The head of Radford (Va.) University's Center for Brain Research, Karl Pribram, maintains that today's educational system often is unfair to young boys, who learn best by doing rather than listening. He says that, based on general brain differences, males and females learn best from different learning styles, particularly at an early age.

Just as a person's face or body can grow at different rates, the brain tends to grow at an irregular rate. Pribram explains that male and female brains grow according to different patterns, with the brain's frontal lobe developing more slowly in males than females. (The frontal lobe is the part of the brain responsible for establishing priorities and deciding what is appropriate or practical.) "Male brains develop from the back and work forward. Females start in front and work back."

Statistically, young schoolboys are identified as having behavior problems in far greater numbers than girls and they're much more likely to be diagnosed as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). "One reason for that is that the current system is not designed for boys. Eventually, boys can catch up, but in the beginning it's very difficult for them and I'm afraid many simply give up and decide school isn't for them."

A recent study found that many girls preferred same-sex schools, but there was no measurable academic improvement from being taught in an all-female environment. "That makes sense because young females have better language skills and our educational system is already language-dominant," Pribram points out. "The best question is not whether same-sex schools can help girls academically, but whether we can help both boys and girls by expanding our approach to education."

Language-dominant education, which requires students to sit still, is disadvantageous to girls because it plays on their strengths without encouraging them to develop the spatial skills that eventually can help with abstract mathematics. "I think both males and females could benefit from learning approaches that require spatial manipulation. Boys would benefit because they would enjoy school more, and girls would benefit because education that involves action helps stimulate the part of the brain involved in developing mathematical skills. Under the current system, it's too easy for girls to rely on their language skills."

Pribram adds that it's important to remember there are always exceptions to gender-based brain differences. "The brain is very malleable and responsive to outside stimuli. None of this is immutable."

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Source: USA Today Magazine, Sep98, Vol. 127 Issue 2640, p9, 2p.
Item Number: 1073402