“The problem may be that they are simply bored with the conventional curriculum, says the study, titled Morphing Literacy: Boys Reshaping Their Literacy. The study found it is a myth that boys do not read. While they are less interested in fiction or traditional literature than girls are, they read more on the Internet and memorize vast amounts of detailed material from games or stories they read in the newspaper, the research showed.” Julie Smyth summarizes an academic report, but doesn’t say where it was published.

—Study says boys do read, they just don’t read booksNational Post)

Another telling quote, which reminds me of Sugata Mitra’s minimally invasive teaching philosophy: ” The researchers found boys are becoming literate “in spite of school instruction,” and may end up better prepared for a career because their skills are more useful than being able to write a narrative or analyze a work of fiction….They found boys spend large amounts of time on chat sites and Web sites to get tips on how to “cheat” or compete at video games, read books about animals, sports and fantasy, and will pick up magazines and newspapers to read hockey scores, entertainment stories or news about things relevant to their lives, such as the death of Napster.