Web MD magazine in the March-April 2011 Edition had a fantastic article in the “Parenting Matters” section titled “The sexes really do learn differently…”
The key paragraph for me is in the second column…
“A greater part of the cerebral cortex* of boys’ brains, on the other hand, is dedicated to spatial and mechanical functioning. For that reason, boys tend to learn better with movement and pictures, rather than just words. Gurian* says.”
Proof that using their hands to draw while you are teaching engages more of their senses and aids learning and retention – artfulness is even more important than we think!
*The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain responsible for memory, attention, thought and language. Gurian is Michael Gurian, co-founder of the educational research and training Gurian Institute.
Very interesting. As a retired teacher consultant I can remember teachers who believed if a student was not making direct eye contact as a lecture was going on, it did not appear to them that the student was listening. However, I recall students who were learning very well while doodling or exploring their desks. I believe the solutions is in being able to identify the auditory learner from the kinesthetic learner
Thanks Diane! Yes indeed the well trained lecturers are able to teach to all kinds of learners – visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and auditory/digital. It should be a compulsory part of all speakers/educators training. Not everybody learns in the same way (thankfully) just as not every teacher teaches in the same way, but I do believe that with some awareness and training we can all be more effective communicators if we learn to pick up on the cues from those we are trying to communicate with rather than trying to bend them to our own preferred style.