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Inclusive STEM education from Early Childhood to academia
From curious girls to inquisitive women
Even if you are not an expert in STEM you have probably come across the famous photograph from the 1927 Solvay conference. It’s the one where Marie Sklodowska-Curie sits alone among 28, equally brilliant, male peers.
We have come a long way since then and this month Scientix® celebrates initiatives that promote gender inclusivity in STEM across the educational continuum.
Scientific excellence and gender equality
Excellence in science is born out of collaboration and diversity. The more minds we get thinking about a problem, the more creative solutions we will find. And with problems growing ever-more complex, we need as many perspectives as possible.
The MEDNIGHT project takes this notion to heart, promoting Science with a Mediterranean focus and a special emphasis on women researchers. On Friday 14/3 Scientix was invited to the MEDNIGHT gala in Brussels, which celebrated the Mediterranean Science Team, a group of 12 distinguished researchers working to address common regional challenges. This team did not look like the one from the Solvay conference. It was made up of 11 women and 1 man. So, does this mean we have reversed the hurtful and restrictive trend?
Not quite. The keynote speakers, Ekaterina Zaharieva (Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, European Commission) and Lina Galvez Muñoz (Member of the European Parliament, Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Panel for the Future of Science and Technology – STOA), highlighted something else. We have collectively been doing a lot to support gender equality in the workforce and academia but unfortunately the data, such as the latest She figures report, reveals that these efforts have not worked as well as we would have hoped. This does not diminish what we have achieved. It only means we must evaluate our efforts and consider changes.
And one major change is to begin our support for gender inclusivity earlier, starting in the classroom. Scientix and its partner projects offer valuable help to educators of all levels create a gender-inclusive classroom.
Awarded researchers from the Mediterranean Science Team.
The MEDNIGHT gala celebrated a handful of curious girls who overcame challenges to become accomplished scientists, so we asked them to think of themselves back in the classroom and what they would have liked to hear to feel more confident.
They all said the same thing albeit in different words. Those girls needed to be allowed to believe in themselves, without being burdened by stereotypes, biases, and misconceptions. In this regard, STEM educators have a difficult mission: not only must they nurture our natural curiosity, but they must also ensure that all children feel confident to pursue it.
We highlight some key themes and resources to help shape an inclusive education for all:
- Behaviours and attitudes are first developed in Early Childhood education. At this stage, it is important to address issues such as gender stereotypes, limited environmental awareness, and digital literacy that will follow children throughout their lives. The OUTSTE(A)M project aims to help educators, students, and their families with an extensive toolkit to address these issues: learning scenarios, job profiles, games and toys, a MOOC, and a comprehensive set of guidelines will be developed to support you!
- Transversal skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and a collaborative mindset are conducive to an inclusive classroom and require a transdisciplinary approach. To enhance understanding around STE(A)M education, where STEM topics become integrated with (A)ll other subjects of the curriculum for holistic learning and promote its large-scale implementation at all levels, The SEER project has been mapping and evaluating the current educational landscape to provide guidance and practical advice on the methodology for all stakeholders. Discover the latest results here.
- As students move from primary to secondary education, the same skills need to be contextualised within different subject areas. At this stage, educators need more content-specific support. For example, the TINKER project has developed a complete framework and accompanying learning scenarios to teach and assess informatics in a gender-inclusive way in upper primary and lower secondary education (10-14 years old). The framework maps informatics topic areas, proposing learning outcomes tailored to the age levels, principles of authentic learning, and gender-inclusive teaching and assessment practices.
You can also inspire your students to become a STEM professional by showing them exciting career role models. Head out to the Scientix Repository of STEM job profiles to discover a diverse range of STEM professionals and learn how they turned their passion for STEM into a fulfilling career!
Some attendees' answers to the question "What would you say to your younger self?"
"I am with you."
"One day you’ll do great things that will help bring your country forward and be a better place."
"Never stop believing that you can do anything you can imagine."