction, a so-called “diamond model” (DiamondModel), the bottom line of which is the following and it is becoming more popular:
• young children under 11 years of age study together;
• in the teenage period up to 16 years children learn separately;
• in high school, adult students aged 16-18 years old study again together, preparing for admission to the university.
However, the productivity of a separate educational format is incredible. This is confirmed by numerous ratings. Gender pedagogy continues to gain momentum already on a global scale.
In Sweden, for example, the "good old" schools are being revived. Until 1962, there was a separate form of training - it was believed that little ladies, by definition, are not as capable like the representatives of a stronger sex, and therefore they were provided with a facilitated educational program. Feminist "explosion" destroyed this prejudice: training became joint, the programs were unified, and "near-minded" girls proved to be more capable of children in almost all subjects, except for physical education. Recently, the Swedish Minister of Education, Jan Björklund, has proposed to investigate the possibility of organizing gender schools. He was supported by many public organizations, and now the proposal of the minister is sent to the appropriate authorities.
Gender pedagogy is in the trend today and in the USA, too. Representative of the Education Department Margaret Spellings recently announced the introduction of new algorithms designed to simplify organization of separate education in schools. "Gender education is an opportunity to fully meet the needs of students," stated Ms. Spellings.
According to Leonard Sachs, director of the National Association of Gender Education, these innovations in the US educational sphere will lead to intensive growth and development of schools that practice separate education. Already today, the number of American separate schools has increased significantly.
Russia approached this issue with passion, efficiently and punctually. Educational experiments here were preceded by a long research work under the guidance of the devote of modern student gender division, doctor of medical sciences V.F.Bazarniy. He also formulated the basic theses-arguments in favor of separate education.
LEVEL OF PERCEPTION OF INFORMATION
"Different sex - different brains," - such a statement by the scientist may seem excessively categorical, but the fact that the processes of processing and securing information by pupils-boys and pupils-girls really differ from each other, today it is unmistakable. Representatives of a "strong" sex, above all, are focused on the search for meaning, "grabbing" which they are already ready for immediate action. Representatives of a "beautiful" sex, on the contrary, need more time to "read" the meaning.
Traditional methods of "repeating" and "fixing" material are not for boys; their brains do not need it and are "switched off" automatically. Therefore, notorious "grinders", who easily learn texts, sometimes without understanding the meaning, are more often found among girls. The analytical mindset inherent in a strong sex does not allow boys to "go down" to a meaningless "cramming," which they usually can not do.
2. DISPOSITIONS: MUSCULINE AND FEMININE
Gender differences in children show themselves very early. First of all, it is "read" in a behavioral pattern.
Hyperactivity, gambling, recklessness, characteristic for the behavior of boys, fundamentally distinguish them from reserved, balanced, neat and diligent girls. It is clear that educational work with boys should differ from pedagogical approaches applied to girls.
Boys are not able to keep attention on one thing for more than 20-25 minutes – they need active rest, physical (and psychological) unloading. Instead, a small representative of a "stronger sex" is imposed a "feminine" type of behavior, which is alien to him initially. He is required to show restraint, assiduity, good behavior, thereby inducing only disgust for school. All this can turn out very badly: in 85% of cases, pediatric physicians diagnose psychological problems in boys.
Such a vulnerability of schoolchildren experts explain by the influence of classmates-girls and female teachers. Adopting a female type of behavior, boys are being "feminized." As a consequence we get indecisiveness, timidity, irresponsibility and infantilism.
All these problems can be "circumvented" with separate training.
3. PACE OF DEVELOPMENT
There are significant differences in the features and rates of development of schoolboys and schoolgirls: girls develop faster. With a separate training format, a female half "moves" forward at a natural pace, without looking back at a male part, which is noticeably lagging behind at a certain stage.
In mixed schools and classes a boy may develop an inferiority complex, he can refuse to study at all. Then, in the conditions of discreteness and equal opportunities, a teenager has serious motivations for self-development and improvement. As a result, we shall get high performance indicators.
4. NONE – TO PREJUDICES AND STEREOTYPES!
The widespread gender stereotypes, so often found in the community, continue to dominate in schools of a mixed type. Teachers impose students stagnant views on the choice of universities and professions. For example, Anna is convinced that the specialty of a programmer is more suitable for Evan, who, in turn, is told that it is not a man's job to cut and sew. As a result, the world loses great designers.
Freedom of choice for students of boarding schools, where preference is still given to separate education, is not limited. In schools of this type there is an atmosphere of abandon, and any decision a schoolboy or a schoolgirl is treated with equal interest and understanding. Graduates-girls of Harrogate school for little ladies, according to the statistics more often choose the study of exact sciences and medical disciplines and successfully enter the leading universities of the world, which is a pride of their almamater.
In order to maximize the disclosure of the qualities, which are inherent only in a female sex, a girl needs such a learning environment, where emotional contact and openness are valued above all else. The nature of the representatives of a "weak" sex is distinguished by such strengths as optimism, patience and diplomacy. In a mixed school, with its universal "leveling", these qualities can "get lost".
Other priorities for representatives of a "strong" half. The desire for the status of a leader in a healthy competition is inherent to boys, they are not afraid of situations involving risk and do not miss the chance to experience fortune. Boys and teen-agers hate defeatism, in communication with adults and peers, they prefer straightforwardness and uncompromising. The curricula and methods of teaching in schools are guided by the characteristics of a "male" psychotype.
Do not think that separate schools are some monasteries that presume an ascetic lifestyle. Communication between schoolboys and schoolgirls is not only unlimited, but even encouraged. The British tradition of "friendly houses", for example, has been observed for several centuries. Schools for boys hold joint activities with schools for girls, organizing leisure together: staging school performances, concerts, hiking and sightseeing tours. It is not forbidden to communicate with the students of joint schools.
As for everyday school days with separate education, lack of cares and issues related to the problems of transition age, when a teenager first discovers the opposite sex for himself gives a teenager an opportunity to concentrate on learning and think about own future. Nothing and, most importantly, no one distracts attention!
Modern pedagogical thought marks such "plus" moments of separate training, as:
• higher academic performance;
• harmonious development, without complexes and mutually suppression;
• reducing the risk of possible conflict situations;
• improvement of the psychophysiological state of students.
Of course, like any socially significant trend a separate form of education has opponents.
However, the marked "minuses" are much smaller and they are very dubious, and constant expansion of the practice of such classes and schools its growing popularity among students, parents and educators, witnessing the failure of all arguments with "counter" prefix.
