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Boys and Girls Together A Case for Creating Gender-Friendly Middle School Classrooms DAVID KOMMER

Are Boys and Girls Really Different?

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Looking closely at middle schools, two questions surface: Are boys and girls treated differently from one another? Should boys and girls be treated differently? In 1992 the American Association of University Women (AALIW) published a groundbreaking study about how schools were not meeting the needs of young girls. Their schools shortchanged girls in many ways: when questioned in class, girls were less likely to receive a prompt to clarify thinking if they answered incorrectly; boys were more regularly called on, and if not, they were just as likely to shout out an answer, leaving girls to sit quietly; and girls were not encouraged to take advanced math and science classes (AAtLW 1992). Perhaps not surprisingly, then, in their middle school years, girls stopped being successful in math and science. A large concern that must be addressed by middlelevel educators is the decrease in confidence that girls experience throughout middle school. One recent study shows that just prior to their entry into preadolescence, 60 percent of girls had positive feelings about themselves and their ability. Only 29 percent of high school girls felt the same confidence. (This compares with 67 percent of young boys feeling confident, and 46 percent of high school-aged boys having the same confidence.) Confidence fell during middle school (Santrock 2001). 1 am not suggesting that there is something toxic about middle school, but I am suggesting that while students are on our watch, we can and must do better. The AAUW (1992) study focused our attention on the issue of educational equity. It was difficult to argue with the findings, and teachers all over the country began to reevaluate their teaching in light of the study. Several years later, the AALIW found that significant progress was made, as evidenced by gains in girls' suc-

lose your eyes and picture an average grade school

class. Watch the boys and girls as they learn, interact, and deal with problems. Do they look alike in your mind's eye? Do they learn the same way? Do they interact with you and with one another similarly? Do they solve problems-both relationship and academic-in the same ways? Not likely. No, there appears to be a very real difference between boys and girls. What is the nature of that difference, and from where does it come? Moreover, if there is such a striking difference, are there things we should be doing in the classroom to accommodate for these differences? These are all significant questions that might affect the academic growth of our students. As young people move into adolescence, they begin to explore gender roles. Finding their way through this potential minefield is complicated and challenging for middle school students. The process of determining the variations in masculinity and femininity is largely a social function, not a biological one (Rice and Dolgin 2002). What it means to be a man, and what it means to be a woman, are communicated to children by all the adults in a child's life, including teachers. "Peers may play a particularly important role in the development of children's gender identities" (Rice and Dolgin 2002, 195). Boys and girls create very distinct cultures; when they are in same-gender groups they act and play very differently. Girls are talkative and cooperative, boys are competitive and physical (Rice and Dolgin). Teachers need to understand these differences and be purposeful in the treatment of each so as to send the healthiest messages to adolescents.

David Kommer is an associate professor at Ashland University. Copyright © 2006 HeldrefPublications 247

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cess in math and science (AAUW 1998) Nevertheless, the story is not yet finished, for it appears now the boys were also often the victims of our educational system. Consider the following gender questions: 1. Who is more likely to drop out of high school? 2. Who is more likely to be sent to the principal's office for a disciplinary referral? 3. Who is more likely to be suspended or expelled? 4. Who is more likely to be identified as a student needing special education? 5. Who is more likely to need reading intervention? The answer to all of the above questions is "boys" (Taylor and Lorimer 2003). Clearly, the educational system is discouraging some of them. However, even that conclusion is too simple; this is not a problem that can be solved with a quick fix. Looking again at the questions above, you might also add, "Not all boys are being discouraged/exhibiting behavior problems." And you would be correct: some girls also show these behaviors and problems. The evidence seems to show that, although there are differences in general, it is not possible to put all the boys on one side and all the girls on the other. In fact, there seems to be some type of spectrum with "maleness" on one end and "femaleness" on the other. Everyone exists somewhere in the spectrum, and generally boys cluster toward one end, and girls toward the other. This also has ramifications for classrooms. But, perhaps there is an effective way to address gender differences. So what do we do? The first thing is to become aware of the differences between genders. Once these differences are explained and accepted, educators must be proactive in the way boys and girls are treated in schools. This is not a call for separate schools, for we do not live in a gender-segregated world. Indeed, there are distinct advantages to educating boys and girls together appropriately, for in doing so, each gender will begin to see how the other thinks, feels, responds, and reacts. Such understanding is in itself a major goal for gender-friendly classrooms. We should also consider the nature of the differences between boys and girls. The question of nature versus nurture is always an intriguing one, but is similarly enigmatic as the one about the chicken and the egg. Most psychologists agree that gender differences may be a function of biological forces, but that they are also shaped by the environments in which our children grow up (Rice and Dolgin 2002). When studying this, it is helpful to observe some of the factors and look more closely at each. Brain Theory As you scan the room in which students are supposed to be reading silently, you see that most of the girls are engaged with their books. Because the reading is student selected, the

