Gender Differences in Learning

By Irene Helen Zundel

It may not be politically correct to state this,

but facts are facts. Male and female brains are

structurally different, and that difference makes

the sexes think, emote, and behave differently.

They also learn differently. Failure to realize

this can create real problems for school aged children.

Consider these interesting facts from the

controversial, best-selling book Brain Sex:

The Real Difference Between Men and Women ( by

Anne Moir and David Jessel, Delta Books, 1991 ):

Human embryos are neither male nor female during

the early stages of pregnancy. For the first six

weeks after conception, genetically male and female

fetuses look alike, and have all the basic equipment

needed to develop as either sex. If a child is to

become a male, the chromosomes will cue the

development of the gonads into testes and will

develop special cells which produce testosterone

and other male hormones. Those hormones will

stimulate the development of male genitalia.

If the baby is a female, no significant amount

of male hormone is produced, and the reproductive

machinery develops along female lines. The bodies

will then continue to grow and develop according

to their gender specific blueprints---and so

ill their brains!

Male and female brains are hard-wired differently.

Boys and girls use different parts of the brain to

solve identical problems, or complete the same tasks.

For example, tests that measured the electrical brain

activity of volunteers working on an abstract problem

showed that males used exclusively the right side of

the brain, while females used both hemispheres.

Generally speaking, females are more socially inclined,

and are more intuitive. They have a better sense of

hearing, and see better in the dark. They have a

better memory for names and faces, and tend to

develop speech and language skills more quickly

and with greater fluency than males.

Overall, girls learn to read before boys do.

Males are more logical, possess better hand-eye

coordination, have better depth perception, and

superior spatial ability, making them better at

reading maps, and solving abstract mathematical problems.

Stuttering, speech defects, and hyperactivity occur

almost exclusively among boys. Male children are

about four times more likely to be labeled dyslexic,

or learning-disabled than girls are.

Girls do well in mathematics that require computational

skills and score equally as well as boys on math tests,

in the early years of education. At the point where

math becomes abstract, boys tend to excel. Why?

Because solving abstract problems is a function of

spatial intelligence, which is an area that the male

brain handles exceptionally well.

Girls tend to excel in language related tasks,

and generally learn to read without developing dyslexia.

Why? Because females possess a superior sense

of hearing which is key to mastering all of those

skills, and their brains are hard wired to excel

in that area.

I feel strongly that educators should acknowledge these

differences, and tailor their teaching methods to

accommodate the strengths and weaknesses inherent

in both genders. In doing so, learning would be

greatly facilitated in both sexes, and

developmental difficulties could be avoided.

For example:

Girls have less developed spatial skills than boys,

and have difficulty in solving abstract math problems.

Studies have shown that playing the music of Mozart

increases spatial intelligence in the listener, and

jump starts the area of the brain where mathematical

problems are solved. Solution, put males and females

into separate math classes, and play Mozart’s music

to the girls!

Boys have difficulty in the area of speech and language

acquisition. Studies have shown that playing Baroque

music integrates the left and right hemispheres of the

brain, and facilitates the learning and retention of

language. Solution? Put males and females in separate

language classes, and play Baroque music for the boys!

If boys are inclined to master language skills later

than girls, and tend to develop dyslexia, then

perhaps teaching them to read should be delayed.

Or as an alternative, they could be taught by methods

that jump-start the area of the brain responsible

for language acquisition.

If girls falter mathematically after learning basic

computation, perhaps they could have a more gender

appropriate curriculum. Or, as an alternative,

they could be taught by methods that would enhance

their spatial abilities.

Treating boys and girls differently in regards to

education DOES NOT make them unequal as human beings,

nor does it declare that one sex is superior to the other.

It DOES enable them to learn in a manner that is

natural to their biological programming. It maximizes

their potential to learn and excel by introducing skills

at the time and in the manner appropriate for the gender

of the child.

I would strongly encourage you to read Brain Sex,

and to explore on your own the issue of gender and

learning differences.

Or try this book:

Boys and Girls Learn Differently (Dr. Michaelg

Gurian, Patricia Henley, and Terry Trueman, Jersey-Bass

Books, 2001) You can find them both at one of

my favorite online bookstores, www.amazon.com.

This article is an excerpt from my 2001 book, Make Your Kid A Genius! (Tools to Maximize Your Child’s Potential from the Womb Through College.) You can obtain a free copy in the "downloads" section of my website at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com