Advice for Teaching Girls
There was a time when girls were called 'sugar and spice and everything nice.' They were expected to be coy and quiet, focusing their attentions on 'girl things' like dolls instead of worrying about such things as education, ambition, or future careers. Thankfully, those days are gone, and today girls are encouraged to pursue the passions of their minds and hearts. The time has come when girls are appreciated as the rich resources boys are, and it's finally being recognized that girls often have a different way of learning than boys do. Today, top teachers in New Jersey and throughout the country are tweaking their teaching styles in order to address those differences and better utilize the assets that girls bring to the table.
Any parent who has both boys and girls knows that the genders learn differently, and neurological researchers are learning why. It's because boys' and girls' brains are different. They're not wired to work in the same way. Those neurological contrasts mean that boys and girls need different types of stimulation in the classroom. They also need lessons to be presented differently in order to comprehend what they're learning, and sometimes even simply to pay attention.
The fact is that a girl tends to mature before a boy of her same age. She likely will develop verbal skills before he does, and this means that she will be reading, writing, and comprehending more quickly and fully. However, girls generally don't develop spatial skills as quickly or fully as boys, and this means that boys tend to be better at such subjects and activities as math, science, and solving puzzles. Boys generally need visuals and movement to help them learn. In fact, boys often learn better if they can get up and move around once in a while. Girls, on the other hand, often can sit still and listen to lectures, and they tend to think more verbally than boys. For all of these reasons, there are certain teaching methods that tend to work better than others for girls.
Girls more often than boys tend to be able to sit calmly in their seats and take directions. These traits make the traditional lecture style of teaching effective when teaching girls. Additionally, because they can think more verbally than boys in general, girls are able to listen attentively to a lecture even if it does not come with visual aids.
Girls also tend to work well in groups because their language skills develop earlier than those of boys. Early on, girls come equipped with rich communication resources, both intellectually and verbally. These characteristics are advantageous for girls when working in peer groups because they give girls the ability to articulately discuss projects and work in teams. In addition, girls generally make good listeners, which enables them to engage in expressive back-and-forth communication when working in group collaborations, as well as in class discussion after projects are finished.
Because girls' language skills tend to develop earlier than those of boys, girls are capable of learning in both hands-on and hands-off classroom environments. Their communication and verbal thinking skills enable them to work well independently, making the hands-off teaching method a good option. Likewise, their ability to disseminate information and convey it to others in an articulate manner makes the hands-on approach a viable option when teaching girls.
Girls generally are more challenged in classes that require spatial intelligence, such as math and science. When teaching these subjects to elementary-age girls it's helpful to provide capable female role models. Female math and science teachers help girls to feel comfortable expressing difficulties they may be experiencing. Additionally, because of their strong verbal skills, girls learn better when they are able to engage in discussion with teachers. Providing feedback is important to girls for producing a positive classroom environment where they feel at ease to ask questions. Further, giving girls the opportunity to work in group collaborations enables them to put their social skills to work when executing math and science lessons.
Generally speaking, teaching girls is different from teaching boys. Of course, each individual is his or her own person, and this means that each individual is equipped with unique intellectual abilities and challenges. Additionally, everyone approaches learning differently. There are, however, clear differences between how girls learn, in general, as opposed to how boys learn. The characteristics that tend to show up in girls often open up a wider world of teaching options, and this fact gives instructors an array of possibilities when teaching girls.
Any parent who has both boys and girls knows that the genders learn differently, and neurological researchers are learning why. It's because boys' and girls' brains are different. They're not wired to work in the same way. Those neurological contrasts mean that boys and girls need different types of stimulation in the classroom. They also need lessons to be presented differently in order to comprehend what they're learning, and sometimes even simply to pay attention.
The fact is that a girl tends to mature before a boy of her same age. She likely will develop verbal skills before he does, and this means that she will be reading, writing, and comprehending more quickly and fully. However, girls generally don't develop spatial skills as quickly or fully as boys, and this means that boys tend to be better at such subjects and activities as math, science, and solving puzzles. Boys generally need visuals and movement to help them learn. In fact, boys often learn better if they can get up and move around once in a while. Girls, on the other hand, often can sit still and listen to lectures, and they tend to think more verbally than boys. For all of these reasons, there are certain teaching methods that tend to work better than others for girls.
Girls more often than boys tend to be able to sit calmly in their seats and take directions. These traits make the traditional lecture style of teaching effective when teaching girls. Additionally, because they can think more verbally than boys in general, girls are able to listen attentively to a lecture even if it does not come with visual aids.
Girls also tend to work well in groups because their language skills develop earlier than those of boys. Early on, girls come equipped with rich communication resources, both intellectually and verbally. These characteristics are advantageous for girls when working in peer groups because they give girls the ability to articulately discuss projects and work in teams. In addition, girls generally make good listeners, which enables them to engage in expressive back-and-forth communication when working in group collaborations, as well as in class discussion after projects are finished.
Because girls' language skills tend to develop earlier than those of boys, girls are capable of learning in both hands-on and hands-off classroom environments. Their communication and verbal thinking skills enable them to work well independently, making the hands-off teaching method a good option. Likewise, their ability to disseminate information and convey it to others in an articulate manner makes the hands-on approach a viable option when teaching girls.
Girls generally are more challenged in classes that require spatial intelligence, such as math and science. When teaching these subjects to elementary-age girls it's helpful to provide capable female role models. Female math and science teachers help girls to feel comfortable expressing difficulties they may be experiencing. Additionally, because of their strong verbal skills, girls learn better when they are able to engage in discussion with teachers. Providing feedback is important to girls for producing a positive classroom environment where they feel at ease to ask questions. Further, giving girls the opportunity to work in group collaborations enables them to put their social skills to work when executing math and science lessons.
Generally speaking, teaching girls is different from teaching boys. Of course, each individual is his or her own person, and this means that each individual is equipped with unique intellectual abilities and challenges. Additionally, everyone approaches learning differently. There are, however, clear differences between how girls learn, in general, as opposed to how boys learn. The characteristics that tend to show up in girls often open up a wider world of teaching options, and this fact gives instructors an array of possibilities when teaching girls.