Lesson eight was about single sex classrooms.  Single sex classrooms are a very controversial subject as you can see by  my following discussion.

 

List and describe 2-3 possible advantages of single sex classrooms. 

• Some possible advantages to single sex classrooms for girls would be in sports they do not come in second next to boys, they are most likely taught by women and that sends a message, and they are more likely to gain leadership because women are taught from a nontraditional approach and have authority. In a single sex classroom for boys the advantages are the fact that the unique needs for boys are addressed so that they can receive needed advice and help, the boys are encouraged to excel to what they want to be whether it be an athlete or a scholar, and another advantage of a single sex classroom for boys is that they can have a chance to speak up in class without fear of girls picking on them or embarrassing them.  

 

  

• List and describe 2-3 potential disadvantages of single sex classrooms. 

• Some possible disadvantages for a single sex classroom for girls is that girls can often form cliques and can cause bullying to increase, also gender stereotypes would increase rather than decrease them because they are the only gender in the school, and also some are a little more than old fashioned and this causes them to be out of touch with modern times. Some disadvantages of an all boys classroom would be that gender stereotypes may be reinforced and contempt for girls may increase, and an all boys school may be used as punishment for not being able to behave and perform well in a coed environment. 

 

 

• After watching the videos and reading the articles, describe your stance on the single sex classroom issue. Provide some reasons why you agree or disagree with the concept.  

• I disagree with the concept of a single sex classroom and/or a single sex school because in reality the world is all about coexisting with other people. People have to be able to exist and work with other genders, religions, races, and every other factor that makes us different from each other. I feel like by having single sex classrooms it makes it harder for those students to go out and join the rest of the world and work with other sexes. Another thing that I found particularly interesting was that in an all boys school they feel better about speaking up in class when girls are not present but in reality they have to do things like that in front of all types of people. That is what makes a leader, a leader. I feel like single sex classrooms actually lack leadership, because part of being a leader is dealing with all types of people not just the same sex. 

 

 

• Would you want to be educated in single-sex classrooms? Why or why not?  

• I would not want to be educated in a single sex classroom because as I mentioned before I feel like it takes away from an educational experience. I feel like when you are taught in a coed classroom you can actually learn more from your peers, develop communication skills among different genders and different types of people. Also if I were taught in a single sex classroom I feel like I would become socially awkward around other people in  social settings. Single sex classrooms may seem like a great environment to educate in, but in reality I do not feel like it would be and I personally would not want to be educated in a single sex setting.  

 

 

• Would you want your children educated in single-sex classrooms? Why or why not? 

• I would not want my children to be taught in a single sex classroom because I want them to be exposed to lots of different types of people in order to appreciate other people more and get to know other types of people. I would not want them to be around the same sex and not learn with the opposite sex because as I stated above I feel like a coed classroom is an important part of school and I also feel like it helps to build character. I do not feel like I would want my children to be taught in a single sex classroom because I feel like it lacks essential things that students need to succeed in life. I cannot stress how important I feel like coed classrooms and schools are and because of how important they are to me I would not want my children to be educated in single sex classrooms. 

 

 

• Are single-sex classrooms a form of discrimination? Explain. 

• Honestly, I do not feel like single sex classrooms are a form of discrimination. By having a single sex classroom administrations feel like they cause less disruptions and are better for students. The reason I personally do not prefer them is because of how I feel personally about them. Aside from my personal feelings about single sex classrooms I do not feel they are a type of discrimination because of the reasons they are made. They are made because they are thought to cause less distractions, not because of an underlying discrimination against certain sexes.  

 

 

 

Research Question: 

 

Are same sex classrooms better for students than coed classrooms? 

 

 

 

References: 

 

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/02/coed.aspx 
https://asunews.asu.edu/20110504_coedschools 

 

 

 

Research Analysis: 

 

According to the research I conducted single sex classrooms do not guarantee success. While there is a small difference in the brains of females and males, there is not that great of a difference that makes single sex classes any more likely to have higher grades than a coed classroom. In the research there was an analogy made about coed classrooms that said in one classroom one student can be twirling in circles, another could be sitting on the floor, and another could be sprawled out but all three of them are learning to read. I do see that as an analogy to coed classrooms because while one student is a boy and one is a girl, they are both learning. After this analogy is stated the author goes on to report that there is a lack of evidence to support single sex classrooms having an advantage over coed classrooms and their learning abilities. Also, according to the research the statement was made that in the real world people have to work with others, and if they are expected to do that after school then they must be exposed to that during school.  

 

According to the research teaching in single sex classrooms is a new normal thing but there is no evidence to support it being better for their students academic wise. However, according to the research there is evidence to support that single sex classrooms can be detrimental to students because they spend so much time apart from other sexes that they begin to develop stereotypes. There is also a concern about resources being spread out enough for single sex classrooms and the costs for teachers to specialize in teaching a single sex classroom is also a concern. 

 

Research Summary: 

 

I was honestly happy when I read the results from my research. It made a lot of sense to me and backed up what I felt was to be true in regard to single sex classrooms. I did however expect to see more people in favor of same sex classrooms because as the research said it is a new trend for education, so when I saw that not many people were in favor of same sex classrooms I was surprised by that. I did agree with the research when it said that students need to be exposed to both the sexes because of when they get out of school and go into the world they need to deal with both sexes. I also agreed when the topic of sterotyopes were brought up because single sex classrooms do cause stereotypes. Overall I am very happy that the research followed up with my initial opinion.