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1. How significant are the changes in learning rates between genders?
Why is this happening now?
2. Is a learning problem related to IQ ?
3. Why do scientists believe that verbal strength for girls and mechanical strength for boys is not socially created?
4. What diagnostic tools are used to document cortical changes in boys and girls?
5. Do boys and girls ever catch up to each other in terms of cortical development?
6. What is the difference between a learning issue and a learning disability?
7. Can a reading disability disappear?
8. Will students who need extended time everbe able to complete tasks within a time limit?
9. Why does it take longer for females to complete math problems than it takes males?
10. Do students with learning disabilities also lack basic skills?
11. Are there differences in the cerebral cortex of right and left handed individuals?
12. Why can't we use an MRI instead of educational tests to understand how someone learns?
13. What can teachers do to compensate for cortical differences between genders?
14. How can a student improve attention?
15. Can we change brain function in adults as well as in children?
16. Why are boys diagnosed with more learning problems more than girls are?
17. What are the academic areas of strength for boys? What are the areas of academic strength for girls?
18. Where can I find memory techniques that will help students?
19. Why is it helpful to have boys and girls in different classes?
20. What effect does stress have on learning for boys
and girls?
21. Studying what specific areas will help students perform better on tests?
22. What motivates boys and girls?
23. How do boys and girls respond to criticism?
24. Why are females better with simultaneous processing?
25. What helps boys attend?
26. Why do boys have more difficulty with attention and often appear less mature than girls do?
27. What kind of support do boys need?
28. What is the difference between low motivation and a learning disability?
29. Can emotional issues change academic function?
30. How can I tell if my child needs medication?
31. So, say my son finally is 30 years old. Is his brain mature?
32. How come so few girls have ADHD?
The Ratio of College Graduates has moved from 2/3 Males to 2/3 FemalesIn the 1960’s most females studied teaching
and the artsToday they dominate almost all areas except
engineeringLiteracy difficulty has held males back in
many areas
Subject Male Female Reading 23% 7% Writing 25% 6% Mathematics 19% 17%
White Twelfth-Graders With At Least One College Graduate Parent Who Score "Below Basic" by Gender and Subject
Hispanic Twelfth-Graders With At Least One College Graduate Parent Scoring "Below Basic" by Gender and Subject
Subject Male Female Reading 34% 19% Writing 39% 17% Mathematics 40% 49%
African-American Twelfth-Graders With At Least One College Graduate Parent Scoring "Below Basic" by Gender and Subject
Subject Male Female Reading 43% 33% Writing 45% 24% Mathematics 57% 60%
Neuroscientists believe that boys are approximately 1.5 years behind girlsIn verbal development in Kindergarten and First Grade.
In 1976, Apple I released the personal computer. By 1980, technology changed the complexion of business. In 1995, Netscape opened the internet to the general public. The ability to communicate almost instantaneously changed the pattern of skills employers required in new hiresIn turn, this changed the expectations of college professors from students and these expectations trickled down to high school,middle school, elementary school and finally preschool.
The computer age has increased the importance of verbal ability. Whereas many middle management positions were previously supported by a secretary, today people in these positions have to do their own secretarial work.
A learning Disability Reflects a 2 SD Difference between IQ and Achievement
Technically this would mean that if an individual does not fall in the “Average” range for IQ, it would not be possible to diagnose a Learning Disorder (which is the technical term used by psychologists).
However, there are some individuals who get support for a disability which is a legal term.
People who ask this question are usually asking if disabled individuals who are not capable of performing certain academic functions would be allowed to entrance because of the accommodations they are being provided. The answer to this question is that the accommodations for someone would not allow enough compensation if a learning disorder truly existed.
Brain Differences between gendersare evident In utero
– before the baby is born, when it is still developing in the mother or during what
scientists call the gestational period.
The Same Gender Specific Learning Pattern is Found in the Animal Kingdom
Female Rhesus Monkeys are More nurturing and less able to perform spatial tasks than males are
In the male monkey, cognitivefunction begins to deteriorateearlier than in female monkeys.
