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Hello Amber, While in many STEM classes, I have truly seen the various statistics on how many less girls are in science/ engineering fields than boys. And this needs to change! I believe if we start getting them more interested at a young age then that will guide more girls to appreciate and enjoy science. Having activities that are more enjoyable/ relatable will always help. Also, many girls like pinterest type activities, so taking things from pinterest but then applying it in various ways will truly bring science to another level of interest to these young girls.

I agree with what most are saying on here. Making sure you use hands on activities is a big motivator for any student. I would also try putting students into groups with a project "competition" of some type. Boys vs Girls. This will motivate the girls because they love it when they beat boys. Bring into class some examples of great female contributors to science! Good Luck!

Amber, I can speak to this as I am a female college student who never had much of an interest in science. It is only now, in one of my senior semesters of college that I am actually realizing that science is so bad and I can find some enjoyment in it. I can attribute this interest to the fact that my professor structures our classes in such a way that we are constantly engaging with our peers and doing 5E, inquiry lesson plans. I believe that by allowing students to follow an investigable question to guide their lesson, they can take ownership of the experience at hand and really immerse themselves into finding the answer to the posed question. In addition, allowing students to follow the CERR Framework (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning and Rebuttal) they are able to have a claim and defend it to their peers through evidence if they think differently. This allows students again, to have ownership over their work and to be able to learn how to speak in educational settings. In short, it's all about letting you students take the wheel of their learning and empowering them on their own to realize what their interests are!

I think this is relative to the grade level you are teaching. I am a kindergarten teacher and I try and get girls involved in science by using aspects that relate to them. I bring in women scientists to speak to the class. If we are doing an animals unit then I ask a woman zoologist to visit our class and talk to the students about her role. Bringing in powerful women from our community is such a great way to get our girl students to understand that science is gender neutral. 

My advise is to show them other girls or women that are involved in science in an amazing way. Sally Field was someone I learned about that got me very into science when I was younger. There are so many amazing women out there that are doing great things in science. I saw this very inspiring video about little girls that were interested in engineering. It may have been a lego inspired video but I'm sure if you search for an inspiring video about girls in science you will get more than you need. 

Hands on activities can usually get most kids involved, but if there are a few that are having trouble becoming interested in a topic, try relating it back to one of their other interests.

I really believe that female students are seriouslying lacking positive female scientist role models in popular media. They need to made aware that science is not just for boys and that girls can do it just as well and with just as much credibility and passion.

Hi Amber, Our team in Wiseburn Unified School District has been experimenting with how to effectively teach group communication.  What we learned is that our girls are benefiting from the structure--which is an added bonus.  Initially, we simply wanted to help students to be more engaged in the work.  We wanted to use direct instruction to build specific skills but still allow students to "work through" challenges using the NGSS Engineering Design Process.  Turns out the secret is defining roles and then embedding direct instruction in the lessons /time so that all students are held accountable for essential tasks.  We are still working to eliminate the free-rides-- students who find ways to avoid the learning process.  We are finding that the non-learners are usually lacking confidence but would love to contribute if they had the skills.  

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Getting_Teams_Role-ing.pdf (0.65 Mb)

For both boys and girls, I would suggest as much hands-on learning and activities as possible.  Let them, in a way, take over their learning and teach themselves through experiments.  As for getting girls involved, I would model as much as possible.  Make sure your classroom exhibits both boys and girls as scientists.  Also, include women scientists in your lessons.  Find books about the first women in space or, more specifically, the first African-American woman in space.  This can reach out and encourage minorities to become more involved in STEM as well.  Setting up an environment that does not favor one gender over the other and holds all students to the same standards is one of the most important aspects to keep in mind.  Make sure that all students feel capable of pursuing their dreams in any field.    

For a subject such as Science, in my experience elementary students love it. In the classrooms that I have observed I've noticed that science is not always frequently taught. So, when it is the students seem to really enjoy it. To make it engaging I believe it is important to include hands on activities for the students as well as providing plenty of visuals for them to see. This way they are able to participate in the lesson rather than just taking notes in a science journal. For girls, I think that as teachers we encourage all of our students to engage in science no matter their gender. 

