Vocabulary:
- Gardner's Multiple Intelligences: Howard Gardner of Harvard has identified seven distinct intelligences. This theory has emerged from recent cognitive research and "documents the extent to which students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways," according to Gardner (1991). Howard Gardner, researcher; the kinds of intelligences with which children learn. There are five intelligences listed in the book which differ the most between males and females: Time and Sequence (Linguistic intelligence, Musical intelligence & Logical-Mathematical intelligence) and Space and Place (Spatial intelligence & Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence).
- Pecking order: Where kids fit in the groups social strata. Pecking order is established by physical size, verbal skills, personality, personal abilities, and many other social and personal factors. Pecking order was originally used to describe animals, a hierarchical system of social organization. According to Gurian's research, pecking orders are flagrantly important to boys, who are often fragile learners when they are low in the pecking order. However, girls' school performance, it appears, is not as dependent on pecking-order status.
- Learning Teams: Otherwise known as group work, research has shown that both girls and boys benefit from it, with boys tending to create structured teams and girls forming looser organizations. Boys spend less time than girls managing team process, picking leaders quickly and focusing right away on goal orientation.
- ADHD & ADD: ADD (attention-deficit disorder) and ADHD (attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder) constitute only 20 percent of girls, making female students less likely to experience a learning, psychiatric, or behavioral disorder. For instance, boys make up two-thirds of the learning disabled and 90 percent of the behaviorally disabled.
- Gender advantage/disadvantage: On page 57, Gurian explains the reasoning behind never using the term "gender bias" in educational reform. "We do this because we believe that most of what children suffer in schools such as ours - schools that are in fact very attentive to gender bias, especially against females - is not biast (which implies a directed favoring of one group) - but instead a basic lack of understanding of innate gender differences. Gurian goes on to describe the differences in between when it comes to our culture and societal activities.
"With the proper training, and the proper recognition of the research that has taken place, there is no excuse for any of our students (male or female) not to be succeeding in our classroom."
I found the gender advantages and disadvantages very interesting for boys and girls. I also thought it was strange that more boys are diagnosed with ADD and ADHD than girls. Yet Gurian did state that many of these students are misdiagnosed because the teacher just does not know how to teach according to the gender differences.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your quote for the essence of the chapter as well. I feel that this book is a very powerful tool for all present and future teachers to read. I have already learned so much about gender differences in the classroom and feel that I can apply this in my teaching now.
Natalie Gianvecchio
I also have to agree that gender differences between boys and girls to be very interesing. I was very suprised to learn after reading this chapter that boys are now lagging behind girls in a epidemic porportions and in our schools sexism is as rappant against boys as sexism against girls. I found these statements alarming as well as astounding and as educators we cannot let that happen in our classrooms.
ReplyDeleteMegan, I cannot agree with you more about the essence of what this chapter is all about. We have to provide classroom environments and create learning styles that will help both girls and boys to become successful and happy students instead of medicating them to learn the way we are used to teaching.
I forgot to sign my name...Mary Kay Ward.
ReplyDeleteAs they said, there is this overdiagnosis of ADD, ADHD, etc. and we need to realize there are other ways of attacking situations rather than put a kid on Ritalin or any kind of drug just to "calm them down". I agree that sometimes, it is necessary. And there has been research that has shown that many kids do well on the medications; but, we can't have medication be our only resort.
ReplyDeleteMeghan Koch