I have taken a strong personal interest in girls' education since my two daughters started school. Today that interest includes promoting girl-friendly classroom strategies to teachers and helping parents to understand and empower their daughters. Shelley Canon is a pseudonym that I write under for girls resources.
For girls especially, the idea of a safe and supportive environment is critical, given the burdens and limitations placed on them by parents and social institutions that intensify as girls approach adolescence. Safe and supportive environments can provide girls with a place in which they are treated with dignity and through which they can:
• Develop new and valued skills;
• Form friendships, receive and give peer support, and enhance their social networks;
• Enjoy freedom of expression and movement;
• Receive mentoring support from trusted adults, who can serve as girls’ advocates; and
• Take advantage of new learning and educational opportunities.
• Develop new and valued skills;
• Form friendships, receive and give peer support, and enhance their social networks;
• Enjoy freedom of expression and movement;
• Receive mentoring support from trusted adults, who can serve as girls’ advocates; and
• Take advantage of new learning and educational opportunities.
Michael presents at girls' education conferences
Let's Celebrate Girls
A seven volume library 1. A-Z Girls Confidence 2. A-Z Girls Self-esteem 3. Girls Activity Book #1 4. Girls Activity Book #2 5. Life Coaching Teenage Girls 6. Risk Taking Problem Solving 7. Secret Life of Teenage Girls Girls and Learning Six volumes in this library 1. 99 Ideas for Girls Friendly Classrooms 2. Encouraging Girls in Maths and Science 3. How Girls Learn Maths and Science 4. Learning Styles 5. Mathlete's Club 6. Risk Taking and Problem Solving |
Michael promotes girls' empowerment and learningResources that I have produced for girls include these titlesGirls Day In
Empowering the girls in your school is often best done with activities that allow discussion, reflection and journaling. Associating strong emotional feelings with activities can help girls take new attitudes and thoughts on board. Reinforcing messages with strong visual graphics also enhances the way a girl will develop confidence in her abilities and dreams.
Taking Risks
Being a teenager is about testing boundaries. You are becoming an independent adult, and you don't simply want to explore your limits -- you want to bust out of them. It is part of the natural process of growing up. !You are beginning to think about your place in the world, the type of relationships you want to have and how you are going to live your life. So how far do you go? Pushing your limits is one thing, but involving yourself in activities that can endanger your life is a different story. How much of a risk taker do you think you are? Popular resources for HSC students, their parents and teachers from CLE
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Why do we need to empower girls?
Consider These Alarming Statistics • 74% of girls say they are under pressure to please everyone. • 31% of girls ages 13-17 admit to starving themselves or refusing to eat as a strategy to lose weight. • 40% of girls ages 11-17 say they do not play sports because they do not feel skilled or competent. • Roughly a third of high school girls report being sexually active. • 60% of teen girls say they compare their bodies to those of fashion models. • Three-quarters of middle high school principals say that bullying is a serious problem at their school. • Girls who have significant symptoms of depression as teens are 86% more likely than their peers to become victims of abuse from a boyfriend or husband as young women. Ten elements of a girls’ empowerment program
1. Girls want opportunities for leadership. They also want to share in planning and decision-making. As a teacher, you can empower girls by giving them a chance to choose activities and share increased responsibility. 2. Girls want their voices to be heard now, not just when they are older. They want adults to listen and take them seriously. Actively listen to girls' voices, opinions, and ideas. Remember to recognize accomplishments. 3. Provide girls with a safe place where they can discuss real issues. Girls desire a trusting, confidential environment to feel emotionally safe. 4. Girls want to choose from a full range of activities. Create opportunities for girls to explore new things, sample diversity, and give back to their communities. 5. Girls are experiencing teen pressures at younger and younger ages. However, they may have trouble dealing with these issues because their emotional development may not be in sync with their social, cognitive, and sexual development. Let school be a safe, fun environment where girls can just be girls. 6. Girls' self-images are determined not only by their self-perceptions but also the perceptions of others. It is imperative that adults be positive, honest, and supportive. Girls also need to strengthen cultural beliefs and practices that enhance self-esteem; this includes a competent approach to dealing with body image and nutrition. 7. Girls are interested in expressing themselves through a variety of ways—fashion, art, community action, the outdoors, and decorating, for example. Take time to find out what girls' interests are and help them tap into their creativity. 8. Girls want to connect with young women they admire, such as young professionals and college students. They also want to work with "experts" who can share their talents. Offer girls opportunities to connect with a myriad of adult role models. 9. Girls ages 8–12 are more worried about being teased and made fun of than they are about being attacked with a weapon or being kidnapped. That is how seriously they regard negative attention. Show, by example, how important it is to respect girls' experiences. 10. In the company of other females, girls can express themselves without fear of being judged by boys. Provide opportunities for girls to build on their strengths and try new things in a supportive all-girl environment. |