Gender Differences in Learning and Education

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Gender differences occur in many aspects of a person’s life whether it is culture, politics, occupation, family and relationships, or the economy (just to name a few). One major difference in gender occurs in learning and education in the elementary and secondary levels. Research has found that males and females learn differently in many aspects of education. First of all, female and male brains are constructed differently affecting the way they learn; this leads to basic differences in learning and also gives an introduction into why the way one learns differs according to gender and how males and females learn subjects and tasks differently. Second, males and females are treated differently, sometimes unconsciously, in educational settings, particularly by teachers. Lastly, there may be advantages of same-sex schooling when it comes to learning and education within genders.

To begin to understand differences in learning, one must first understand a few of the differences in the male and female brain that aid in learning. In a female brain, the corpus callosum is much larger than the corpus callosum in the male brain, which helps aid in multitasking such as listening and taking notes simultaneously. The hippocampus is larger in the female brain which aids in memory storage. Also, the cerebral cortex which controls thinking and intellectual functioning has a higher rate of blood flow giving females the advantage of responding to classroom information faster and transitioning between lessons is less of a struggle. The cerebellum which is the “doing center” of the brain is also different. Males learn better while moving. Sitting still can lead to fidgeting and difficulty learning (Sasser).

Males and females also have processing ...

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