Girls and Boys Learn Differently
By Dawn Chan. Excerpt from Toronto Star Editorial
Would you put two groups of students, who speak completely different languages, in the same classroom with one teacher?
Probably not. You would most likely argue that to thrive, they need to be taught in their own languages. Yet, in a co-ed classroom, the divergent development of boys and girls means that this is essentially what happens every day.
The Toronto District School Board is debating whether to go ahead with proposed all-girls and all-boys schools as part of its “Programs of Choice” package. Amid calls for more research, it is unlikely these schools will open this year as previously scheduled. However, ample evidence already exists that by insisting on educating boys and girls in the same way, we are doing both a disservice. This was the motivation behind founding The Linden School, an independent all-girls school in Toronto, in 1993, and it is why single-sex education should be available to as many students as possible.