Teaching boys: towards a theory of gender-relevant pedagogy

Abstract

This article calls attention to the social and educational challenges facing boys and men around the world. Next, it highlights how the outcomes for males of African descent across the Americas, in particular the USA, are especially troubling. Moreover, a critique is presented about the recruitment campaigns that see increasing the number of Black male teachers as an elixir for improving the crisis facing Black boys. Then, the article focuses on the intersection of race and gender and reframes the discussion around improving the deleterious school outcomes facing Black boys by shifting the conversation to exploring how educators' socialised views around gender influence the ways in which they teach boys. Finally, the article provides practical applications for designing a curriculum that is gender relevant.

Keywords:

• boys
• race and ethnicities
• teachers/educators
• teacher training

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Tolani Britton, Pam Grossman, Magdalene Lampert, Ann Lieberman, Ann Jaquith, Soung Bae, Frank Adamson, and Louisa Potter for their feedback and technical assistance on this article.

Notes

1 A pseudonym