This recent (and great!) article in Educational Leadership by Lise Eliot summarizes piles of research about gender based brain differences (her conclusion: its much more accurate to talk about "brain similarities" than "brain differences"!)
The article is very accessible and is a good example, I think, of how responsible researchers try to look comprehensively at the evidence and reach a conclusion. This conclusion is also controversial - there is a different article by Gurian later in the same issue of Educational Leadership that seems to contradict Eliot's conclusion. Eliot responds to that article , and then Gurian responds to Eliot's criticism.
This might be a great experience for students - to see researchers disagreeing, and how that disagreement helps the whole field move forward.
posted by Rob McEntarffer
Lise Eliot wrote a similar article in the May 2010 issue of Scientific American Mind. Unfortunately it's locked behind their paywall but you can read the first few paragraphs here and you may can find it in your local library.
ReplyDeleteGreat find, Rob! Love the debate of ideas to show to students as well.