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girls have chosen the books that focus on relationships. The boys seem to be more easily distractibleand are not, as a rule, focusing their full attention on the text. Some read for a while, then gaze about the room. If they are reading, they are more likely to have selected action books or sports magazines. Boys and girls have slightly different brain chemistry that may cause each to think differently. While not yet conclusive, research has uncovered many intriguing possibilities that might provide some explanations. In addition to having slightly different chemistry, the structure of the male and female brain is actually different (Gurian 2001; Sax 2005; Sousa 2001). As most of us have learned, girls mature more quickly than boys, but what does this mean exactly? Gurian suggests that as the individual grows there is an increase in myelin, a coating that transmits electrical impulses through the nervous system. This accumulating coat of myelin occurs earlier in females. The most striking difference, Gurian and others suggest, is the system of nerves, the corpus callosum, which connect the right and left hemispheres of the brain. In females this structure is, on average, 20 percent larger than it is in males (Gurian 2001; Sousa 2001; Walsh 2004). Is this why females seem to be able to use both sides of the brain in processing information and are able to multitask more efficiently than males? Studies on boys and girls also point out some interesting differences in both hearing and seeing (Sax 2005). Studies reported by Sax indicate that girls hear at different levels-in effect, better-than boys. Other studies show that girls are able to read facial expressions more astutely than boys, and this difference is related to a different chemistry in the eye and corresponding receptor in the brain (Sax). Girls "tend to take in more sensory data than boys" (Gurian 2001, 27). Boys are more likely to engage in physically risky behaviors as a result. Although the effects of testosterone on the adolescent brain spark some controversy, there seems to be wide acceptance of the fact that testosterone leads males into more aggressive and risky actions than estrogen does with girls (Walsh 2004). "Girls and boys assess risk differently, and they differ in their likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors" (Sax 2005, 41). Might there be ramifications for this in the classroom? You bet. Walsh suggests that the initial burst of hormones that come earlier for girls gives their brains a head start in developing the prefrontal cortex, or rational part or the brain. This allows girls to engage in more complex rational thought than boys. By the end of adolescence, boys have caught up with girls. Girls tend to be less hemisphere dominant than boys, who seem to be largely right hemisphere dominant. As a result, boys are better at spatial tasks, which gives them an advantage in areas such as mathematics,

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graphs, and maps. Girls seem to use both sides of the brain and tend to be better at literacy-related activities (Guarian and Stevens 2004; Sax 2005). In addition to the structural differences, there may be differences caused by the hormones that each gender receives. While this is somewhat more controversial, there is some evidence that the progesterone that girls receive is a bonding hormone, and the testosterone of boys is much more aggressive (Gurian 2001; Sax 2005). It appears that boys receive about a halfdozen spikes of testosterone each day: these spikes may result in boys becoming more anxious, moody, and even aggressive. Estrogen and progesterone, the female hormones, rise and fall throughout the female cycle. Girls experience an increase in mood swings, as well, but they tend to be spread over time rather than the intense change that boys experience. Interestingly, there is evidence that during these hormone infusions in girls, they actually have an increased academic upsurge (Gurian 2001). In short, they are smarter during this peak. There are many more aspects to this emerging information on brain development and function. However, it should also be noted that although much of what we are learning about the brain is intriguing and may offer keys to helping both genders become more academically successful, perhaps there are other reasons that boys and girls are different. Social Differences As the school day begins, students are all congregated in class. They are not really moving to their workplaces as you would like, but are engaged with each other, seemingly oblivious to the fact that you have an educational agenda ready. So what is their agenda, you wonder? The girls all seem to be huddled in groups whispering and looking about to see who might be paying attention to them. The boys are much more physically active as four boys play a game of trying to slap the other's hand before the other moves it away. Others are playing "basketball" with clean sheets of paper rolled up and tossed at the wastebasket. Perhaps the issue does not lie in nature, but in nurture-that is, in the way we socialize our young people. "Society prescribes how a male ought to look and behave, what type of personality he ought to have, and what roles he should perform" (Rice and Dolgin 2002, 193). Girls receive these messages equally as strongly. All adolescents receive messages from adults as they grow: from teachers who encourage and discourage in word and deed; from signals sent by peers; and from the media that also contribute to their developing gender identification. Boys seem to present the most problems in the academic setting. They often are detached from the learning objectives and would prefer to goof off-or so it

