It may seem unusual to write about engaging boys in physical education when the focus is often on keeping girls involved. However, it has long been established that girls and boys learn differently (M. Gurian, 2002), and this applies to PE lessons as well.
It can be extremely useful to have a few simple techniques up your sleeve to ensure boys are getting on and staying on task during their PE lessons. This engagement will lead to better progress and ultimately create a lifelong love of physical activity and sport!
Talk Less
This is standard for all teaching whether it be boys or girls, and we should be aiming for 10% teacher speak. It is recognised that boys' listening skills are not as developed as girls at the same age, being approximately two years behind.
Get boys active
Focus boys on the ‘doing’ part of the lesson. Boys tend to veer towards action, so include quick, simple steps in your delivery to allow them to carry out a task as soon as possible.
Challenge boys
Ensure there are plenty of extension ideas for each activity/task/skill so that you can challenge your learners. ‘Can you do this?’, ‘Now try that’ will keep them focused and engaged.
Include competition
Many boys thrive on competition, even if it is just against themselves. Ensure all lessons allow for some kind of competitive element e.g. can you do more? Can you go faster? Can you work together to do better? Can you achieve the same in a shorter amount of time? Etc.
Of course, we know that it is not as simple as saying boys learn one way and girls another, but it is important to be mindful of some of the differences between the genders. Of course, girls also love competition, and everyone should be challenged in your lessons!!
Attempting to include some of the techniques described can help mitigate some of the low-level behaviour issues boys can display, allowing everyone in the class to do better.
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