When Linderman math teacher Steve Plympton looked at his class rosters last fall, he was surprised and a little excited. Though randomly computer generated, the list in Plympton's hand had unexpectedly assigned him an advanced math class composed nearly entirely of girls. Plympton now has the rare opportunity of leading a single- gender classroom.
"This wasn't one of those things that I planned. It just happened," said Plympton. "One of my classes had 14 girls and only three boys." The boys were then given the option of transferring to a different period of Plympton's advanced math and the class found itself composed entirely of females.
"I like the class," said seventh grader Daniel Gunlicson. "Having an all girls class makes you feel like you're with your own kind."
"You lose all of your self-consciousness," agreed seventh grader Julia McKinnon.
Plympton notes some change in the girls' behavior as well.
"I assumed it would be a quieter class but it's not. And I don't think that's a negative because girls seem to learn better if they can bounce their ideas off other people," said Plympton. "It seems to me that the girls (in the single-gender class) are more open to asking questions because they're more comfortable."
"Boys are more aggressive about answering questions and girls just don't get a chance to as much," agreed McKinnon.
While the girls say their behavior has changed in math class, Plympton observes that his teaching style has changed also, including differences such as more class discussions in the single-gender period.
Plympton said that it is still too early to indicate any academic differences between this math class and others, but he calls the single-gender approach an interesting option.
"My goal is to see every kid reach their potential in math," said Plympton. "Whatever options we may employ to help them reach their goals is just part of why we're here as teachers."
Said McKinnon:
"Math used to be one of the subjects I like the least, but now that I'm in an all-girls class, it's one of my favorites."