STEM GenderIN: a bridge to close the STEM gap with gender-inclusive education and teaching

Description

The “STEM GenderIN: a bridge to close the STEM gap with gender-inclusive education and teaching” project is an Erasmus+ project that aims to reduce the gender gap in STEM fields by strengthening the skills of STEM teachers in terms of gender stereotypes and gender diversity management.

The project specifically wants to reduce gender disparities by raising awareness of the impact of gender stereotypes in STEM fields, targeting students at an early age (11-15 years). Research shows that orientation-related influences begin to emerge as early as ages 12–13, and gender is recognized as a key factor shaping students’ interest in STEM subjects.In this context, STEM teachers play a crucial role in guiding students in their school career and fostering a supportive environment, especially for young girls.

However, the school system itself often contributes to the emergence and reinforcement of gender stereotypes, in teaching resources and sometimes even unconsciously in teachers' expectations of girls and boys. This makes it essential to implement inclusive STEM awareness initiatives that actively avoid perpetuating gender bias.

Teachers often lack the knowledge and tools needed to effectively take the gender dimension into account, and they receive too little training on these issues. While many STEM teachers are aware of these issues and are committed to treating all students equally, gender bias can still influence teaching practices in subtle, hard-to-detect ways, particularly when it comes to learning strategies.

As part of the project, numerous resources and materials have been produced to provide teachers with knowledge, inclusive pedagogical strategies, and ready-to-use resources to concretely help them teach STEM from a gender perspective and in a more inclusive manner.

All these tools are available in English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian, and accessible online or downloadable in PDF format on the project's webpage: https://www.stemgenderin.eu/

The project also has a dedicated page on:

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMGenderIN/

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stem.genderin.project/

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stem-genderin-project/%20/​​​​​​​

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.