[Edu] Curriculum and Cooperative games

[miyu]

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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