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Ten Strategies for Teaching Boys Effectively

MICHAEL GURIAN ww.michaelgurian.com

www.gurianinstitute.com

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"What"do"you"find$the$most$challenging$about"working"with"boys?"

""What"do"you"enjoy$most$about"working"with"boys?"

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Strategy I: Increase Awareness and Advocacy for Boys: Did You Know?

"For every 100 females ages 15 to 19 that commit suicide 549 males in the same range kill themselves. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/LCWK1_2002.pdf For every 100 girls ages 15 to 17 in correctional facilities there are 837 boys behind bars. http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t26.html For every 100 women ages 18 to 21 in correctional facilities there are 1430 men behind bars. http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t26.html For every 100 girls diagnosed with a special education disability 217 boys are diagnosed with a special education disability. http://www.iteachilearn.com/uh/meisgeier/

For every 100 girls diagnosed with a learning disability 276 boys are diagnosed with a

learning disability. http://www.iteachilearn.com/uh/meisgeier/statsgov20gender.htm For every 100 girls diagnosed with emotional disturbance 324 boys are diagnosed with emotional disturbance. http://www.iteachilearn.com/uh/meisgeier/statsgov20gender.htm

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Increase Awareness and Advocacy: www.whitehouseboysmen.org

Thanks to Tom Mortenson, Pell Institute

"For every 100 females ages 15 to 19 that commit suicide 549 males in the same range kill themselves. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/LCWK1_2002.pdf For every 100 girls ages 15 to 17 in correctional facilities there are 837 boys behind bars. http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t26.html For every 100 women ages 18 to 21 in correctional facilities there are 1430 men behind bars. http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t26.html For every 100 girls diagnosed with a special education disability 217 boys are diagnosed with a special education disability. http://www.iteachilearn.com/uh/meisgeier/

For every 100 girls diagnosed with a learning disability 276 boys are diagnosed with a

learning disability. http://www.iteachilearn.com/uh/meisgeier/statsgov20gender.htm For every 100 girls diagnosed with emotional disturbance 324 boys are diagnosed with emotional disturbance. http://www.iteachilearn.com/uh/meisgeier/statsgov20gender.htm

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•  They are in more distress in post-industrial culture than we realize – with issues greater than gender stereotypes.

•  Their brains process emotion, education, and growth differently than females, but we are female-centric (and we don’t realize it).

•  They feel like failures in our educational systems. •  Gender specific solutions exist and need us to risk

trying them, then alter theories gradually to become gender specific.

Boys Need Us

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Strategy 2: Build A New Theoretical and Practical Framework for Working with Males That Utilizes

Science

•  Insights and tools in education can now be based in new neuroscience. •  Science-based gender theory and strategies can fit every educational

theory and curriculum •  Gender affects every single student and adult. Disaggregate data to see

where your school fits in teacher effectiveness data regarding boys. •  Gender psychology is a growing (and sometimes controversial) field. It

can be combative. •  Fifteen years of research-based evidence shows positive results, e.g. two

year pilot at University of Missouri-Kansas City, and recent wisdom-of-practice data in differing settings. Boys and Girls Learn Differently (Jossey-Bass/John Wiley)

"" "www.gurianins9tute.com/success."

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Understanding The Minds of Boys

1. Chromosome markers 2. In utero development 3. Nurture/culture/socialization *Trans-cultural analysis. *Brain is pre-set for gender, including

gender spectrum. *AND: we do lifelong refinement of the

brain *Gender has low plasticity, nurture

guides brain expression, but format and structure are pre-set.

Testosterone – architect of the male Muscle mass, bone

density, brain development

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Strategy 3: Apply Key Gender Differences in Your Life and Work…Males Tend Toward:

♂  More reliance on spatial-mechanicals; visual/graphic, for relationships; less verbal. ♂  Greater activity in the cerebellum (a “doing” center) ♂  More gray matter, less inductive processing (less diverse data processed--especially if it is sensory or emotive) ♂  More motivation/habit (basal ganglia) risk; less cingulate gyrus activity ♂  Larger amygdala--right side dominant.

Halpern, D. F., C. P. Benbow, D. C. Geary, R. C. Gur, J. S. Hyde, and M. A. Gernsbacher. “The Science of Sex Differences in Science and Mathematics.” Psychological Science in the Public Interest (August 2007), 8 (1).

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Beware: traditional education favors female brain. It is “non-doing,” verbal-emotive, non-visual, non-aggressive, multi-lateral, and sit-

still.

Brain Scans ask us to revise education.

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Boys get bored (enter rest state) more easily than girls; this often requires more/varying stimulation to keep them

attentive. (Average Attention Span = 5 minutes)

Girls are better at self-managing boredom during all aspects of therapy and less likely to “give up” on the

therapeutic process or act out. (Average Attention Span = 15 – 20 minutes)

Strategy 4: Accommodate the Rest State

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Diversity: The “Bridge Brain”

1:7, 1:5 exception rates

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http://www.bbc.co.uk Search: Sex ID

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Strategy 5: Apply Biochemistry to Your Student Motivation and Behavioral Assessment Girls have higher levels of oxytocin. Boys have higher levels of testosterone.

What these hormones affect? ► Self-worth Development, self-motivation, fight-or-flight, tend-and-befriend, risk-taking, status-seeking, stress-response, need for competition, aggression vs. empathy nurturance, aggression vs. violence. We favor oxytocin in classrooms, are not trained in competitive motivation techniques, misread males.

