THE MINDS OF BOYS Saving Our Sons From Falling Behind in School and Life By Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens Publisher: Jossey-Bass/A Wiley Imprint Price: $24.95/hardcover ISBN: 0-7879-7761-6 "The Minds of Boys is a wonderfully practical and enjoyable book to read. I thoroughly enjoyed its insights, data and practical strategies. It will help empower parents to demand social justice for boys in school." -- Stephen J. Bavolek, Ph.D., Founder, The Nurturing Parenting Program RENOWNED THERAPIST AND GENDER EXPERT, MICHAEL GURIAN, TACKLES THE CRISIS OF BOYS AND EDUCATION IN GROUNDBREAKING NEW BOOK - THE MINDS OF BOYS Saving Our Sons From Falling Behind in School and Life Boys receive up to 70% of the Ds and Fs given all students in the United States; they create ninety percent of all classroom discipline problems; eighty percent of all high school dropouts are male; and young men currently make up just over forty percent of the college population. Is there a crisis with our boys? Or is there a crisis with an educational system that is having difficulty teaching them? Michael Gurian has devoted the last twenty years to examining the issues related to our children and education - how their brains work and what theories and practices have positive (and negative) effects on the way they learn and succeed. In this new book, THE MINDS OF BOYS, Gurian and educator Kathy Stevens reveal the reasons boys today are having more difficulty learning than girls, and offer proven strategies for parents and educators in order to help them better teach and empower young males. In THE MINDS OF BOYS, Gurian and Stevens draw on social philosophy, neuro-biology, case studies, and their own experiences in the field, to explore how boys' brains develop, function, and learn. From the earliest bonding between babies and parents, to the speed at which memory and verbal centers develop, gender plays a role at each stage of life. Boys have specific learning needs, and specific emotional and intellectual patterns by which they seek life-success. Who a boy is, from the inside out, affects how he relates to parents and teachers. THE MINDS OF BOYS calls on everyone who cares for boys to see the signals they are sending, and create families and schools that fully serve these young men. Gurian and Stevens offer proven methods that schools and homes can adapt to create a more comfortable and effective learning environment for boys without putting girls at a disadvantage. **Form a parent-led educational team (of relatives, friends, tutors) to join with schools in making sure boys learn well. ** Change curricula: Schools should institute more male-friendly language arts programs to encourage reading and writing. Introduce more movies, videos, or other forms of multi-media. ** Change reading requirements: Allow more choices. Offer personal-choice reading assignments so that boys can choose sports, adventure, or fantasy books, such as Harry Potter, if they'd like. ** Encourage note taking and paper writing using laptop computers: Many adolescent boys just cannot take handwritten notes as well as the girls around them. ** Encourage, at home and at school, the use of physical movement while reading and writing. When done properly, allowing boys to move around while they think about their assignments, helps get the creative juices flowing. Physical movement can also be incorporated into math and science classes - with math Olympics and interactive science activities. ** Initiate community discussions about school start times and class size requirements: Research shows that adjusting start times and class size, particularly for adolescents, has positive effects on learning performance and overall attitude. The authors also discuss how to use single-gender classrooms effectively, with case studies from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, California, Wisconsin, and Washington; how to promote overall brain health (pay attention to childhood sports-related head injuries); how to work with the boys who have learning disabilities and/or behavioral disorders; and how to motivate the boys who are underperforming or gifted. Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens have identified the problems that male youth are facing and offer concrete suggestions and solutions to save our boys from falling behind in school and life. Every parent of a son, and every teacher of boys, should read THE MINDS OF BOYS. # # # ABOUT THE AUTHORS Michael Gurian is a social philosopher, family therapist, corporate consultant, and the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books. The Gurian Institute, which he co-founded, conducts research internationally, launches pilot programs and training programs and trains professionals. He has pioneered efforts to bring neuro-biology and brain research into homes, workplaces, schools and public policy. A number of his groundbreaking books in child development have sparked national debate. Michael Gurian is a sought-after speaker and consultant. Kathy Stevens helped develop the Gurian Institute Training Division and has over twenty-five years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, focusing on children, youth, families, and women's issues. She has trained schools, districts and parents, in both the United States and Canada, in how boys and girls learn differently.
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