Mr. Stack’s 2023 IBSC Action Research

Our very own Tom Stack ’12, presented at the 2023 International Boys’ School Coalition (IBSC) in Auckland, New Zealand this July, and we couldn’t be prouder!

Tom’s innovative action research was conducted live in his classroom. Over the course of twelve classes, his twelve students explored examples of male roles in competitive environments from three different contexts: sports, business, and entertainment.

The boys completed written reflection questions after each case study before participating in a classwide discussion in which they could share, challenge, and debate their beliefs. This exploration helped foster and change the boys’ perceptions of how men ought to act in competition. And a clear majority of the boys were able to illustrate how the study positively impacted their beliefs and actions in competitive environments.

“Completing the IBSC’s Action Research program has been one of the most difficult but rewarding experiences of my career. As an early-career educator, this process has forced me to create and recreate my pedagogical approach, challenged me to consider deeply the why and how of lesson plan construction, as well as the experience of the boys in my class.

“I found this year’s theme, Cultivating Healthy Masculinity, to be especially rich in possibilities and engaging on both a personal and professional level. As educators of boys, our ultimate goal, I would argue, is that they become good men. What a ‘good man’ looks like, however, and how they get there, is where the nuance begins. This theme offered the boys a chance to consider, explore, define, and debate what masculinity looks like to them. Moreover, it provided me the chance to reflect on my own understanding of masculinity and the type of man I’d like to be. Together, we tried our best to develop our own versions of masculinity and become the man we aspire to be.”

Click here to watch Tom’s Presentation Trailer.