Boys and Girls Learn Differently

A guide for teachers and parents: Author Michael Gurian

The brain is indeed a fascinating organ. The human brain weighs about eight pounds and is divided into three major layers from top to bottom, the cerebral cortex, the limbic system, and the brain stem (which connects to the spinal cord). These three layers of the brain have distinct tasks to accomplish. When information is transmitted into the brain stem, it has a “fight or flight” reaction. As it travels up to the limbic system, where emotion based on the information is processed, it continues up to the top part of the brain, where thinking occurs, and is processed as thought. The top portion of the brain is divided into four parts. The left part of the top is where verbal skills are developed, and the right part of the top is where spatial skills are learned.

Research shows boys do better with spatial skills (like math or science) while girls do better with verbal skills. Michael Gurian, also, says girls do better working with both sections of the brains than do boys, indicating there is more of a crossover from left to right. He makes the case for teachers to understand these differences and structure their classrooms around it. For instance, girls can store short, random information for a shorter amount of time, while boys can store information more proficiently if it is in an organized form, such as a chart or graph. Boys generally perform better on trivia tests than girls, while girls can verbalize and process experiences much more quickly than boys. Gurian suggests teachers use a “60” second rule for boys. After an incident, instead of demanding a boy explain what has happened, the teacher should wait 60 seconds, have the boy work on something, and then, calmly, start talking to him about the problem that occurred.

These areas of learning style differences have created a guide for the Ultimate Classroom. Michael Gurian suggests the Ultimate Classroom contain only fifteen students per teacher and, in the lower grades, one part-time assistant. Students should develop loyalty and a bond with their teachers, facilitated by teachers working one on one with students. There should, also, be movement in the classroom throughout the day, as Gurian states movement makes the brain work more efficiently. Boys, in particular, need time to get up and run an errand to collect their thoughts. Girls need manipulatives and games for learning spatial skills, such as math, and need to work in cooperative groups to learn social skills and new problem solving techniques. Boys, also, need to play games to enjoy and be stimulated by learning.

These suggestions, also, work for discipline procedures. Ninety percent of discipline related problems in schools come from boys. There should be order and ritual in the classroom that is, also, carried out at home. He, also, states children can retain more by learning all year round and suggests four short breaks in the school year, as opposed to the traditional long summer break. As Gurian explains, parents and teachers have to work together effectively to create the most challenging classroom for the child.

In reading Michael Gurian’s book, Boys and Girls Learn Differently, the reader will come to understand the significant changes most public schools must undergo to achieve a positive performance outcome from their students. Every parent needs to read this book and evaluate their child’s learning environment. Perhaps if more parents did, their children’s classrooms would be Ultimate Classrooms. Ω