males would have a harder time connecting a visual example from the director to an audible sound when they are singing or playing. Further, females in an ensemble ought to be able to translate what the director is indicating into an audible sound. This information could affect the ways in which conductors provide instruction for a piece of music (Ruytjens et al. 2006).
Van Dyke et al. (2009) reported that women seemed to respond faster than men to certain words shown. In this study, women utilized their language processing regions bilaterally, while men seemed to utilize only their left hemisphere. This may suggest that women input verbal stimuli more efficiently than men. The concepts of speed and accuracy in word recognition could be beneficial to teachers when planning delivery of instruction, especially since music is full of words and symbols. Gurian and Stevens (2004) reported that females tend to have language arts learning advantages because of the increased size of their hippocampus. This is important for the ensemble director to know as music is all about reading notation, symbols, and words in order to create the music.
Hearing differences Hearing differences among the sexes are small but significant (Brizendine, 2006; Moir & Jessel, 1991; Sax, 2005). One of the major auditory differences between males and females is the size of the cochlea. The cochlea is the innermost part of the ear that tends to be slightly longer in males (James, 2007). This added length of the cochlea adds to the time it takes for sound to enter the ear and travel to the brain, therefore males have a slight hearing disadvantage compared to females. Females are more apt to hear somewhat better than males because their cochlea is not as long (Brizendine, 2006; Moir & Jessel, 1991; Sax, 2005). Hearing differences between the sexes could be attributed to sound taking longer to travel to the brain once it enters the male ear. Females are also more sensitive to sound than males (Moir & Jessel, 1991; Sax, 2005). The average 12 year-old female has hearing at least seven times as acute as males of the same age (Moir & Jessel, 1991; Sax, 2005). Due to this hearing difference, females often perceive male teachers as yelling during regular instruction while males may have difficulty hearing female teachers. Males may seem distracted in the classroom when in reality they cannot hear what the teacher is saying (Sax, 2005). In fact, females hear distracting sounds that are 10 times softer than sounds that will
ala breve
distract males. This hearing difference could contribute to the reason that females tend to learn best in an environment free from extraneous distractions (Sax, 2005). Assumptions regarding how individuals process speech could result from collective experiences of learning over time. Accordingly, males tend to hear males better, and females tend to hear females better. Therefore, males could potentially have difficulty hearing female teachers (Obleser, Rockstroh & Eulitz, 2004).
Emotional Sex Differences Emotional sex differences are tied to how the brain processes language and emotion. According to the literature, females process language and emotion in the same area of the brain while males process language and emotion in two separate areas of the brain (Cable & Spradlin, 2008). These structural differences in the brain impact how the sexes express emotion both between and among the sexes.
The knowledge of structural brain
differences and its relationship to emotional expression might be of great benefit to teachers as they prepare to instruct students.
A study revealed that gender differences based on emotions were not found when words or faces were shown (Snodgrass & Harring, 2004-2005). They were evident when pictures were shown. Overall, women were less sensitive to negative stimuli and more sensitive to positive stimuli than men. Since musicians rely on symbols or pictures almost entirely to process information that pertains to music, emotionally stimulated communication could impact processing of important musical information, especially in females.
Males and females differ in their behaviors. Experienced teachers know that keeping the classroom loud and lively is the most effective way to motivate males to learn (Sax, 2009). Males tend to monopolize teachers’ attention when they are a part of a mixed-sex classroom (Carp, 2004; Jorgensen & Pfeiler, 2008; Pollard, 1999; Wilson, 2010), and this attention tends to be negative (Pollard, 1999). Negative attention can result in peers rewarding males for negative behavior exhibited in the classroom (Downey & Vogt Yuan, 2005). Pollard (1999) noted that classroom enthusiasm and behavior improved in the same-sex classroom for both sexes.
Competition seems to be one of the motivating variables for males, and testosterone released from the brain fuels competition in males.
Males are taught from a young age to be independent, active, and aggressive. Traditional schooling, however, is organized in ways that conflict with these social tendencies (Cable & Spradlin, 2008).
According to Sadker and
Sadker’s (1994) book about how schools cheat girls, schools also tend to expect males to be conforming, passive, and quiet. Teachers need to be trained in order to be successful in dealing with the behaviors of males. Scholars have stated that teachers are more likely to successfully address the ways in which males learn when the sexes are separated. Knowing how to best teach students could improve classroom behavior in any classroom environment (Hannon & Ratliffe, 2007; Rex & Chadwell, 2009; Sax, 2005; Sax, 2009).
Compared to males, females tend to have different traits that could potentially affect their success in the classroom. These differences could potentially impact the method a teacher chooses to instruct the same-sex classroom. Females are more apt to want things orderly and quiet, and they enjoy group work and cooperative learning (Streitmatter, 2002). Further, females tend to have better grades (Barton, 2004) because of their favorable classroom behavior (Yaun Vogt, 2005). Based on the research literature, females often are given fewer opportunities for problem solving and learning in a mixed-sex classroom. Additionally, females are more likely to receive less teacher attention than males because of disruptive male behaviors (Pollard, 1999). Froesse-Germain (2006) and Sadker (2002) reported that teachers tend to focus on males in a mixed-sex classroom because of males’ behavior. Females may sometimes feel constrained in mixed-sex classes; therefore, perform below their potential. Females may also have a tendency to be less willing to participate in classroom instruction in a mixed- sex classroom environment (Pollard, 1999).
Cable and Spradlin (2008) found that collaborative learning and noncompetitive environments seem to be where females thrive. Other researchers have found that females tend to be more motivated than males in school (Martino et al., 2005), are more likely to ask adults for help, and are more likely to set goals for themselves (Cable & Spradlin, 2008). Additionally, females tend to be more nurturing than males (Bjorklund & Bering, 2000), which in turn, creates a different behavioral situation in the classroom.
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