Scientists Use a Number of Different Types of Tests
The Pet Scan measures metabolic rate.The following shows the metabolic rate of
two individuals engaged in the same activity.One of these individuals has been diagnosed
with ADHD.
The PET Scan Shows Metabolic Rate Which measures the Amount of Glucose Used.
The MRI Has Been Available to Researchers for Several YearsIt shows the anatomy of the brain.The functional MRI shows the amount of
oxygen used by the cortex while performing an activity.
Most of the time the activities that have been studied are verbal tasks.
Nonverbal tasks can be performed by various parts of the cortex, making the use of this instrument difficult.
MRI studies brain anatomy. Functional MRI (fMRI) studies brain function.
MRI vs. fMRI
fMRIThe functional MRI
With the fMRI, the information that scientists obtain includes watching the process of what happens in the cortex during an activity. The fMRI creates a number of slides which, when placed together, create a movie showing second by second cortical activity. The movie produced by the fMRI gives us information which is more explanatory than an x-ray or PET scan.
It Depends What “Catch Up” MeansBecause individuals usually continue to study what
they do best and avoid what is difficult, they normally favor tasks that were easier when they were in childhood.
The physiology of the brain will catch up in most areas.
However there are some cortical differences that remain. For example, the Corpus Callosum is 20-25% larger in the female, making simultaneous processing easier. The IPL in males is larger than in females which means that mental math is easier for them.
Normal Distribution
Average
-1
-2 +1
+2
With a learning disability there is a 2 SD difference between IQ and achievement. So an individual who’s IQ emerges at +1 on the IQ would have to score at -1 on anachievement test in order to be diagnosed with a learning disorder.
With a learning disorder there isno criteria because there is no diagnosis. The individual is notentitled to accommodations.
Do Reading Disabilities Disappear?
Was Saw
Dyslexia
Beautiful
Sound Symbol DifficultyPhoneFone
Individuals with reading disabilities may exhibit poor recognition of the written word, slow oral/silent reading, many mistakes in oral/silent reading, and poor comprehension of what has been read. They often have difficulty finishing exams within an allotted time because it takes them longer than the average student to sound out words. Sometimes the process of sounding out words interferes with comprehension. As a student progresses, word recognition becomes the basis of reading and students who “sound out” words tend to have less difficulty. Technically the reading disorder does not disappear, however,it may no longer interfere with functioning.
As an individual progresses in school words become longer and more complex. This makes Dyslexia less problematic.
Will Students Who Need Extended Time Ever Become Quicker With Processing Speed?
As tasks become more familiar, the need for extended time will likely disappear.
New tasks may always require more time.Organization may always require more time.
Hemispheres of the Brain
In women the connection betweenhemispheres is larger.Women tend to make math problems verbal. Males solve a math problem directly.
Asymmetry – difference in size. The difference in size of the brain hemispheres in men is greater than the difference in the size of the two hemispheres in women. In both genders, the left hemisphere is larger than the right.
Women tend to use verbal mediation when solving a math problem. Men solve it directly. Women tend to use both hemispheres to solve math problems, men use only the right hemisphere.
Students with Learning Issues Often Lack Basic Skills
Sometimes students will basic skill problems are erroneously diagnosed as LD.
Students with LD tend to take a great deal of time doing homework, and therefore, they are not made to fix basic errors.
Sometimes parents and teachers believe the student is
“already trying hard enough,” and the student’s work is accepted.
Left Handed and Ambidextrous Students Often Have a Different Cortical Pattern than Right
Handed StudentsSometimes Verbal Skills are in the right
hemisphere of the brain. Sometimes both hemispheres share functions that would only be expected to be housed in the left hemisphere or visa versa.
Sometimes, however, there is no difference in where the information is stored.
The fMRI is a Very Brief Look into Cortical Function
Other tests such as the PET scan or Xray give the practitioner no information on function, only structure.
Brain function is very difficult to measure without information on IQ, emotional functioning, etc.
The fMRI has given us a great deal of insight into function, but it does not replace functional tests.