There are several ways to get children engaged in science lessons. First of all, with both genders you need to find what builds their interests in science and then create lessons that go along with their interests. If you are choosing something that is of more interest to girls then they will be more willing to learn and try out the experiments and tasks that go along with it. As they get more involved they will be able to grown in their learning and confidence. I would include more hands-on and craft/creating lessons to help bring in the girls interest. Another way to grasp the students interest is to find a good hook, such as a a crazy statistic or experiment that grabs their attention for the following lessons.

I wonder if your school can purchase and get involved in the Robotics FLL program? You do not have to be an expert in Robotics. It's a very encouraging type of competition. My first year, I knew absolutely nothing but got a brief overview of FLL Robotics. My team ended up placing 1st in the Robot game. It is a very student-oriented (versus coach and parent) outcome. The team was mostly girls. I encourage you to look into it. It will, however cost about 400 dollars to purchase your first EV3 Robot (350 dollars) and the first registration for the tournament (75 dollars).

It's important for girls to have role models. Check with your local university in the engineering department. There are groups of women engineers that want to visit schools and show students what their career is all about and it is targeted at getting girls to choose science and math career paths. Here is another site: http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org/

If you haven't yet, check out the books Rosie Revere Engineer, Ada Twist Scientist, Violet the Pilot, and I know there are a lot more. You could even incorporate a scientist of the week. Assign students to research each scientist and just give their highlight reel in a 3 minute presentation. (Include male and female scientists.) I just purchased the book; Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World. It was around 12 or 13$ on Amazon.

I agree with most everyone else on this post that the way to get students the most engaged in science lessons is to provide hands-on activities. Also I think providing lessons that pertain to what the students are actually interested in and questioning is another great way to get them engaged. The more that you can appeal to their intrinsic desire to learn the better because they will be self-motivated to learn the material and get involved. As for getting girls involved and building up their confidence I think there is many ways to go about it. Girls do not do worse than boys early on but are less encouraged to pursue science classes and careers. I think that by providing constant encouragement and by showing girls other female scientist they may get more involved. Also just making them aware of the discrepancy between boys and girls in the sciences may motivate them. I remember a teacher in middle school told us about girls not pursing the sciences as much as boys and he made each group dispel the notion that girls were not as good as boys in the sciences and that stuck with me all throughout middle and high school. I think girls are encouraged more to pursue other fields but not taught that science is a field that they can also be successful at. In addition, technology has evolved so that if some girls get don't necessarily want to dissect animals or want to 'get dirty' they can still participate in science experiments and be successful. Science is a large field and the more that girls are exposed to the many different areas of science the more likely they are to find a field that may interest them.

Hi Amber, I completely agree with what our fellow teachers have said below. Have you thought of incorporating a read aloud that features girls and boys actively engaged in a science experiment or project? Maybe something like the Magic School bus (Phoebe is a good role model for girls). I don't know of other series that involve girls and science, but I am sure they are out there. Good Luck!

Hey Amber,

I think that one of the most important things that a teacher could do in a situation like this is to act as a model for the students. This is important in both female and male teachers because it is important that they see these adult models enjoying and pursing science. Another important aspect to consider would be your personal attitudes about science and your knowledge of science. If a teacher were to have a more negative attitude of science, students are going to be stand-of-ish toward science. If a teacher were to show excitement toward science and make it a very engaging and accepting experience then students are more likely to enjoy science. I would also say that creating an accepting classroom environment where making mistakes is okay and encouraged is also very important. Making mistakes is a very important part of science. Mistakes are what helps you to understand what went wrong and how you cold change your procedures the next time around. Overall I think teacher attitudes and modeling are what help to engage students and keep them interested in science.

Whatever the area of study, only if the person has an interest in the study, we can enhance that. It is not possible to spoon feed the interest in a particular job. However, science is something that explores. Thus, bringing students to science expos, scientific museums may help to enhance their interest. Science fiction series may also help. All the very best. Canadaessaywriting.com/

I think it's important to open their eyes to the opportunities that are available for them. As long as you make science more "open" and interesting to the girls, hopefully it should make them more engaged and open to the idea that they can excel and succeed in the field. I think it would be important to hook their attention with lessons/topics they're actually interested in. Hopefully, these girls can go on to fill the STEM fields with their brilliance!

