Boys and Girls Learn Differently

Blog #8 Final Reflection (Week 3/31/11) Mary Kay Ward - Boys and Girls Learn Differently

After reading this book by Michael Gurian, I have learn much more than expected.  This book helps the reader to understand the overwhelming differences between the genders from birth through adulthood and how these differences really do impact the learning that takes place all the way throught the education process.  I only wish I had known about this topic when I was raising my own children - 3 boys and 1 girl.  I would have created a different environment in my own home so that my boys would have performed better in school and their love for learning had been more positive and not such a struggle.

Gurian writes about the differences between males and females by describing the different way they learn.  Girls are able to multi-task better than boys because girls use both sides ot their brain to process information, can hear better and are more physically active.  Boys, however, take more time in processing emotive information which takes boys more time to adjust to highly emotional charged situations and stressful situations.  These types of situations can create a lag time for boys and can interfere with the learning process.

Gurain also helps us to understand the diffferences in learning styles,behaviors, and school performance.  These differences give some advantages to the females and other advantages to the males.  According to Gurian, boys are more likely to have learning disabilities, poorer school performances, and more behavior problems than the girls.  On the other side, girls get less attention in the classroom from teachers, do not participate as much in athletics, and experience gender basis in the classroom.

Gurain suggests that if all schools and classrooms were designed with all children in mind, there might not be a reason to address the difference between boys and girls and therefore we would not need the ultimate school or classroom and we would be better able to understand and meet the needs of our children.  Knowing and understanding these fundamentals might help solve the problems of the boy/girls difference.

Below are some words and pictures I found interesting and related to this book.

Brain-based Gender Differences

• Deductive and Inductive Reasoning: Boys are more likely to use deductive reasoning, while girls tend to prefer inductive thinking.

• Abstract and Concrete Reasoning: Males gravitate towards abstract arguments; females do better at concrete analysis: E.g. boys tend to do better at math on the board, while girls prefer math manipulatives.

• Use of Language: On average, females write, read, and speak more words than males. In female groups, girls tend to speak equally often, while in a male group one or two students will often dominate.

• Logic and Evidence: Because girls tend to be better listeners, they feel more secure in conversation, and require less control of the discussion than boys. Boys will often ask for more evidence to support a claim.

• Use of Symbolism: While both boys and girls respond to pictures, boys are more dependent on pictures, diagrams,and graphs in their learning process.


—From The Boys and Girls Learn Differently Action Guide for Teachers, by Michael Gurian and Arlette C. Ballew (Jossey-Bass, 2003).

Boys and Girls Really Do Learn Differently!

Week 8 (3/31/2011) Natalie Gianvecchio, Final Reflection

The book Boys and Girls Learn Differently: A Guide for Teachers and Parents, really changed how I think about teaching to all learners. I never thought about how different boys and girls brains really are. From the beginning to the end, this book was packed with information, strategies, and techniques to help teachers provide both boys and girls with the best education possible. 

Diverse learners can range from students with special needs, to students who live in poverty, to gender differences. The differences in boys and girls is remarkable. Overall, boys are not as fit in the classroom than girls, so that makes it hard for males right at the start. Although, they do excel in certain areas of school such as math and science, where as females have always been known to excel in reading and writing. Teachers must use a variety of teaching approaches to teach to all of these diverse males and females. As a future teacher, I feel very confident after reading this book. I learned how to teach to boys and girls rather than just teaching using one approach. Teachers must be very flexible and ready to use a variety of differentiated instruction. 

I learned so many things from this book that I did not know before. I learned that mostly boys are classified with ADD and ADHD compared to girls. I also learned that girls can remember materials easier than boys. Males tend to be very hands on, so teachers must use that approach in daily lessons. Females tend to struggle with math and science. I myself struggled with math in school, but with a good and dedicated teacher females are just as likely to excel as males. Michael Gurian mentioned that females have come a long way in mathematics over the past few years. Males and females can all thrive in school with the proper instruction from a devoted teacher, which is exactly what I plan to be!

