Boys vs Girls in Academics

There is an interesting post at Eide Neurolearning Blog. Brain scans show how boys and girls use different areas of the brain to process the same information. Boys process information significantly more slowly than girls, on average, and this tends to manifest itself in school in lower GPAs than girls. On the other hand, data show that boys score higher on aptitude tests. One proposed explanation for the lower GPAs is that boys tend to turn in homework late (which would be a natural consequence of slower processing) and are punished for it on their grades (see the report "Smart Boys, Bad Grades"). My own experience certainly would agree with the conclusion that boys are more likely to turn in work late, and it would be interesting to formally keep track of it and collect my own data.

It is this type of research that needs to be collected and summarized, and given to teachers on a large scale, so we can use it to make appropriate canges in what is done in the classroom to best assist students and allow them to get the most out of their educational experience.