Hi bloggers! My
name is Kendra and you may remember me from my post last summer Mary left me
for Michigan.
Now
you may not know this, but Mary and I are complete nerds, and we’re taking a
few online classes this summer. (I know, I’m regretting it some days too!) One
of our classes is on gender and how boys and girls learn differently. It has
been super interesting and opened my eyes to a few key differences that I
wasn’t conscious or aware of. As soon as I started reading, I was already
imagining my classroom and aspects that I would change/add. (Let’s be honest, I
was also saying “ah-ha!” to a few of the things my husband does on the daily).
I wanted to share a few quick ideas, since I know many of you are gearing up
for the school year already. Although I normally teach the “big” kids (5th
grade), I think these strategies can easily work in the primary grades too!
1. Lighting
Boys and girls work best in different light—this was a real
light bulb moment for me! I had no idea! Most girls work best in low light,
where as the majority of boys respond to bright lights better. How great would
it be to create different nooks in the classroom for girls and boys to use? I
can already picture a back table or area with lamps that boys can turn on when
they are working there.
2. Graphic organizers
If you’ve ever
dated a boy, this next difference won’t come as a shock (it will probably
confirm some long help suspicions you’ve had!) Verbal communication is strength
for most girls; where as boys often rely on nonverbal communication. This fact
totally explains the many boys I’ve had that have struggled with the prewriting
process in my classroom. An easy fix is to differ the process: allow girls to
discuss their ideas and then record them in writing on graphic organizers. For
boys, graphic organizers that allow them to draw pictures help them to recall
their ideas as they get ready to write. They even add extra details based off
of the pictures they started with.
How do you make
your classroom gender friendly?
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