http://www.elmwood.on.ca

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A recent story in Maclean’s magazine
focuses on gender differences in
learning and suggests youngsters
are more apt to flourish in singlegender
academic settings.
The article also asserts there
are differences in male and female
brain development and that singlegender
programs can address those
distinctions in learning style.
We posed these questions and
thoughts to Suzana Szymanski,
Acting Head of Elmwood School in
Ottawa, which is an independent
day school for girls, established in
1915.
Q: Ms. Szymanski, in your opinion
what are the advantages of singlegender
education?
For girls there are many. There
is the demonstrated benefit in
terms of higher academic achievement
– girls just perform better
when their learning styles are
catered to. Single-gender learning
environments also provide opportunities
for appropriate, educational
risk taking.They typically foster a
culture and climate that counters
mass media influences, giving girls
room to grow and decide for themselves
who they really are.
Learning and academics take
centre stage in all-girl culture. Girls’
schools teach math, science and
technology in the way girls learn,
resulting in close to 100% partici-
pation through to graduation.
Teaching strategies maximize girls’
verbal and writing skills. The curriculum
at Elmwood emphasizes
real-life 21st century skills such as
technology integration, financial
literacy, multicultural understanding,
leadership and community
service.
Q: Are there personal as well as
academic benefits?
Absolutely! And they go hand
in hand. Girls gain in their sense of
competence, resulting in increased
confidence and overall success.
Girls’ schools provide a higher comfort
level which allows them to
develop broader interests with
freedom and without ridicule
should those interests fall outside
social norms. Girls’ schools seem to
produce girls who want to make a
difference in the world—both
locally and globally and we all benefit
from that.
Q: What about the development
of social skills and self-esteem
that you briefly touched upon?
In an all-girls’ learning environment,
self-esteem builds
authentically on intellectual successes,
athletics, artistic expression,
or moral character in social
relationships, instead of how you
look in the eyes of others (particularly
males). Girls’ schools provide
so much leadership, peer mentor-
ing, and community service opportunities.
Girls develop a broad
range of experience in a variety of
social settings, boosting their
sense of competence and therefore
their self-esteem.
Q: Why do families choose
Elmwood School over a co-ed
setting?
Our families tell us they choose
Elmwood because of our superior
academic programs and our forward
looking curriculum that is
internationally recognized. They
also choose us because we provide
a safe and secure environment, and
because we focus on Math, Science,
and Technology learning. Parents
are also impressed with the calibre
of our graduates —last year, 100%
of our graduates were accepted
into their university of choice and
this year it looks the same.
Q: What makes Elmwood
different?
Programs, culture and a climate
that develops the full potential of
individual young women makes
Elmwood different. And all in a safe
and secure environment that
allows them to pursue their passions
with discipline. We are an
independent day school since
1915, and we are leaders in preparing
young women for the world by
making them the strongest possible
in every sense of the word.