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10/21/2018 4 Comments

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

Boys & Girls are Different! Teaching the Teen Brain
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.
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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
Teaching Teenagers -- Boy Brains vs. Girl Brains and How the Differences Affect Learning
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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.
 
If you are finding all the information and materials here helpful, join up below to follow along through email.  I'll send over free resources, updates, info, and more!

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4 Comments
Nancy
10/25/2018 02:32:36 pm

This is good, but REALLY needs the caveat that there is LOTS of variation between male and female brains, and brains, like people, are on a continuum, NEVER black and white, either/or, but always a rainbow (and each one unique).

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Math Giraff link
10/28/2018 10:23:30 am

Hi Nancy,
Yes, there is so much variation! Each student is unique. The biological component just offers us a starting point here. This research has led to ways to generally understand (and therefore customize our help to) the majority of males vs. females. It's a great starting point, and as teachers we always then get even closer to what each kid needs as we get to know them as an individual from there. Thanks for commenting! Have a great week,
-Brigid

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Karen
10/25/2018 10:48:51 pm

I am concerned that this article implies more than is known about the effect of brain differences on behavior and learning. While differences in male and female brains are known to exist, there is much overlap and large individual differences. There is a great deal of variation within a single sex in terms of the size and structure of areas of the brain. The information on brain differences in complicated, and it is something that people easily misinterpret, assuming perhaps too quickly that observed differences in behavior are due to brain differences. I would be very cautious, as a teacher, in using information about brain differences in large groups to make any assumptions about potential (but unobservable) differences in brain structure between specific individuals (your students).

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Math Giraffe link
10/28/2018 10:17:18 am

Hi Karen,
Definitely! It is just a starting point. Lots is known and has been researched, but of course each individual is unique.
There is variation and these biological differences just can help us begin to customize things to the male or female brain in general :)
Thanks!!
-Brigid

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