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Representation matters but so does the culture. One of my sophomores just claimed that being a nurse was only for women - altho he said both men & women could be doctors. Changing the culture is the hardest part because your classroom is just one part of the school & a much smaller part of the community. You're going to have to be aggressively equitable. It would also be a good idea to reach out to the earlier grades & help build up their equitable science programs.

Showing students the diversity that already exists in STEM fields is important. If they see that they would not be alone and that there are women and other diverse groups in these fields there would be more of an interest in STEM for those groups. 

Hi Hannah 

I am currently taking Science Methods at Wartburg College, and one thing that we have talked about is showing the growing diversity. Going along with Torrey and Ryan, we need to show the representation and diversity that is happening now. We teach about what has happened within STEM, and the majority is about white men's work. But, STEM is changing, and we should start showing more diversity of collaborators within our resources. You can also show diversity by bringing in people from your community so they see people they possibly know within a STEM career.

Another thing that I wanted to add with this is the hands-on inclusiveness within the classroom. Make everyone feel that they can have academic success. One way you can do that is to figure out what your students like and tie it back into your STEM lessons. This way, you grab their attention and relate to their likes to show that STEM can be interesting.

Hi Hannah

I am currently taking Science Methods at Wartburg College, and one thing that we have talked about is showing the growing diversity. Going along with Torrey and Ryan, we need to show the representation and diversity that is happening now. We teach about what has happened within STEM, and the majority is about white men's work. But, STEM is changing, and we should start showing more diversity of collaborators within our resources. You can also show diversity by bringing in people from your community, so they see people they possibly know within a STEM career.

Another thing that I wanted to add with this is the hands-on inclusiveness within the classroom. Make everyone feel that they can have academic success. One way you can do that is to figure out what your students like and tie it back into your STEM lessons. This way, you are grabbing their attention and relating to their likes to show that STEM can be interesting.