Are we teaching boys as if they were girls?

Tuesday 5 April 2005

A keynote speaker at the University of Newcastle's 4th Biennial Working with Boys Building Fine Men conference will argue that boys and girls do have significantly different behaviours linked to their brain development which has implications for how we teach them.

Netherlands researcher, Dr Martine F Delfos, says that we can enhance boys learning by taking into account their "evolutionary deeply embedded preference behaviour".

"Teaching strategies should encompass boys' preference for competitive behaviour; a cognitive style orientated more towards discovery and rote memory; and a need for strong peer connections," says Dr Delfos.

"Boys have a tendency to action, and need action in class. A variation between movement and sitting still is more important for boys than girls."

"In order to stimulate their progress boys need to compete and struggle their way through the class hierarchy. Their style is more orientated to discovering the workings of a subject and they are less orientated toward pleasing the teacher. Their thinking is more competition driven, whereas the thinking of girls is more security driven."

Over 850 people will meet today to hear the latest research on boys from educators and researchers from across Australia, New Zealand and from as far afield as The Netherlands. Other presenters today include Ceclia Lashlie, Richard Fletcher, Joseph Driessen and Victoria Clay.

Today (Tuesday 5 April 2005) is the final day of the University of Newcastle's 4th Biennial Working with Boys Building Fine Men conference.

A full program is available at http://www.pco.com.au/boys2005/

Speakers are available during the conference for media interviews.