Girls in Science

Yesterday in class we were asked to answer these two questions:
1) Why do you think girls tend to not consider science as a possible career option?
2) What can you do in your classroom to help girls make more informed choices about science careers?


     To answer the first question, I think this is often because the things done in a science classroom often aren't things that most girls enjoy doing. I also think that teachers in high school don't tell students all the options that a career in science can have. I feel like they only see what they learn in the classroom and that science isn't any further marketed. Also, science is taught in a step-by-step method and frankly I found that very boring when I was a science student. If students can't stand science, why would they want a career in it?
     To answer the second question I'm not really sure what I would be able to do specifically for girls' career choices because thats not something you generally talk about in kindergarten. I think my job as a teacher with kids this young would be to just make science fun and engaging for all of my students. Also, to try to talk about female scientist if possible. Another important thing would be to teach my students that scientists aren't just the stereotypical white, older male, in a lab, in a white lab-coat by himself. I will make sure my students understand that science is social and is fun. 

Class Reflection

This class has really opened my eye to maybe why I hated science so much growing up. I hated how concretely we were taught science. We were never allowed to explore. It was always do this experiment, this way, for this answer. What we're being taught is class is there can be many ways to come to the same conclusion in the end. I agree that the scientific method is not the way to go, but I'm still in shock that 13 years of being taught science in that way has been ripped away from me. I like how in depth we go into discussions and I like that we are allowed to do so. Some of the things I've learned in this class are from my peers through discussion. I don't dread coming to this class like I do for other classes. Some of the things we are being taught are not being done by our professors, but in this class we are being taught by what we are supposed to teach and I like that very much. Overall I really like this class and how it is structured. 

Student Goals

I think student goals such as the ones we created in class are every important to not only the students but teachers as well. If goals are never set, things often times never get reassessed or achieved. When I wrote my goals, I think I went more in-depth then some of the goals we revised as a class. I also didn't look beyond graduation in some of my goals and it was nice to step back and take a look at how I needed to modify my goals to reflect students' practices after graduation.


It was also very beneficial to me to go over the goals as a class. It helped me see other student's views and goals. It was helpful to see how some of my goals could have been worded incorrectly. Goals support student learning, and must be progressive just like learning is. It made me feel like I had helped people when my goal about learning how to learn made a lot of my classmates think outside the box about that goal and the others as well.


The conversations started from the creation of these goals makes me think about the other kinds of in-depth discussions we'll be having as a class in the future. Its always nice to have very out of the box discussions with other teachers/future teachers because everything we encounter in life, internal and external, shapes who we are and what we become. Discussions like this as educators will only shape all of us for the better.