Teaching the female brain : how girls learn math and science

Summary: Examines how girls' unique sensory, physical, cognitive, and emotional characteristics affect their performance in the classroom, and shows you how to adapt classroom experiences to assist girls' learning, particularly in math and science. --from publisher description

Record details

ISBN: 1412967090 (cloth)
ISBN: 9781412967099 (cloth)
ISBN: 1412967104 (pbk.)
ISBN: 9781412967105 (pbk.)
Physical Description: xiii, 188 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.
print
Publisher: Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Corwin, c2009.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 173-184) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Foreword / Monica M. Gillespie -- Acknowledgments -- About the author -- Introduction -- Quiz -- The problem -- How to help -- 1. The influence of cognitive gender differences -- Quiz -- pt. I. The brain and senses -- What the brain looks like -- Sensory differences -- pt. II. The mind -- Verbal skills -- Analytic styles -- Brain and cognitive differences -- 2. Differences in learning approaches -- Quiz -- Learning modalities -- Auditory learning -- Verbal learning -- Kinesthetic learning -- Visual learning -- Group size -- Fairness -- Learning disabilities -- Dyslexia -- Dysgraphia/dyspraxia -- Dyscalculia -- Synthesizing versus analyzing -- Learning differences and the classroom -- 3. Dealing with stress -- Quiz -- Stress -- Management of test anxiety -- Math anxiety -- Ability versus effort -- Self- handicapping -- Focus -- Management of distractions -- 4. Teaching math to the female brain -- Quiz -- Performance in math -- Testing differences -- Why girls don't like math -- Lack of confidence -- Lack of skills -- Differences in problem-solving approaches -- People orientation preference -- Manipulatives -- Exact solutions -- What can be done to help? -- Early introduction -- Attitude change -- Clearer instruction -- Focus on process, not product -- Peer influence -- Math and girls -- 5. Teaching science to the female brain -- Quiz -- Why girls don't like science -- Access (or the lack of it) -- Science is uninteresting -- Collaborative learning style -- Science background -- Spatial relationships -- Other sensory differences -- Why girls should do well in science -- Study skills -- Self-discipline -- What can be done to help? -- Encouragement and mentors -- Methods to change girls' minds -- Science and girls -- 6. Teaching math and science to girls in a coed school -- Sociocultural issues -- History -- Families -- Other teachers -- Role models -- Verbal versus visual approach -- Single-sex classes or programs -- Practical applications -- Final words -- 7. Gendered instruction -- Virginia standards of learning -- Differentiated instruction -- Components of differentiated instruction -- Multiple intelligences -- Tasks for each of the intelligences -- Learning modalities -- Unit design -- Empowering girls as learners -- Test-taking strategies -- Beginning strategies -- Strategies for specific item types -- Final words -- 8. Resources and other help -- Math techniques -- Verbalizing math -- Box the operator -- Books -- Books with interesting and simple science experiments -- Books with interesting approaches to math -- Web sites -- Engineering Web Sites for girls -- Science program Web sites for girls -- Web sites with good materials for math and science -- Learning style assessments -- Elementary school -- Secondary school -- References -- Index.