Should Middle-School Boys and Girls Be Taught In the Same Way?

Blog #7
Suzanne C.
Idea Illustrator
March 20, 2011

 This cartoon portrays the idea that boys and girls look at things and interpret things differently.  Gurian discusses how because of brain differences boys don't use words to deal with their problems as girls do and that they need outlets for their physical aggression.  Therefore, like the drawings in the cartoon show it is natural for boys and girls  to see and deal with things differently.

While it is common to think that middle-schoolers want nothing to do with their parents, this is untrue.  Despite pushing them away in order to foster independence, it is important to their development to feel loved and important.  The use of grandparents and other community members as mentors helps to give middle-schoolers the bonds they need to grow into well-adjusted adults.

Single-gender classrooms and uniforms are strategies that Gurian suggests for middle school classrooms.  He discusses how because the middle school brain is going through so much change the orderliness that a uniform brings helps students focus and learn.  Single-sex learning also allows students to focus on learning rather than being distracted by the behaviors of the opposite sex.