Our Process

Learning is more enjoyable and rewarding when it is an active process. Boys often dislike the sort of comprehension work and texts they are given and in many cases they have every reason to be reluctant. Such exercises can be meaningless extracts from novels they’ll never read, documentary texts on nature, descriptions of historic events: all worthy material for reading – but not often what they want to read. Comprehension exercises based on this sort of ‘forced’ reading have little value and are ineffective.

Literacy For Boys operates on an engagement model which we call ‘LFB’.

Learner specific – Fun & engaging content – Base skill focussed.

Our belief is that unless boys are engaged with the material they will not learn. Our ‘LFB‘ model relies on and revolves around the successful integration of 3 core elements. 1). Great content which is targeted, relevant to the audience, and will generate interest. 2). A delivery mode that draws the user in and holds their interest. 3). An education platform that can provide the learning outcomes by focussing on base skills: comprehension, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

We have endeavoured to provide a wide range of learning activities. The exercises themselves have been designed to capture the boys’ interest as they examine text, spelling and grammar and acquire skills in manipulating them. Our program responds to boys’ needs holistically. There is not one tool that will help boys learn, there are many. LFB’s structured program considers how boys learn, what they like, how they want to engage with their work. It involves parents in their learning and is done in a short, sharp and fun way.

1. Grab their interest

Great topics
About things boys are into
Make it interesting
Relevant and, better still, ‘Cool’

Our goal at LFB is to grab the boys’ interest with regards to their literacy learning. We do this by creating activities on topics they enjoy.

Our founder loves telling the story about the time she was trying to complete a comprehension activity with a room full of Year 6 boys. The worksheet allocated was on the topic of ‘Past Monarchs of England’. You don’t need to be a professional educator or expert in boys’ behaviour to instantly recognise that this topic was not relevant to boys at all!

This website sets out to make comprehension (and reading) a practical and enjoyable experience for boys.

2. Engage the boys

Multimedia
Video
Online
Any device, anywhere, anytime

It is one thing for a boy to be interested in a topic, it is entirely another to want to do ‘homework’ on it.

If our interesting topics are the bait, then the activities and how they are delivered are the hook.

We use multimedia; images, video and music to draw them into the program. For example, one of our most popular topics is Dirt Bikes. A typical LFB comprehension activity on Dirt Bikes will begin with the boys watching a short video clip on motorbike riders performing death-defying feats. This will grab their interest by setting the context and therefore, they are eager to read the passage and learn.

Boys are comfortable using ‘screens’- computers, tablets and phones. So why fight it? We want to work with technology and harness its power to our advantage. Recent research by The UK’s National Literacy Trust confirmed that touch-screen technology could be a vital new weapon in combating low literacy levels in key target groups: boys and disadvantaged children. The research found that twice as many boys as girls looked at or read stories on a touch screen for longer than they looked at or read printed stories (24.0% vs 12.0%). More boys than girls used a touch screen for educational activities rather than for entertainment (36.0% vs. 28.2%).

We have designed our program to be delivered on devices that boys like using. With the program being completely online, this enables boys to take the program to wherever they wish and use it whenever they want.

3. Keep it short and sharp

Immediate feedback
Competitive nature
Trophy cabinet
Gaming

Anyone with boys knows that their attention spans can be very short. In response to this, and in keeping with our philosophy of working to boys’ strengths, LFB activities have been designed to be engaging.

Of course, one of the advantages of LFB is that we allow boys to work at their own pace so the amount of time spent will vary with an individual boy. We do, however, recommend that boys spend approximately 30 minutes each week completing one or two activities.

While, this seems like a short amount time to spend on the program, our research and field testing show that this is enough time to gain real improvements. Remember this program is designed to build on their school work, not replace it.

LFB is designed to allow the boys the freedom to choose the activities and topics that appeal to them. It also provides clear instructions and a sequenced learning path that enable boys to follow themselves.

4. Give feedback

Immediate feedback
Competitive nature
Trophy cabinet
Gaming

Boys crave feedback; they want to know how well they did in an activity as well as track their own their progress. It is linked to their competitive nature.

LFB provides the boys with instant feedback about how they went with each activity. Taking a cue from the gaming industry and in keeping with the philosophy of working with boys and their interests, the concept of the trophy cabinet has been developed.

What we know is that boys really love computer games. Many such games require the achievement of certain goals in order to earn rewards, like points or access to the next level. In LFB, boys will earn medals and trophies for successfully completing their activities. There will also be a leader board where boys can compare their achievements with their friends. This is a concept that is being used more in more in education and is known as gamification.

5. Parents are in the loop

Regular feedback to parents – straight to your inbox
Parental involvement improves performance
Tips and tricks via our newsletter

LFB will provide regular feedback to parents via an email update. Very straightforward – no need to log on, no fancy or confusing ‘dashboards’. Just a quick update to see how your son is progressing.

Our newsletter is also an additional resource available to parents to assist with their boy’s work. We know that when parents are involved in their son’s learning, performance is dramatically improved. Of particular note, is the involvement of fathers or other positive male role models in a boys’ education Outside of using LFB, the best thing we can do for our boys and their interest in reading and literacy is to read with them, or at the very least talk to them about what they are reading. LFB is a terrific way to spark this conversation.

6. See the improvement

Track the progress
Curriculum aligned
Age specific
Proven results
Experienced teachers

The activities in LFB have been designed to be fun, interactive, sympathetic to what boys like, but most of all they have been designed to assist in the improvement of a boys’ literacy. All activities have been developed by experienced teachers and are aligned to the Australian curriculum. Each program has been tailored and is age-specific as well as having been road tested and proven to work.

Ultimately, getting boys interested in reading and improving their literacy is a pursuit worthy of plenty of effort. By intervening early in a boys’ literacy education, we can foster in boys a lifelong connection with reading and learning. This will greatly assist our sons in every facet of their life.

“A boy who reads is a man who leads” Anonymous