Engaging the Power of Many Voices: Leveraging girls’ collaborative spirit toward courageous and joyful learning

GARC 2023-2024 Research Topic

Girls are known for their social tendencies and collaborative strengths. In fact, analysis from the 2015 PISA testing found that “girls are much better than boys at working together to solve problems”, according to the results of the first OECD PISA assessment of collaborative problem solving. However, in a subsequent OECD exploration of collaborative problem-solving, girls demonstrated lower ‘positive learning feelings’ while engaged in these collaborative projects. If girls feel happier working with others and, according to this OECD (2017) report, are “much better than boys at working together to solve problems” then why the low levels of positive learning feelings?

The challenge for educators is to leverage both the social tendencies of girls and young women and the mutually supportive culture of girls’ schools to capitalize on this joy of being together and joy of supporting one another onto their learning. The goal might then be to foster a learning environment where students strive to hold each other up in their learning — as women surely must in society to combat prejudice-fuelled disadvantage in a gender-biased world

Girls can lead the way in collaboration and cooperation when they combine their supportive tendencies with the capacity to not only brave the displeasure of a peer to give constructive feedback and criticism, but also to and accept constructive feedback when offered. The latter capacity requires students to flex those ‘muscles’ of self-concept preservation, by separating their self-worth from their work to view it objectively as a product. Failure to achieve this self-concept ‘fitness’ can result in — according to leading educator and author on all things girls’ mental health, Rachel Simmons (2018) — “diminished curiosity, exploration and healthy risk-taking” (p. 5).

How can we as educators create environments and opportunities for girls to tap into their natural collaborative talents, while also developing the resilience to takes the risks required to succeed? How do we support girls to develop comfort with risk-taking and embrace the courage to creatively engage with the group to achieve a common goal where all voices are included in the solution? In what ways can the process of collaborative problem-solving help students better understand themselves as active learners and harness the shared joy of learning?

We welcome applicants from all disciplines and age groups eager to explore how best to develop effective collaboration understanding and strategies amongst their students.

To explore the complete overview on this topic, read this paper by Suzanne Barry, former Research Manager at the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia.

Questions? Email garc@girlsschools.org.

 

References

Barry, S. (2022). Purposeful collaboration for collective strength and healthy risk-taking.

Simmons, R. (2018). Enough as she is: How to help girls move beyond impossible standards of success to live healthy, happy and fulfilling lives. Harper Collins.

OECD (2017), PISA 2015 Results (Volume V): Collaborative Problem Solving, PISA, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264285521-en.

Additional Information