Traditional Wisdom... LO9391

Rol Fessenden (76234.3636@CompuServe.COM)
23 Aug 96 10:30:42 EDT

Replying to David Crimmin's LO9302 --

While the term "learning styles" may be used here loosely to describe a
system that is not serving its constituents well, my experience is that
learning styles as we think of them do not break down on clear racial or
gender lines.

== end quote ==

'Culture' is probably a better way to view the distinctions than racial or
gender, but I think the research has not tried to make this distinction. The
research clearly shows, however, that girls approach learning a great deal
differently than boys. It has further been shown that all-girl classes in
mathematics result in higher performance from the girls than mixed classes. It
has also been clearly shown that the traditional classroom and teacher behaviors
favor the boys in the class. While this is well documented, most attitudes are,
"well of course this happens, but not in OUR schools." Actually, it is the norm
in all schools.

It has also been clearly demonstrated that standard tests are gender- and
culture-biased, but this is changing (slowly). Terms like 'crow bar' for
example are not particularly familiar to girls (or Indians), but show up on
tests. Curriculums as they currently exist in the US, if looked at through the
eyes of an American Indian, have many incomprehensible components.

It has also been clearly demonstrated that many kids learn very effectively in
some environments, but less so in others. The typical academically-oriented
classroom is great for people with an intellectual bent, but not so great for
those who like to learn with their hands. A common example is in languages
where we teach grammar and reading, but for many kids, speaking is the most
effective way to learn the language. This has also been demonstrated in
science. Our science curriculum is lamentable, but some kids will excell if
they have a hands-on project (like build an internal combustion engine) but will
fail miserably in the abstract, conceptual approach common in 99% of all
classrooms.

In the realm of calculus reform, Uri Treisman has done some fascinating research
on different learning styles of different cultures, including men, women,
orientals, and blacks. He found that in the traditional classroom, white males
succeeded best, equaled by orientals, trailed by white women and finally black
men. When he changed the classroom culture to be team-based with teams of 4
people, each having a clear role on the team, he found virtually all differences
in performance disappeared. This is the most dramatic evidence of all that the
standard existing classroom favors white males in their learning styles.

Finally, it has been shown that when females study mathematics, they activate a
different part of the brain than males do when they study math. Circumstantial
evidence of fundamentally different processes.

== back ot David ==

Leaving aside the question of whether there are "racial" learning styles,
one might ask how it is that the K-12 system is geared for "male" learning
styles when the statistics show that females achieve higher grades,
drop-out less often, and go on to higher education in greater numbers
than their male peers.

== end quote ==

The college phenomenon is pretty recent. Even in the late 50s-early 70s, men
went to college more often. Before then, women were rare at best, non-existent
at worst.

My statistics do not show that women excell in math or science. Men clearly
excell. However, in different learning environments, women have been shown to
equal men, as have blacks. There has been just yesterday a news article about
some movement toward all-women classes.

I cannot say that the current educational serves the needs of white males well,
but by most measures, white males succeed more often -- far, far more often --
in the current system than any of the other groups.

-- 

Rol Fessenden LL Bean, Inc. 76234.3636@compuserve.com

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>