Types of Tests to Assess Learning and Other Functions
Educational Tests – Achievement Tests (final)IQ Tests – Aptitude (Wechsler) Medical Tests – (X ray, functional MRI, CAT scan,
PET scan, etc.) shows physiology Neuropsychological Assessments – (Luria
Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery) – shows functioning
Psychological Tests – (Beck Depression Scale) Depression, Anxiety
Specialty Tests – (Nelson Denny Reading Test) level of achievement First
What Helps All Students Learn?Attention Cues, Goals, OrganizationMultiple chances for successChoices – reading material and assignmentsTeaching the importance of detailsKnow how to address issues that relate to
gender differences, for example, feedback, encouragement, honesty, etc.
Know the gender strength, and make appropriate accommodations, i.e., challenge boys and give them reality checks, encourage girls.
Know Specific Gender DifferencesEncourage computer use particularly for femalesEncourage females to play with puzzles without
having time limitsConnect Science and Math to the real world
especially for femalesBe aware that noise is more distracting to girls
because their hearing is more acute, even though boys typically are more easily distracted.
Know that ADHD presents differently in boys and girls. ADHD girls are labeled low achievers; boys are labeled as behavior problems.
Improving AttentionHave the student understand the importance
of attentionLet the student sit near the presenter
(teacher)Pre-read, go over the lecture immediately
afterwardsUse interactive techniques to studyTurn headings into questions when readingLet the student become aware of the
modality best suited for learning and use itIf it doesn’t work, use ANYTHING else
NeoplasticityEvery time you perform a function, you change the neuronal
format of the cerebral cortex.Every time you try something new, you rearrange or create
new connections.When you continue to perform an activity you strengthen the
neuronal connections associated with that specific task. When you stop performing an activity the neuronal
connections used with that task become continuously weaker.Brain functioning is always changing in young children the
neurons are forming and/or falling off, in young adults there is more formation, and in older adults there is decreased functioning in spatial functioning.
Neoplasticity is harder to create in individuals over 40 years old. This has major implications for cortical injury
In females, the right side of the brain is almost the same size as the left. While most verbal functions are housed in the left hemisphere, women have some verbal functions housed in the right hemisphere. The tendency for women to use both hemispheres suggests that some verbal skills are duplicated in the right hemisphere. This may explain why fewer females are diagnosed with Reading Disorders.
Boys Lateralize Brain Use Girls Generalize
In addition to a larger right hemisphere, females have a larger corpus collasum, which is the structure that connects both hemispheres. So females have better access to both hemispheres as well as more storage in the right hemisphere.
Why are Boys Brains More Vulnerable?• Brain scientists believe that the slower growing
cerebral cortex of the male makes him more vulnerable to the environment, and that’s one of the reasons that there are more learning problems in males.
• Researchers recognize that brain function decreases after middle age; it decreases more quickly in males.
• Scientists recognize that women are protected against heart disease (atherosclerosis) or what lay people call hardening of the arteries. They believe the brain is also protected from deterioration by the same mechanism.
Directions
Women use the right parietal cortex.Men also use the left hippocampus, a nucleus
deep inside the brain which is not activated in women’s brains during navigational tasks. The left hippocampus automatically codes where you are in space.
The parietal lobes are large, and different segments of the lobe have specific responsibilities. For example, the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) is implicated in spatial and mathematical reasoning. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have reported the inferior parietal lobule is significantly larger in men than it is in women. The left side of the IPL is larger in men than the right side. In women, this asymmetry is reversed, although, just as with other parts of the brain, there is less asymmetry in women. The right side of the IPL was discovered to be larger in Albert Einstein’s brain as well as in brains of other physicists and mathematicians than it is in other individuals. Researchers speculate that IPL size correlates with mental mathematical ability (symbolic working memory).
Strength: a relative male strength
Hearing: a relative female strength
Boys Lateralize Brain Use Girls Generalize
This means that girls use both sidesof the cortex which slows down processing speed when solving mathproblems. However they are better at simultaneous processing tasks. Girls see more details of a problem which often compromises their ability to choose correctly on multiple choice tests. Boys are less adapt at verbal tasks and this compromises their ability to answer essay questions.
