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Articles and Online Commentary Parkside Elementary studies gender-based learning Parkside Elementary School is taking a closer look at the unique ways that boys and girls learn. Recent brain science studies revealed that boys and girls do not always learn the same way, and actually benefit from different approaches to teaching. When teaching does not address the different learning styles, children suffer, especially boys. According to Michael Gurian, founder of the Gurian Institute in Colorado Springs, Colo., boys all over the world are struggling in school, with lower grades, more discipline problems, more learning disabilities and more behavior disorders than girls. The same holds true at Parkside, where girls outperform boys in almost every subject area. In addition to Parkside Elementary School, The Gurian Institute is providing profession development training for Atlanta's two single gender academies, the Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy and the all-male Business, Engineering, Science and Technology (B.E.S.T.) Academy at Benjamin S. Carson. View article in the Atlanta Educator, Fall 2009 E-Learning's Gender Factor Tell a boy he needs to take a virtual math class that will focus on graphing, ratios, mean, and median, and the announcement might elicit a yawn. Then tell him that this online math class will use baseball to teach those concepts and, if he’s a fan, he’s likely to be enthusiastic. That’s what Jamey T. Fitzpatrick, the president and CEO of Michigan Virtual University, was banking on when his virtual school created the Mathematics of Baseball course. In partnership with the Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, N.Y., the course uses baseball statistics, base running, coaching decisions, and baseball-field design to teach mathematical concepts. “We designed this knowing there’s a hook there for boys,” Fitzpatrick says. “Our goal here is to figure out how to differentiate instruction and increase relevance, which is so important to gaining kids’ interest and desire to learn more.” "THE PURPOSE OF BOYS" is featured in the international publication "GULF NEWS" Celebrated US educator, therapist and author Michael Gurian believes it's time boys were given their due by helping them to become responsible citizens in society. In The Purpose of Boys, the final instalment of the boys trilogy, he offers plenty of tips to parents. One thing is certain: boys and girls are wired differently. I suspected this all along when I was growing up in a girl-dominated (I have four sisters and one brother) household. But now a groundbreaking book seems to validate my suspicions beyond all doubt. I remember most of the games we played largely centred around dolls, cooking, soft music and the like. If my brother came in grinning broadly though covered with mud and with his knees and elbows bleeding thanks to his antics on his bike, we would stare at him perplexed, wondering how getting battered and bruised could be fun. It has not changed much even after my marriage. I still see similar antics being performed by my two children both boys. But the shoe seems to be on the other foot now: as I try to hold my ground and struggle to capture the emotion of a romantic film above the din of friendly wrestling matches, the tuneless twangs of a guitar, loud thuds of a football ricocheting against freshly-painted walls, I realise how my brother must have felt when he was miserably outnumbered by his sisters. To view the article, click here "Successful Single Sex Classrooms" reviewed by Teachers Leader Association Let me start by saying that I am a little conflicted on this subject. I am definitely pro single-sex classrooms because I firmly believe (from my experience with all-girl afterschool clubs) that girls do better in them. But the problem is that I also agree with the AAUW position that single-sex classes can be a tunnel we don’t want to go down, as it can lead to segregation and “separate but not equal” programs. AAUW believes single-sex education without proper attention to civil rights protections can reinforce problematic gender stereotypes, increase discrimination, and restrict the educational opportunities open to both girls and boys. Even where programs are established for both boys and girls separately, they have tended to be distinctly unequal, with fewer resources allocated for girls programs. So, I accepted this book with a little skepticism, thinking that it would gloss over the issues, blame female teachers, and try to make all classrooms better meet the needs of boys, as that seems to be the politically correct concern these days. But I was pleasantly and professionally surprised. This book is very useful for all teachers, in that it really describes excellent instruction, with one of the best summaries of techniques and strategies for teaching and classroom management I have seen in a very long time. To view the book review, click here Are Jewish Boys In Crisis? At 15, Apollo Lev was the physical