Looking Through The Eyes of Boys and Girls Dan Hodgins DKJ5075@aol.com Girls see the details of experiences…… The Crockus is Four times larger than boys. Boys Brains see the whole but not the details 34%of preschool children last year were expelled and 87% of them were boys 50% of eighth grade boys are more likely to be held back a grade Boys are 6 times more likely to be “misdiagnosed” with ADD or ADHD Boys are 4 times more likely to be labeled needing special education Boys are 7 times more likely to be labeled with reading or language delays Boys are more likely not to complete high school Boys are 4 times more likely to commit suicide 62% of the schools last year removed recess time 51% of the schools last year removed talking during lunch time Dobler, 2005) Core of Your Brain Boys have a thicker skull Skull Development Toddlers have a thick skull for protection. Normally as the child increases in age his/her skull decreases in thickness. The skull for males does not decrease in thickness. Boys Brains can be 12 – 18 months behind in development A boy’s brain develops from the back (the doing part) towards the front (the thinking part) Girl’s brain develops more from front to back. So, boys develop motor skills, their physical abilities, before they start to think about them. If boys are 12 – 18 months behind are we? Using appropriate strategies in the classroom for their developmental level? Using appropriate assessments based on their level not their age? Girls develop complex verbal skills one year earlier. All Learning Must go through the Corpus Callosum. It is a connection of cognition and emotion Girls Corpus Callosum is 3 times larger Warning!!!! According to Richard Lapchick, author of Baseball and your Boy, warns that “most coaches, who are male, lack even rudimentary knowledge of the emotional, psychological, social and physical needs of children.” Sam and Abdul were playing together in the block area building an airport for their toy planes. Sam pretended to land one of the planes and mistakenly knocked over the airport ‘tower’. Abdul yelled at him, “You dummy. You knocked over the tower!” Boys develop “sensory overload” earlier Sensory Stressors: Walls covered with “stuff” Environments that are filled with too many choices Signs that say “Be nice to your friends”; “Use Kind Words”; “Safety comes first, no running” Girls brains are always “on” Boys brains go into pause state after completing a task “Channel Surfing”(Ruben Gur) Males often “zone out” in front of the TV, channel-surfing and not stopping for any long term engagement. They are channel surfing as a form of brain-rest. Females, on the other hand, more often stop surfing at a drama that involves senses in which people are talking or otherwise in interaction and relationship. Washing Hands for Boys 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) Turn on water Pause Soap on hands Pause Rinse off soap Pause Turn off water Pause Dry hands Pause Pause Breakers: Shouting Spinning Jumping Running Clapping Boys Respond Better to Loud Voices If boys respond to loud voices Why are we always saying “use your inside voice”? Girls have more sensory awareness especially through touch Sensory Girls are better at using their senses to assist in memory development. Especially through their fingertips and skin. Boys work better in temperatures 10 degrees lower than girls Boys work better with bright lights, girls work better with dim lights Girls Sing in Tune more Frequently Boys are better at short term memory, girls are better with long term memory Boys don’t remember what you have told them. Each time an incidence happens, it’s as if it never happened before. Communication Patterns: 55% facial 38% voice tone 7% voice alone Girls by 5 years of age have 5,000 – 7,000 words Boys by 5 years of age have 3,000 – 5,000 words. Males emotional response is on the right side of his brain, while the power to express his feelings in speech lies over on the left side. Because the two halves are connected by a very small corpus callosum, the flow of information between one side of the brain and the other is more restricted. Girls use words as soon as they hear them…… Talking to Yourself increasing cognition by 72% Boys work out codes……. Boys relate language with action….. Stop the Pretzel Configuration Dirty Bill I know a man named Dirty Bill He lives in a house on garbage hill Never took a bath and never will Yuk! Yuk! Old Dirty Bill. You catch him, you snatch him You throw him in the tub You turn on the water And you scrub, scrub, scrub Chorus: You catch him, you snatch him You throw him in the sink You scrub off the dirt And the stink, stink, stink! Chorus: Peee yewwww!!!! 