Research shows that with no cultural influences, there are negligible gender differences in math learning, with girls doing as well as boys right through the school years. If anything, in the early years of education girls tend to do somewhat better.
There are ways to level this playing field even in the elementary years though, and many parents and teachers say Splash Math is a great tool to achieve this. Sister Monica Martin, one such teacher using Splash Math, shares more with us.
Sister Monica Martin, St. Theresa School, Kauai, HI. Questions done by her students in the six weeks of SpringBoard ~ 23,955!
Sr. Monica is an elementary school teacher at St.Theresa School, Kekaha, Kauai, Hawaii, the westernmost Catholic school in the United States. This private school is in a lower population rural area resulting in small class sizes, Sr. Monica’s 2nd/3rd grade combined class for instance consists of only 12 students, 7 of whom are girls. Her small class packs a punch though, currently placed #4 on the SpringBoard leaderboard!
You have a small class, with a predominance of girls. How does math learning play out in your class, and are there any differences in the way girls and boys learn and perform in math?
My experience has been that at the 2nd/3rd grade age, girls tend to do better when we use the traditional methods of math teaching and learning. By traditional I mean books, worksheets, and practice with straightforward question and answer formats. Boys are not intrinsically disadvantaged in any way in their ability to grasp concepts or practice, it is just that those methods are less conducive to engaging and motivating them. Continue reading