Below are some images that I really liked and I felt related to the book:

 

 

Natalie Gianvecchio

Blog #7 - 3/24/2011

"The Ultimate High School Classroom" (Boys & Girls Learn Differently) - Chapter 6

Creative Connector

1.) "We were girls and boys in high school trying to be women and men. The two teachers I respect most now, Mr. Cantlyn and Ms. Sylvester, knew how to talk to us as women and men, not just kids." (p. 267) At the high school level, I loved the teachers who would push us past our limits. They held expectations on us that were challenging - where we, as the students, were responsible for our own fate. You want to be an adult? Well, here's how I will treat you like one. It's too important at the high school level, to get them ready for their futures. At college, no one holds your hand or tells you when your assignments are due. There are no progress reports for your parents to sign, or the teacher is tracking you in a class of 250. It just doesn't happen. So we need to prepare them for that reality. My teachers would always yell and scream if it was necessary, or give lectures where we did feel guilty at the end of that class period for acting up, or not doing what was expected of us. And you know what? I respect those teachers more than the ones who just sat around, and let us get away with everything. We weren't learning if we weren't pushed.

2.) "Our educational system has been focusing on equal education for females since I started teaching twenty years ago. I have never been trained to focus on the male." (p. 252) As educators, this book has really opened my eyes to a world where we need to pay attention. There are two different genders in our classrooms, why are we not teaching them differently? We want to live in this world where "there should be no difference" or "a girl is just as important or smart as a boy". We all have different needs, as men and women... as girls and boys... and we need to address them in our classrooms. When I was in high school, the ways the girls were addressed, and the guys, all depended on the teacher. Some male teachers were harder on the boys than on the girls. But sometimes, I thought the girls needed to be laid into a little bit more. I was always a good student, but I'd definitely need to be lectured if I wasn't living up to my end of the bargain. So I think as teachers, we need to push our kids. And we need to be educated on how to teach them. Some educators just aren't doing their jobs.

3.) "In an age when too many children are leaving school before graduation, when a high school diploma is only the first mandatory step in gaining the skills and knowledge needed to compete in a growing global market, we must use every resource at our command to prepare our children to compete and succeed." (p. 320) Growing up in an urban school district, I saw kids come from many different paths of life. I had friends drop out of school before graduation. Whether it was for drugs, their families, home difficulties, teenage pregnancies... they did what they had to do. But what if our teachers had caught them? What if we could of changed their lives and kept them in school? It is our job to teach them to love school. It is our job to catch the children who fall through the cracks, so that they aren't ignored by the school systems. We need to grab these children, and put them into our care before it's too late.

Literary Luminator

1.) "It's our belief that the ultimate classroom must include teachers, supported by administrators and parents, who are both trained for and committed to gender-friendly education. Now that we have the scientific knowledge and empirical evidence to substantially document major differences in anatomical structure, neurological development, and the chemical and hormonal climate in developing boys and girls, we can innovate and sustain gender-appropriate educational techniques that bring the greatest benefit to all of our children, with all of their unique and personal strengths and needs." (p. 321)

2.) "It is natural for adolescents to seek identity-attention ("This is who I am; pay attention!") and use clothing for individuation ("I'm an individual and can take care of myself"), dominance ("I demand respect and can outcompete"), and mating strategies ("Look at how cool I am; you should like me"). The more individualizing, competitive, and romance-oriented the culture -- and ours is one of the most intense at pushing children to seek individual expression, rebel, compete and sexualize early -- the more the adolescent uses the colors of clothing, hairstyle, tatooing, jewelry, and other personal innovations to call attention to growing sexual, social, and personal identity." (p. 281)

3.) "It is still up to the high school teacher to help them achieve a balance between being young people to whom only intelligence -- not gender -- matters, and young men or women for whom being masculine or feminine is a worthy ideal, and essential to adult life." (p. 317)

Meghan C. Koch

School Uniforms are a must!!!

