The Gendered Classroom Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D Sacred Heart Schools St. Charles March 16, 2012

Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com Accepted Knowledge Girls are more verbal Fluency not intelligence Boys are better at spatial relations Connection to some math skills Boys are more active Expectations not biology early Puberty brings activity Boys are more aggressive true cross-culturally Need to roughhouse Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

Do Male and Female Brains Differ? Male brain is larger, but has fewer connections Differential development, R vs L Amygdala vs. hippocampus Pre-frontal lobes develop more slowly in males Left (girls first) Right (boys first) Hippocampus Amygdala Memory of pictures/gist Memory of Nouns/details Spelling, reading words, verbal intellect, vocabulary Performance – “Watch me!” Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

Verbal Differences between girls and boys Acquisition Earlier for girls both grammar and vocabulary Fluency Girls more fluent than boys Intelligence No difference in adults? Spelling and grammar Boys continue to have problems so need exposure later than girls Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

Sensory differences between girls and boys Hearing Girls more sensitive to sound than boys Boys have problems with phonemic awareness – may be source of reading difficulties Vision Boys have more acute vision than girls and see objects in motion better – reading issues/saccades Girls see objects close up, better perceptual speed Touch For learning, boys are hands-on, girls may be content to observe, boys need to move for memory Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

Other cognitive differences Spatial – boys better at rotation and spatial-temporal May supply boys’ advantage in mathematical problem solving Traditionally little training in early school Girls need exposure to practical applications Learning Modalities Verbal/auditory Kinesthetic/iconic Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

Differences in Learning Issues ADHD More males due to social bias? Cause of inattention may be something other than learning problem Dyslexia More males – but is it a developmental problem? Dysgraphia/Dyspraxia more males – but is it due to social expectations? Dyscalculia Actually a problem with memory/no gender difference Girls give up too easily because of social beliefs Boys will avoid math Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

Emotional Differences Fight or Flight – adrenalin Increase in heart rate, breathing, blood sugar, blood floods muscles and brain, pupils dilate movement Tend and Befriend – oxytocin Decrease in heart rate, breathing, blood sugar, blood goes to core, pupils constrict freezing May be cause of academic anxiety The problems of global praise or discipline Without specific references, failure results in boys getting angry and girls becoming anxious What is seen as bad behavior in boys may be impulsive not purposeful Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

Classroom Behavior Differences Boys don’t ask for help, girls ask too soon Girls responsive to the teacher, boys not responsive enough Boys believe that ability is all that is needed to achieve and girls believe that effort is more important than ability Girls learn different study and test taking strategies from others, boys will persist even if their strategies don’t work Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

Girls’ Academic Attitudes Girls are obsessed with their grades What is the right answer? What is on the test? Methods to insure success Emphasis on success can lead to school anxiety Test anxiety/math anxiety Girls may downplay academic success Especially if friends or boys aren’t doing as well Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

What characteristics of girls should make school easy? Planning Managing and regulating behavior (deciding what you are going to do before you do it) Attention Resisting distractions Alert to environment Successive processing Accepting, evaluating, and retaining information Self-disciplined Can motivate themselves to complete material they are not interested in Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

How single gender classes help girls Learn to deal with stress Supportive environment helps girls cope with need to have the right answer Focus can be on content and not on appearance Content of coursework can be tailored for girls’ interests Learn to work with peers with whom they may not get along Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

Boys’ academic attitudes Ability is more important than effort, image is the most important Motivation suffers as a result – “too cool for school” Boys overestimate their academic competence Even in the face of failure Probably due to drive for competition Math, science, and sports are male domains In spite of gains for women in STEM areas Influence of home environment Parents support boys in education perhaps too much Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

What characteristics of boys should make school easy? Natural inquisitiveness Need to know how things work Emphasis on details/facts Boys know lots about subjects they like Geography bee winners Competitive nature Need to focus on indirect and cooperative and not on direct competition Ability to work in groups Boys very peer oriented, what one does, his mates will do Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

How single gender classes help boys Class content is more interesting to boys Movement and noise tolerated Focus on acquiring study strategies aimed at kinesthetic and iconic learners Develop verbal skills in supportive environment Become part of school-oriented peer group and identify selves as students Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com

Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com Conclusion There are cognitive differences between boys and girls which are brain based Adapting teaching strategies for those differences improves learning Accommodating for learning differences allows students to make use of their learning strengths to compensate Remember, equality is achieved not when all are the same, but when all are allowed to learn the way that best suits them Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. 2012 ajames@anj-online.com