BOOKS:
A much-needed new roadmap for helping boys grow into strong, emotionally intelligent, and compassionate men in an increasingly complex world.
In this groundbreaking book, a leading psychologist and researcher of the journey from boyhood to manhood reveals how narrow conceptions of what it means to be a "real boy" or "real man" are hurting boys and the vital role parents and educators can play in creating a "safety net" for boys.
Over the past two decades there has been an explosion of new studies that have expanded our knowledge of how boys think and feel and in this book Michael Reichert draws on his decades of research to challenge age-old coventions about how boys become men. Parents are increasingly anxious that their boys - in an effort to be stoic and "man like" -are shutting down. In this book Reichert explains how old paradigms about manhood may be impacting our boys and the vital role that parents, educators, and mentors can play in helping boys develop socially and emotionally.
The New Boyhood provides those who care for young boys and teenagers the latest insights from psychology and neuroscience to give us the tools we need to help build more self-aware, caring and compassionate men.
I Can Learn From You: Boys as Relational Learners
In I Can Learn from You, Michael C. Reichert, PhD and Richard Hawley set out to probe deeply into the relational dynamics that help boys succeed as learners.
Drawing on interviews with students and teachers in thirty-five schools across six countries, they examine the particular ways boys extend and receive empathy—modes of interaction that remain consistent across a wide range of schools, teachers, countries, and cultures.
The book shows how teachers can help boys form productive learning relationships and how schools can support the development of teachers’ relational capacities. At the heart of the book is the belief that educators must—and can—put relational teaching at the center of school life.
PRAISE FOR I CAN LEARN FROM YOU: BOYS AS RELATIONAL LEARNERS
"This well-written book gives scholars and practitioners alike reason to reimagine 'boys' and a set of characteristics that add specificity and actionability to the sometimes-nebulous concept of 'relationships.'" — Marcus B. Weaver-Hightower, Sex Roles
"I Can Learn From You: Boys as Relational Learners by Michael Reichert and Richard Hawley delivers an engaging, evidenced-based guide that dispels common stereotypes about boys (e.g., that they’re difficult to teach and engage), emphasizes the primacy of relationships in classroom learning, and outlines key components of teacher-student relationships that can facilitate boys’ educational success."
— Judy Y. Chu, Teachers College Record
“You cannot fool boys in school; they know whether or not you are interested in a real relationship with them. Teachers who are willing to reach out to boys, who can tolerate a little opposition, will produce excited, grateful learners. I wish every teacher in America were required to read I Can Learn from You before he or she stepped into a classroom. Our boys would be better off if they did.”
— Michael Thompson, coauthor of Raising Cain
“To read some pop pundits, boys’ academic underachievement is best remedied by changing classroom seating, recess, and temperature control. In this level-headed and sensible study, Michael Reichert and Richard Hawley show us the answer is far simpler and far more profound: boys’ relationships—with each other, with their teachers, with their sense of themselves—are what must be nurtured to enable boys to connect.”
— Michael Kimmel, distinguished professor of sociology and gender studies, Stony Brook University, and executive director, Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities
“Our young men come to schools wearing an emotionally protective armor. I Can Learn From You shows educators how to deepen their connection with boys in a way that allows them to reveal the beauty beneath their armor and unlock their limitless potential.”
— David Banks, president, Eagle Academy Foundation
“I Can Learn From You is an essential read for everyone who cares about boys and who wants to improve their lives.”
— Niobe Way, professor of applied psychology, New York University, and author of Deep Secrets.
Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys: Strategies That Work–and Why
Based on an extensive worldwide study, this book reveals what gets boys excited about learning. It challenges the widely-held cultural impression that boys are stubbornly resistant to schooling while providing concrete examples of pedagogy and instructional style that have been proven effective in a variety of school settings. This book offers more than 100 detailed examples of lessons that succeed with male students, grouped thematically. Such themes include: Gaming, Motor Activities, Open Inquiry, Competition, Interactive Technology, and Performance/Role Play. Woven throughout the book is moving testimony from boys that both validates the success of the lessons and adds a human dimension to their impact.
PRAISE FOR REACHING BOYS, TEACHING BOYS
". . .the best, most practical book about teaching boys that I have ever read.”
—Michael Thompson, co-author, Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys and Best Friends, Worst Enemies
"It is becoming clear to all of us—teachers, administrators, parents, and policy makers—that our schools must evolve in order to do a better job educating our young men. It won't happen overnight but it must happen. How to start? Open this book and turn to Chapter One. You'll be taking the first step on what I promise you will be a fascinating journey."
—from the foreword by Peg Tyre, bestselling author of The Trouble With Boys
"Like true explorers, Reichert and Hawley have ventured into the unknown and returned with a remarkable gift: a map for guiding boys toward their full potential. If you are a teacher—or if you want to understand the unique combination of factors that ignites boys to learn—you need to buy this urgent, timely, and terrific book."
—Daniel Coyle, bestselling author of The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How
"At long last we find out 'what works' for connecting boys to their studies. In this remarkable book, Michael Reichert and Richard Hawley present a practical and inspiring guide for teachers at all levels."
—Patrick F. Bassett, president, National Association of Independent Schools
Bearing Witness: Violence and Collective Responsibility
This book offers a unique layperson’s introduction to the scope and causes of violence and trauma theory and suggests ways we can all work to attack these causes. Upon completing this work, you will have a better understanding of the social causes of the violence epidemic and concrete suggestions for its long-term control.
Bearing Witness addresses the cycle of violence by discussing some of the biological, psychological, social, and moral issues that go into determining whether a person will end up as a victim, perpetrator, or bystander to violent events and what happens to us when we are in one or all three of these roles. The authors look at a number of intersecting factors that play interdependent roles in creating a culture that promotes, supports, and even encourages violence.
A framework for understanding the various aspects of the problem of violence, Bearing Witness delves into the various aspects of trauma--what trauma does to the body, the mind, the emotions, and relationships--before beginning to formulate proposals for initiating processes that lead to problem solving. Once this knowledge base has been established, the authors give you the beginnings of an outline for reorganizing society with the aim of establishing a community that is responsive to the basic human need for safety and peace.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS:
"A Grounded Perspective on Boyhood" in Boyhood Studies
"Unlocking Boys' Potential" in Educational Leadership