Teaching the Female Brain

How Girls Learn Math and Science

by Abigail Norfleet James

Number of pages: 208

Publisher: Corwin

BBB Library: Education

ISBN: 978-1412967105



About the Author

Abigail Norfleet James is a world-renowned teacher and expert on gender-based learning. She is also an in-demand speaker on how teachers, parents, and communities can better engage and teach the children in their classrooms, their families, and their neighborhoods.

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Editorial Review

Girls need your support, as there is so much in their lives that works against them to succeed academically especially in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses. They may not ever want to continue in these courses into college, but they should be given the chance to do well. The problem in the past was that society assumed that girls would not be capable in math and science and never offered opportunities. Girls can do well in math and science and many enjoy the subjects. Help those girls find the spark that may light their way to a career. In this book, we learn the differences and the similarities between how the female and the male brain work, and how that could reflect on the teaching and learning process.

Book Reviews

"James’ text is a wonderful resource for teachers and parents of girls. The practical suggestions for math and science teachers are an absolute highlight. If educators read and follow the encouraging suggestions in this book, more girls would be empowered to succeed in math and science.”—Kate Broadley, Researcher, Alliance of Girls’ Schools

"The book provides helpful tools for the novice teacher in determining which developmental and gender-appropriate learning strategies (often, those applied in gendered groupings) best address the diverse needs of the student population. The insights from the book are valuable, helping to close the gender achievement gap in math and science. "— Free Patents Online

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Wisdom to Share

With new visualizing techniques, we are beginning to be able to observe what parts of the brain are functioning when an individual is involved with a task, and we note that, in some respects, males and females do not process information in similar ways.

One way to help girls who are having problems with spatial rotation is to have models of the figures you are discussing.

What teachers need is information about how to recognize differences and how to differentiate approaches to learning based on those differences.

At least part of the problem with girls and math is that many just don’t like the subject and others have accepted the notion that girls can’t do well in math, so there is no reason for them to try to like it.

In the early years of school, girls and boys are equal in math ability and performance, but girls fall farther and farther behind boys as they progress through school. So, whatever you do, do it early.

Although we make every effort to give our students a variety of ways to demonstrate what they have learned, national standardized tests continue to benefit verbal learners.

From birth, the female ear is more sensitive to sound and can hear quieter sounds and higher-pitched sounds than can the male ear.

When girls look at the same picture after some of the items have been moved, they will be more accurate in finding the moved items than boys.

The source of gender differences should not matter to teachers whose only concern will be providing educational opportunities to all students in ways that each student learns best.

Girls are more likely to pay close attention to what the teacher finds important and prepare for that material on the test.