Michael Gurian is a therapist, educator and best-selling author. He is also the founder of the Michael Gurian Institute whose Missouri-based pilot program utilizes the findings and concepts revealed in Boys and Girls Learn Differently: A Guide for Teachers and Parents. In Boys and Girls Learn Differently, Gurian (2002) maintains that our politically correct androgynous approach to learning at home and in the classroom is scientifically misguided. Gurian maintains that from preschool to high school, brain differences between males and females mandate new classroom structures and teaching approaches. By teaching both genders in the same manner, Gurian maintains that teachers are doing one or the other gender a disservice. This is particularly true because the majority of teachers are females who relate better to how the female brain functions. Among the most important findings of differences between makes and females are:
Boys need movement to activate their brains and manage and reduce impulsive actions.
Girls don’t need as much movement and manage boredom better than boys.
Boys typically like to study in silence.
Boys are better at abstract reasoning.
Boys learn math better on a blackboard.
Girls enjoy learning math through concepts they can control.
Boyd like jargon and coded language.
Girls prefer to talk things out as they learn through ideas expressed in plain, everyday language.
These differences and others necessitate a change in both structure, content and style of teaching for girls and boys. Gurian provides a comprehensive illustration of the neurological, chemical, and hormonal differences between boys and girls. While the book examines the differences between genders, its main focus is on boys because of their tendency to be more difficult to teach and because they suffer from more learning and discipline issues. However, Gurian (2002) argues that girls have a “learning advantage” ...