The role of science in society is getting larger every day.
Science is where the world is and certainly where the world is headed. As a woman with a degree in Social Work, I can honestly say that in retrospect, I should have considered the science route if I was interested in making any money and having actual options for jobs.
But why didn't I? I really like science, but I wasn't good at it. That is what many females will say: "I'm not good at science". More and more research shows that women steer away from science and put forth a lackluster effort toward the subject in school because that is what they are expected to do. Science and math classes are for boys; home economics and child development classes are for girls.
Part of my reasons for wanting to become a teacher (and more specifically, wanting to teach in Utah) is just this. There are more science focused careers out there than jobs in human services. There are more girls out there who would be fantastic biologists, chemists and pharmacists than we know. What needs to change is the perception. If we know we can, then we will.
Some fun reading:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080905153807.htm
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/26/science/la-sci-math26-2010jan26
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105112303.htm
I really like your discussion starter. I agree with the thought about more women and girls should get more into science in early ages (such as elementary school), but I also don't see that there is a great lack of women in the field of science today. However, that is because I work in the biology department at the U and half of our lab staff consists of women. I think with the science methods class we are in, we can learn effective tools to get ALL of our students interested in and also good at science. I'm excited for that and I hope we all can get a lot out of the class!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea that you want to teach to inspire girls to pursue science degrees. I completely agree that women are turned off to science because it may be harder for them or we put more pressure on boys to be good at science. I never thought I was good at science and that is why I didn't pursue a career as a Vet. I liked that you included resources for people as well. I would have liked to hear a little more about your opinion of what science is. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you chose to discuss this topic because it's not something that is as obvious from a male's point of view but is definitely true about Science being a male dominated subject. I relate to your comment about there being many great females that would make great scientists because being a male and entering a female dominated profession, elementary teaching, I also agree that male teachers are a rare commodity and what few there are, and that I've actually had the privilege of being their student, I found the experience to be one that was not only different but refreshingly new. I hope that I foster an environment in my classroom that will encourage all of my students to pursue their passion, regardless of sex or societal norms.
ReplyDeleteDawn-Marie,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are interested in this issue -- it's certainly an important topic and there aren't any easy answers. In fact, we need more research to understand gender inequities in science and to develop effective remediations. Since you will be a female teacher with positive attitudes about science, you already may have a leg up in helping your female students believe that science is not just for boys. Another nice thing is to recruit gender- and ethnically-diverse scientists to visit or have a phone call with your class ... sometimes just meeting a non-stereotypical scientist can change students' understanding of who can be a scientist! Finally, you might be interested in the work of Dweck -- a researcher who has found that training students to recognize that learning is hard work (not something that you are either good at or aren't good at) can really help them work harder and change their attitudes about learning. You can read a bit more about "learning orientation" here:
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Student_Goal/