A project to motivate the boys to school

Emy-Jane Déry
Martin Tremblay and Luc Desrosiers are fathers of boys who attend school in the Woodland and they are part of the ” yard boys “.

Emy-Jane Déry

Friday, 19 January 2018 17:02

UPDATE
Friday, 19 January 2018 17:07

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Sept-Îles | students of 5th and 6th year will ensure the conception of a “vélobus” with the help of the businesses in their community, in the context of a project to motivate the boys to take an interest in school by teaching them otherwise.

The school of the Wooded area of Sept-Îles has 300 students from kindergarten to 6th grade. Among them, 10 % more boys than girls. The school has therefore looked at ways in which it could become more attractive to boys who have less tendency to be found in the methods of traditional teaching.

“Sit still, be careful… girls have more facility to do so. We generalize, of course, but this is not me saying it, there are very serious research on the subject, ” said Sylvie Roussy, director of the school of the Wooded area at Seven Islands.

From there was born ” the yard boys “. A group composed in particular of dads who are looking for ideas for their guys to be more motivated by the idea of learning. The school began with a change things in his court by creating, for example, a children’s playground more ” physical “. Under supervision, students can do sumo wrestling. Then, the idea transferred directly in the classroom, with the project of the ” vélobus “.

Students will participate from A to Z in the design of this kind of bike a dozen places that will transport children from home to school. They are going to make plans, a model, meet scientists, and visit the plants where it will be designed, meet the students of the vocational training, which will make the assembly.

Thus, more motivating, they will pass through many of the concepts of learning to the program of the ministry of Education : to discover the properties of the raw material, the transformation of energies, recognize the operation of objects manufactured…

More concrete

The goal is to make it in the concrete so that students understand how they can use the concepts taught at school once in real life.

“We often hear people say : “the French, it serves what is mathematics, it is used to what ?” This project will really come to a concrete link with the theory in their head, ” said Martin Tremblay, the father of a 10 year old girl and a boy of 6 years.

The project “vélobus” will cost 62 000 $. The major part will be financed by the programme Novo Science and the rest by community partners septilienne, whether in design or in material.

“It should not add pressure or extra work on the shoulders already well in charge of the teaching staff. It adds the resources of the community to do so. There will be no more work, we’re going to do otherwise, ” concluded the director, Sylvie Roussy.