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seems. Why do boys seem ready to respond to any problem by either silence or lashing out? In Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys, Kindlon and Thompson (2000) argue that boys have been miseducated. Boys get very conflicting messages from everyone: parents, peers, teachers, coaches, and the media. Boys do, in fact, feel they are told not to show emotions; they are told, "Big boys don't cry." And when they hurt, they are told to walk it off. Boys receive strong messags that they must be in control and that any show of emotion is unacceptable, with the result that boys are trying to put their feelings someplace where they will not be betrayed by their own emotions. What we are beginning to see is that boys, like girls, have many of the same feelings of inadequacy. Boys, however, seem ill-prepared to deal with these feelings, and often, the response from those who might guide them is that boys should "suck it up." Pollack refers to this as "boy code," which society teaches all young males as they grow up (1998). Indeed, the feeling that boys can handle the slings and arrows of adolescence with resilience and fortitude is a myth that has come to hurt boys. Given both the lack of an emotional vocabulary and permission to deal with their feelings, boys have difficulty understanding and controlling their emotions. The result is that we see both stoic and selfdestructive behaviors (Kindlon and Thompson 2001; Pollack). Girls also encounter a constant stream of messages, ones that have a strong influence on the way they succeed in school, deal with others, and feel about themselves as people of worth. As educators we must be mindful of these messages and head off the negative ones as much as we can. In Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, Pipher (1994) relates how young girls have an almost effervescent quality and a feeling that they can do anything. Somewhere in early adolescence, this buoyancy begins to erode. Is it the demand that girls begin to fit into the roles our society has carved for them that extinguishes that exuberance? Those demands are powerful influences. Girls begin to judge themselves relative to how they are perceived by the opposite gender. In the attempt to become what they feel others expect them to be, girls quickly lose their own. They hide their true selves to their friends and family (Pipher 1994; Powell 2004). Girls are "sugar and spice and everything nice." But during adolescence, this message is lost in a bewildering array of swirling images. They must "Ible beautiful, but beauty is only skin deep. Be sexy, but not sexual. Be honest, but don't hurt anyone's feelings. Be independent, but be nice. Be smart, but not so smart that you threaten boys" (Pipher, 35-36). Most girls like being at school, but there is strong evidence that, as a social institution, schools can dam-

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age girls at the same time that they educate them (Sax 2005). One reason might be that girls recognize that schools can be male oriented and male dominated; the books they read are most frequently written by men; they know the hierarchy of the school district is dominated by men; science classes frequently focus on male achievements; and math is presented as a male domain. Although our schools are becoming more aware of the sexist nature of education, there is still a great deal to do (AAUW 1998; Pipher 1994). As a social institution, schools can do a great deal to educate both boys and girls about the messages they receive everyday. For example, media literacy should be taught in all schools, so the culture of appearance is laid bare for all to see. Also, sexual harassment must be eliminated from school hallways and classrooms. Teachers need to be trained in gender issues so they can recognize the features that are detrimental to boys, girls, or both genders. Making Classrooms Appropriate for Both Genders The students are all in groups and they have projects each group has selected. You have carefully arranged the groups to allow for as much diversity as you can, and you told the students that is why they are placed that way. Within each project are a number of tasks which use several multiple intelligence strategies and learning preferences. It is your hope that each student can contribute to this project using his or her strength. The goal is not to treat boys and girls equally, but to create equity by purposefully addressing the particular needs of each gender. If you believe that education causes the brain to develop and change, then there are things we can do to offset the gender influences, whether they are biological or sociological (Sousa 2001). In the process, we can encourage students to develop more sensitivity and greater academic character than we are currently seeing. Our goal is not to try to make boys and girls the same; we tried that several decades ago. We might have more success if we teach boys and girls to respond to each other as people (Santock 2001). Creating a gender-friendly classroom does not mean that you create gender-specific activities, divide your classroom, or even insist on single-sex classes. Remembering that everyone lives in a bigendered world makes it necessary to teach your students ways to be successful in that world. Students should at some times have an opportunity to work in a gender-matched activity, while at other times they should learn to function in a more typical gender-mismatched one. This allows students to experience instructional times that are more comfortable for students when the activities are matched to their nature. But they also learn to function