Blog #7 (March 24, 2011) Roles: Rigorous Researcher and Idea Illustrator, Mary Kay Ward

 

Rigorous Researcher

In this chapter, Gurian spends more time discussing the idea of uniforms in high school. Boys and girls dress with the idea that this is who they are and associate their identity with what they wear. " It is natural for adolescents to seek identity-attention ("This is who I am; pay attention!") and use clothing for individuation ("I'm an individual and can take care of myself)", dominance ("I demand respect and can outcompete"), and mating strategies ("Look at how cool I am; you should like me"). (M. Gurian, pg. 281). Our culture is one of the most intense at pushing children to seek their own identity through individual expression and our children are doing this by use of colors through their clothes, hairstyles, jewelry and tatoos, thus causing them to seek indivdual expression, rebel, be more competitive and want sex earlier.


Academics and team learning is what high school is suppose to be about and should be high on the list of priorities and not the attitude of "I am better than you" or "I don't care about anyone else", or "I came to high school to get laid." These behaviors must be made a lower priority and according to brain based research maturity and learning are the most important and "any other critical mass of other behaviors that impede the brain's ability to increase kowledge of social and academic technologies that enchance success and personal maturity must be made a lower priority." (pg. 281). Many schools are now requiring school uniforms to ensure that "students rights" are brought to the forefront and letting go of superficial ones. I would really like to see schools go to some type of uniform system. These uniforms do not have be identical, but should follow some kind of dress code, such as navy blue pants and skirts and a white polo shirt. Again, I have first hand knowlege of a high school dress code because my daughter is required to dress according to the school's dress code that she attends. By having a dress code, she does not have to compete with others in deciding what she is wearing and if she looks good enough and has impressed those around her. Also, by dressing like everyone else at her school, she can focus on the importance stuff; her academics. Gurian recommends a dress code for all schools. As much as must students will be rebel at first along with some parents, it isn't the uniform that will make or break who the students are, but will help students make a committment to themselves and their schoolwork. Above is a video regarding why schools should require uniforms.

 

Idea Illustrator

Teens and sleep is an area that so much research is starting to develop regarding teens and their sleep.  This research reports that generally teens needs about nine hours and fifteen minutes of sleep every night.  Without this adequate amount of sleep, the brain does not have a chance to move through the deep REM sleep clycles necessary for proper growth, healthy developmen and learning.  Michael Kipke, director of the academy's Board of Children, Youth, and Families states "Sleep experts feel stongly that high school timings are out of sync with the natral circadan rhythms of adolescents. (pg. 284)  M. Gurian's brain based research supports these findings.  Because of the hormones and the brain chemicals that are attaching the brain, adolescences are having a difficult time managing their homones and energy clycles.  I find this to be true when dealing with my soon to be 15 year old daughter, especially on the weekends.  She wants to stay up late on the weekends and then sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays.   After reading about this topic, I now have a better understanding of why this is happening.  The research shows that if schools start later in the day, they would have less disipline problems and increased learning among the students.  I like this idea because then maybe I would not have to get up so early in the morning.

Another area that I found interesting was the section on Standardized Testing.  What is the place of standardized testing in the ultimate classroom?  There are two important things to know about test scores - first students are getting higher grades in high school than on SAT scores and secondly, males outscore females by ten points on the verbal and forty points on math.  It is very interesting that the girls have better grade point averages and take more advanced placement courses than boys, but boys still out score the girls on the traditional SAT exams.  Why is this?  Brain-based research says that the student who favors deductive and quick abstract reasoning tens to do well in a multiple choice format.  Also, the student who tends to quickly single out information rather than thinking out a larger variety of possibilities also does better.  Also, the student who tends toward a higher risk taking and answers questions more quickly is likely to answer under pressure and risk guesses (Gurian 308).  This student could be male or female but studies show that there is a high statisical probability that the student is male. 
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/genderbias.html

Technology and Gender

Are girls really disadvantaged in acquiring technology skills?  I found this an interesting read because in today's education environment, you would think that it would not matter because both boys and girls have equal time on computers and both have had computers and technology in the classrooms since they began schoo land it would not matter whether it was a boy or a girl who used the computer.  M. Gurian's research found that males aggessively seek out the computers and are loud about wanting to use them.  Girls may step back allowing the aggressive user to dominate time on the computer Gurian 302).  We as teachers need to be more vigliant in this area to see that girls get equal time on computers and are not push out because boys are more aggressive.  Girls must be encouraged to use computers but they must also ask for tutorial help for sophiscated uses.