embodiment of healthy, rosebud youth, with cherubic features -- bright clear skin, plump lips, a faint smudge of pale cherry pink on each cheek. Despite his disheveled clothes -- hooded sweatshirt and jeans frayed within an inch of their existence -- author Malina Saval never guessed that her teaching assistant for fourth-grade Hebrew school was a recovering drug addict “who spent much of his early teens scoring speed in the alleyways of Hollywood’s boutique-laden Melrose Avenue.” Saval, a journalist and screenwriter who taught Hebrew and regular school between gigs, was fascinated by Apollo (not his real name, to protect a minor). How could this self-reflective, hyper-intelletual, culturally aware, music- and fashion-obsessed nonconformist have gotten into drugs at such a young age? “With his unique insights and cheeky witticisms, Apollo acted as my conduit into the thorny world of adolescent pop culture," Saval writes in “The Secret Lives of Boys: Inside the Raw Emotional World of Male Teens” (Basic Books, 2009). "He often functioned as a teen culture consultant, even drafting a glossary of terms and definitions.” Saval’s book is one of the latest tackling the subject of the crisis of teenage boys. They include “Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men” (Basic Books, 2007), by Leonard Sax; “Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different -- and How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men” (Celestial Arts, 2008), by Steve Biddulph and Paul Stanish; and “The Purpose of Boys: Helping Our Sons Find Meaning, Significance and Direction in Their Lives” (Jossey-Bass, 2009), by Michael Gurian. To view the book review, click here Creations Magazine reviews "The Purpose of Boys" In The Purpose of Boys, best-selling author Gurian provides more than just a guide for raising male children. His focus is on the broader context of how boys can begin to glimpse their future in terms of purpose, capability, and a sense of deserving. The author talks frankly about teaching the core values of character, morality and ethics, and why these elements are so vital to the proper maturing of a child–and to rethink the frantic schedules that often get in the way such teachings. In discussing the value of learning self-reflection, Gurian writes: “If a boy can’t sit silently in nature (or another quiet place) and look carefully at who he is and who he will become, he will not be fully capable of finding his destiny and purpose.” One of the other standout features is the emphasis not only on the individual, but on how a young man can “also serve humanity.” In this age of global need, the message of individual responsibility and collective cooperation cannot be implored enough. "Worried Your Kid Is Addicted to Video Games? Unplug the Xbox, and Get Him a Job" The news that almost 10 percent of kids show symptoms of addiction to video games makes this a great time for Michael Gurian’s new book. He has made a crusade and a career out of advocating for boys, who he feels have been neglected by schools and society in an effort to give girls long-denied opportunities. Boys without purpose are boys who spend the day racking up high scores on Grand Theft Auto IV. This might not be the best preparation for manhood. I talked with Michael about The Purpose of Boys: Helping Our Sons Find Meaning, Significance, and Direction in Their Lives (Jossey-Bass, $26.96), which aims to answer that question. To view the complete interview, click here Michael Gurian Helps Parents Understand Boys Boys will be boys. It’s a biological and neurological reality, according to Spokane therapist and best-selling author Michael Gurian, whose work is based on the latest scientific research on brain development. So what can parents, teachers and the community do to help boys focus their energy, meet their gender-specific needs and guide them as they grow up and become men? Perhaps a lot more than we’re doing now. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, boys are 30 percent more likely than girls to drop out of school. They’re also more likely than girls to have discipline problems, be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, placed in special education and involved in violent crime. In his new book, “The Purpose of Boys: Helping Our Sons Find Meaning, Significance and Direction in their Lives” (Jossey-Bass, 272 pages, $26.95), Gurian offers parents and others a tool kit – a means to reflect on the role, or “purpose,” of boys and what adults can do to help shape a successful future for their sons. To view the article, click here Differences in Boy and Girl Babies: Do Gender Characteristics Begin at Birth? Place a baby boy and girl side by side and most likely the girl would seek a face to look at, while the boy's eye would be caught by something in motion, like a mobile. This is just one difference between the sexes, many of which begin even before birth. Beginning at birth, girls are slightly shorter and weigh slightly less than boys. But the differences are much more than that.
