--- ritu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Jan Coffey wrote:
>
> > BS
> >
> > what we are seeing is a focus by society on the things girls
> > are good at as
> > apposed to a focus by society at what the individual is good at.
>
> Are you saying that the curriculum has changed over the years or that
> girls are better at studying?
> And if you are saying neither of the above, then could you please
> explain what the remark meant in that particular context? :)
>
Sure, Girls are better (as a group) at -memorizing- which is what is ment by
-studying-. Girls are also better at empathic style associations, being able
to spot the whole even when they don't understand the component parts.
Boys are better (as a group) at logic and problem solving.
Each individual is somewhere on this spectrum not necisarily on the side
agreeing with their gender. You get problem solving girls and memorizing
boys, but the probability of being at one end or the other is dependent on
gender.
Our education system use to place a lot of importance on logic, problem
solving, and creativity. Give them the tools, test them on creativly applying
those tools. This has now shifted to information retention, give them the
data, test them on whether or not they remember the data.
Where as a "boy" might understand the system and how it works and be able to
use that understanding to solve a problem presented, the "girl" will better
remember what all the peices are called, how the system has been used, who
created it, which other systems are simmilar and different.
Ass a overly simple example (in the extreem): The "girl" will learn
multiplication tables easily, and remember the information that
multiplication takes addition and addition takes the successor function.
Where as the "boy" will understand that addition is the application of the
successor function and that multiplication is the application of addition,
even if they can't remember what to call these things. They "boy" may not
remember what 7*6 is, but will be able to discover the answer. The "girl"
will know all of the data, but not be able to -find- the answer as easily. So
if she has learned that 7*6 is 42 she will have the answer, but not the
answer to 146*23.
Our educators are now quizing on data points and not the ability to use an
understanding of a system. This benifits the "girl" over the "boy". It allway
did. Even in areas where the focus was this way benifited the boys becouse
they were being taught to think in ways that were more difficult for them.
The same educating techniques used with the addition of females to the
education system creates an imbalance. The oposit imbalance would exit if
education focused purly on problem solving abilities.
I am suggesting that education should be tailored to the individual to use
and highlight that individuals strengths. We do this anyway (FREX exempting
Dyslexics from forign language requirments). Each individual should be
allowed to find the nich in which they can best contribute to society, and
they should be allowed to do so at their own pace (faster or slower). This
would benifit the society and increase the societies efficiency by using the
best of what each individuals strengths have to offer. It benifit's the
individual becouse they would not have to be constrained by their weeknesses,
especialy when they have strengths that would benifit society. If we had such
an education system, the gender differences would no-longer matter.
=====
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Jan William Coffey
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