How Teachers Can Encourage Girls to Study STEM

How Teachers Can Encourage Girls to Study STEM

Some of the most rewarding moments in our careers are when students reconnect with us to share how we inspired them. We play a critical role in supporting students as they become passionate learners and grow into mature thinkers. As we soon celebrate Women’s History Month and International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we recognize the important role that teachers have in their students’ futures.

Women comprise 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). With careers in STEM being the fastest-growing career industry today, there will be a significant need for more scientists and engineers in the future. Without women in the field of STEM (or any field for that matter), we jeopardize the ability for more effective innovations, deeper research, and better outcomes. Working in a team with members of diverse backgrounds is proven to make a team more creative, detailed, and socially sensitive and perform better than teams of homogenous high-level professionals.

When groups of people aren’t represented in an industry, the unique perspective that group brings is lost. In such a relevant field as STEM, research and innovations that exclude groups of people can be potentially dangerous. For example, when seatbelts were first designed with men in mind, women and children died from the design because they didn’t fit properly.

February 11th marks the International Day of Women & Girls in Science. This United Nations-sponsored holiday was founded in 2015 by HRH Princess Dr. Nisreen El-Hashemite, granddaughter to King Faisal (I) Bin El-Sharif Hussein. Princess Dr. Nisreen has earned a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, a Master of Science, a Medical Doctorate, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Human Genetics. She is also the first Royal Princess qualified in science and medicine. The initiative brings together youth and women in science to create a place for dialogue, mentorship, policymaking, and support for women choosing careers in STEM.

Educators play a key role in a student’s youth as they discover their passions, skills, and interests. Through years of supporting and challenging students, teachers provide new confidence in students they might not gain anywhere else. Teachers of all grade levels can be the start to helping girls discover their passion for STEM. In a survey by Logitech and Girls Who Code, 50% of adult students responded with a teacher’s name when asked who the greatest influence was in making their decision to pursue a career in STEM.

Deanna J. Whitehead, Flight & Ground Software & Simulation Division Chief at NASA, has talked about how her 6th-grade teacher helped her compete locally and regionally at science fairs and ultimately encouraged her pursuit of the STEM field. She says, “It was those experiences, maybe small experiences, that add up, that lead you to where you will eventually arrive.”

Here are eight easy steps teachers can take to empower students to find their passion for STEM:

Provide Engaging STEM Lessons. Many young students turn away from STEM subjects after they believe “it’s too hard” and “boring”. Making STEM lessons engaging and hands-on can change this narrative so that STEM excites students instead of deters them.

Discuss Role Models in STEM. More and more so, there are women in STEM careers who can become role models for girls with an interest in STEM. Sharing examples of women in STEM during your lessons can help students visualize themselves in those same roles while also providing another resource to help guide their path.

Encourage Participation Outside the Classroom. There are STEM programs for students of all ages happening online, on weekends, and during the summer. Some STEM activities can even be explored from home. Educate students on opportunities they have outside of the classroom to build confidence in their abilities and take students' enthusiasm further than we can in our classroom.

Emphasize Valuable Skills. Studying STEM requires curiosity, problem-solving skills, critical thinking ability, collaboration, creativity, and more. Offer and emphasize enjoyable ways students can learn these life-long skills that could better prepare them for a career in STEM if they choose.

Explain the Impacts of STEM in the Real World. STEM is ingrained in our lifestyles and has changed how we live day to day. It takes part in advancing our technology, healthcare, safety, travel, and much more. Showing students how STEM is relevant to their life could make the subjects of STEM viewed less as a school requirement and more as an opportunity to impact our society.

Bring in a Guest Speaker. Hosting a guest speaker allows students to learn about the relevance of STEM outside of the classroom, where they can ask questions. You may consider bringing in parents for a career day or hosting an assembly. Mobile Ed offers school programs designed to educate students about a variety of school subjects in a hands-on, compelling fashion.

Reduce Competition in the Classroom. Students have a blast participating in fun competitions in the classroom for projects or activities, but creating competition could dissuade students from participating, enforce a competitive mindset in students, or harm their self-confidence. This may be something to consider when planning your next lesson.

Build Confidence in Students. Words are powerful, and as educators, they can be even more so to an impressionable student. Providing praise and encouragement, as well as constructive feedback, can give your student crucial confidence to go far in their studies. STEM may be viewed as less challenging for a student when they see your confidence in them, eventually building confidence in themselves.

Mobile Ed’s popular Women in History Program is a one-of-a-kind school program that uses the stories of women who changed the world to challenge and encourage students in their daily lives. While interacting with women from history, students receive a well-rounded historical background about various time periods, cultures, and events that will leave students inspired.

In Women in History, students learn about: