Filling the STEM gap

Stephanie Gillespie

gtgradsweoutreach@gmail.com

Material adapted from Dr. Christine Valle, Director, Women in Engineering Program

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Outline

• My Background• Generational Fast Facts• Girls in STEM• Our Current Situation• Issues Women Face in STEM:

– Beliefs about intelligence– Stereotypes– Self-Assessment– Spatial Skills– Implicit Bias

• Conclusion and Action Items

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My Background

• Undergraduate degree from University of Miami• Graduated as the only female electrical engineering in my class• Taught an engineering course to high school students at the

Miami Science Museum• Third year Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech

• Enrolled in Tech to Teaching Certificate Program• Goal is to be a professor and teach, focusing on student

retention • Without SWE, I would not be an engineer

• I had mentors and have mentored students that encourage me • Many of my friends (and my younger brother) switched out of

engineering for various reasons

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Generational Fast FactsGeneration Y/Millennials (1980-2004)• Key Characteristics

– Tech-native, media-immersed, praised and raised for success, expectation of immediacy, good for me = good for everybody sense of entitlement, socially and environmentally conscious, flow between family/work/school/play

• Values– Diversity, empowerment, belonging, connectivity,

identity, creativity, experience, sharing• Greatest Hopes

– Being (sorta) rich, being (totally) happy, being at the center of it all, being respected, making a difference

Generation Z /Homeland Generation (2005+)• Note: This generation is still very young (still being born)• Key Characteristics

– Tech-native, media-savvy, content creators, spiritual, pan-cultural, diversity as reality, pressured for academic success

• Values– Creativity, individualism, freedom, relationship,

authenticity, connectivity, personalization, trust, exploration, inclusiveness

http://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2014/10/27/introducing-the-homeland-generation-part-1-of-2/https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/millennials_report.pdfhttp://www.valueoptions.com/spotlight_YIW/workforce.htmhttp://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-dttl-2014-millennial-survey-report.pdf

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http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/technology-for-higher-ed

College Degrees

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http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/technology-for-higher-ed

College Degrees

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http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/technology-for-higher-ed

College Degrees

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The STEM Gap Fast Facts

• By 2020, United States employers will create about 2.1 million jobs in (STEM)

• Only 45 % of 2011 U.S. high school graduates were ready for college-level math

• Only 30 % were prepared for college-level science. • Only 4.4 % of undergraduate degrees in the U.S. are

awarded in engineering• The global average is 13 %• In China, 31% were engineering (2008)

• Only 40% of those who declare STEM field will complete their degree

http://www.pittsburghquarterly.com/index.php/Education/the-stem-gap.html

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Girls and STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

• We lose girls somewhere…..– In 4th grade about equal amounts express interest in STEM

subjects– By 8th grade boys express more…..– Where did all the girls go?

• It only takes a seed to plant a garden. Your insight may inspire a girl to pursue more classes in the area of science, math and engineering.

• AAUW report “Why So Few?” at http://www.aauw.org/learn/research/whysofew.cfm

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STEM interest overall

• Estimated 1 million more STEM jobs than we have professionals in next decade

• <40% who choose a STEM degree stay and finish• Why do students leave?

• High performing: uninspiring introductory courses• Low performing: difficulty in math required for the

intro level classes• Minorities: unwelcoming atmosphere from faculty in

STEM courses

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Our Current Situation

Women are almost always below “critical mass”

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Its not about abilities…

• Women take just as many math and science courses in high school as their male cohorts

• Additionally, they actually get higher grades in the courses

Grade Point Average in High School Mathematics and Science (Combined), by

Gender, 1990–2005

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2007, The Nation's Report Card: America's high school graduates: Results from the 2005 NAEP High School Transcript Study, by C. Shettle et al. (NCES 2007-467) (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office).

Source: National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Digest of Education Statistics.

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Beliefs about Intelligence

• Math and Science is often “new” and considered difficult. • Dr. Dweck, Professor of Psychology, Stanford, focused on the mindset necessary for success in

a STEM fields, and it benefits girls• In Asian cultures, the basis of success is generally attributed more to effort and less to inherent

ability (Stevenson & Stigler, 1992)

Fixed Mindset Growth MindsetIntelligence is static. Intelligence can be developed.

Leads to a desire to look smart and therefore a tendency to

Leads to a desire to learn and therefore a tendency to

• avoid challenges • embrace challenges

• give up easily due to obstacles • persist despite obstacles

• see effort as fruitless • see effort as path to mastery

• ignore useful feedback • learn from criticism

• be threatened by others’ success • be inspired by others’ success

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Beliefs about Intelligence

• WHAT TO DO:– Teach children that intellectual skills can be acquired– Praise children for effort– Highlight the struggle

• EXAMPLES: • I didn’t do well on my math test. I hate math and am terrible at it.

