Gender differences in teaching styles

by Paul Bress  

Men and women are often said to have different communication styles. This article reports on teaching styles and on a case study to establish whether such differences really exist, among both inexperienced and experienced teachers. The practical applications of the findings are also considered.

General differences between the "genderlects"

According to Tannen (1992), there are fundamental differences between men's and women's ways of communicating, which she terms "genderlects," as a takeoff on language dialects. She maintains that a man's world focuses on competition, status, and independence (the guiding principle being "we're separate and different"). Meanwhile, a woman's world focuses on intimacy, consensus, and interdependence (the guiding principle being: "We're close and the same.").

《Gender differences in teaching styles》