Children: different ways of being and learning
The boys and girls They differ in their rhythms of maturation, in their interests, concerns, hobbies, ways of socializing, ways of reacting to identical stimuli, ways of playing, affectivity and behavior. All this causes them to have a different way of learning, so before a mixed class we will have to have the difference to go conjugating various ways of teaching lessons to stimulate one and the other.
The kids can be motivated with a ten who work better in the notebook, in addition to leaving a few minutes before the break. To the girls, presenting their notebooks on the class panel, in addition to receiving applause.
At home we can organize the study schedule in two ways: for children, more restless, we will allow them to play a little before studying (15 minutes) and venting, then duties (30 minutes) and before dinner between a quarter of an hour and thirty minutes to disconnect. The girlsIn general, they prefer to finish homework as soon as possible because they tend to "be anxious" more if they do not finish on time; so, we will propose that you study to later talk about your things with mom, read a book or help us with some task that we have to do that afternoon.
The differences between boys and girls are manifested in the male and female brains, in their structure and functioning (determined in turn by the influence exerted by the respective sex hormones) are those that mark the differences in learning ; they belong to the natural and biological order, but directly affect their personal development. Although we are all capable of reaching the same goal, if we take into account these differences and apply different methods, the final result may be better for both boys and girls.
Boys and girls: each one matures at their own pace
The ease of writing during the first years of school also lies in the greater development of fine motor skills. With reading and writing, girls have an advantage from the first moment, generating a certain degree of offense against boys. This precocious feminine, in infantile and primary education, has an enormous transcendence, because the most important subjects in these stages are precisely those related to the use of language.
It is important to take into account these differences in order to provide the necessary support to the boys, who are currently the ones who suffer the greatest deficits in reading comprehension.
1. Thus, for example, in 1st and 2nd of Primary, The teacher of a mixed classroom will find more male students with these difficulties and should spend more time reading individually with them at their table. In addition, it will encourage you to always have a book on hand to use when you finish other tasks. In the case of the boys it will allow them to be "mortadelos" or similar, since, so that they take a liking to the reading, it is worth almost everything.
2. In the second stage of Primary, 3rd and 4th, when working on reading, surely many more girls than boys will volunteer to read aloud. It's what they like most, so an effective punishment when they misbehave is not participating that day in the reading session with classmates. We must also know their tastes: in these ages children will choose "Geronimo Stilton" type collections and girls for "Kika Superbruja" type.
3. In 5th and 6th, stage in which oral and written expression becomes very important, we will continue to observe the greatest richness of vocabulary of girls. The teacher can propose topics for research by boys and girls, observing how some choose characters from history that stand out for their value, situations of risk, danger and for their great deeds; they for medicine, nature and literature.
Teen girls, kids boys
In preadolescence (girls around 10-12 years of age and boys between 11 and 13 years old), girls' psychic development also leads boys, which makes them more responsible, applied, persistent and, in short, mature. For this reason, inside and outside the classroom, it is in the last stage of Primary, 5th and 6th, when the differences between both sexes are more significant. The teacher will find better academic results in the girls, with more interest and attention in class and, in general, with a better attitude towards the study.
This uneven development provokes conflicts in the classrooms, because the children can feel despised by the girls who, in many occasions, laugh at their "infantilism" in their reasoning, behaviors and reactions. In addition, the interest in learning will also be affected, as girls are already becoming aware of their importance, while the boys are still thinking about "their pitched battles": football matches, competitions of all kinds, games of "polis and cacos ", etc.
Boys like competition
Children spend their time competing. They channel the aggressiveness provided by their hormonal flow in games of action, competition, dominance and leadership. The desire to win motivates, encourages, excites and nourishes their spirit of struggle and sacrifice. Chesterton said: "male games are competitive because it is the only way to make them exciting." The man, far from looking for, for example at work, harmony, cooperation and connection, his biological impulse leads him to the search for a status. The boys want and look for competition.
The classes structured around the system of demand and personal competence are a success for men, who feel stimulated by tension. The boys need to reach goals. This constitutes for them an incentive for their personal improvement.
It is necessary to exploit the natural competence of the boys in order to promote academic achievements. It is the task of parents and teachers to convert the typical masculine "combativity" into a healthy and effective competitiveness. In this sense, when putting tasks it is very effective to organize them by work groups, by objectives, where they are setting goals in which they struggle to gain positions, while learning to work in groups.
Without much difficulty you can discover natural leaders who know how to pull teams and stimulate group learning. For example, spelling championships can be organized, dividing the class into four or five teams with a captain in front of each one who distributes the work, specializing each member in the study of the rules, preparing questions for opposing teams and organizing difficulty strategies. You can also organize the search for information. The teacher will be able to take a lot of advantage and the competition will be able to give a lot of play, if there is the possibility of climbing positions in the classification.
The girls are more empathetic
The Girls are by nature more affective, supportive and collaborative. They are very aware of the problems of their partners. Competition not only does not activate them, but often blocks them and is counterproductive. The use of formulas in which collaboration and cooperation between partners plays an essential role is much more effective. Girls want to please teachers, have an intimate relationship, know their problems and understand them.
In numerous tests of empathy, emotional sensitivity, inclination to care and affection, girls and women obtain higher scores than boys and men. The biological origin of empathy is to a large extent related to a typically female hormone: oxytocin, which in turn is intimately linked to maternal behavior and which impels women to relate to others.
Maria Lucea
Advice: Almudena Narbón. Professor of the Montealto School. Master's Degree from the Institute of Education Studies.
José María Gil. Professor of the Retamar School. Pedagogue and Family Counselor.
