Teaching Boys in the Montessori Environment: Neuroscience & Hormonal Learning Differences

Thousands of bright, energetic boys are spending the better part of each day unhappy and coming home to report to their parents that they feel ‘stupid’ or that they ‘don’t fit in’.

Beth Hering, “Help boys get more out of elementary education”

Girls do better than boys in school at all ages and subjects

Maggie Fox, NBC News, 4/29/14

A link between fidgety boys and a sputtering economy

David Leonhardt, The Upshot, New York Times, 4/29/14

In this day of standardized, one-size-fits-all education, these findings should amaze and astonish us. Yet, as you read, I know that many of you are nodding your heads in agreement. Boys are, for the majority, unhappy in school. They are falling behind, being expelled, and dropping out at staggering rates.

Teaching Boys in the Montessori Environment: Part One
Understanding Neuroscience and Hormonal Learning Differences

A 2014 report from the Third Way, a US centrist think tank, states that:

• by kindergarten, girls are more attentive, better behaved, more sensitive, persistent, flexible, and independent than boys. The gap grows in later years.
• by 8th grade, 48% of girls receive As and Bs, compared to 31% of boys

In their book, The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life, authors Gurian and Stevens contend that boys are:

• 4.5 times more likely than girls to be expelled in preschool
• 6–18 months behind girls in reading and writing at all elementary school levels
• 80% of discipline and behavioral problems in schools
• 80% of the school-age children on Ritalin
• get up to 70% of the Ds and Fs on report cards

All of this begs us to ask why this is happening and how we can make a difference. Before we tackle these important questions, we must look at the differences in how boys and girls learn. The below chart is taken from modern neuroscience’s study of male and female brains. The differences are striking.

Section of the Brain	Function	More active in…
Left hemisphere	Verbal abilities	Female
Right hemisphere	Spatial/Mechanical Abilities	Male
Brain Stem, Cerebellum	Physical responses, action	Male
Cerebral Cortex	Judgment, impulse control, attention	Female
Limbic system	Emotion, bonding	Female
Parietal lobe	Spatial processing, tracking	Male
Corpus collosum	Cross-talk between hemispheres	Female
Amygdala	Aggressive responses	Male
Temporal lobes	Speaking, listening, reading	Female
Basal Ganglia System	Sense of calm, well being	Female
Hippocampus	Memory	Female
Gray matter	Project focus	Male
White matter	Multitasking	Female
Occipital Lobe	Vision	Male

(Morhard, 2015. Adapted from Daniel Amen, “A Brain Science Approach,” and Michael Gurian, Boys and Girls Learn Differently)

Male and female hormonal differences also play a key role in how males and females work and live.

More Active in Males

Testosterone

• Male physical characteristics
• Aggressiveness
• Territoriality

• Competitiveness
• Sex drive
• Exploratory behavior

Vasopressin, Cortisol, MIS

• Risk-taking
• Roughhousing
• Large muscle development

(Morhard, 2015)

More Active in Females

Estrogen, Progesterone

• Female physical characteristics
• Bonding, attachment
• Cooperation, collaboration

Oxytocin, Serotonin

• Reproduction
• Pair bonding
• Empathy

• Maternal behavior
• Empathy
• Feeling good

(Morhard, 2015)

In a future blog, we will look at ways we can help boys who are physically active and always on the go to learn, grow, and feel that they belong in school.

Works Cited

DiPrete, Thomas A. and Claudia Buchmann. “The secret behind college completion: girls, boys, and the power of eighth grade grades.” Third Way. April 28, 2014. http://www.thirdway.org/report/the-secret-behind-college-completion-girls-boys-and-the-power-of-eighth-grade-grades

Fox, Maggie. “Girls do better than boys in school at all ages and subjects.” NBC News. April 29, 2014. http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/girls-do-better-boys-school-all-ages-subjects-study-finds-n92

Gurian, Michael and Kathy Stevens. The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2006.

Hering, Beth. “Help boys get more out of elementary education.”

Leonhardt, David. “A link between fidgety boys and a sputtering economy.” The Upshot, New York Times. April 29, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/29/upshot/a-link-between-fidgety-boys-and-a-sputtering-economy.html?_r=0

Morhard, Ruth H. “Boys, boys, boys! Why they're falling behind and what to do about it.” EdWeb.net. Webinar. October 8, 2015. http://home.edweb.net/webinar/boys-boys-boys-why-theyre-falling-behind-and-what-to-do-about-it/

Michelle Irinyi — NAMC Tutor & Graduate

As much as possible, NAMC’s web blog reflects the Montessori curriculum as provided in its teacher training programs. We realize and respect that Montessori schools are unique and may vary their schedules and offerings in accordance with the needs of their individual communities. We hope that our readers will find our articles useful and inspiring as a contribution to the global Montessori community.
© North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Montessori Teacher Training on Monday, November 30, 2015.