67% of Boys are Visual Learners Kindergarten Song Friends Friends, friends, one, two, three All my friends are here with me You’re my friend; you’re my friend; you’re my friend, you’re my friend Friends, Friends one two three all my friends are here with me. Boys Song In Kindergarten Boogers Boogers, boogers, one, two, three All my boogers are here with me. Here’s one booger, here’s one booger, here’s one booger, here’s one booger Boogers, boogers, one, two, three All my boogers are here with me! Yankee Doodle Yankee Doodle Went to town A riding on a spider Stuck an apple up his butt And peed apple cider. English and Social Studies Assignment for Seventh Graders – The Write Source 2000 Do you often compare yourself to someone else? “Sometimes” Do you compare to make yourself feel better? “No, I do not” Do your comparisons make you feel inferior? “No.” Writing for Boys: Usually includes action Less details Larger space needed Often relates to present tense Writing on the go! Researchers discovered that girls become better spellers if they first say each word and letter before they spell it, and then repeat each letter as they write it. Called “simultaneous oral spelling” Selecting Books for Boys Does the book encourage acting it out? Do the pictures suggest movement? Are there action words? Do the pictures have less detail? Can boys identify with the main character/s? Does it reflect different ages, race and abilities? Is there a beginning, middle and end? Make Sure Literacy Activities are Relevant….. Talking and writing about “Poop” is not just a word but a major life experience for boys……. Get Over IT. Books for boys: Arnold, Ted Barrett, Jodi Cooke, Trish Davis, Aubrey Downey, Lynn Feiffer, Jules Fox, Mem Horswarth, Werner Geroghty, Paul Ginsburg, Mira Grossman, Bill James, Simon MacDonald, Elixabeth Naylor, Phyllis Flourde, Lynn Steig, William Parts Things that are the most So much The enormous potato The fees sneeze Bark George Tough Boris The Mole in Search Look out Patrick Clay Boy My Little Sister Ate one Hare The Wild Woods The Wolf is Coming The king of the playground Pigs in the mud Pet’s a Pizza Computer Use for Boys Jane Healy, Failure to Connect Attention span problems may be due to early brain attachment to mechanical stimulation Imagination functions of the brain, do not grow as richly Reading and writing functions and verbal skills develop more slowly if young brains are mechanized too early Group Dynamics Cooperative learning is easier for girls to master in the early years Boys tend to focus on performing the task well, without as much sensitivity to the emotions of others around them Girls form looser organizations Boys spend less time than girls managing the team process, they quickly pick leaders and focus on goal orientation Girls in Groups: Congregate in groups more often Engage in talking Greet newcomers warmly Primarily interested in people Have a harder time saying goodbye or making closures Personal Responses: At four months old, most baby girls can distinguish photographs of people they know from photographs of strangers, boys usually cannot. A one week old baby girl can distinguish a baby’s cry from a background of general noise of a similar volume. Baby boys cannot. Boys in Groups Occupy large space during play Engage in rough and vigorous play Ignore newcomers More bodily contact Primarily interested in objects Less time to say goodbye or putting closures Inclusion in Groups Boys tend not to bother about whether or not they like any particular member of the group-he’s included if he’s useful. Girls exclude other girls because “they’re not nice”. Girls know and remember the names of their playmates; boys don’t often Learning: For boys all learning is: If it is not in the body it is not in the brain……. Learning For girls if it is not in the voice it is not in the mind………. Chris Is His Name Chris is his name and pushing is his game You can catch him pushing in the sun and rain He’ll be pushing high, he’ll be pushing low He’ll be pushing, pushing, wherever he goes So if you want some pushing and you don’t know what to do Baby Shark Baby shark, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Baby shark, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Mother shark, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Mother shark, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Daddy shark, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Daddy shark, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Grandpa shark, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Grandpa shark, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Sharks swim, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Sharks swim, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Sharks attack, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Sharks attach doot, doot, doot, doot, doot Chocolate Candy Chocolate Candy and Jelly Beans Put them in my pocket and put them in my jeans. Mommy washed the clothes and this is what she said “ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” Chocolate candy and jelly beans all over the washing machine. Testosterone Spikes Boys can have 2 – 10 spikes per hour depending on age Girls usually have 2 spikes a day Boys spikes are more common in the morning Girls spikes are more common in late afternoon or evening Boys release physical tension during a spike Boys react with energy or erections or both Roughhousing Style of interaction Physical greeting Common during a spike Nurturing No correlation between roughhousing and violence Game playing Allows a child the pleasure of using his own strength Non-verbal Types of Roughhousing Running into boxes Running through newspaper Climbing Motorboat, motorboat Capes, nets, ropes High fives Pushing and shoving Butt pushes Handshaking Swordfighting Quick and Easy Physical Activities for Boys Sky pulling Sky writing Lazy eights Ear openers Feet movements