"Research now confirms what teachers have been observing since we started using computers in the mathematics classroom. In general, girls just aren't as interested in technology as boys are"( Cynthia Lanius Girls and Technology).

Ewww, did you see what she is wearing today??

Blog 7 (3/24) Natalie Gianvecchio, Chapter 6, Roles: Vocabulary Concept Vitalizer and Essence Extractor 

 

Vocabulary:

 

1.) Uniforms/Dress Codes- The idea of uniforms and dress codes was also mentioned in this chapter for high school students. Gurian states, "Both boys and girls dress in ways that we might consider inappropriate for developing a cohesive team-learning environment" (280). He explains that it is natural for these students to dress in such a way to make a statement or to show that this is who they are. High school is very much about appearance for this age group and relating to their peers. Gurian recommends a uniform or even a simple dress code so students can still wear what they want, but in an appropriate manor.

2.) Sex education- This was an important theme of the high school education chapter. This is the age group that needs this the most! Teenagers are confused and curious. They need to be educated not only at home, but in school as well. Gurian states, "Sex is one of life's most confusing and crucial activities; it is in no way merely the responsibility of the family. It has never, in fact, been only the family's responsibility" (294). He recommends bringing in males to talk with the boys about sex as well as females to talk with the girls about sex. Gurian also recommends having co-education discussions. High school students really need to understand sex education because this is the age that many of these teens begin to explore. It must be taught in high school!

3.) Standardized Testing- This area is another important vocabulary term mentioned in this chapter. High school puts a large focus on standardized testing such as the SATs for students getting ready for college. Gurian states, "There are two important things to know about test scores. First, students are getting higher grades in high school today without similar increases in SAT scores. Second, males outscore females by ten points in the verbal and forty points on math" (307). He also mentioned that recently, the SAT test added a writing section. "Girls have consistently outperformed boys on this test" (Gurian, 307). To do well on standardized tests, it really just depends on the student. Students who can think and reason quickly will do well on the multiple choice sections and the student who really likes to take their time on tests will not do well since it is timed and responses must be quick.

Essence of the Chapter:

In secondary education, teachers must prepare young men and women for the real world; life after school. 

Natalie Gianvecchio

Some are scared of Middle School students... but not me.

Blog #6: "The Ultimate Middle School Classroom" (Chapter 5) March 9, 2011

Vocabulary/Concept Vitalizer

• Single-sex education : (p. 208) "Middle school is the time of greatest hormonal upheaval in both males and females. Boys begin puberty with high doses of testosterone. Over just a few years, they need to learn to manage up to twenty times as much of this sex-and-aggression hormone as females." (p. 208) Educators discuss single-sex options in the Middle School setting, including all female and male schools, or female and male classrooms (based on the academic area). Moving back to the issues of competition, and going back into the history of tribes and "staying with your own" all takes a place in the discussion of single-sex education in our schools.

• Multigenerational schools: (p. 220) The discussion of having many different age groups in the same building, ranging from elementary school up to high school. "The sixth, seventh and eighth graders are constantly around younger children and have to be service oriented and mentorlike toward them." One teacher explains that "if they have a way to help others, most middle school kids really do want to help. They just need to be shown how, and given the opportunity."

• Team Teaching: (p. 220) "A team of teachers meets every morning, for a few moments, to talk about troubled students, what lessons they have planned, how they can support each other, and how they can weave a character lesson or something from a colleague's classroom into their own." Creating a sense of bonding among all teachers in the building, or atleast at the same academic area or grade level, is important for the success of students. It builds a community in all classrooms if this is done.

• Movement: (p. 245) "Given the reality of what is hapening to middle school students' bodies and brains, it si essential that we consider increasing physical movement during the school day." Movement helps kids stay focused, and they are able to get out energy and can relax more in the classroom. Goes back to the discussion of getting rid of recess or shortening the amount of recess in schools. You're kidding, right?

• Character Education: (p. 240) "The CHARACTERplus model" (chapter 4) focuses on community agreement regarding certain key character traits, and absortion of training in these traits into all aspects of schooling. (p. 240) Being that Middle School students are older, having them grow into respectful, caring individuals is important. So as teachers, we must have the focus in Middle School be on building good character, and being a good human being.

