While reviewing her grade book, a third-grade math teacher sees a pattern between her male and female students' test grades in mathematics. The boys perform consistently better than the girls, on average. Considering the learning differences between males and females, which strategy below would mostly address the learning gap in this teacher's math class?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In order to address the learning gap between the girls and boys in this math class, the teacher should call on students randomly while making sure to call on girls as often as boys. Research shows that female students tend to feel less confident in math. Therefore, they often refrain from volunteering in their math classes. By calling on the students randomly and dividing the attention evenly between both genders, the teacher will be able to monitor the girls' levels of understanding more thoroughly. Otherwise, the teacher may make the assumption that the girls understand better than they actually do simply because they are not raising their hands to answer or ask clarifying questions. The expectations for mastery should not be reduced for the girls. That will likely increase the learning gap. While it is important to review key concepts with students that do not understand, assuming that all of the boys understand while the girls do not is discriminating. Lastly, research also shows that girls do not naturally catch up in later years. If a female student is struggling with math early in her school career, she will likely continue to struggle if an intervention is not applied.

While Reviewing Her Grade Book, a Third-Grade Math Teacher Sees