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Gender differences go beyond obvious characteristics. There are observed differences in the sequence of development in the brain regions of a male or female, which influence learning abilities. These differences also explain why a female and a male tend to have differences in cognitive and emotional development. The differences in the tempo of the development of a male or female brain have been the focus of much neuroscience research. This is in hope of giving light to the issues on education and development.

Gender differences also extend to learning styles. In the fields of science, math, engineering, and technology, males generally excel. This is because females generally have much less experience in hands-on applications of these learning disciplines. While these subjects make use of technology problem-solving schema, the rearing of females tends to limit their ability to fully grasp the concepts, manipulate the tools, and learn the spatial relation skills demanded by these subjects. Having fewer of the core skills needed for success in these subjects is one disadvantage that females have to face.

Take a look at the early childhood games and learning experiences that boys and girls have. While girls are taught to play dolls and play houses, boys are given building blocks and video or computer games. Hence, the foundation of understanding relationships and expressions of creativity are given to girls while boys are provided with the foundations of problem-solving, spatial relationships and hands-on skills at an early age. In this light, we see that traditional child rearing practices tend to limit the exposure of females to the core skills demanded by various learning disciplines such as technology and engineering.

There is also a large disparity between the skills of a male and a female.  Having less experience in playing with building toys, having taken fewer drafting courses prior to taking an engineering or mathematical discipline, females are less equipped in learning compared to males. However, there are fields in which women hold an advantage. Females are gifted in understanding relationships, music, and arts. Given their early exposure to creativity and relational understanding, they are more likely to gain advantage over males in the learning disciplines related to such skills.

Gender affects the learning styles of an individual. Hence, educational systems have devised a number of tools that can help bridge the differences in the learning abilities of male and female students. One of these is an individualized lesson plan. This technique effectively ensures success to run parallel to the objectives of a particular educational program. Aside from material-based instructions, experience or application-based learning is encouraged to optimize learning potentials.

Bridging the gender differences in education requires a number of teaching principles. One, educators must build the confidence of the students. Understanding the limitations of the cognitive and relational abilities of both sexes, it is important to make the students feel that they are actually making progress. Continuous positive reinforcement, such as supplemental learning instructions and hands-on applications of lessons, may be given to improve the student’s academic performance. With a carefully planned curriculum, an educator or teacher can keep the students interested in learning, regardless of their gender. What’s important is that each gender is given both material- and application-based instructions to fully grasp new knowledge.

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