Part 1

The two documents (one two) that follow this item in the modules were part of a presentation/workshop at LAVC last year. For me(my teacher), it was shocking that some of my colleagues supported the idea that there are strong differences and that we should reinforce them. In my opinion, the workshop organizers and the Child Development professors who sponsored this event are incredibly ignorant. Look up the Gurian institute or use any other resources that you think are relevant. Limit this part to 250 words. This is more of a free writing exercise designed for you to rip apart outrageous claims. You could…

• Explain how a concept or theory from the text (or psychology in general) applies in these real-world suggestions. This could be parenting, nursing, school, preschool, babysitting, whatever. If you provide evidence from outside sources, make sure to cite/reference them and make sure they are scholarly. Focus on the application – how does this apply to real life? Use logic and informed academic arguments.

You will need to comment on at least one item from each of the three handouts (practical boys, practical girls, and ‘boys and girls learn differently’). While explaining a theory or concept, provide a critical analysis of the handouts. In that regard, the rubric is a bit general. Pay special attention to the issue of between versus within-group differences. Really focus on the impractical application of the bullet points.

So here’s the general theme that you should embrace: Are there differences between boys and girls in the way that Gurian and our Child Development Department describe? Maybe yes. Should that make a difference in how you interact with boys versus girls or how you treat them? Absolutely not.

Part 2

Find one scholarly reference from the last 10 years that relates to sex and gender differences. Anything throughout the lifespan is fine. Provide one or two sentences of explanation and identify the developmental domain. Follow that with a properly formatted reference (no hanging indent necessary).

An example that I just made up that hits all three domains (you only need to identify one): Liu and Johnson (2009) found that adolescent boys take more risks than adolescent girls. Risk taking could be considered part of the physical domain (due to immature frontal lobe development), the cognitive domain (due to how we assess situations) or psychosocial, since peer pressure may influence our risk-taking behavior.

If you have any questions let me know:)