Boys Learn Differently Than Girls

Boys dealt harder learning curve
by Susan R. Pollack/The Detroit News

Dr. Gerald Shiener of Birmingham recalls how angry he'd get when his teenage son failed to turn in homework even though he'd completed the assignments.

"You'd find the finished papers at the bottom of the backpack," Shiener says, echoing the frustration of bewildered parents everywhere who encounter such behavior.

But as a psychiatrist, assistant Wayne State University professor and chief of consultation psychiatry at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit, Shiener knows that many boys often have a harder time "keeping it together" than girls because they lag behind at various developmental stages -- anywhere from 6 to 18 months, he says -- and don't catch up until their 20s.

"Adolescent boys developmentally are less organized, less self-disciplined and less able to plan for the future than girls," Shiener says. "It's really a question of being disorganized and lacking the ability to be self-directed at that age. They're in a different zone."

Yet while academic problems may flare up in middle school with multiple teachers, confusing schedules and mounds of paperwork, the seeds are planted long before then, says Bob Sornson, founder of Early Learning Foundation, a Brighton-based business that develops models for childhood success.

"Boys are at risk in American schools today more than at any other time," says Sornson, the former longtime director of Northville Schools' special education program. He cites significantly higher high school dropout rates for boys and higher test scores and college graduation rates in most major disciplines (other than engineering) for girls.

"Part of the issue is that we're putting greater pressure on teachers to teach more content to kids at younger and younger ages when not all children are prepared for the challenge," Sornson says.

"Boys in particular come into school about 1 to 1 1/2 years developmentally behind little girls in language skills, social skills and fine visual and motor skills. So essentially they come in more immature and school is harder."

Given such pressure, many boys fall into a pattern of early learning failure that sets the stage for future struggles not only in academics but in life, he says.

"We need to create classrooms that allow kids to work at the levels that they're capable of handling with a degree of success."

For starters, boys on average need more movement, and they're not as good at listening as are little girls, Sornson says.

"Little boys have difficulty hearing fast speech and processing speech at fast rates of speed," he explains. "At the same time, their capacity for sound discrimination is not well-developed at that age."

Combine that with the fact that most elementary teachers are female, with high-frequency voices, Sornson says, "and little boys are struggling simply to understand the words."

Learning styles
Each individual learns differently. Of the three basic learning styles, some students rely on one approach while others combine more than one. Here's a rundown:

Visual: Visual learners understand best by seeing and looking at information, including written directions, text, pictures, charts, diagrams and film. They may think in pictures and appreciate to-do lists, assignment logs and written notes. They need to see a teacher's body language and facial expression to understand a lesson, and often take detailed notes to absorb material.

Auditory: Auditory learners absorb information by hearing and listening. They learn best when directions are read aloud or information is presented and requested verbally. They respond to lectures and discussions, and by talking things through and listening to others. Tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances are important. They often benefit from reading text aloud and using a tape recorder.

Kinesthetic: Kinesthetic learners do best when engaged in a learning activity through touching, feeling, moving and doing. They acquire information fastest when participating in active or hands-on learning, such as a science lab, drama presentation, skit, field trip or dance -- anything that uses "manipulatives" or props. They may find it hard to sit still for long periods and may become distracted by their need for activity and exploration.