(Margaret Tatcher)
When i registered my subjects this semester, I was pretty excited about one particular module-Effective Communication(surprisingly a core module which all engineers have to take). My friends who took the subject last semester told me that the module is very interesting and some of them said that some of the tutors will have interesting stories to share on the subject. Among the eight subjects i registered this semester, I would say that i learnt a substantial amount from this subject besides the two Arts modules(let's not even start about Engin modules). Every tutorial without fail, my tutor will give a intersting take on certain issues and in yesterday's tutorial, she commented on a controversial issue.
When one of the group was giving a presentation on group dynamics yesterday, they showed a picture of Margaret Tatcher. After their presentation, my tutor made a remark that Margaret Tatcher might not have become Prime Minister if she had not studied in a Single-sex school. She went on to say that studies have consistently shown that girls tend to perform better in single-sex schools than in mixed schools. I was intrigued by the controversial statement which she had made and coming from a neighbourhood school, i always felt that girls can shine in both mixed and single-sex schools. I wanted to know the reasons why she felt that girls tend to shine in single sex schools.
Being the inquisitive sort and wanting to get an answer immediately(I could probably owe this trait to my Gemini characteristic), I went up to her after the tutorial and asked her why did she feel that girls tend to perform better in single sex school.She offered me a number of reasons. She told me that girls do not receive the same attention as guys in mixed school do as the teachers tend to focus on the boys. Boys are generally distruptive and the teacher has to spend her time on these students and the teacher tend to focus less on the girls who are studious and whom she feels that they can cope with their studies. Moreover, she added that girls are generally shy(excluding the rare ones) and tend not to speak up in the presence of boys as they tend to worry how they present themselves. I told her that girls tend to perform better in single sex school due to the variety of programmes in place which brings out the best out of them. She said that that could also be one of the reasons and there are many theories to why girls tend to perform better in single-sex schools.She also told me to read up more on this issue if i want to know about this issue but i guess i'm too lazy to bother to read up.
After the little chat i had with my tutor, I felt that what she had said might have some bearing but there are also girls whom i have met are also successful. It would be impossible for all schools to go single-sex as it is impratical. If i have a baby girl and i want her to excel, i might probably enrol her in a single sex school not because what my tutor said(partially perhaps) but the programmes in these schools provide loads of exposure and i feel that she can excel through these diverse programmes. I won't rule out the option of mixed school for those pro- neighbourhood advocates out there who feel that i'm elitist.Hey, i came from a neighbourhood school(which many people have not heard of) where i have learnt a lot and i'm proud of it.
When one of the group was giving a presentation on group dynamics yesterday, they showed a picture of Margaret Tatcher. After their presentation, my tutor made a remark that Margaret Tatcher might not have become Prime Minister if she had not studied in a Single-sex school. She went on to say that studies have consistently shown that girls tend to perform better in single-sex schools than in mixed schools. I was intrigued by the controversial statement which she had made and coming from a neighbourhood school, i always felt that girls can shine in both mixed and single-sex schools. I wanted to know the reasons why she felt that girls tend to shine in single sex schools.
Being the inquisitive sort and wanting to get an answer immediately(I could probably owe this trait to my Gemini characteristic), I went up to her after the tutorial and asked her why did she feel that girls tend to perform better in single sex school.She offered me a number of reasons. She told me that girls do not receive the same attention as guys in mixed school do as the teachers tend to focus on the boys. Boys are generally distruptive and the teacher has to spend her time on these students and the teacher tend to focus less on the girls who are studious and whom she feels that they can cope with their studies. Moreover, she added that girls are generally shy(excluding the rare ones) and tend not to speak up in the presence of boys as they tend to worry how they present themselves. I told her that girls tend to perform better in single sex school due to the variety of programmes in place which brings out the best out of them. She said that that could also be one of the reasons and there are many theories to why girls tend to perform better in single-sex schools.She also told me to read up more on this issue if i want to know about this issue but i guess i'm too lazy to bother to read up.
After the little chat i had with my tutor, I felt that what she had said might have some bearing but there are also girls whom i have met are also successful. It would be impossible for all schools to go single-sex as it is impratical. If i have a baby girl and i want her to excel, i might probably enrol her in a single sex school not because what my tutor said(partially perhaps) but the programmes in these schools provide loads of exposure and i feel that she can excel through these diverse programmes. I won't rule out the option of mixed school for those pro- neighbourhood advocates out there who feel that i'm elitist.Hey, i came from a neighbourhood school(which many people have not heard of) where i have learnt a lot and i'm proud of it.
1 comment:
Not all elite schools are single sex schools, Dunman High is a good example..haha! But I must admit the "top" schools are single sex schools ya but that's because they enroll all the academically smart kids. Of course they always end up having straight A students.
So, it could be that students who do well go to single-sex schools and not that single-sex schools made them so?
But that's just in Singapore where people rank schools. I assume single-sex schools do provide less of a distraction for bgr issues.
I still prefer co-ed schools though. At least you won't feel like monks or priestesses or become hormonally enraged by the end of the your single-sex schooling.
and ya.. i've heard of ping yi ok. Adam Khoo came from there lor..heh
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