Article by Kathy Stevens,
Executive Director of The Gurian Institute, appeared in Primary Leadership. Professional Journal of the BC Primary Teachers Association. Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 04.
The Gurian Institute works with educators and parents to help them understand the significance and impact of male and female biological nature on how boys and girls learn differently. Initial research, conducted in six schools districts in Missouri, helped teachers implement gender-specific strategies in coed classrooms that resulted in significant improvements in performance and, just as importantly, in classroom behavior (Gurian, 2001). The outcomes of this research are found in Boys and Girls Learn Differently! and are the foundation of training being provided by the Gurian Institute.

The Gurian Institute works with educators and parents to help them understand the significance and impact of male and female biological nature on how boys and girls learn differently. Initial research, conducted in six schools districts in Missouri, helped teachers implement gender-specific strategies in coed classrooms that resulted in significant improvements in performance and, just as importantly, in classroom behavior (Gurian, 2001). The outcomes of this research are found in Boys and Girls Learn Differently! and are the foundation of training being provided by the Gurian Institute.

Children arrive at their first day of school, usually kindergarten, a composite of their biological nature, their environment and the experiences they have accumulated in their short lives. A teacher's best chance of success during this introductory period is to greet children who are bonded and attached to nurturing, loving caregivers, ready to expand their world. The trust they have developed in their primary relationships can then transfer to the teacher, making the child open to connecting and learning.

Some children don't receive enough bonding and attachment at home.  These children will often present greater learning difficulties than the securely attached children.  Thus, not only because it is natural for children to learn through bonding contexts, but also because some children don't get enough bonding, the primary instinct of early childhood teachers is to give both boys and girls the secure bonding and attachment they need to feel safe to learn.

New brain research indicates that in a K-3 classroom the ideal student to teacher ratio would be 8 or 10 to 1. In a class of 15 to 20 students, the best-case scenario would be to have an additional adult, a teacher's aide or even a qualified volunteer, so that all children get the amount of attention they need to feel safe and to learn (Gurian, 2001). Bonding rituals, such as welcoming games, help both boys and girls develop positive connections to their school environment. Routines and schedules that are predictable also help children turn classroom experiences into true learning. Structure is especially necessary for children with learning or behavioral challenges, and for children who are used to insecure attachment.
A BOY FRIENDLY CLASSROOM

And while every child is an individual, all of us in the K - 3 classroom know what brain research now corroborates, that little boys and little girls experience life and learning from different minds.  Specifically, let's look at what a classroom looks like when it is designed to help the boys and their male brains not only learn, but develop a love of learning.  It may look and sound different than a typical classroom.

There will probably be a higher tolerance for sound-not noise, but productive sound from boys that are engaged in the learning process. Boys are naturally more noisy than girls when they are working on a task. Boys also don't hear as well as girls so the teacher may need to speak in a stronger voice. Boys also need more room while they are working (Gurian, 1997). Sitting in a single desk, in a formal row all day long will not help the boys stay on task. A better strategy is to have boys sit at a table with room to spread out, utilizing their spatial preference. Boys need to develop the ability to self-regulate their behavior in a classroom, so allowing them to move around without disturbing or distracting their peers is a good way to start them down that path. Providing a variety of seating options-desks, some tables, a rug area for sitting or lying on the floor-will provide opportunities for boys to experience movement during the day that will help them keep their brains in gear to learn.

Elementary teachers who spend a lot of time managing  behavior have less time to spend delivering content. Asking boys to be quiet and sit still is like asking the wind not to blow. The male brain needs movement, and boys will self-stimulate-tap pencils on their desks, wave their book cover back and forth while they are reading-to try to stay focused. These behaviors are often met with negative attention. Boys who want to avoid trouble may well appear to shape up, sit still and be quiet, but odds are also high that they are not engaged in the learning process either. When the male brain checks out, sadly, getting it to check back in is tough.

After attending a Gurian Institute training, a Tennessee second grade teacher with all boys started giving her students a "brain break" before their spelling test each week. They now line up quietly, proceed quietly to the gym, where they then run three laps around the gym singing a favorite song. The boys then line up quietly and walk back to their classroom. Grades on weekly spelling tests have gone up for most of the boys. The classroom is consistently more calm and quiet during spelling tests. The rule for the boys is that if they are unable to get to and from the gym quietly, without disturbing other classes, they will not get to go. They've only missed twice since the teacher implemented the strategy.

A GIRL FRIENDLY CLASSROOM

How about the girls? Research consistently shows girls are, on average, neurologically ahead of boys in verbal brain center development and also in verbal skills when they start school. Some studies say the gap is as much as one and one half to two years. They are also ahead in small motor skills. Language arts are easier for them from the beginning, and positive reinforcement for learning to read and write promotes girls working hard in areas in which many already excel. But what about large-motor and spatial skills?

Classrooms and learning activities need to promote development of large motor and spatial
skills for girls K-3, letting them exercise the area of their brain that needs to be developed to tackle higher math and science later in school (Gurian, 2002). This can be partially accomplished by promoting individual participation in large motor activities during physical education class. Teachers can also use a variety of media when delivering content; help girls to see learning in their spatial world, make the words that come more easily to them "appear" in experiential activities. Building with blocks, using manipulatives to understand math, doing science experiments to grasp concepts are all good ways to help girls exercise their spatial brain.
An activity the Gurian Institute shares with teachers during training is a good one to use with girls to encourage spatials. Put a variety of words (use vocabulary words you are studying) on different shapes. Use circles for nouns, squares for verbs, and triangles for words like pronouns, conjunctions, articles, etc. Let the girls "build" as many different sentences as they can, using the collection of words. Allow the girls to add a new word if they can define it and use it properly in a sentence. Adding this spatial component to language arts is a good example of encouraging girls to exercise their spatial brains.

COED CLASSROOMS

Each of the activities referenced above can certainly be used with both boys and girls. Girls can use the exercise of running around the gym three times. They may not need the movement as much as the boys, but they will benefit from the health aspects of the exercise. The boys will likewise benefit from the sentence building activity. They often enjoy moving objects through space, so designing sentences will engage their natural inclination while helping them exercise their verbal brain! A win-win.

Nutritional health is a universal need for the brains of both boys and girls.  Children suffering from poor nutrition will not learn as well as they will if they are receiving healthy meals. The typical high carbohydrate breakfast of cereal, toast or toaster pastry makes the brain groggy and less ready to focus on academics (Arnot, 2001). Breakfast, snacks and lunches that contain protein will help the brain be turned on and ready to learn. Children need access to water throughout the school day to avoid dehydration. When the brain is focused on maintaining body health it won't be focused on math or reading!
Every child who walks into your classroom has an innate potential. Schools can help children reach their individual potential by creating environments that recognize that boys and girls, while needing to learn many of the same things, may need to learn those things in very different ways. Ongoing research will help us identify best-practice strategies so that curriculum can be implemented to ensure each child learns to the best of his or her ability.

How will we know if we are reaching the boys and the girls? Are they excited about learning? Are they developing positive social relationships with peers and teachers? Are they learning self-control and developing self-confidence? Do they trust the adults in their life and know where to go when they have questions and need help? If we can answer yes to these questions, academic success will be a given. The Gurian Institute helps parents, teachers, administrators, social workers and others working with children by training them to understand the nature of boys and girls and the implications of gender in the brain. Together we can get to "yes."