, Males and females are equal in their common membership of the same species, humankind, but to maintain that they are the same in aptitude, skill or behaviour is to build society based on a biological and scientific lie.
- ANNE MOIR AND DAVID JESSEL, BRAIN SEX
It’s a fact that boys and girls are different and that they learn differently. This idea does not come from hearsay or idle talk but from numerous scientific studies which clearly distinguish the variations in male and female brains. It is important to realise that “brain development is best understood as a spectrum of development rather than two poles, female and male”( Gurian et.al, 2002). Girls usually lean towards the female spectrum and boys towards the male but there may be boys or girls at the opposite end of the spectrum (Gurian et.al, 2002). Scientists study five different areas of brain differences: structural differences, chemical differences, hormonal differences, functional differences and emotional differences.
Structural Differences: Gurian et al in their book “Boys and girls learn differently: A guide for teachers and parents” have said that girls brain matures before boys. Therefore preschool girls have more complex verbal and reading skills than boys. The most established difference is the corpus callosum which are the nerves connecting the left and right hemispheres. This is “20 percent larger” in females (Gurian et.al, 2002).Therefore females and coordinate better between both sides of the brain. The development in the frontal lobes is also faster in females (regulation and decision making) and the occipital lobes (sensory processing). Consequently males take in less sensory signals than females and are more likely to act impulsively. Boys also have more development in areas of the brain hemisphere and therefore improved spatial strengths such as mechanical designs and reading maps. Because of the differences in the basal ganglia, males respond faster to changes in their physical environment. Males also have a larger Amygdala which is the part of brain responsible for processing emotions and therefore males may be more aggressive and reactive (Gurian et.al, 2002).
Chemical differences: Males and females have different amount of neurochemicals in their brains. The most significant difference is the amount of serotonin secreted by each brain. The male brain secretes less serotonin therefore making boys more likely to be fidgety and more impulsive. Serotonin also causes a person to sit still therefore less serotonin in boys means they are more likely to move than sit. Oxytocin is also produced more in females making them have much more maternal instincts (Gurian et.al, 2002).
Hormonal differences: Males and females have the same hormones but the difference arises from the degree of dominance of each hormone. Females are powered by the hormone estrogen and progesterone, whereas males are dominated by testosterone (Gurian et.al, 2002). Boys who have high testosterone are more aggressive, competitive and independent. Boys with less testosterone are more sensitive and softer in their demeanor. Increased estrogen in females makes them less aggressive, competitive and self-reliant (Gurian et.al, 2002).
Functional differences: Male and female brains function differently. Boys use the right part of their brains more and girls the left part. The resting female brain is shown to be even more active than an active male brain therefore having a greater learning advantage. Boys tend to do better at “spatial tasks and abstract reasoning” whereas girls are better at “memory and sensory intake” (Gurian et.al, 2002). Research also shows that females react to pain more strongly and that males and females taste things differently.
Emotional processing differences: The female brain processes emotions faster than the male and also verbalizes them quickly. Therefore boys may take a longer time to process emotions and therefore may be at risk for increased stress and depression. Boys may be more fragile after an incident than girls and therefore require support to deal with emotions (Gurian et.al, 2002). Understanding the way the brain works is important in not only appreciating the variances of the brain but also can help educators ensure better learning processes for both boys and girls.
References Gurian, M., Henley, P., Trueman, T., & ebrary, I. (2001;2002;). Boys and girls learn differently: A guide for teachers and parents. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.