STEM for ALL

    STEM for ALL

    Empowering all talents in STEM

    Inclusive STEM classroom:  easy to implement suggestions for teachers

     

    Why is it important?

    Girls are proven to be as good as boys in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) worldwide (PISA, 2003) and also in the Netherlands (Hyde, 1990). However, a much lower percentage of girls versus boys choose for STEM profiles and studies in high-school and university. We would like to exchange knowledge and best practices to increase STEM engagement and participation in STEM classes, courses and programmes, paying special attention to empowering female students. Our goal is to give easy to implement suggestions on how to make any classroom more inclusive, stimulating teachers and educational leaders to re-design their courses/programmes. These recommendations were provided by students, following a review of the literature as well as implementation in various courses, including mathematics and science courses at University of Groningen. Our experience is based on a project where students served as co-researchers.

    How can we do it?

    We know that STEM teachers are very busy. No worries! We have created a list of easy to implement suggestions and recommendations for STEM teachers. Give it a try! Empower all your students. We believe that small changes can make a big difference.

     

     

    Embrace real-life applications and hands-on activities

    • celebrate reality
    • problem-based approach centered around real-world problems
    • hands-on activities
    • show relevance of STEM subjects to our lives and underline their social value

     

    (Ceci & Williams , 2010)

    (Burke, 2007)

    (Clewell & Braddock, 2000)

    (Blanchard et al. 2017)

    Give positive (specific) feedback

    • teachers positive feedback for girls is very important
    • create supportive environment
    • welcome students to ask questions

     

    Paechter, M., Luttenberger, S., Ertl, B. (2020). Distributing Feedback Wisely to Empower Girls in STEM

    Skipper, Y.  & Leman, P.J.  (2017). The role of feedback in young people’s academic choices

    She, H. C. (2000). The interplay of a biology teacher's beliefs, teaching practices and gender-based student-teacher classroom interaction

    Avoid asking for volunteers

     

    Create a gender neutral learning environment

    Let students work in groups

    Burke, R. J. (2007). Women and minorities in STEM: A primer. 

    Connect learning to careers and role models

    Microsoft & KRC Research. How Role Models Are Changing the Face of STEM in Europe (Microsoft, 2018)

    Hughes, R., Nzekwe, B., & Molyneaux, K. (2013). The Single Sex Debate for Girls in Science: 

    A Comparison Between Two Informal Science Programs on Middle School Students' STEM Identity Formation.

    Challenge discriminatory language

    • always point out sexist or otherwise offensive language towards other students

    Monitor your interaction with different genders

    • the ratio of different genders asking/answering question might be surprising

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