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Strategy 6: Accommodate Male/Female Difference in Emotive Processing

The male brain does not tend to pick complex emotive processing as a dominant strategy

► Delays complex emotional reactions

► Favors physical emotion over verbal

► Males mask vulnerability

► Often, where females want to express, males want to release, feelings

For males: emotions are design problems to be solved

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Alter School Counseling Systems Males fail at counseling, thus leave, or don’t get help. Counseling is is “non-

doing,” verbal-emotive, non-visual, non-aggressive, multi-lateral, and sit-still. Counselors can alter counseling to fit male brain, male healing style, male eco-

system.

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Techniques for Enhancing Male Emotive Processing

•  Peripatetic Counseling •  Aggression Nurturance and Confrontational Therapy •  Changes in Office Environment •  Use of Expressive Arts •  Squeeze/Toss Balls, Both of

You Move

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Praise for Achievement, Meeting Challenges

“Obstacles are unimportant. On the contrary, the more of them, the greater the merits of trying. Little does it matter if, going from discovery to discovery, one comes up against even an unknown God who does not compromise, still one must continue one’s quest, nothing else counts. What is important is to accept the challenge! What is important is to choose an opponent more powerful than oneself. “

—Elie Wiesel, Souls on Fire

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Strategy 7: Adapt Your Communication; four boy-friendly communication techniques

•  Focus on three motivation assessment themes--manhood, respect, character—in conversation. •  Increase use of tactical confrontation. •  Use active, not passive, dialogue, including “filling in the

blanks” re feelings/emotions. •  Interrupt as necessary—shows authority, decreases repetition loops, keeps topic-focus,

reduces boredom.

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Strategy 8: Alter Your Classroom To Better Fit Males

•  Take down one of the soft-colored pictures on the wall and replace it with pictures of sports heroes.

•  Add books (biographies, etc.) of sports and other male heroes to your book shelves

•  Keep comic books of action heroes in your classroom, and include graphic novels on your bookshelves.

•  Place sports memorabilia, such as signed football caps or signed baseballs, on a shelf or table in your room.

•  Place a video game console with screen in your classroom, as appropriate; play video Games, not only to build rapport and stimulate the male brain but also to help you “get in the head” of boy/man’s particular aggression and anger patterns.

•  Provide nerf balls, etc.; toss a ball during session, talking while you toss the ball.

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Strategy 9: Use Male’s Visual Proclivity to Inspire Better Writing and Literacy

Performance •  PowerPoints •  Graphic Organizers •  Video Clips •  Wall Charts •  Maps •  Hand Outs •  Posters

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Topics That Appeal to Boys •  Aggression-themes, violent scenarios •  Action-oriented, competition •  Superheroes •  Sports, wild animals, bugs, war, monsters •  Gross or slapstick humor •  Stories reconstructed from TV & video games

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Strategy 10: Use More Movement: How does movement help education? •  Increases oxygen to brain (water helps, too) •  Increases glucose utilization, cognition •  Increases “feel good” neurotransmitters •  Adrenaline increases •  Attention and motivation increase •  Neural system functions more efficiently •  Promotes readiness for word use, focus •  Improves behavior, helps organize brain functions •  Increases procedural memory •  Keeps boredom and rest states at bay •  Develops a bond of trust through sense of “fun”

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Four Pillars of Engagement for Resistant Boys and Men:

1. Risk

3. Leadership

4. Accomplishment (“How am I needed?” is a core

male question therapy must answer

2. Attachment

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Action Plan

www.gurianinstitute.com 60,000 teachers trained, services and products

for training, professional development, coaching, school transformation, district-

wide initiatives, parent involvement

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Burning Questions?

Contact

Michael Gurian – michaelgurian@comcast.net www.michaelgurian.com or www.gurianinstitute.com

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Bibliography •  Bosson, J.K. and Vandello, J.A. “Precarious Manhood and

Its Links to Action and Aggression.” (2011). Current Directions in Psychological Science. 20;82-86

•  Gurian, M. (2011) How Do I Help Him? GI Press. Spokane, WA

•  Gurian, M. and Stevens, K. (2005) The Minds of Boys. Jossey-Bass. San Francisco

•  Kiselica, M. , Englar-Carson, M., Horne, A.M. (Editors) (2007) Counseling Troubled Boys. Routledge Publishers. New York, NY.

•  Valla, J.M. and Ceci, S.J. “Can Sex Differences in Science Be Tied to the Long Reach of Prenatal Hormones?” Perspectives on Psychological Science. (2011). 6:134 - 146

•  Zeff, T. The Strong Sensitive Boy. (2010) Prana Publishing. San Francisco

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Key Research Articles

•  Wood,"G.,"and"T."J."Shors."“Stress"Facilitates"Classical"Condi9oning"in"Males,"But"Impairs"

Classical"Condi9oning"in"Females"Through"Ac9va9onal"Effects"of"Ovarian"Hormones.”"

Proceedings+of+the+Na1onal+Academy+of+Sciences+(1998),"95:"4066–4071."•  Wood,"W.,"and"A."H."Eagly."“A"Cross\Cultural"Analysis"of"the"Behavior"of"Women"and"Men:"

Implica9ons"for"the"Origins"of"Sex"Differences.”"Psychological+Bulle1n"(2002),"128"(5):"699–727."

•  Bosson,"J.K."and"Vandello,"J.A."“Precarious"Manhood"and"Its"Links"to"Ac9on"and"

Aggression.”"(2011)."Current+Direc1ons+in+Psychological+Science.+20;82\86"•  Albers,"H."E.,"K."L."Huhman,"and"R."L."Meisel."“Hormonal"Basis"of"Social"Conflict"and"

Communica9on.”"In"D."W."Pfaff,"A."P."Arnold,"A."M."Etgen,"S."E."Fahrbach,"and"R."T."Rubin"

(Eds.),"Hormones,+Brain,+and+Behavior,"Vol."1"(pp."393–433)."New"York:"Academic"Press,"

2002."