Men are better at sticking to the point.
Men use fewer words than women on a daily basis.
A husband looking through the paper came upon a study that said women use more words than men. Excited to prove to his wife that he had been right all along when he accused her of talking too much, he showed her the study results. It read “Men use about 15,000 words per day, but women use 30,000”. The wife thought for a while, then finally she said to her husband “It's because we have to repeat everything we say.” The husband said "What?" (mistupid)
Challenge boys. Don’t challenge girls. Girls get upset by challenges. Girls want to work together and be friends. Boys want to be challenged. They want to win. Say to a boy, “I wonder if you can go through 3 weeks without missing one homework assignment. If you do? maybe we can go golfing together.” (Or you will put away so much money for when he wants to buy a car or whatever.)
The Bruno Memory Method
The Bruno Memory Technique
Each number is translated into a letter
1 = T
And a symbol
An N has two points
2 = N = Noah
An M has 3 points
3 = M + May
Four
4 = R = Ray
May
and
Ray Rhyme
Five
5 = L = Law
Seven
7 = K = Key
Eight
8 = F = Fee
Nine
9 = P or B = Bay
Zero
0 = Z
Eleven
You can add any letter you like between The two letter to create a NOUN
11 = TT = TOT
Twelve
12 = TN = TAN
Thirteen
13 = TM = Tomb
Eighteen
18 = TF = Taffy
Twenty Four
24 = NR = Nair
1 Venus is the only planet to rotate clockwise.2 Walt Disney was afraid of mice3 The song Happy Birthday is copyrighted4 No two zebras have stripes that are exactly
alike 5 There are more than 50 different kinds of
kangaroos. 6 A chimpanzee can learn to recognize itself
in a mirror, but monkeys can't. 7 About 10% of the world's population is left-
handed
8 A woodpecker can peck twenty times a second
9. Dolphins sleep with one eye open! 10. A jellyfish is 95 percent water! 11. Fingernails grow nearly 4 times
faster than toes 12. The vocabulary of the average
person consists of 5,000 to 6,000 words 13. The average person laughs about 15
times a day.
14. All polar bears are left handed. 15. Ants don't sleep 16. The fear of animals is called zoophobia 17. Women blink twice as many times as men
do 18. The strongest muscle in the body is the
tongue 19. Coca-Cola was originally green. 20. The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters.
21. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
22. A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
23. Hang On Snoopy is the official rock song of Ohio.
24. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
25. Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
26. 93% of all greeting cards are purchased by women.
27. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.28. Maine is the toothpick capital of the
world. 29. On average, an American family sends
and receives 28 Christmas cards each year.
30. On average, the life span of an American dollar bill is eighteen months.
The right hemisphere is involved in hands-on activities and helps an individual understand the "big picture." It allows the individual to appreciate spatial perception. The functions of this hemisphere help individuals see patterns and weigh possible solutions. The right hemisphere is used for tasks that demand imagination, insight, risk taking and future planning. For this reason, functions of the right hemisphere are particularly important in business.
Gender Specific Activities – activities that are usually engaged in by a specific gender
Girls Boysmusic and art sportscooking mechanicsnurturing leadership
writing math play house rough house
What Affect Does Stress Have on Learning for Boys and Girls?
Exposure to stress has diametrically opposed effects on males and females.
Moderate anxiety improves the learning curve of males, and impairs the learning curve of females.
Fear of humiliation impairs learning for both genders.
Factor Analysis Indicates that Studying Vocabulary is the Most Effective Way to Increase Academic PerformanceIncreasing vocabulary is the most effective
means of increasing test performanceRemind students to underline vocabulary
wards on the border of the pageRemind students to look at the Chapter
ReviewIncreasing writing ability also increases
academic performance, but not to the same degree as increasing vocabulary.
What Motivates Boys and Girls to Perform Better?
Boys are less concerned about pleasing adults, such as parents and teachers. They respond better to financial rewards.
Girls will perform for the sake of pleasing teachers and parents.