Amber, just in case you haven't already stumbled across this for girls: Sci Girls http://lpb.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/scigirls/?topic_id=796

I agree with many of the post before this. Getting girls involved at a young age will help build their confidence in science. By exposing students to science at a young age, it will build students confidence in the future. I think through inquiry-based learning as well because it allows students to explore on their own and no one is wrong. This will help build girls confidence as well.

As much as I dislike the idea of separating the boys from the girls, I feel like this is a good way of actually getting the girls to do the work. When the students are put into combined groups, I find that the girls sit back while the boys take over. It's not always the case but often times that can happen. Another thing that you could do is assign very specific parts for the students in each group so as to not separate them by gender. In a group activity, assign certain parts each time. Each time you do one, make sure to give everyone fair chance. For example, if it's a group of three and you are doing a measuring activity, one time have a boy be note taker, have a girl measure, etc. This will encourage girls to do the hands-on parts of the activity as well as show girls that they can do it. Often times the lack of confidence in girls comes from not having the opportunities to do the work as well as not being taught to learn from "mistakes". What ends up happening is that if girls mess up once, they feel like they're not smart enough for it. Hope this helps.

Children like hands-on activities. I suggest that always put them in groups. The lessons should be interesting and relate to their own lives. The 5E Model of Instruction is great to keep students engaged.

Try to praise their every effort specifically, encourage them, engage them. Girls enjoy discoveries, as well as boys, so make every science lesson a discovery

I think one of the key things is to start early & capitalize on that early interest as recommended by the new Next Generation Science Standards. Check out some of the resources available to bring this kind of engagement into the classroom: https://www.knowatom.com/resources

I often wonder that same thing. Here I work for a company dedicated to STEM and making learning fun and my daughter wants nothing to do with it. It's because she is now in 7th grade and no longer sees herself as a "scientist". In everything that I've read and watched, it is imperative to get girls interested early on. They don't know what they don't know and if we are only making science about reading chapters and taking notes then that is not science at all and they think they don't like it (because who would). They need fun hands on learning where they are in charge of their own learning and investigating. We need to start this in the early years and continue it through out. There is no reason why a science class in middle school can't still be fun. If science is not fun and engaging then we need to look at ways to make it so. Project based learning is powerful.

Some tips about getting children engaged in lessons is by incorporating information that will relate to the student. The student will be interested in the lesson by allowing them the opportunity to relate and recognize themselves towards the lesson. Girls can be involved and confident in science by encouraging girls to find the pleasure in science lessons by giving them chances in being involved.

Thank you for posting this post. My campus one year noticed that our data for girls than boys. We created an after-school club that was for girls only that allowed them to be engaged in experiments, learn how careers with female scientists, and allowed them to have success that built self esteem. The next year our girls out preformed the boys!

It is important to make students feel they are in the activity when teachers design some interesting activities to their students. I remember that when I was in elementary school, the most interesting course to me is the literature because the teacher of the literature come up with a great idea to inspire students motivation. He designed a book which concludes all the best writing pieces and us students all want to get more writing pieces of ourselves on the book.

Love all the ideas from this post on getting girls involved in science! I remember not liking science as an elementary student because it was just reading from a science textbook and doing worksheets. I like the idea of using Pinterest and all the hands-on activities you can do to encourage students and show them that science is fun!

I think it is important to change the definition of a scientist as they might think of it now. Many children imagine a scientist as an old gray stuffy man surrounded by test tubes and beakers. In order to get kids, especially girls, interested in science it may be helpful to show them scientists that they can relate to. Seeing real scientists may help them to feel more confident and see science as a real career option, and something to look forward to, rather than dread and find themselves disconnected and confused. This link may also provide initiative for girls to feel they belong in science. http://labcandy.com/

Hello Amber! My name is Bethany and I am currently a college student studying elementary education. Last semester, I taught a series of science lessons to a small group of second graders. In one of the first lessons we did, we read the book Ada Twist, Scientist. Not only did the students love the read, but the story revolved around a young girl who was an engineer. I believe that, if you get rid of the stereotype that it's a 'men's field' right away, you really won't have too much of a problem. Both boys and girls love hands-on activities. Exploring the subject in a hands-on way will automatically heighten the involvement level of your students. Science is fun! I think it is important that we, as teachers, try to always maintain that fun environment while teaching science.

