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).