Boys and science: The gender gap and how to maintain it | Dean Burnett

A recent article on this website focused on how girls outperform boys in science, excluding the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, and even suggested a " interesting "ideas on how to encourage girls to do better in science. In the spirit of gender equality, here are some suggestions like doing the same thing with children

A recent article in The Guardian said that a study showed that although girls outperform boys in science, in most countries, this is not the case of the United Kingdom ( and the United States and Canada). I only briefly on why this may be the case, but most of the article is devoted to suggest methods for encouraging girls to understand the science. These suggestions are at best "questionable" at worst "nonsense absurd and offensive that apparently stems from some parallel dimension where the last 60 years never happened." It is one of the two.

But obviously, it is important to encourage young people to take too much science. Not all parents have a daughter, and in spite of the gender gap, science needs everyone can get to progress. Thus, in a spirit of equality, fairness and balance, here are some similar suggestions to improve the chances of your child being a successful young scientist.

emphasize that we live in a cruel world, random

believes that children are more logical than girls. There is evidence to suggest that it really is a stereotype perpetuated on the basis of parental attitudes. This clearly means that you as a parent can affect a child's ability to think logically only to interact with them. So take advantage of this fact by saying your child from cold, hard logic of the world on a regular basis. Instead of a bedtime story, try to list the number of deaths from virulent diseases or current senseless wars. When you lose a tooth, instead of invoking the tooth fairy, explain that it is the result of the decomposition of the body, which inevitably lead to the cold embrace of death. An incessant barrage of cold data undoubtedly encourage your child to embrace the rational and scientific thought in order to get a chance to avoid the dark horror of the universe.

Use the right brain

The original article highlights how girls use the left side, centered on the language of the brain. Then, of course, children should use the right side. This is the side that is dedicated to the recognition of faces (among other things). Exploit this fact by having a variety of familiar faces go home and tell your child a scientific fact or theory looking straight into his eyes. If you can afford to hire a TV star loves to get them to join in.

Boys are less sensitive to color

Girls are apparently more sensitive to color, although the color seems largely processed by the right hemisphere? (See above). Anyway, this means that children do not care about the color. Therefore, avoid being distracted by insignificant differences Sciences wavelength of the visible spectrum photons spray paint all their toys and black or gray, monochrome or anything. Children inevitably focus on the interesting elements of the science they are raised in a gentle, non-stimulating environment.

Using interest macho sport

may be a clich?, but studies have suggested that men tend to be more active in sports than women. If your child is interested in sports, then you can use it to stimulate interest in science. While watching a sporting event in particular random email to develop the scientific components of the game, for example, what is the trajectory of the ball after the shot? How much force that had cricket bat speed limit based on the approximate weight of a cricket ball? Judging by the damage, which is the period during which the player will probably arrive at the hospital and what therapies will be used to replace the leg?

further encourage this behavior with social reinforcement. Bring your child to a football game or other sporting event live, so that you can impress the hardcore fans of his detailed analysis of the game. They really appreciate it.

Comics may be too scientific

As above, children tend to be fond of comics. Use a similar strategy with them to get interested in science. When you're a comic, they say they can not read the next page until you have highlighted all the scientific inaccuracies and impossibilities of today, for example, Flash moves at a speed that would make a human body to burn because air friction. Did they show their work by writing directly on the page.

more to the teaching of science, there is a possibility that they will be so outraged by the injustice of his conduct, which eventually became an activist masked themselves as Batman. Everyone loves Batman, and he is a scientist.

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