The movement to get more girls into STEM is laudable and ongoing. Leaving aside any social and cultural barriers to girls in STEM fields, in Boys and Girls Learn Differently, Michael Gurian claims that male brains are gender-advantaged for spatial and abstract reasoning, and female brains are gender-advantaged for socialization and relationships. There are many other gender advantages Gurian mentions, and I am not well-read enough on gender studies or brain development to make a honest recommendation or criticism of his book as a whole.
However, this post is about how Gurian presents board games as a positive way to get preschool-aged girls to explore mathematical thinking.
As she realized [the preschool teacher] ever more that “ one strategy for encouraging children to explore logical – mathematical thinking is through the use of games, ” and that games are “ successful with girls because they meet their need for social connectedness while challenging them to become ‘ players ’ in problem – solving activities rather than just passive learners
Boys and Girls Learn Differently pg 110
I have always believed that board games are social events that are good for teaching math and logical thinking to all students. If Gurian is correct however, these games can be especially useful for young girls who, through brain physiology or cultural pressures, are expected to grow up well-socialized. Girls can tap into their social skills while developing mathematical thinking.
The Keasy Depot 