CriticismBoys tend to compartmentalize suggestions; Girls tend to globalize them.Confrontation works well with boys, they see it
as a direct challenge. Girls do not respond as well to direct
confrontation.
The Corpus Callosum
The portion of the brain that connects one hemisphere to the other (the corpus callosum) is larger (20 to 25 percent) in females. Therefore, there are more pathways to exchange information between hemispheres in females.
Keep boys active. They learn through activity.
Put them on a soft couch and they may enter the
nothing box.
How to Approach a BoyWith boys, stay away from feeling questions:
Don’t ask what we feel… we don’t know and it doesn’t work.
Encourage boys to read anything they are interested
in. Boys like gory stories, stories about people, stories
about sports. Remember that any kind of reading will help a boy get better at reading skills and ask him about it
later.
Frontal LobeThe Frontal Lobe is the executor of the brain.It helps with organization, planning, and
attention.It begins to mature earlier in females and
may continue to mature in males until age 30.
The faster development of the frontal lobe makes it
easier for girls to be organized and to pay
attention.
Boys need more space personally, when they are calculating math problems, for homework.
Boys should use graph paper with math. Boys do not always make smart decisions. Boys need adequate monitoring especially
when they are doing something that is frustrating and difficult for them.
Boys do not read social or academic cuesBoys have more trouble managing time.
Know that attention and concentration is very difficult for boys. They do not think the way girls do. They do not
consolidate material the way girls do. If you tell them something like, take the bus home, especially if they are
doing something else like packing up their things or getting out of the car … say… “What did I say?” Or “This is
important,” or “Could your repeat what I just said?”
Be specific when you are talking to a boy. If you tell him to put away his shoes which he left by the door, he’ll go get his shoes and
he’ll leave his book bag there even though it is right next to his shoes. Challenge him by
asking him how many of his belonging he can find and put away.
The Difference Between Low Motivation and a Learning Disability is Often Hard to Discern
Without TestingStudents who have a learning issue often
become very frustrated and develop low motivation.
Low motivation in almost any student signals some type of problem whether it be emotional, physical or educational.
Low motivation in males has been known to start with academic difficulty and because of ongoing conflict with teachers and parents, begin to incorporate other relationships and employment.
Emotional Difficulty Can Affect All Life Activities
Emotional upset are often time based, that is, they only last for the period of time that there is a stimulus – like a pending divorce.
Sometimes emotional states are organic and demand medication. These kinds of difficulty can be long lasting. This type of difficulty can be seen with Bipolar Disorder.
Depression and Anxiety are usually treated a variety of ways: exercise, rest, nutrition, relaxation exercises, psychotherapy, and medication are often included.
Medication with Children is Often a Controversial Issue
This is particularly true with young childrenThe issue should be properly identified using
psychological and medical testingPhysicians are like parents in many ways.
Some prescribe more readily, some are more circumspect. If you feel your child is having serious difficulty medication can often ameliorate the symptoms. If you feel uncomfortable with the advice you are getting, seek a second opinion.
Males Can Be FrustratingEven at 30. Technically your son’s brain has
most probably stopped maturing, but it has not stopped changing. The brain changes every time an individual performs a specific function, or if the individual stops performing a specific function.
What has occurred is that your son should be able to pay attention and plan. But be advised that motivation plays a very important part in functioning. If your son has a reason to function and/or if he likes what he is doing, than his performance may surprise even you!
How Come So Few Girls are Diagnosed with ADHD
Girls have different symptoms than boys do when it comes to ADHD.
Girls tend to try to please so they are less apt to tell anyone they are having difficulty, and are often labeled “low achievers.”
Girls are often diagnosed when they are in their teens, or even later.
Girls do not present with hyperactivity as often, and therefore, they do not demand the attention that ADHD boys require.
How Come So May Boys are Diagnosed with ADHD
Sometimes young boys are diagnosed with ADHD because of an immature frontal lobe and slow growth of the myelin sheath.
The teacher’s ability to present in an organized fashion and in a manor compatible with the student can affect how well a student can attend.
The reality is that the ratio of boys to girls is likely closer, however, there are a number of factors that make ADHD hard to diagnose accurately.
