I am the coach for several science competitions: Academic Quiz Bowl, National Science Bowl, National Geographic Bee, TEAMS, Future City and Energy City of the Future 2050: Houston. The majority of each of these teams are boys. But, that is changing. How do we get more girls interested and involved in science club?
Being a female teacher interested in science and challenging engineering and quiz bowl competitions, provides me with a certain advantage. But, still encouraging them to join gets me half the way there. Getting them to speak up and interact with the boys is another. In quiz bowl they are present, and they know the answer they just remain silent, letting the boys answer. I have resorted to forming all girl teams to get them to interact. At least, practice with just the girls on occasion to get them more interactive.
I think it all starts with creating situations in the classroom to highlight the strengths of girls. Let them see that they have a voice. I make sure the table groups and partner groups include boys and girls both. I give girls more roles of leadership too. Still though, boys seem to dominate in this field.
As a science teacher my goal is to make connections and relationships with all my students. Having 4 boys at home makes that easy with boys. Girls can be more meek and soft-spoken, especially in GT classes. I encourage them to participate in my competitions and after they join I can see their confidence increase, they interact more in class and they seem more willing to answer questions and share ideas.
It is so important to let girls know they are just as smart as boys in science and math. That they have incredibly important ideas and provide them with opportunities to shine. I actively recruit girls for my teams. They are great players once they become confidant. I recommend joining these competitions because they provide engaging opportunities for boys and girls to excel in science, collaborate together, and forge long lasting learners of science.
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