Sex Cells!

You can’t tell by looking at a slice of someone’s brain whether that person is Black, White, Jew, or Muslim, but you can tell whether the person is male or female.

The Brain

Our job as adults is to serve as external frontal lobes. . .

The difference in WHAT men and women can do is small The difference in WHAT men and women can do is small. The difference in HOW they do it is LARGE.

Research By adolescence, a girl’s corpus callosum is 25 percent larger than a boy’s. This enables more “cross talk” between hemispheres. A girl’s prefrontal cortex develops earlier and is larger than in boys. Girls also have more serotonin than boys There are stronger neural connectors in the brains of girls, and a larger hippocampus The Minds of Girls

So What?! Girls are able to multitask Fewer attention span problems Can make faster transitions between lessons More detailed memory storage The Minds of Girls

So What?! Creates better listening Better discrimination between among voice tones Greater sensory memory details in speaking and writing Fewer impulsive decisions The Minds of Girls

Research A girl’s brain experiences approximately 15% more blood flow, which is located in more centers of the brain than a boy’s There are more cortical areas devoted to verbal functioning in a girl’s brain The Minds of Girls

Research Girls are better at sitting still Girls are better at listening Girls are better at tonality Girls are better at mental cross talk Girls are better at the complexities of reading and writing The Minds of Girls

The very skills and behaviors often rewarded in schools!! observation The very skills and behaviors often rewarded in schools!! The Minds of Girls

Girl behavior becomes the gold standard. Boys are treated like observation Girl behavior becomes the gold standard. Boys are treated like DEFECTIVE GIRLS Dr. Michael Thompson PBS Series Author of “Raising Cain”

Research Boys have more cortical area devoted to spatial-mechanical functioning and half as much to verbal-emotive functioning. Boys have less serotonin and less oxytocin Boys have less blood flow to the brain and tend to structure or compartmentalize learning The Minds of Boys

So What?! Boys want to move objects through the air. Balls, Airplanes, Little Sisters, Their Arms and Legs Boys are less likely “to talk about it”. The Minds of Boys

So What?! Boys are more impulsive! Boys’ brains are better suited to symbols, abstractions, and pictures The more words a teacher uses, the greater the chance a boy will zone out The Minds of Boys

Teaching, Learning and discipline GIRLS BOYS Use lots of puzzles to foster perceptual and symbolic learning Promote leadership by using working groups and teams Verbally encourage quieter girls Play physical games Use manipulatives that require boys to use fine motor skills Surround the room with books so boys get used to their omnipresence Make lessons experiential and kinesthetic – use technology

Teaching, Learning and discipline GIRLS BOYS Take digital pictures of girls being successful at math/science tasks Use manipulatives in science and math Generalize the meaning of their failures because they interpret them as indicating that they have disappointed adults, and thus of little worth Use physical lessons so boys can work in a large space Keep verbal instructions to no more than a minute. Don’t layer instructions one after another. Use male mentors and role models.

Teaching, Learning and discipline GIRLS BOYS Prefer inductive exercises Prefer fictional books Like role-playing activities in learning new concepts Prefer to learn using manipulatives and objects Hearing is 7 times more sensitive than the average boy Expect healthy physicality and aggression among boys at times. Create opportunities for boys to get up and move around Use brain breaks to revive boys during and/or after rest states Use visual dictionaries and play word games especially on the computer

Teaching, Learning and discipline GIRLS BOYS Typically navigate landmarks that can be seen or heard Small learning groups work well for girls Story problems are a good way to teach Algebra to girls Girls like to talk about feelings and relating characters when reading Take them to the library and introduce them to male role model readers and authors Link screen time with study rewards Can learn much more easily from chalkboard instruction Tend to prefer nonfiction Provide reading material that boys enjoy

Teaching, Learning and discipline GIRLS BOYS Are more likely to learn better if what is learned is connected to the real world Texts filled with spatial-kinetic action – sports, science fiction, thriller and suspense Graphic and visual in nature – graphic novels and comics Technical and mechanical books and articles on cars, aerospace, sports magazines Without females present, will take more risks

Teaching, Learning and discipline BOYS Prefer deductive exercises Thrive on competition Technical and mechanical books and articles on cars, aerospace, sports magazines Teachers should use loud voices and be aggressive Thrive better in violent stress

Teaching, Learning and discipline See their failures as relevant only to specific subject area Tend to create structured teams Are more likely to use abstract concepts like north, south, and absolute distance when giving directions Can not talk about feelings Not motivated to study material unless it interests them BOYS

Teaching, Learning and discipline Formal terms of address work well Enjoy stories with male protagonists Less likely to do homework that is practice. Prefer to be challenged. Personalize items in classroom to increase his sense of attachment BOYS