Boys & Girls Are Different! (The Teen Brain: Part 1)

In an era when we are working so hard to teach with inclusivity and encourage students to not get trapped into gender roles, we need to be extra careful that we do not start neglecting the distinctive needs of each group. 

Males and females are very different!  Be careful that you don’t ignore the impact gender has on brain processing!
 
If you’re a fellow middle school or high school teacher, it’s pretty clear that teenage boys and girls have very different brains. 

You probably already know that teen brains are unique and intriguing; read more in this post. 
 
You also probably know that girls’ language development is much quicker than boys, which means they have an advantage in reading and writing, and that boys have better spatial sense. 

But it turns out that there are quite a few other important differences that are important for teachers to keep in mind.  

The biological differences between female and male brains lead to variations in the way that girls and boys process information, communicate, and learn.

Differences in Neural Anatomy
 
Male and female brains physically look different.   According to this article from Salon, “The fact that there are differences in neural anatomy between the two sexes, however, is undisputed. The differences are present in early fetal life, as hormones already have altered the destiny of brain regions that are set up to go either way in the embryo. This is called sexual dimorphism, and one region that is heavily altered by early differences in levels of the female hormone estrogen or the male hormone testosterone is the hypothalamus.”
 
A post from education.com tells us that boys have more gray matter, while girls have more white matter in their brains. “Gray matter localizes brain activity in a single part of the brain, rather than spreading to other parts of the brain. White matter connects brain activity to different parts of the brain, including emotion centers.”

Waffle vs. Spaghetti Brains
 
It’s been scientifically proven that boy and girl brains don’t just look different, but are wired differently.  I love the “Waffle brain vs. Spaghetti brain” analogy from this article from archnews.com. They studied brain scans of men and women when solving a problem.
 
“When men put their minds to work, the neuron activity in their brains lit up in highly specialized areas. When women put their minds to work, the neuron activity in their brains lit up throughout their brains.”
 
Basically, the male brain is wired to compartmentalize information, like the precise, individual squares in a big Belgian waffle.
 
The female brain, on the other hand, has a lot of thoughts going on at once; picture a plate of spaghetti, with the ability to smoothly slide from one thought to the other.

Male brain tendencies:

• Compartmentalize info
• One track mind
• Cannot as easily jump from one topic to the next

 
Female brain tendencies:

• Compile info
• Multitask
• Slide from one thought to the next

How to Use This in Your Classroom
 
I feel like the world makes so much more sense now!  There is just no denying it.  Boys’ and girls’ brains are inherently different, yet neither is “better” than the other.  Here are a few ideas to incorporate this new knowledge.
 
Remember both have strengths and weaknesses:
 
Whenever you are grouping your class, keep in mind boys and girls have various strengths and weaknesses.  So, whether they are having a group discussion or solving a problem together, consider mixing up boys and girls.  This will maximize their strengths, while minimizing their weaknesses!
 
The collaboration of different mental approaches may help them to put all the pieces together and build concepts in a stronger, more rounded way.
 
Allow for student choice:
 
Since boys and girls think differently, it’s important to acknowledge this and help them to understand their thinking as individuals.  So, whenever you have the opportunity, allow students to pick and choose everything from taking notes to answering test questions.
 
Try things like choice boards or open-ended activities, so everyone can accomplish the same learning goal through methods that are most geared toward their own brain and preferences.
 
Girls may prefer to be multi-tasking with activities like doodle notes, while boys may prefer to focus in on one task or idea at a time.  Plan your classes to try to accommodate the needs of both.  And take input from the students!  Not all of this is set in stone for every single student.  Remember that these are brain-based tendencies, not laws.  Many teachers have mentioned how surprised they are that the boys love multi-tasking with doodle notes as much as girls do!  Kids may be surprised at what ends up helping them focus and learn.
 
Strategize important one-on-one conversations:
           
It turns out that many males are more comfortable having an important conversation while sitting or standing side-by-side, while females prefer eye contact.  When you need to sit down with a student, consider walking down the hall with a teen boy while chatting about the important topic, or sit down in the chair next to him in the classroom.  While tackling a tough conversation with a teen girl, try to instead pull a chair around to the other side of the desk so you can face her.
 
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