How Boys Learn

Should boys and girls be taught separately? That is one of the questions a best selling author is in Tulsa to discuss. <br/><br/>Meanwhile, one Tulsa area school is already testing out gender separated

Thursday, April 27th 2006, 10:25 am

By: News On 6

Should boys and girls be taught separately? That is one of the questions a best selling author is in Tulsa to discuss.

Meanwhile, one Tulsa area school is already testing out gender separated classrooms. News on 6 reporter Jennifer Loren explains.

"The most important thing is that every parent and teacher learn about it." Michael Gurian is promoting his newest book. He wants everyone to realize science proves boys' brains are different from girls' brains. Therefore, we should be teaching them differently. "If we factor those differences into human life, if we understand nature. And when we nurture nature life goes a lot better."

Gurian says lately boys have begun falling way behind in school and that's partly because we don't teach to their gender. "We just don't teach to them and they begin to rebel. They hate school. They get bored. They check out."

So, in his book he describes ways to teach to the genders. One solution is separating boys and girls in classrooms where they need intense focus.

At Jenks Freshman Academy, they're already testing that theory. Principal Stephen Matthews: "So far the experiment has been quite remarkable. The girls' grades have gone up.â€ The experiment is in only one class, Algebra 1.

The girls meet in one classroom and have a woman teacher. Meanwhile the boys meet down the hall and have a male instructor. "We've got a number of parents who've already been asking for us to do it again."

While everyone else is buzzing about these types of classes students who are actually in them say they're no big deal. Sallena Samuel: "Hardly anyone talks about it really." In fact, students admit it is easier to concentrate. Whitney Burris: "The way I guess the teacher can kind of talk to us cause she's a female also. And I think we can just kind of understand it better maybe."

A wave of the future in teaching? That depends if we accept the use of science, in this way, in the classroom.