| There are gender differences in learning styles specific | | | | designing a playground for those with disabilities as well |
| to science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) | | | | as about building bridges. Teachers should consider |
| that teachers of these subjects should keep in mind | | | | using all types of examples when they are teaching |
| when developing lesson plans and teaching in the | | | | and incorporating activities in efforts to appeal female |
| classroom. First, overall, girls have much less | | | | and male interests. Teachers can also direct students |
| experience in the hands-on application of learning | | | | to come up with their own projects as a way of |
| principles in lab settings than boys. This could occur in | | | | ensuring girls can work in an area of significance to |
| the computer lab, the science lab, or the auto lab | | | | them. |
| – the principle is the same for all of these settings | | | | Research also shows that there are Mars/Venus |
| – it requires an overall technology problem-solving | | | | differences between the genders and how each |
| schema, accompanied by use and manipulation of | | | | engages in technology. Overall, girls and women are |
| tools, and spatial relation skills that very few girls bring | | | | excited by how the technology will be used – its |
| with them to the classroom on day one in comparison | | | | application and context. Men will discuss how big the |
| to boys. | | | | hard drive or engine is, how fast the processor runs, |
| Let’s look at some of the reasons why girls | | | | and debate the merits of one motherboard or engine |
| come to the STEM classroom with less of the core | | | | versus another. These are topics that are, overall, of |
| skills needed for success in this subject area. Overall, | | | | less interest to most females. |
| girls and boys play with different kinds of games in | | | | The Carnegie-Mellon Study took into account the |
| early childhood that provide different types of learning | | | | differences of what engages female students and |
| experiences. Most girls play games that emphasize | | | | modified the Computer Science programs’ |
| relationships (i.e., playing house, playing with dolls) or | | | | curriculum so that the context for the program was |
| creativity (i.e., drawing, painting). In contrast, boys play | | | | taught much earlier on in the semester and moved |
| computer and video games or games that emphasize | | | | some of the more technical aspects of the curriculum |
| building (i.e., LEGO®), both of which develop | | | | (such as coding) to later in the semester. Authors |
| problem-solving, spatial-relationship and hands-on skills. | | | | observed that the female students were much more |
| A study of gender differences in spatial relations skills | | | | positive about getting through the tedious coding |
| of engineering students in the U.S. and Brazil found that | | | | classes when they understood the purpose of it. |
| there was a large disparity between the skills of | | | | Teachers should ensure that the context for the |
| female and male students. These studies attributed | | | | technology they are teaching is addressed early on in |
| female student’s lesser skills set to two | | | | the semester by using real world stories and case |
| statistically significant factors: 1) less experience playing | | | | studies to capture the interest of all of their students. |
| with building toys and 2) having taken less drafting | | | | 3. Group Dynamics in the Classroom |
| courses prior to the engineering program. Spatial | | | | Research studies by American Association of |
| relations skills are critical to engineering. A gender study | | | | University Women and Children Now have found that |
| of computer science majors at Carnegie-Mellon | | | | most females prefer collaboration and not competition |
| University (one of the preeminent computer science | | | | in the classroom. Conversely, most males greatly |
| programs in the country) found that, overall, male | | | | enjoy competition as a method of learning and play. |
| students come equipped with much better computer | | | | Many hands-on activities in technology classes are set |
| skills than female students. This equips male students | | | | up as competitions. Robotics for example, regularly |
| with a considerable advantage in the classroom and | | | | uses competitiveness as a methodology of teaching. |
| could impact the confidence of female students. | | | | Teachers shouldbe cognizant of the preference of |
| Are these gender differences nature or nurture? | | | | many girls for collaborative work and should add-in |
| There is considerable evidence that they are nurture. | | | | these types of exercises to their classes. Some ways |
| Studies show that most leading computer and video | | | | to do this are by having students work in assigned |
| games appeal to male interests and have | | | | pairs or teams and having a team grade as well as an |
| predominantly male characters and themes, thus it is | | | | individual grade. (See Reading 2 on Cooperative |
| not surprising that girls are much less interested in | | | | Learning.) |
| playing them. A study of computer games by Children | | | | Another Mars/Venus dynamic that STEM teachers |
| Now found that 17% of the games have female | | | | should be aware of occurs in the lab there male |
| characters and of these, 50% are either props, they | | | | students will usually dominate the equipment and |