I would think anything in Science would get them involved. As long as it is a hands on activity all children should love it. You should try out Mystery Science! I heard that they have great videos and little experiments to do.

Hi, Amber This is a great question. I think that the best way to engage your students in a lesson is to make is to use experiential learning. Have students physically do the science! When students actually see themselves do complete something their confidence increases at amazing rates. As far as the girls in your class, I would try to center a lesson around something they are interested in. It could lead them into other interests. Like science! Best of Luck! Hud

Amber, I think the key to getting students involved is finding something that motivates them and makes them want to learn more. The easiest way to do this is to give students an outline for their learning but let them choose what their subject is. Giving students the power to pick the topic can disguise the fact the learning is even happening. The way this happens in the classroom changes depending on the grade but giving students ownership and power is a key factor. I am a pre-service teacher so I am not an expert on how to teach this but I know from my own education that giving me ownership and allowing me to choose a part of what I am learning drastically improved my performance and drive.  Specifically, to get girls involved I would make sure to talk about and bring into discussion things women scientist have done. Also, the way you talk about science and what interest you about it as the teacher has huge effects on what your students will think. If you get excited about science lessons that will rub off on your students. Helping your students build confidence in the lab only really happens by giving them experience. Training your students so they feel prepared and confident with what they are doing will also help. Finally, verbally/writing things to students you see them doing well can also go a very long ways in building confidence.  Adrienne

I think establishing a safe and comfortable environment in the classroom would help all students be themselves and be open to others. Getting the students engaged in lessons would come with hands-on lessons and activities. Also, letting the students have choice in what they do for projects, experiments, etc. This will give them more interests in the activities if they are choosing and allowing for open atmosphere. For girls, I would just encourage them and make them feel just as smart as the boys. Don't let the stereotypes be welcomed into the classroom and just help to support their learning as best as you can. If the girls feel like they can demonstrate their learning, they will be more likely to build on their confidence.

I really like and agree with Amy S's idea of creating some sort of competition between the boys and girls - of course, stressing that it is not "life or death" and it's just for fun. Girls at this age love to prove themselves to other boys, and if they can beat them, it makes them proud and confident. As a result, it could get the girls to look forward to more interactive science activities in the future!

Much like there is a lack of males in education, there's a lack of females in science-related fields. First of all I think it would be important to show them examples of prominent women in science fields who are doing amazing things. This will show your girls that they are equally capable doing great things within science. Another strategy would be to try and modify you lessons to the interests of both your male and female students. I feel like for the most part science is considered a "male subject" so girls aren't as nterested due to this stereotype.

Hi Amber, I really love that you posted about the lack of interest in science in girls. I too can relate to this because I always found science kind of annoying and boring. I am taking teaching Elementary Science at Florida International University. While I can't lie and say that science has become my favorite subject, I can definitely say that my professor has made a three hour class enjoyable to the point where time flies by. My professor uses the 5E Inquiry approach for her lessons. I actually participated in the procedures and experiments in the class. This model really helps you stay focused because it provides many steps needed to complete. Not only can this help engage students who are uninterested such as girls, but it serves a great purpose for reaching different types of learners. This can be students who are multi-sensory learners. Specifically as well, I saw a comment about Pinterest for the girls. I think you can incorporate some sort of 5E inquiry lesson plan how making a lipgloss product and even make a station for that. The boys might find this uninteresting so maybe make a station that uses a similar concept to make something boys would enjoy like goo. Both can be incorporated in a 5E Inquiry lesson. And when all else fails, everyone likes to make ice-cream! That can easily be turned into a science experiment.

Something that always peaked my interest in science (because I was/am not really a fan) was when the teachers figured out what my interests were and made it relatable in the lessons. I was big into marine biology when I was a kid and we did units on the oceans. Also, making sure the activities were pretty hands-on is important for both males and females.

I definitely agree with you and appreicate you asking! it is definitely challenge to get them engaged at times and be excited.

