I tend to have mostly male students, just because there seem to be more
male students who are placed into self-contained classes for students
with disabilities. Part of this relates to what you're discussing,
Ryan, in that the girls are more social, more willing to cooperate with
each other, which leads to fewer behavioral issues and more willingness
to have them part of an inclusive environment.
My female students have definite game preferences: regular board games
like Monopoly, Life, Payday, Scrabble; card games like Uno, Rack-O, and
Go Fish. My male students like Uno and Monopoly well enough, but are
also eager to play Fluxx, and Mille Bournes or Set. The boys also like
Dominoes, Pente, Othello and Go (when I teach the latter... we usually
stick with Othello, although I do have a travel size Pente game that
tends to disappear at times). My boys also enjoy computer-based games,
which my girls are often bored with from the start, particularly when I
do my Rollercoaster Tycoon unit during physical science. The boys will
play for hours, and I'm often able to use the game to encourage good
behavior and work compliance because they can earn extra play time.
NONE of my students (and I think this is due to the nature of the
disability) like Nanofictionary (much to my sorrow; I'd planned on using
it as a jumping-off point for writing and to use it as the basis for the
student journals this year). They tolerate Scattergories and Taboo for
Kids with modifications; for Scattergories, we don't use the timer, some
students are given lists of words with pictures in categories, and I
allow points for everybody, instead of requiring unique answers. For
Taboo for Kids (and the similar game, Blurt), we again do not use the
timer, and we play 'kids against staff'. I read the definitions, and if
they get it, they get the point. If they don't get it, and give up, my
teaching assistant and I get the points. If the kids win, they get
stickers or homework passes or a small amount of free time. If my TA
and I win, we get to choose where we go on Friday for community
instruction (that is our free choice day, and they usually decide in a
group where we are going... but I'm getting awfully sick of Target!).
The latter two games do require the students to work together in a
group, because if they don't discuss their answer beforehand, and blurt
out wrong answers, the staff gets the points... and they lose. I plan
to introduce Apples to Apples Junior with them in the near future.
And of course, everybody here knows about Survival Fluxx and Life Skills
Pursuit.
Magi
miyu wrote:
Don,
Now you have touched on something that has been a real puzzle for
me. In my after school game club I only have a couple girls who
regularly come. I have had several come for a meeting or two and
never return. Partially I think it is due to the nature of how a
single girl showing up at a predominantly male club was treated and I
had a good long talk with all my kids about this behavior and have
seen some improvements.
More than that though is the fact that many of the games played
just don't seem to interest the girls that much. I struggle with this
to try to understand the needs a young lady might have that could be
fulfilled through a gaming session (either through the game itself or
through the social interaction within the game). Interestingly
enough the girls have enjoyed two LL games more than anything else we
have played. Treehouse and Fluxx have both strongly appealed to the
girls who come regularly. Bang! and Hex Hex haven't so much.
Of course now I'm trying to understand the other sex - and if my
track record with my daughter and wife are any indicator I think i
have a long row to hoe. :lol: Seriously though I did notice when
teaching Go that boys wanted to play one on one whereas the girls
wanted to play a team of 2 girls versus a team of 2 girls. This lead
to more chatting and social interaction and a much stronger sense of
cooperation (you had a teammate) where the boys wanted to win or lose
on their own.
I will probably have to try out Once Upon a Time or Nanofictionary
(If I can ever figure out the rules to Nanofictionary on my own) and
see if storytelling games are more up their alley.
Oh also, the reason I'm so quick to respond to everything recently
is I'm on my Spring Break this week and right near a computer most of
the day. :lol: So don't always expect this verbosity and quick
response from me.
-Ryan
I read, years ago now, a paper on how boys are socialized to
understand and accept "friendly competition" much more easily than
girls. You can be on the other team in kick ball, but we're still
best friends. Girls, apparently, according to some study I can no
longer recall, are socialized to an all-or-nothing point of view of
friendship and competition. To reuse the same analogy, if you're on
the other team in kick ball, you are my enemy in all things. The
truth is probably less extreme, but I've notice elements of this in
real life, even among adults. Boys/men will fight and get over it
while girls/women will fight and stay mad much, much longer.
- |) () /\/
--
Ora, lege, lege, lege, relege, labora et invenies.
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