Do Boys and Girls Learn Differently?

This was the big take-away for me: "The science of teaching is increasingly being driven by scientific discoveries in other fields when it should merely be informed by them." The best teachers I know are able to use the research and their technical training in a way that augments an approach that is first and foremost about deep knowledge of the particular child. More than once I have had the experience of someone tsk-tsk-ing me for trying out reading material with my son (age 6) that is not "age-appropriate." But I can't think of any better way to serve him. We are all familiar with the phenomenon of high-energy (often but not always male) kids being badly served by sit-down-and-shut-up education, but just because more mild-mannered (often but not always female) kids are able to color inside the lines does not mean that we are serving the “female” population any better. What’s that thing about sales? If you’re closing the sale 100% of the time, you’re failing.