Do gifted boys and girls differ in their needs and if so, how?

Do gifted boys and girls differ in their needs and if so, how?

In my experience, there is a difference in the way the needs of gifted boys and girls are expressed. I believe the needs are very similar, but the outward manifestations vary. It would be simplistic to say that there is a clear gender division however, as a teacher of gifted, I noted clusters of differences. For example, gifted girls seemed to value peers and friendships at a younger age than the boys. The girls also seemed better able to rebound from a set-back, perhaps with the support of those peers. Since the elementary school is a more feminized atmosphere, the role models and activities often fit the social and emotional needs of the girls in the class better than the boys. In the past few decades with our quest for equity for the genders, gifted girls have benefited, as well as girls in general, eclipsing boys in college graduation rates and progress to higher degrees. That leaves the bright young boys out of the loop socially as their talents often lead them to boredom, rebellion, withdrawal, or counterinsurgency with the teacher and school as the enemy.

I refer to this as going over to the “dark side of the force.” This is especially true when neither a specialized GT program or a minimally effective differentiation of curriculum emphasis in the school district. Boys need more role models of intellectual prowess in the school setting. They also require teachers who implement activity-oriented teaching and learning and promote a classroom culture that values boys’ intense approach to learning. Both genders of gifted students need a classroom climate that fosters their multi-dimensional growth and, ideally, provides a peer group of quirky questers for meaning.