| tend to faint, have high-pitched voices, and are highly | | | | females will take notes or simply watch. Overall, male |
| sexualized. | | | | students have more experience and thus confidence |
| There are a number of studies that suggest that when | | | | with hands-on lab equipment than their female |
| girls and women are provided with the building blocks | | | | counterparts. Teachers should create situations to |
| they need to succeed in STEM they will do as well if | | | | ensure that their female students are spending an |
| not better than their male counterparts. An Introductory | | | | equal amount of time in hands-on activities. Some |
| Engineering Robotics class found that while males did | | | | approaches have been: 1) to pair the female students |
| somewhat better on the pre-test than females, | | | | only with each other during labs in the beginning of the |
| females did as well as the males on the post-test | | | | class semester so that they get the hands-on time |
| following the class’s completion. | | | | and their confidence increases, putting them in a better |
| Another critical area of gender difference that | | | | position to work effectively with the male students |
| teachers of STEM should keep in mind has less to do | | | | later on, 2) allot a specific time for each student in pair |
| with actual skills and experience and more to do with | | | | to use the lab equipment and announce when |
| perceptions and confidence. For females, confidence is | | | | it’s time to switch and monitor this, and 3) |
| a predictor of success in the STEM classroom. They | | | | provide feedback to male students who are taking |
| are much less likely to retain interest if they feel they | | | | over by letting them know that their partner needs to |
| are incapable of mastering the material. Unfortunately, | | | | do the activity as well. |
| two factors work against female confidence level: 1) | | | | 4. Moving Female Students from Passive Learners to |
| most girls will actually have less experience with STEM | | | | Proactive Problem Solvers |
| course content than their male counterparts and 2) | | | | The main skill in STEM is problem solving in hands-on |
| males tend to overplay their accomplishments while | | | | lab situations. For reasons already discussed regarding |
| females minimize their own. A study done of Carnegie | | | | a lack of experience, most girls don’t come to |
| Mellon Computer Science PhD students found that | | | | STEM classes with these problem-solving skills. Instead, |
| even when male and female students were doing | | | | girls often want to be shown how to do things, |
| equally well grade wise, female students reported | | | | repeatedly, rather than experimenting in a lab setting to |
| feeling less comfortable. Fifty-three percent of males | | | | get to the answer. Adding to this issue, many girls fear |
| rated themselves as “highly prepared” in | | | | that they will break the equipment. In contrast, male |
| contrast to 0% of females. | | | | students will often jump in and manipulate the |
| It is important to note that many of the learning style | | | | equipment before being given any instructions by their |
| differences described above are not strictly | | | | teacher. Teachers can address this by such activities |
| gender-based. They are instead based on differences | | | | as: 1) having them take apart old equipment and put it |
| of students with a background in STEM, | | | | together again, 2) creating “scavenger |
| problem-solving, and hands-on skills learned from | | | | hunt” exercises that force them to navigate |
| childhood play and life experience and those who | | | | through menus, and 3) emphasizing that they are |
| haven’t had the same type of exposure. A | | | | learning the problem solving process and that this is |
| review of the literature on minority students and STEM | | | | equally important to learning the content of the lesson |
| finds that students of color are less likely to have the | | | | and insisting that they figure out hands-on exercises on |
| STEM background experiences and thus are missing | | | | their own. |
| many of the same STEM building blocks as girls and | | | | Research has also shown that females tend to |
| have the same lack of confidence. Many of the STEM | | | | engage in STEM activities in a rote, smaller picture |
| curriculum and pedagogy solutions that work for | | | | way while males use higher order thinking skills to |
| female students will also work for students of color for | | | | understand the bigger picture and the relationship |
| this reason. | | | | between the parts. Again, moving female students |
| Bridge Classes/Modules to Ensure Core Skills | | | | (and the non-techsavvy student in general) to become |
| Teachers will likely see a gap in the core STEM skills | | | | problem solvers (versus just understanding the content |
| of female and minority students for the reasons | | | | piece of the STEM puzzle) will move them to use |
| described above. Below are some solutions applied | | | | higher order thinking skills in STEM. |
| elsewhere to ensure that girls and women (and | | | | Finally, many teachers have reported that many |
| students of color) will get the building block STEM skills | | | | female students will often want to understand how |
| that many will be missing. | | | | everything relates to each other before they move |