Hi!! I think this is a very important topic to address in today's schooling system. I believe the current light of women in stem is beneficial for young gurls to see so that they feel that it is possible and that they would have role models in that field if they were to take interest in them. I think that a gender binary where men normally assume the role in stem while women are associated with that of the arts is what is at the root of this controversy. I think that as a society, we are making efforts in crushing these presumptions. I think that girls would feel more interested if they felt empowered and saw the possibilities that they could achieve in a role related to STEM. Also, when students see the real life value of a lesson, it intrigues them to find the solution!

GM,

Thats a great question!  I allow students to do 'Makerspace Stations' and a great deal of exploratory time in small groups.  As a requirement, the students have to use journals to take notes of what they observe.  I generally always use a question and ask them to respond by making a claim, citing evidence and reasoning.

I think a great thing to do at the beginning of the semester to get everyone involved is to do the 'draw a scientist' and have the checklist where you then compare what students scienctists then have in common. With you class you would get an idea of there ideals on what makes a scientist and then go into even discussing the ratio of boys to girl scientists that were drawn. Then talk about your findings and how important it is for students to understand science isn't just for boys. When they are participating in activities make sure they are engaging. I think a great idea with younger elementary students would be to have them wear white lab coats whenever they are doing an experiment and just provide them with opportunities to really get the kids to connect. 

So many young girls are not interested in science. This is due to the fact that many children think of a man with crazy hair mixing chemicals when they think of a scientist. An important job of a teacher is to show children that anyone can be a scientist and they do not have to be in a lab to be a scientist. So I think that having a female scientist come in to talk with the class would be a wonderful way to catch the interest of young girls.

Hello Amber!

I was one of those girls that was never really into science like I wish I would have been. I did enjoy some experiments and such, but if I did not fully understand something, I would tend to shut down or get uninterested. I have noticed that in today's classrooms, a lot of girls like Pinterest, as well as google-ing different crafts or activities. Maybe you could use that idea and incorporate science lessons with it.

I think the best way to get your students involved in science is to do hands on activites. Also using guided inquiry will promote learning for all children. Science was not a fun subject for me in my middle and high school years. We tended to watch Bill Nye the science guy and did  experiments that were structured word for word what we were supppse to do. Being in a science class in my methods of teaching, I have learned that guided inquiry is the way to go, it lets the kids explore in their own ways and lets them find the results that they enjor or want to find. Guided inquiry is all student lead except for the teacher praises the question to start off the experiment and than it is all up to the students to test their theory, come up with data and make a conclusion on the question asked. If this does not get girls involved in the science, I would say bringing multiple options that would support a girls intersets, like flowers for example growing them in a classroom would be awesome. In my elementary class in first grade, we actually raised caterpillars which turned into butterflies in our classroom and that was something that I really enjoyed and connected with this specific science lesson because it is a great interest to young girls. Using guided inquiry and finding interests that connect more to girls in science will help get your students engaged. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAYh4nWUkU0 the link I provided shows guided inquiry hands on in a classroom of elementary students. 

Amber, 

I believe that there are a variety of ways to get girls involved in science. My best opinion would be to start early. If you are able to get any student interested in science, you can build upon that foundation. Once a girl (or anyone) gets that foundational interest in science, it has the ability to flourish in years to come. Don't be afraid to take charge and make science interesting. No one wants to sit around a listen to a lecture. Make things interesting. Use experiements and inquiry based lessons to get students interested. Now this is all basic information that can apply to any student boy or girl. However, our female students may feel a little overshadowed by the sheer volume of male scientists. This is your opportunity to show young women the ability of female scientists. Show them the great achievements of female scientists across a variety of fields. Their accomplishments mean something and giving young girls someone to look up to can mean alot. While getting girls interested in science and STEM fields can seem daunting, it is important to build upon an interest that starts early. 

Jennifer Wiley 

Pre-service teacher

Some tips about getting children engaged in lessons is to find out what students are interested in, what they can relate to from home, school, social groups, and technology. Children these days are very hi- tech when it comes to technology, have an activity or a lesson that invovles the use of technology. Other tips is to remember science is for everyone, have some lessons that reflect female scientists, and their discoveries and contributions to the science field. I hope these few tips will help with getting all your students, especially females more invovled with science. 

