I am fortunate to be included in a STEAM cohort with my school division, Rocky View Schools. This community of practice group of teachers, teachers assistants, librarians, and learning specialists meet on six full days throughout the 2017-2018 school year. Additionally, Dr. Gina Cherkowski from http://stemlearninglab.com and her team of STEAM specialists are present to offer ways to include highly engaging, hands-on STEM and STEAM projects like coding, robotics and Maker Education. It was difficult for me to select one or two individuals for this STEM interview, therefore I made my interview questions available to the whole group. We met on Friday, January 19th at a local school which has a STEAM lab classroom. We began our day discussing Virtual Reality Animals cards and ways to integrate them into a ANIMAL DESIGN CHALLENGE. Thereafter, I was given the floor to introduce my questions, we deliberated as a whole then broke up into smaller groups to discuss it further. I made myself available throughout the day if anyone needed further clarification. Their answers were recorded in a Google document. For the remaining of the day we broke into groups to learn Adobe Photoshop for Educators, CnC Machine-Shopbot and reverse imagery with paint.
An ongoing conversation we have in our cohort are ways to increase the number of girls in STEAM programs. For this reason, I posed my questions around this topic.
- Gender Equality- My interviewees believed that women have not been encouraged or felt welcome in these programs and less confident in their abilities. Traditionally, gender roles and expectations have an impact on career and schooling choices women have made. And some women are just are not inclined to take those courses or have an interest in them – their interests lying more in the arts. North American gender roles continue to dominate what is/is not appropriate for women. By high school, math and sciences become a “stereotype” and the idea of being good in science or math is a “nerdy” thing! And carrying over from the past, there continues to be a lack of opportunity for younger women as those who are wealthy enough to provide bursaries may “assume” this is not an area that would interest young women, and because of lack of opportunity for these girls in the past.
- Empowerment- One of the teachers explained when she took Engineering at SAIT, she was one of 2 girls and there was virtually no female instructors.It is important to have strong female role models especially in the engineering field and as more women are entering this field. Traditionally, it was frowned upon for women to enter these fields and women were often treated much differently from the men in these fields. By creating more STEAM opportunities for girls at an early age and encouraging women to enter these fields there will be a gradual shift. Another teacher believed that including “girls only” technology and engineering options in high school could peek their interests and allows them the opportunity to see what careers are available to them. She also felt having female teachers in the roles of higher science courses as opposed to having all males in those courses makes an impact to see that girls can do what they put their mind to it.
- Exploration- Girls are tinkering with technology! The teachers have introduced coding with robots, scratch, micro bits, little bits, cubelets. Furthermore, some schools Furthermore, Coding apps, STEAM based building projects, ipads, computers with 4D imaging, 3D printers, SMART boards, technology-based diagnostic tools, especially in the medical field. Most teachers are finding it was costly and difficult to come up with the new ideas. Another challenge, the time to build the curriculum the way they want it to look like in regards to STEAM.
A couple of months ago RVS offered a GIRLS STEAM day, where girls throughout the division were involved with hands-on, creative summer activities that enable the girls to explore different digital technologies, have fun while they learn new skills and make new friends. Another day is planned for next month. Here is a video clip from the first day.
Wow! What an amazing context for you to do this work in! I wondered how answers might vary across different contexts. I think you’ve hit on a fascinating topic with gendering STEM in classrooms. As I look around my primary school where 100% of my colleagues are women I wonder what the impact is for both boys and girls. If math and science is taught almost exclusively by women in the younger grades in a way that reaches out to young girls does it alienate boys in that experience? If STEM is being taught in the primary grades in a way that does reach girls then why are girls not continuing into STEM fields? What might the impact be in high schools if more STEM classes were taught by women?
I would be interested in digging deeper into this topic!
Hello Tracy,
Yes, I am very lucky to have the support of my school division to be involved in this project. Each time we meet, it is always inspiring. Your questions perplexed me because I don’t know how to answer them. There are so many possible variables why there is a gender gap in the field of STEM. I am also pursuing further research in this area. Feel free to contact me at mgrant@rockyview.ab.ca and we can discuss it further.
I loved the topic of your interview abstract. I am the only female in my entire department in all of the Educational Technology Team and IT team. Everyday I have to prove what I know about technology where the men are just assumed to know. I will not lie that it has been a struggle, but also a driving force for me to represent to other females of any age (including our veteran teachers) that technology is just as much part of our lives. I run girls coding clubs called Evil Geniuses and it is bursting at the seems. It has given the girls enough confidence that they also come to my other coding clubs that are welcome to everyone. When I asked them about this, especially because we were coding the same things (Raspberry Pis and Microbits) they said they needed to feel part of something first, that they were in the same boat. It was never about the tech. I get that, it is lonely being the only female in a department.
Yet with passionate educators like you I think there is a chance to dispel myths and create change. We need to look at supporting our minority populations in Math and Science and rid the world of the white male super coder myth. I am happy to say that I am the opening keynote speaker for our neighbouring school district Blackgold Girls in Tech Day. I hope to inspire young women that it isn’t about technology for girls, it is about technology for everyone.
What STEM tools/activities proved to be the most popular with your female students?
Trish
Hello Trisha,
First, congrats on being the keynote speaker! Perhaps, it is something you would be interested to do at my school division. Please feel free to contact me at mgrant@rockyview.ab.ca and we could possibly make that happen. As far as, specific tools/activities girls are most interested in, I am finding the “designing” component is the most intriguing part for girls. Yes, it is great to see the robot move, but planning and designing the construction of the robot is what they enjoy the most.
Second, I would agree the overall message should be to inspire technology for everyone, but most girls are intimidated or deterred by technology. Thank you for inspiring girls!
Hello Mary,
I found your post very interesting as I have found the exact same in at my BC Offshore school in Thailand. The STEAM opportunities are there, but they are largely not taken by female students in the older grades. Its been a goal of mine to get everyone involved and for this reason, we have focussed heavily on the younger grades. It will take some time before we see this hopefully bear fruit in the HS elective grades but certainly, I see girls at a young age every bit as interested in STEAM. I think the challenge ahead is to continue to provide more exciting opportunities year to year to keep them interested.