| Issue 62 (WAIS 2) Contents
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Encouraging Girls in Science
and Mathematics
Debbie
Irwin
Science Head Teacher
Sydney Girls Highschool
Introduction
I have 23 years of teaching experience and have had great success in encouraging girls to participate in extracurricular science experiences and believe this has impacted positively on their future career choices. Sydney Girls High school is an academically selective NSW public school with a very positive culture, excellent resources and a motivated and supportive Principal and school community that highly values education (see www.sghs.nsw.edu.au for more details). Our students choose a variety of university destinations and choice of courses is quite wide-spread across Commerce/Economics/Business, Art /Social Science, Health Sciences Combined Law, Engineering and Architecture. Unfortunately very few initially choose to go into a career in Education. The girls generally have positive attitudes towards Science due to the enthusiastic efforts of a mostly dedicated staff.
How do I approach encouraging girls to further study science?
A personalised approach – I frequently encourage students to attend any or all of the multitude of extracurricular activities (1) offered by tertiary institutions, professional associations, industry and private organizations available in science . My approach includes the use of a faculty notice board, school newsletter, daily announcements, handouts to class teachers and targeting of specific students. Frequently when approached girls will comment that they had heard ‘about the event’ but didn’t think they were ‘good enough’, ‘suited to science’ or some other reason which underestimates their ability. This a symptom of the ‘imposter syndrome’ ie “I don’t know how I got into this school, I’m not very clever?’. I find that continual harassment including approaches in the playground usually wins out. Francois Gagne identifies the importance of both interpersonal catalysts and environmental catalysts in the development of gifts into talents. It is within the area of environmental catalysts that the school and associated extracurricular activities can and should have significant influence. Significant factors within the environment which could ‘ignite the flame’ include; persons, places, interventions, events and chance.
Advertising and celebrating successes
Whenever students attend a summer school, lecture or other extracurricular science event, I try to get an article published by the student(s) in the next school newsletter and if possible photographs on the noticeboard and intranet or if appropriate a very public presentation on a school assembly. This method has certainly been successful in encouraging participation and great success in the Intel Young Scientist Competition (4 category winners and several runners up in the past 4 years), National Youth Science Forum and CSIRO Student Research Scheme. My experience so far is that it takes a great deal of constant effort (about two years) to develop a culture amongst students which not only accepts extracurricular activities but actively seeks them out.
Accessing available guest speakers, particularly those prepared to engage with students about areas of controversy eg Prof Michael Archer of the Australian Museum.
My classroom teaching encompasses strategies to access different learning styles, Multiple Intelligences and affective issues which relate to the education of girls, particularly gifted girls. Girls will often make comments such as “ I’m just not good a chemistry”, which I answer with, “No, I’m obviously just not teaching it the right way for you, lets have another go”. They some-times seem prepared to accept the myth that maybe they just aren’t good at science rather than understanding that traditional approaches to teaching often don’t suit them. As much as possible I try to encourage intellectual risk taking.
Allow choice in mode of presentation and choice of topic or within topic whenever possible for research assignments. When appropriate I discuss social issues related to their science studies and if possible personalities involved. I seek to humanise what is often portrayed as a very impersonal/sterile working life. I stress the importance or Science requiring all types of minds and personalities working together.
What can you do the help and encourage girls to further study science?
Be available;
Role models - many schools such as Sydney Girls High, run mentoring programs where the students spend a day or more following a person successful in their career – the students experience a day in your working life.
Guest speakers - particularly if you can speak on issues relevant to current topics of study. However, if you send speakers into schools be very careful who you choose, they must be able to relate to young adults not just ‘know their science’, one bad experience can do more damage than can ever be made up. Judges at School Science Fairs – the girls at Sydney Girls High were overwhelmingly positive about being able to speak to ‘real’ scientists about their research projects (the judges also seemed to get quite a kick out of the experience).
Scientists for the CSIRO Student Research Scheme - each year I hear glowing reports from girls who participate in this program, even though most of the participating scientists are male.
Provide resources for teachers – the WISENET series on famous women scientists several year ago was very useful.
Final comments
Many of the girls Sydney Girls High today no longer perceive discrimination based upon gender as a serious problem. They are being encouraged to pursue careers in a positive and competitive school with great family support, however they do still perceive that they may have to make choices at some stage between family life and a career. Girls are less likely to choose a career based upon perceived future financial reward, although their parents may have an initial say in this. They want a quality life which includes a rewarding (not necessarily financially) career. Girls need to see and hear from and about women who are currently enjoying careers in science, Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin can only reach so many (and they both had tragic ends!).