• Ask: Why didn’t you do well? • Create action plans: study time, homework check, log the effort

• Student refuses to work on science fair project, saying they won’t win.• Ask: What have you already completed?? What parts do you enjoy?• Create action plans: student can set small goals, focus on what they

enjoy

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Stereotypes

• Professor of developmental, social and educational psychology, NYU• Two stereotypes:

– Girls are not as good as boys in math– Scientific work is better suited to boys and men

• Stereotype threat: self-fulfilling fear that one’s behavior will confirm an existing stereotype of a group with which one identifies

• Discrepancy b/w higher grades and lower SAT scores

Girls do every bit as well in their graded work [as] boys [do], but girls lose confidence as they advance through the grades and will start to do more poorly than boys on timed tests, despite getting good grades. On reason for this loss of confidence is stereotyping that kids are exposed to – in school and the media and even in the home – that portrays boys as more innately gifted [in math]. Without denying the fact that boys may have some biological advantage, I think that psychology plays a big role here.- Joshua Aronson

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Stereotypes and STEM

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/19/-sp-barbie-can-be-a-computer-engineer-but-only-with-help-of-a-manhttp://voices.suntimes.com/arts-entertainment/the-daily-sizzle/where-are-the-female-engineers-in-volkswagens-super-bowl-ad-playing-with-goldieblox/http://pgbovine.net/tech-privilege.htm

At breakfast one morning, Barbie is already hard at work on her laptop.“What are you doing, Barbie?” asks Skipper.“I’m designing a game that shows kids how computers work,” explains Barbie. “You can make a robot puppy do cute tricks by matching up colored blocks!”“Your robot puppy is so sweet,” says Skipper. “Can I play your game?”“I’m only creating the design ideas,” Barbie says, laughing. “I’ll need Steven and Brian’s help to turn it into a real game!”

I started programming when I was five, first with Logo and then BASIC….

Okay that entire paragraph was a lie. Did you believe me? If so, why? Was it because I looked like a kid programming whiz?

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Stereotypes

• Threat is induced by having a larger ratio of men to women in a test (Inzlicht & Ben-Zeev, 2000)

• WHAT TO DO:– Encourage students to have a growth mindset– Expose girls to successful role models in math and science– Teach girls about stereotype threat

• EXAMPLES: • “I’m the only girl in my group. They took over because they knew so much

more than I did on the topic already.”• Ask: Why do you think they know more than you?• Action: Find mentors, don’t be the group’s secretary, and make

promise to speak up at least once on every topic with your opinion.

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Spatial Skills

• Professor of mechanical engineering & engineering mechanics, Michigan Technological University• MS girls who take spatial visualization class also take more advanced math and science class in HS• WHAT TO DO:

– Emphasize that spatial skills are not innate but developed– Encourage children to play with construction toys, draw, take things apart and put them back

together again, and play games that involve fitting objects into different places

Most engineering faculty have highly developed 3-D spatial skills and may not understand that others can struggle with a topic they find so easy. Furthermore, they may not believe that spatial skills can be improved through practice, falsely believing that this particular skill is one that a person is either “born with” or not. They don’t understand that they probably developed these skills over many years.- Sheryl Sorby

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Spatial Skills

http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Constructible%20Drinking%20Straw_10451_10001_48589_-1_26698_26703_48590http://www.pathfindersdesignandtechnology.com/http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D4M7QUI/ref=s9_al_bw_g21_i4http://littlebits.cc/kits/base-kithttp://www.knex.com/products/toy-roller-coasters/

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Implicit Bias

• Professor of social ethics, Harvard• Implicit bias encompasses stereotypic and prejudicial associations acquired

from one’s socio-cultural environment/context• WHAT TO DO:

– Take the Implicit bias test at https://implicit.harvard.edu– Raise awareness of implicit bias

A widespread belief in American culture suggests that group membership should no constrain the choices and preferences of group members. Being a girl need not prevent one from becoming a police officer, senator, or mathematician. Being a boy need not prevent one from becoming a nurse, kindergarten teacher, or primary caregiver. In fact, all programs promoting equal opportunity seek the removal of external constraints for individual pursuits. Yet until the internal, mental constraints that link group identity with preference are removed, the patterns for self-imposed segregation may not change.- Brian Nosek, Mahzarin R. Banaji, and Anthony Greenwald

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Implicit Bias

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/lego-letter-from-the-1970s-still-offers-a-powerful-message-to-parents-40-years-later-9878303.htmlhttp://www.toysrus.com/products/tween-girls-12-14-C4330101.jsp

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http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/09/16/who-inspired-you

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Conclusion & Action Items

• Spread the word about achievements in math and science, especially those by girls and women

• Provide opportunities for your child to fix things and/or take stuff apart, around the house

• Be on the lookout for teachers or school documents that reinforce implicit bias

• Teach children that intellectual skills are acquired• Teach girls about stereotype threat, impostor syndrome, and a

growth mindset• Encourage all students to take calculus, physics, chemistry,

computer science, and engineering classes• Expose children to role models in STEM fields

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Other Outreach Opportunities at GT

• GT SWE student section outreach: http://www.swe.gtorg.gatech.edu/

• Check out the Women in Engineering website for other events: www.coe.gatech.edu/wie

• GT summer camps are available:– http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/summerprograms/

highschool

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Questions?

Thank you for your time!