| Teachers in the Cisco Academy Gender Initiative | | | | into action in the lab or move through a lesson plan to |
| study assessed the skill levels of each of their | | | | complete a specific activity. The female students try to |
| students and then provided them with individualized | | | | avoid making mistakes along the way and will not only |
| lesson plans to ensure their success that ran parallel to | | | | want to read the documentation needed for the |
| the class assignments. Other teachers taught key skills | | | | lesson, they will often want to read the entire manual |
| not included in the curriculum at the beginning of the | | | | before taking any action. In contrast, the male student |
| course, such as calculating math integers and tool | | | | often needs to be convinced to look at the |
| identification and use. Students were provided with | | | | documentation at all. Boys are not as concerned with |
| additional lab time, staffed by a female teaching | | | | making a mistake a long the way as long as what |
| assistant, knowing that the female students would | | | | they do ultimately works. The disadvantage for female |
| disproportionately benefit from additional hands-on | | | | students is that they often are so worried about |
| experience. | | | | understanding the whole picture that they don’t |
| Carnegie-Mellon University came to view their | | | | move onto the hands-on activity or they don’t |
| curriculum as a continuum, with students entering at | | | | do it in a timely fashion, so that they are consistently |
| different points based on their background and | | | | the last ones in the class to finish. Teachers can assist |
| experience. Carnegie-Mellon’s new frame of a | | | | female (and non-tech-savvy) students to move |
| “continuum” is purposefully different than | | | | through class material more quickly by providing |
| the traditional negative model in which classes start | | | | instruction on how to quickly scan for only the |
| with a high bar that necessitates “remedial” | | | | necessary information needed to complete an |
| tutoring for students with less experience, stigmatizing | | | | assignment. |
| them and undermining their confidence. Below is a list | | | | 5. Role Models |
| of ideas and suggestions that will help ALL students to | | | | Since the numbers of women in STEM are still small, |
| succeed in the STEM classroom. | | | | girls have very few opportunities to see female role |
| 1. Building Confidence | | | | models solving science, technology, engineering or |
| How do teachers build confidence in female students | | | | math problems. Teachers should bring female role |
| who often have less experience than their male | | | | models into the classroom as guest speakers or |
| counterparts and perceive they are behind even when | | | | teachers, or visit them on industry tours, to send the |
| they are not? | | | | message to girls that they can succeed in the STEM |
| 1) Practice-based experience and research has shown | | | | classroom and careers. |
| that ensuring female students have the opportunity to | | | | Bibliography |
| gain experience with STEM, in a supportive | | | | Medina, Afonso, Celso, Helena B.P. Gerson, and Sheryl |
| environment, will increase their confidence level. | | | | A. Sorby. “Identifying Gender Differences in the |
| 2) Bringing in female role models that have been | | | | 3-D Visualization Skills of Engineering Students in Brazil |
| successful in the STEM field is another important | | | | and in the United States”. International Network |
| parallel strategy that should be used to assist your | | | | for Engineering Eucation and Research page. 2 August |
| female students in seeing themselves as capable of | | | | 2004: [ |
| mastering STEM classes: if she could do it, then I can | | | | Milto, Elissa, Chris Rogers, and Merredith Portsmore. |
| too! | | | | “Gender Differences in Confidence Levels, |
| 3) Consistent positive reinforcement by STEM | | | | Group Interactions, and Feelings about Competition in |
| teachers of their female students, with a positive | | | | an Introductory Robotics Course”. American |
| expectation of outcome, will assist them in hanging in | | | | Society for Engineering Education page. 8 July 2004: [ |
| there during those difficult beginning weeks when they | | | | “Fair Play: Violence, Gender and Race in Video |
| have not yet developed a technology schema or | | | | Games 2001”. Children Now page. 19 August |
| hands-on proficiency and everything they undertake | | | | 2004: [ |
| seems like a huge challenge. | | | | “Girls and Gaming: Gender and Video Game |
| 2. Appealing to Female Interests | | | | Marketing, 2000”. Children Now page. 17 June |
| Many of the typical STEM activities for the classroom | | | | 2004: [ |
| appeal to male interests and turn off girls. For example, | | | | Tech-Savvy: Educating Girls in the New Computer |
| curriculum in robots often involves monsters that | | | | Age. District of Columbia: American Association of |
| explode or cars that go fast. | | | | University Women Educational Foundation, 2000. |
| “Roboeducators” observed that robots | | | | Margolis, Jane and Allan Fisher. Unlocking the |
| involved in performance art or are characterized as | | | | Computer Clubhouse: Women in Computer. |
| animals are more appealing to girls. Engineering | | | | Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2003. |
| activities can be about how a hair dryer works or | | | | |