Essence Extractor

"We must adapt to the needs of Middle School students, embrace individuality, and have the focus be on helping them to grow as human beings and individuals in society."



Meghan C. Koch (Blog #6: Boys & Girls Learn Differently)

Blog #6, March 10, 2011, Mary Kay Ward
Roles this week are Creative Connector and Literary Luminator

Beginning on page 206, M. Gurian starts with one of the most controversial innovations in all of the middle school configurations - Single Sex Education.  This is an issue that is very near and dear to my heart for many reasons; mainly because I do have a daughter who goes to an all girls school and this is her third year attending this school.  She is currently a freshman.  Secondly, I teach middle school in a public arena and I see what goes on everyday between males and females.  On page 208, M. Gurian makes a statement in regards to single sex education at any level can solve many problems at all levels, but so many of the learning and discipline problems can be curtailed at the middle school level if single sex options were utilized.  I strongly agree with statement because my daughter was in a co-ed school from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade and has many problems with both learning and discipline.  Since she has been in a single sex school environmnent, she has florish not only academically but also there have not been any discipline problems.  She has found her niche and really enjoys going to school every day and being herself.

In another section of this chapter, beginning on page 218, the idea of school uniforms are discussed.  I feel this issue dovetails the issue above with single sex schools and education.  Again, I can relate to this issue because of my daughter.  She has to wear a uniform to school everyday and life is so much more simplier.  There is never a fight between the two of us about what she has on and how she looks when she goes out the door every morning.  She gets the chance to accessorize her uniform her with her purse, her shoes, socks, stockings hair ties, etc. that do not detract from the real reason she goes to school every day - to learn and be the best she can be.  Being a middle school teacher in a public school I get see what clothes the girls are wearing and I have to question where are the parents of these girls when they leave for school every morning.  On many occassions, I have to call girls to the back of the classroom and ask them to "put the girls away" by zipping up their sweatshirts and going to get a jacket out of their locker in order to cover up.  This type of dress is definitely a hugh distraction to the boys in the middle school and if everyone had to dress alike or similar would take the focus off of the sexes and put towards what is most important - learning and education.  On page 209, M. Gurian makes the statement "It is useful to remember that our present culture, especially through media imagery, forces early mating, romance and sexualization on children."  I can't agree more because these middle schools kids are still children with so much ahead of them.

Another part of this chapter that I can relate to is Bonding and Attachment in the middle school.  Our students need to feel a sense of belonging and need to have a soft place to fall.  On page 223, M. Gurian says to a great extent the child's emotional well-being is a foundation of good daily learning and our students well being is a large part of their self-esteem and figuring out who they really are and what they are all about.  One of the bullets on this page speaks of overreacting to a small problem that becomes a major production - making a mountain out of a mole hill.  With some many upheavals in the lives in our students, such as divorces, mothers gone, fathers gone and other support systems shattered, teachers are sometimes the most stable part of these kids on a daily basis.  On way to build self-esteem in our classrooms, is to call on each and every student everyday so that no one feels left out.

Literary Luninator

On page 208, under"The Logic of Single-Sex Opitons in Middle Schools", the sentence "In all settings, children going though cognitive and physical trransformations are likely to pick extreme behaviors "
from eating disorders and violent behavior to simple behaviors that affect learning such as not raising their hand, or blurting out the answers,dominating class discussion and being the class clown just to get attention that they are so hungry for.  I see these behaviors every day in classroom, usually from the same students and  now I have a better understanding why some of these behaviors are happening.

On page 221, Single-Teacher Emphasis is something I had not really given much consideration to until I read about this.  Research suggests greater learning takes place with the presence of one teacher for the whole day and other teachers coming in and out of the classroom to teach specials.  Many schools  use the one-class-every-hour method, in which students change  classes every 45-60 minutes, my school included.  I can see where a  stronger teacher-student bond can develop and the teacher can become a mentor to the struggling child and help nuture the whole child.  It is much harder to get  to know the student when you only have them for a short period of time, especially if you only see them in an every other day situation.