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outside that comfort area when they are in a mismatched situation, and thus strengthen weaker areas. For teachers the imperative is to learn about the differences in gender. Teachers need to accept that learning occurs differently for each gender, and to measure out activities and experiences that favor one some of the time, and the other some of the time. Keep in mind that although some girls may be more linguistically advanced than boys, some boys are just as advanced. although some boys manipulate objects well and see patterns better than girls, some girls are headed toward engineering schools. So, to teach only one way for each gender would do a disservice to the boys and girls who do not fit the stereotype. When teachers plan learning experiences that favor one gender, they are also doing a great thing for the other. For as boys see girls appropriately modeling relationship behaviors, the boys learn how to be more sensitive and open. Likewise, when girls see the appropriate use of assertiveness that boys learn early, the girls see that this can be used to their advantage as well. Students appreciate knowing the reasons for classroom activities. Teach them the differences between genders and explain why you teach things a certain way (Casky and Ruben 2003). It has amazed me over the last several decades as we learn more about the brain how much we keep from our students. Teachers understand Bloom's Taxonomy, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, and other theories, but do not let the students in on the secret. Teaching young adolescents about the brain and brain chemistry helps them through these confusing times. Keep the parents of your students in the information loop as well. By educating them about these differences, they can support your activities at home. This entire concept would make a great parent education evening sponsored by a team. Begin exploring various gender-friendly strategies in your classrooms. Maintain a balance between competitive and cooperative activities, use gender as a consideration when you regroup, provide movement and energy release activities, build in character education lessons, call on students equally, be aware that some content may be intimidating to one gender or the other, use graphic organizers, provide effective notetaking strategies, provide gender role models, teach students how to be media literate, and provide a positive environment that is gender neutral-these are all ways to make your classroom gender friendly.

Conclusion In the past decade or so, much progress has been made in understanding the human brain, both physiologically and environmentally. We are now beginning to see that there may even be gender implications in the way the brain receives and uses information. These

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differences have implications for teachers striving to make learning more effective and efficient for students. Whether the differences are genetic, or social, or both is not as important to us as the fact that boys and girls do learn in different ways. The quest is not to crate classrooms that focus on one or the other gender. Instead, it is to purposefully structure our classroom so that some activities favor one gender's learning style and some favor the other's. Specifically, it is critical that teachers know the differences and structure the learning environment so that the students' work sometimes reinforces individuals' stronger areas, and sometimes strengthens a weaker one. We can use this new and exciting information to make students more academically successful and to make classrooms more gender-friendly. REFERENCES AAUW. 1992. lHou schools shortchangegirls. New York: American Association of University Women. ------. 1998. Gender gaps: Where schools still jail our children. New York: American Association of University Women.

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Caskey, M. M., and B. Ruben. 2003. Awakening adolescent brains. Middle Matters 12 (1): 4-5. Gurian, M. 2001. Boys and gils learn dijjerently! A guide jor leachers and parents. San Francisco: lossey-Bass. Gurian, M., and A. C. Ballew. 2003. The boys and gil Is learn dijerently action guide Jor teachers. San Francisco: lossey-Bass. Gurian, M., and K. Stevens. 2004. With boys and girls in mind. Educational Leadership (62) 3: 21 -26. Kindlon, D., and M. Thompson. 2000. Raising (ain: Protecting the elnotional liJe of boys. New York: Ballantine. Pipher, M. 1994. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the selves o] adolescent gills. New York: Ballantine. Pollack, W. 1998. Real boys: Rescuing our sonsf rol file nlyths ol' bo,yhood. New York: Random I louse. Powell, K. C. 2004. Developmental psychology of adolescent girls: Conflicts and identity issues. EIducation 125 (1): 77-87. Rice, E. P., and K. G. Dolgin. 2002. The adolescent: Developinent, r,lationships and culture. loth ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Santrock, I. W. 2001. Adolescence. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-I lill. Sax, L. 2005. Why gender itnaters: What parentis and teachers need to knoul about the emerging science of sex difJerences. New York: Donbleday. Sousa, D. A. 2001. 1 Ion, the brain learns. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Taylor, D., and M. Lorimer. 2003. H elping boys succeed: Which research-based strategies curb negative trends now facing boys? Educational Leadership 60 (4): 68-70. Walsh, D. 2004. Why do they, act that uay? New York: Free Press.

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TITLE: Boys and Girls Together: A Case for Creating Gender-Friendly Middle Sch SOURCE: The Clearing House 79 no6 Jl/Ag 2006 PAGE(S): 247-51 WN: 0618203859006 The magazine publisher is the copyright holder of this article and it is reproduced with permission. Further reproduction of this article in violation of the copyright is prohibited. To contact the publisher: http://www.heldref.org/

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