Gender, the brain and education: do boys and girls learn differently?
Date
2009-05-13T16:09:01Z
Authors
Magon, Angela Josette
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Abstract
Recent discoveries of cerebral structural and functional differences between male and female brains indicate that boys and girls are wired differently for learning. These differences have significant implications for schools and pedagogy. Several gender-specific methodologies from the literature are suggested for teaching boys and girls that incorporate the scientific findings. Several of these methodologies were tested in a study, conducted at a British Columbia, private, all-girls high school. Two Science 9 classes received lessons that were designed to target either boys or girls. Results indicate that engagement and enjoyment of lessons do not always correlate to successful learning of content. In an all-girls setting, the literature strategies aimed at teaching girls produced higher achievement than those targeted to teaching boys.
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Keywords
gender, brain studies, experiment, cognition, learning styles, gender differentiated teaching