recruiting girls into your pltw programs

Recruiting Girls into Your PLTW Programs

Katie CampbellWallace Middle School, Hays CISD

Twitter: @kteachcampbell@wmsgtt

Email: katiecampbell2@hotmail.com

Presenter: Katie CampbellPLTW Gateway Teacher for 4 years Teacher for 9 yearsFormer Science and SPED TeacherHave the largest Gateway program in Hays

CISD

Talk with Someone Nearby: What do you notice about this?

My Gateway EnrollmentI teach PLTW Gateway I, II and III.

My Gateway Classes (Continued) I have one class that is an all girls STEM class—

with 21 girls.

ClarificationSTEM in this presentation refers to PLTW

classes where classes combine Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in project based learning.

Why should we care about girls in STEM?

Young children are great engineersThey buildThey createThey experimentThey have a “try again” mentality

So what is happening?

Image from: http://ed342.gse.stanford.edu/polly-pockets-and-legos/

When should we get girls involved in STEM? The earlier the better!PLTW Launchhttp://saturnvstem.weebly.com/In 2008, when Hays CISD started Saturn V,

we were only one of two elementary programs in Texas.

Why aren’t girls taking STEM classes? Studies show girls lose interest in math and

science in middle schoolGirls are typically interested in careers where

they can help others (e.g., teaching, child care, working with animals)and make the world a better place. (Girl Scout Research Institute)

http://www.girlscouts.org/research/pdf/generation_stem_full_report.pdf

Talk with Someone Nearby: What can we do to support girls to study STEM and sign up for PLTW Programs?

Image from: http://truththeory.com/2012/04/05/you-can-make-a-difference/

Making the Case: The need for an all-girls STEM classHow can we retain and reach our girls?Why aren’t girls continuing with STEM at our

school?Can we actually do it? (Scheduling, numbers,

teacher availability) Could getting more girls involved in STEM

increase our Math and Science scores?

What my girls say…I surveyed my all-girls STEM class at the

beginning of the year and they said:

Survey from my girls: Who is better at math?

Survey from my girls: Who is better at building?

Teaching in an all girls STEM classIt’s orderly!It’s productive!It’s safe! It’s wonderful!“We get to beourselves!” -6th grader

After “Hour” of Code: What girls think about coding

How can you recruit more girls into your STEM program? Have more female teachers leading up STEM programs

“An after-school math or science club that's headed up and championed by a female teacher, for example, can go a long way in getting girls to consider STEM degrees and careers.” McCrea (2010)

My girls don’t totally agree with this. The “right teacher makes a big difference.”

Sourcehttp://thejournal.com/Articles/2010/09/08/Engaging-Girls-in-STEM.aspx?Page=2

How can you recruit more girls into your STEM program?

How can you recruit more girls into your STEM program? (What I am doing!)Talk about the lack of girls in STEM even

with your BOYS! Stop your boys from talking negatively about

your girls! Showcase what your girls do! Bulletin board,

pictures of girls working, put projects in the library, etc!

How can you recruit more girls into your STEM program? (What I am doing!)When recruiting, specifically mention that

this is a class not just for boys, but for girls, too!

Have girls speak about your class or have girls doing demonstrations during orientations/recruiting events!

What else can you do to recruit more girls?Girls are turned off by the word “nerd” or

“dork.”Let girls know of the career opportunities

that are out there.My girls love to think of engineers as

“Superheroes.”

Engineers are Superheroes!

Keeping Girls in your STEM classesIt’s not easy!Girls don’t want to be alone—safety in

numbers! According to my girls. “Girls like to be

social.” They “love” working together. Failing (softly) Mentors/Parents can helpChanging how we speak to girls-

encouragement about hard work, its ok to get messy!

YOU Make a Difference—what you say matters!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP3cyRRAfX0#action=share

National Introduce a Girl to Engineering DayFebruary 26th DiscoverE (formerly the National Engineers

Week Foundation) has some great resources!

Image from: http://www.discovere.org/resources-downloads

Contact InformationKatie CampbellTwitter: @kteachcampbellEmail: katiecampbell2@hotmail.com

Thank you for coming!