Alison Getsloff
Everyone blog
(Introduction and Chapter 1, pages 1-42)
Before starting this book, I was skeptical in thinking that boys and girls actually learned differently. I learned that studies show it is mostly from a biological stand point but can also be from how we are raised. Girls and boys have different needs because of the way our brains differ. From an effective teaching standpoint, we have to learn to teach from many different angles, but we must first decipher "what do our students actually need"?
Yes, as a teacher, you are supposed to teach lessons and required standards but I also think that one must teach how to be a good person as well. Accommodating different sexes personalities and learning styles, requires us to think outside the box and to also look at how we are made biologically.
One thing I found interesting is that girls tend to hear better than boys, so sometimes a louder voice is needed for boys. It might be better for them to be positioned sitting closer to the teacher in a classroom setting or equally positioned so that everyone has a chance to hear loud and clear. I am looking forward to reading more about the differences between girls and boys because it truly is fascinating and how much different can we actually be from one another?
In response to Alison’s blog, I too believe that it is amazing how our brains work and I had no idea, until I read only the first chapter, that the reasons boys and girls learned differently had so much, possibly, to do with our brains. I say possibly because although there were a lot of details and definitions and brain parts and structures thrown at us in this first chapter, the words: “may” and “possibly,” were used in describing all of the differences in male and female brain functions. In noticing this pattern it made me wonder if all that was being said by Gurian could actually convince educators that differences in brain structure is a reason for learning variances between boys and girls. It was said early on in the book that educators never looked for a scientific reason to explain learning and behavior issues in children and now I can understand why this possibly is so.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne C.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Alison's Blog #2
Everybody Blog
Before reading the book I was also a bit skeptical about there being scientific prove that boys and girls brains are different. Even when I realized that there was,I was afraid that treating each sex differently might be a negative thing. However, it is better to look at it as every individual student has their own strengths, weaknesses, and experiences that they bring to the classroom. On a simpler level, I think Gurian is reminding me that the simple differences in boys and girls can be as important as differences in culture or learning styles.
I found it helpful to learn that because boys may not hear as well as girls that it could be helpful to move them to the front of the class or to speak louder to them. However, I also had trouble reconciling the image of every classroom having the boys all up front and the teachers seeming to yell at the boys.