Comments on: Girls and Dreams and STEM

By: Bill Ivey

Bill Ivey — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:19:06 +0000

(…) That said, I do think all-girls classes in high school can also have a positive effect, and there is research, notably a 2009 UCLA study*, that confirms this. Alumnae of all-girls high schools, who of course may or may not have attended an all-girls middle school, are more likely among other things to go into STEM, to derive their self-esteem internally rather than externally, and to raise and use their voices, especially in activism.
* http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/graduates-of-all-girls-schools-85038.aspxv
I think, if you are going to have an all-girls school or class, the key is all in how you do it. Most of the research I’ve seen that does not support girls education points to practices that reinforce rather than defy stereotypes (e.g. painting walls pink and doing math problems about make-up). At my school, we do defy stereotypes. It can make all the difference.

By: Bill Ivey

Bill Ivey — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:17:16 +0000

Thanks, Anne! I appreciate your support, especially as you happen to be one of my favourite virtual colleagues as well!

As I think about it, I find that I believe that if you are going to have all-girls classes during any part of the K-12 years, middle school would be the highest priority. As girls begin to think about what it means to be a woman, they all too often begin to conform to what society expects of them. Girls schools can help them avoid the self-effacement and turning-inside I saw far too often during the three years I taught in a coed middle school, and not only remain true to themselves but also develop their best self even further. (…)

By: Anne

Anne — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:26:34 +0000

Powerful post, Bill! The creativity and problem-solving abilities of girls can be so unwittingly tamped down by their education circumstances that STEM careers can be on their back burners by the time they graduate.

I was an active supporter in the 60s of gender equality. We aren’t there yet, and I wonder more and more about one of your suggested strategies – teaching girls and boys separately. I know there are pros and cons on both sides, and I always taught mixed gender classes except in one instance. (I had a class of all boys who were non-achievers. It was an amazing adventure and, as my fellow teachers put it, at least these guys were going to have one positive, successful school year experience to remember.)

So I see real advantages to teaching girls and boys separately, especially in elementary and middle school. What do you think about high school?

Thank you so much for raising these questions. You are a true champion of good, solid learning practice, and I claim you as one of my favorite virtual colleagues!