There is a surprisingly large number of applications where the difference between male and female impulses and preferred approach shows up. The other day I heard a woman explain how her son behaved in preparation for a test he had to take on Romeo and Juliet. She said that the son strongly disliked reading fiction of any kind, even though it was required in some English classes. When it became time to prepare for a test on the play, he went to his computer and dug up lesson plans for teachers on the subject of the play. He looked through them and quickly learned the usual themes teachers focused on when "teaching" the play. When he took the test, he did well.
All the while, the woman relating his approach used a somewhat furtive voice and slipped in some apologetic terms and body language. It was clear that she thought her son had prepared for his test in an unusual, non-standard way. She felt in her bones that such a method of preparation was not what most teachers envisioned and would most likely have hoped for something a little "deeper" and "more emotional".
Again, the feminine impulse to please, to super-please, showed up. I don't doubt that the additional aspect, the strong pleasure that many students, readers and play-attenders get from the play: its sadness, its reflections on the joys and pain of youth, etc. is something of great value. It is something any adult would wish any young person of either gender might experience strictly for the fun and warmth of the experience.
I have lead many classes in distance-education format. All that means is that the students and the teacher were not in the same room at the same time. Sometimes, we use "live" tv where they can see me and I can see them. Over time, we used more and more web pages and email. Today there are classroom simulations that modify the web and create discussion boards or wiki boards where comments and questions can be posted. Whatever method is used, it more or less boils down to
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instruction in what the student is expected to know and
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testing in some way or other to show that the required learning has taken place
These same two steps are involved in traditional classrooms, too. Usually the teacher talks to the students and eventually asks them to write answers or reactions showing they understand the information and themes involved.
Often, male students are not highly motivated to please the teacher, as such. They are not looking for a warm relation with the teacher, only a passing or higher grade. They typically have many other things on their minds, including Charlie Brown's Little Red-headed Girl. That means they are interested in removing the obstacle of the teacher's requirements as quickly and efficiently as possible. For me, a good test is one that specifies what one must do to get me and my requirements out of the way, and a good performance does just that.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
