Week 4 Discussion - Change Our Boys or Change the System?

Everyone knows that boys and girls are different not just physically but mentally as well. When educating our students, it is important to remember that they are individuals with different personalities. Therefore, their instruction should be tailored to their learning style. It seems that girls are starting to outperform boys in education.  Since boys are struggling in their learning, it is only natural to think that the educational system needs to change in order for our boys to succeed in their education. Gurian and Stevens provide the reader with research that tells how the genders are hardwired during the early stages of development. Then those hardwires are really engrained through the interactions with others, who believe females act one way and males act another way.

Do you agree or disagree with their position?

I agree with their position that boys can’t be changed, because of their hardwired nature. However, if the educational system can change to improve learning for girls, it can be changed for boys as well. Boys will be boys and the educational system needs to make sure that the curriculum that is in place addresses the needs of boys. The change must begin with the teachers because they are the ones interacting with the boys in their classrooms. Teachers can be provided with professional development that focuses on making learning more hands-on with movement so, our boys won’t get bored.