On page 235, M. Gurian talks about Commuity Collaboration.  A middle school  teacher was asked what she felt was most needed to help middle school discipline.  Brenda Bock's answer surprised Gurian by saying "Actually, if I were ever to do an educational study I would do it on the following: to show that there is a direct relationship between chores and responsibilities carried out at home and discipline and completion of work at school."  I have said on many occassions that the reason that  many students have problems at school is  because  they have very little direction, discipline and guidance from their parents and have little respect  for authority.  If parents set the expectation early on at home, then there would be fewer discipline problems at school and much more learning could take place.

Middle School Education: A Time of Many Changes for Boys and Girls!

Blog 6 (3/10) Natalie Gianvecchio, Chapter 5, Roles: Rigerous Researcher and Idea Illustrator

Research:

1.) Single sex education was a huge part of this chapter. Gurian thoroughly discussed his positive feelings towards single sex classes. I found many very interesting websites relating to this topic which seems to be very debatable.Some of these articles discuss the pros ans cons to this big topic in education.

http://www.singlesexschools.org/

http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/single-sex-education-the-pros-and-cons.gs?content=1139


2.) Another topic I found very interesting in this chapter was the section about uniforms in school on pages 218-219. Personally, I would have hated the idea of uniforms while I was in school. Being a girl, fashion was a big part of my life at that time. Now that I look back, I think uniforms would have been a great idea for school. Students can focus more on schoolwork and less on what they are going to wear and who is wearing what. Also, everyone would be wearing the same exact thing, so no one could say anything hurtful to person about what they are wearing. School would be more focused on what they are there to do which is learn. I found some great websites about uniforms in school. 
http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/school-uniforms.gs?content=121

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/School_Uniforms/

3.) Another issue I found important to education, especially the middle school age group, was the section titled peer humiliation (Gurian p. 226). In middle school, children are changing and not so friendly anymore like they were in elementary school. Middle school can be brutal for some students, and I believe teachers should try to work together to stop this humiliation for their students. Below is a great article I found directly relating to peer humiliation in middle school. 
http://www.fisherandfrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/msj_jhumiliation.pdf




Illustrations:

 These pictures and the video related to the key topic in this chapter which was single sex classrooms. There is alot of evidence that single sex classrooms can really benefit boys and girls. Gurian fully supported this idea and provided many facts about how useful it can be in the classroom. Single sex classrooms are becoming more and more popular! 


Natalie Gianvecchio 

Blog 5: The Ultimate Elementary Classroom

Blog #5 - Ch. 4 "The Ultimate Elementary Classroom" (Boys & Girls Learn Differently)
Roles: Rigorous Researcher and Idea Illustrator

Idea Illustrator:
One section of this chapter that I really liked was how they discussed all the possibilities and opportunities that you can present in an elementary setting. They introduced the chapter with quotes from teachers, including "there just isn't time", "need smaller class rize" and "want more training, but not training that's boring or treats me like an idiot." (p. 128)

There are so many ways to get around behavioral issues in your classroom, as well as academic issues that your students may be suffering from. There are so many outlets, especially nowadays, that are meant to engage children more fully into their academics, and help them stay focused, and have fun learning.

Use of Computers & Other Media in Elementary School: p. 137

In a section entitled, "The Outdoor Classroom" (p. 139), they discuss this idea of "eliminating recess" in our schools. This is a huge mistake, and I thought it was interesting the statistics that are behind letting children be children, and going outside to play. It diminishes social time, play time, "getting your sillies out" time, that all children (especially at the elementary age) are in need of.

Rigorous Researcher:
I decided to do a little more research on the bonding and attachment in elementary learning. Children learn best when they feel loved, respected and safe... and that teacher-student relationship is too important.

Here are some good websites I came across!

• "Bonding with your students" Tips for teachers: http://www.preschoolprofessional.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17:bonding-with-your-students&catid=2:professional-development&Itemid=25

• Bonding - The Teacher-Student-Parent Connection: http://circle.adventist.org/files/jae/en/jae200568011803.pdf

 

Meghan C. Koch, March 1st, 2011 (INCL601)