"Girls' skeletal systems are more mature, making them slightly more resistant to skeletal injuries," says Kimberly Parker, a registered nurse and early childhood expert at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. "Boys are not only more physically vulnerable during the first year of life, they are more physically active with behaviors like squirming, kicking and wiggling, which may lead to more accidents." As the mom of two boys and one girl, Lori Harasem of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, noticed considerable differences. "The boys walked sooner and were climbing on things, but I had both assessed at speech therapy because their speech seemed so delayed," says Harasem. "My girl is 18 months and was assessed yesterday and is way ahead in speech. [But] she walked later than the boys and has never climbed like they do!" Boys and girls also experience the senses differently. "PET scans and fMRIS have detected more than 100 differences between the male and female brain and this type of research is in its own infancy!" says Adie Goldberg, coauthor of It's a Baby Boy! (Jossey-Bass, 2009) and It's a Baby Girl! (Jossey-Bass, 2009). "Males and females demonstrate differences in sight, sound, smell and touch sensitivity within the first few days of birth. The male most sensitive to touch in the newborn nursery is less sensitive than the least sensitive female." To view the article, click here Michael Gurian says boys need societal nurturing, too Author Michael Gurian is the father of two daughters, but he says society has paid too much attention to girls, and now it's the boys' turn. He says some boys lose interest in school, have behavior problems or turn to violence and need direction. Gurian's latest book — which he says completes his trilogy on boys — is called The Purpose of Boys. Gurian, who is also a family therapist, spoke with USA TODAY about his ideas. To view the article, click here Helping Our Sons Find Their Purpose in Life Here's a guest post by Michael Gurian, a family therapist and corporate consultant who has written an interesting new book called "The Purpose of Boys" (Jossey-Bass/John Wiley, April 2009): As I write this, my father-in-law, Dean Reid, 85, has just passed away. “I’ve lived a good life, I’ve done my best,” he said a couple days ago. “Whatever happens, it’s okay.” I’ve been married to Dean’s daughter, Gail, for 23 years. Dean has been a powerful mentor and friend to me and our family. He has also lived a fascinating life. A bomber pilot in WWII, he was shot down after a bombing mission to Berlin. Injured, his crew dead, he limped northward across Germany, nearly made it to the sea for escape to Norway, but was captured by a patrol of German soldiers. He lived out the rest of the war in various POW camps, on scant rations, and in severe hardship. Dean did all this by the age of 23. When I interviewed him for my new book, he said, “I was never trying to be a hero, just do my job as a man.” When I asked Dean what this meant to him, he recalled, “I still don’t think too much about it: I just fought the war, came home, got to work, and raised a family. It’s how I repaid all the guys who died in the war. They died so I could live and do good in the world.” Most of our sons today are not like Dean. They don’t become men by killing others while they are not yet fully adults, fleeing captors, getting imprisoned, and suffering physical and mental discomfort at the hands of enemies. Most of our sons are living a different youth than Dean lived. But as Dean himself has noted: boys of today have a profound disadvantage over the Greatest Generation. In Dean’s words: “If they want to, these young guys can take twenty or thirty years to grow up, and a lot of them never do.” I believe Dean’s insight is a profound one. We as working parents have created a number of advantages for boys and young men, but also the new millennium is showing us a loss of purposeful boyhood and manhood. Millions of boys are “checking out” of school and service to others, care of family, responsible and honorable work, and successful life. Many are maturing late, if ever. For many, a sense of entitlement paralyzes their efforts to grow up... To view the complete commentary, click here
Did you know that newborn boys are less sensitive to sound than girls? Or that girls' brains are on average smaller than boys' brains at birth? To view the book review, click here. Boys, girls learn differently Understanding differences in the way boys’ and girls’ brains work can lead to both sexes doing better in school, parents and teachers learned at an educational conference on Friday. “The whole notion is to identify the way boys and girls learn and incorporate that in our teaching of children,” said Bruce Ivany, an assistant superintendent with the Abbotsford school district. To view the article, click here When Grandsons Are Out Of Control 'Twas the night before Christmas — and 5-year-old twins Caleb and Austen were tearing through the garage bouncing balls and bickering with one another. "You name it," says their grandfather, Ed Kazenko, 68, of Naples, Fla. At 9 pm the house fell silent; the boys were nestled, all snug in their beds, and, Kazenko says, "It was like someone had just shut off a loud stereo." Is There a "Boys' Crisis"? Boys will be boys, and have always been. But a number of educators, psychologists and authors believe that boys are made more rambunctious by the structure of the traditional classroom, which favors focused girls over antsy boys. As boys struggle to sit still, they fall behind girls academically, resent school more, and become even antsier. Many of today's classrooms are less formal than they were a generation ago — a plus for active boys. On the other hand, many schools have done away with recess to squeeze more academics into the school day, taking away the opportunity to cut loose that many boys need. Most families' home routines similarly work against boys, as parents demand that they do their homework quietly, and limit their playtime until their work is done. "If they’ve been able to hold it together at school, they often go crazy at home. The pent-up energy is dying to get out," says Kathy Stevens, grandmother of seven and co-author of The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons From Falling Behind in School and Life (Jossey-Bass, 2005). To view the article, click here |
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Well, when you find out you're expecting a boy and a girl, these things might be of interest. I always like new and interesting books on pregnancy and parenting, especially ones that offer a more, let's say, unique point of view. When I came across these two books (titled above), I thought how perfect they would be for anyone expecting boy/girl twins. They are definitely not your typical twin related titles, and would be a great source for any parent expecting a singleton boy or girl respectively. But, because of the distinct differences between boys and girls (and I'm not just talking anatomically) I believe these books could do wonders to prepare anyone expecting one of each, at the same time.