Hello Amber! From personal experiences, I would say that hands-on activities and discussion are extremely crucial to learning. As a child, I remember learning best while doing activites as they were most memorable. In my current courses, we have learned that discussion is also a huge part of learning as well. Speaking out loud and asking questions can utilize higher order thinking skills. Focusing on getting girls engaged in content, I would say that finding their interests could play a huge role. Incorporating their interests in the lessons could encourage them to be more engaged and learn more in-depth. 

This is great! I will try! Thank you 

I like your advice and will try it with the students in my classroom. Thank you.

Thank you! this is great!

I think this is a great insight. It is so true that as women, we can be an influence upon our female students in the classroom. Our thoughts and reactions towards science can influence their train of thought as they are developing their interests. If we are excited about science and lead by example, not only will that positive energy engage the whole class and help them get excited, but it could also be a good motivator for girls to stay active in science and pursue knowledge in that content area, maybe eventually leading to a science career. 

Great point! The way we provide positive feedback is so important. I recently had to reflect on any bias I may have in the classroom, so I recorded my interactions with students. I would absolutely recommend this to practicing teachers. If you can record who you talked to, what about, for how long... after each period, or have an audio or video recording to watch later, you can look for potential bias. We care about all of our students and want the best for them, but sometimes we have biases that we just don't see. I used this to look at for bias toward students of different race, different gender, different participation levels, different personalities (outgoing, shy, respectful, disengaged...), different socioeconomic status... But even just focusing on whether or not we're treating our females and males equally can be very eye opening! I was able to see who I gave more and less attention to and the kind of feedback I gave (empty praise like "good job," constructive criticism, empowering praise...).

This is a great message. While it's perplexing that the gender gap still exist in science for girls - I think we may want to step back and look at it from more than just the US. As according to this article on girls in stem programs, the gender gap is also very pronounced in UK and India also.
Is there something we can do across the board to promotion means of reducing this gap for all regions?

This link is awesome....thank you!!

Absolutely. Females students need to see what science can look like, as it often doesn't look like a guy pouring chemicals in a lab! Role models and real life application are huge. So many females seem to be attracted to fields that involve helping other humans directly. Well there's tons of the in science, let's show them! I think field trips and guest speakers would help too. Thanks so much for the resource!

You make some great points here. Thank you for sharing the resources!!

Thanks so much for posting this article. So many helpful resources are included! I this students often have misconceptions about what science is, what is looks like in the real-world, and who is capable of being a scientist. The more we provided a variety of relevant learning experiences for students, the more we can empower all types of students in learning science. I think its important for these experiences to be hands-on, inquiry-based, and meaningful to students! We can use student interest and choice to help motivate students to solve real problems. I agree with many other responses that girls, and all children, need enthusiastic role models to demonstrate science skills. Inviting women scientists to visit the classroom is great, but students also feed off their teacher's energy and attitude towards learning. I notice this in my college courses. When professors genuinely excited about the content, and devoted to student learning, students are more likely to be motivated to learn. Modeling in this way is one way to make science more enjoyable and accessible for all.

Thank you for sharing with us the link! look forward to reading it and taking ideas and advice away.

Thanks for bringing up this important point in confidence building! A huge part of a lack in confidence for students is the fear of being wrong. As a female science student, I used to dread labs. What I should have experienced as a fun, hands on experience, felt like a test of whether or not I would appear intelligent off the page. Let's use experiments to explore the unknown and satisfy our curiosities!

Dear Michael, I have been working my way through this whole thread and came upon your response to Amber. Thank you so much for sharing this resource. I just did a quick review and it looks wonderful. I look forward to giving it more attention, to see all that I can find there. However, I didn't want to forget my thanks to you. Best, Julie G.

Luckily my district has purchased FOSS kits and they are awesome to get all students engaged in science. Another science program I discovered recently is Engineering is Elementary. This program includes fictional stories to go along with the engineering activity. The activities are engaging and kids don't even realize they are doing math and science. Maybe your district will help with costs or look into getting a small grant to purchase the kits you need.