I very recently discovered an institute developed by author Michael Gurian that does brain research into how boys learn and how girls learn, and the fact that they do not learn in the same ways. I intuitively know this, but being a girl, I still don't fully understand boys, let alone know the best ways to reach them with motivation and encouragement to own their education. The Gurian Institute holds seminars and conferences to help parents and teachers understand these differences and to provide methods based on brain science. I should probably attend one, but, finances dictating these kinds of decisions, I probably wont.
But, I love that stuff! I want all the key concepts lined up for me to read, absorb, and put into practice, right now, tonight. If I'm honest, I'll admit that I have a couple of books on similar subjects sitting on my bookshelf that I haven't finished reading. I get bogged down in the stories and anecdotes; I'm impatient for the facts and strategies.
What I'm figuring out is that it takes time for me to learn new things, just as it does my students. And I don't like that! I need to accept the fact that learning better teaching skills, slowly, over time, is better than putting down the book in frustration and not learning the methods at all.
That's one of my goals this summer and I'm starting with this one:
Boys and Girls Learn Differently
Maybe summarizing the interesting points here will keep me reading and provide that succinct outline I so desire.
