Male Teachers 'Help Boys Behave'

Male Teachers 'Help Boys Behave'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6922349.stm

Male teachers can have a positive impact on the behaviour
of primary school boys, a survey suggests.

The Training and Development Agency for Schools wants to
encourage more men to apply to become primary teachers.

The YouGov survey of 603 children aged eight to 11 shows
51% of boys believe they are better behaved with a male
teacher - and 42% say they work harder.

At present, a large majority of teachers in England's
primary schools are women with only 16% being men.

The TDA, which recruits and trains teachers, wants to see
a more balanced workforce in primary schools - providing
both male and female authority figures.

'Self-confidence'

Currently one in 12 pupils will have gone through primary
school without ever having been taught by a man.

The survey suggests male teachers can provide a positive
role model for boys at primary school - and that a large
majority of boys would like to have both male and female
teachers in their schools.

There were indications that having male teachers could help
boys' overall experience of school - with 44% agreeing that
male teachers "help them to enjoy school more" and 37% of
boys saying it made them feel more self-confident.

More than a quarter of boys agreed that male teachers
"understand them better" and could be "relied upon for good
advice".

Conflicting opinions

There has been a rise in applications from men wanting to
enter teacher training for primary school - up to 19% of
applications - but the training agency would like to see a
further increase.

"The number of men applying for primary school training
courses is increasing, but not quickly enough," says chief
executive Graham Holley.

There have been conflicting opinions over whether or not
pupils gain from having a more balanced number of male and
female staff - and whether schools have become "too feminine"
for boys.

A substantial long-term study published in the United States
last year suggested that being taught by a teacher of the
same gender could raise pupils' academic achievement.

However, another study last year, carried out in primary
schools in the UK, suggested that it made no difference to
pupils whether they were taught by male or female teachers.


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