Mouth stretchers Boys gain control by being Physical Vivian Paley, Boys and Girls: Superheroes in the Doll Corner, 1984 wrote: Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader have the same domination as Mothers and Princesses. Boys play as Darth Vader involves lots of conflict and action. Girls play as mother and princesses involves lots of pesty characters that have tantrums, sisters quarrel, babies cry and mothers threaten and spank. Girls gain control by talking about it Art for Boys: Rubber band two or three brushes together Rubber band swatches Horse brush painting Massage instrument painting Dropping socks filled with sand onto paint Bottle brush painting Plunger painting Movement Props for Boys Arm stretchers Towel dancing Bag movements Newspaper toss Sword fighting (swimming noodles) Capes Broom handle music sticks Scooters Marshmallow shooters What Do Boys Need? A variety of movable objects Lots of space Visual routine Lower temperatures Roughhousing Running Power play Boxes for kicking School Rules for Boys Run Jump Dig to China Explore Talk Build higher then your eyes Tear down Pour Yell Saw Roughhouse Paint Imagine Measure Ponder Daydream Lead Be alone Visual Cues for Beginning, Middle and End Activities for Girls in the Classroom Digital cameras (taking pictures of themselves and others) Use teams more Small motor toys Personalize spaces Talking tubes “Feeling games” Books about feelings Dramatic play (helping fields) Harford Heights Elementary School, the largest elementary school in Maryland, have experimented with same sex classrooms since the mid-nineties The all boy classrooms encourage natural competitiveness and highspiritedness. “The boys become competitive rather than combative” Feelings - Girls Use emotion and cognition to solve problems Girls talk about their feelings Girls demonstrate empathy Girls see consequences faster Process pain and hurt more quickly Seek out assistance faster Enjoy cooperative activities Feelings - Boys Release feelings in quick burst of energy Has delayed reactions to problems Project feelings to outside space Go into “cave” Boys do not talk about their feelings Boys respond to empathy when it is part of a task Boys can become assertive or withdrawn GIRLS ARE SENSITIVE TO SHAME, BUT BOYS FEAR IT! Girls may be shame-sensitive, boys are shame-phobic; they see it has “loss of face” and will do just about whatever it takes to avoid shame. William Pollack, Real Boys Boys Do Not Talk About Their Feelings Empathy in boys must be demonstrated by a physical action Bonding and Attachment Must Occur Before the Child Turns Five! James Garbarino Infant boys are cuddled, talked to, and breast fed for significantly shorter periods of time than infant girls. Michael Gurian, A Fine Young Man Punishing the dominant child, as we often do, may need to be rethought. We are in fact, punishing him for being healthy. Thomas Boyce, University of California, Berkeley Bullying: Girls often bully by calling names, or telling stories Boys often bully by using physical force Discipline For Boys: Only talk about what you want them to do Allow for physical outlets of emotion Provide role playing Remember that sometimes boys are louder and give orders, ignore often Provide “caves” for cooling down Provide roughhousing opportunities Empathy must be related to a physical task Visual guidance Pirate Song When I was one, I had some fun On the day I went to sea I jumped aboard a pirate ship And the captain said to me Go this way, that way, forward, backwards Over the deep blue sea. James Garbarino Says: Boys need stability Boys need security Boys need affirmation and acceptance How Do Your Create? Stability: Security: Affirmation/Acceptance: How are you going to create a feeling of Belonging? Researchers demonstrated that the largest major factor protecting young people from emotional distress, drug abuse, and violence-other than the closeness they were able to achieve within their families – was “perceived school connectedness” Protecting Adolescents from Harm 1997. What supports are you missing in your classroom or school? Where will you begin? Side Effects of Attending This Workshop Hallucinations of men who “feel” Create more space for roughhousing Hair loss Snoring Compulsion to say “your in pause” A strong desire to become a pirate An urge to tell some male, “so that’s why you behave that way?” Better teaching Resources on Boys Caron, A. Strong Mothers, Strong Sons. New York: Harper, 1994 Goleman, D. Emotional Intelligence. New York, Bantam, 1995. Gurian, Michael. The Wonder of Boys. New York: Tarcher/Putman, 1996 Gurian, Michael. Girls and Boys Do Learn Differently. New York: Tarcher/Putman, 1998 Healy, Jane. Failure to Connect. Simon & Shuster, 2000 Kipnis, A. Angry Young Men. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999. Kohn, A. What to Look for in a Classroom. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 1998. Manthey, J. Creating Gender Friendly Schools. Peraluma, Calif, 1998. Moir A. & Jessel, D. Brain Sex. New York: Dell, 1990 Nash, J.M. Fertile Minds, Time, Feb. 3, 1997, ppg. 49-56. Pollack, William. Real Boys. New York: Random House Rimm, S. See Jane Win. New York: Three Rivers, 1999 Schicandanz, J. More then ABC’s. Sommers, C.. The War Against Boys. New York: Simon & Shuster, 2000.