I have either taught in or been Principal of every gender mix that schools have to offer. The balanced view is that a child will do well and excel if they are happy and engaged in their education, no matter what the mix. You only have to read or listen to the words of most Principals espousing their views on this to know that one can mount an argument supporting the particular mix of their own school that sounds very convincing. They believe what they are saying…….but I happen to believe that there is a great opportunity and therefore significant advantage for girls to be educated in an all girls’ school.
There is any amount of research that supports this view. It has been backed up by significant research over many years. One can easily gain access to such material. It has also become more relevant over recent times as education authorities and schools focus their attention on the education of boys at an increasing level of awareness. In this sense, the whole concept of single gender schooling becomes a broader issue of debate, but that is another issue. I want to make a few observations that I believe reflect the benefits for girls of being educated in an all girl environment.
It is an accepted fact that girls learn differently to boys. In a situation where staff can tailor their teaching to the learning characteristics of girls and thus engage them meaningfully, not just in terms of pedagogy, but also through the full range of their educational experiences at school, the benefits begin to show at a very early stage. One can see this evidenced by simply spending time in a classroom with a group of girls as they apply themselves with great verve to co-operative group challenges that are put before them. In addition the data shows that academically, results in all girls’ environments are superior to those in co-educational environments.
It is quite evident that girls enjoy learning models that are better suited to their style, especially where they have a role in establishing the agenda for situations that offer collaborative opportunities into which they can direct their efforts.
It is my view that in girls’ schools, staff can genuinely teach their students to think big. They quickly learn that they are expected to lead and expected to study Mathematics, Science and IT. These pursuits are no longer (and haven’t been for some time) the domain of their male, student colleagues. There need be no fear of stereotyping, there are no limits to how high they can reach and importantly, the staff and their peers can support them in their risk taking.
When it comes to leadership among the student body, in an all girls’ environment, they come first, second and third, filling all the places available to them. Here is a wide ranging set of experiences open to all of them and, all who lead, will be girls. They can participate and influence to the extent where outcomes are directly related to the needs of girls. In this way they are not only making a contribution to their student society (and their school), they are influencing it with a view to positive change. What a great cornerstone for the roles they can seek in the wider world beyond school! What a brilliant grounding this offers them!
Similarly, an all girls’ environment will assist them think beyond themselves. As women are now the largest buying and professional market in the history of the world, such a situation encourages them to make the “big” decisions in keeping with their goals, without fear of having to lower their expectations. And, on the occasions where they don’t quite make the height, the nature of such an environment is supportive to the extent where there is no disgrace and lessons can be learned without fear of ridicule.
In an all girls’ environment the students can be specifically challenged to extend themselves. They can “get their hands dirty” and have a go at whatever they wish, in terms of the offering that is put before them. They are encouraged to think and work outside traditional boundaries. Success is an individual expectation and as such will assist in maintaining their self esteem. More broadly the environment will assist them in all areas of their development, thus increasing both their sense of self-belief and security.
The civic leaders of tomorrow are today’s girls (if they aren’t already). They will be so because of the special and heightened sense of camaraderie that exists in all girl learning environments. Where they are the focal point, they rise to levels that in other situations they may find unnecessarily restricting and less supportive. Such an engendered level of enthusiasm and desire to be successful, sets these young women on the pathway to becoming confident, astute and discerning members of the society they will lead.
