tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/stem-education-7836/articlesSTEM education – The Conversation2024-01-12T13:28:40Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2180012024-01-12T13:28:40Z2024-01-12T13:28:40ZI wrote a play for children about integrating the arts into STEM fields − here’s what I learned about encouraging creative, interdisciplinary thinking<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562522/original/file-20231129-27-a3te04.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C18%2C4007%2C2999&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Scenes from 'The STEAM Plays,' performed in Michigan schools. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Thalia Lara</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Often, science and art are described as starkly different things. That narrative can start early on, with kids encouraged to pursue a STEM – short for science, technology, engineering and math – education that may or may not include an arts education. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://people.cal.msu.edu/roznows5/">professor of acting</a>, I’d never thought much about the STEM fields until I received a <a href="https://grad.msu.edu/news/steampower-facultystaff-fellows">fellowship to integrate the arts</a> into STEM educational models. I used the opportunity to write and direct a play for elementary schoolers that showed how the arts can improve upon and extend work in STEM fields when properly integrated – but it wasn’t an easy process. </p>
<h2>STEM or STEAM?</h2>
<p>Whether <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-whats-the-difference-between-stem-and-steam-95713">STEM should be augmented to STEAM</a> – science, technology, engineering, arts and math – with the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11070331">addition of the arts</a> remains <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2018/06/12/why-liberal-arts-and-the-humanities-are-as-important-as-engineering/">something of a debate</a>. </p>
<p>The origins of STEM education can be traced to as early as the <a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/morrill-act">Morrill Act</a> of 1862, which promoted agricultural science and later engineering at land grant universities. In 2001, the National Science Foundation pushed a focus on STEM education in order to <a href="https://www.stemschool.com/articles/rich-history-of-stem-education-in-the-united-states">make the U.S. more competitive globally</a>. </p>
<p>A Biden-Harris initiative launched in December 2022 called <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-launches-new-initiative-enhance-stem-education-all-students">You Belong in STEM</a> offers support of more than US$120 billion for K-12 STEM education until the year 2025. But, starting in 2012, the United States Research Council has explored the idea of a <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.709560/">STEAM education</a>. </p>
<p>Researchers have found that when integrated into a STEM education, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2013.09.317">the arts make space for curiosity and innovation</a>. So why the lack of agreement and consistency around whether it should be STEM or STEAM? </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Lots of careers bridge both science and arts, from game design to photography and engineering.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The bias toward emphasizing a STEM education could be driven by the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/20/more-students-pursue-stem-degrees-because-of-high-paying-careers.html">higher future salaries</a> of STEM majors or the significant funding that is connected more to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00891-x">STEM-based research</a> and grants than to the arts. A STEAM education takes more time and <a href="https://theconversation.com/improving-science-literacy-means-changing-science-education-178291">is more complex</a> than a traditional STEM educational model. </p>
<p>Or it could simply be that many academics in STEM fields lack the incentive for interdisciplinary work that brings in the arts, and vice versa. In fact, that was exactly the position I was in as an arts-based researcher asked to create something about STEM disciplines that I knew very little about.</p>
<h2>Putting on the play</h2>
<p>It took me several tries and lots of research to get the script of my STEAM-centered play to its current form. </p>
<p>At first, I made basic discoveries. I learned that <a href="https://www.invent.org/blog/trends-stem/stem-steam-defined">there is a debate</a> about whether the arts should be included in a STEM education. I learned that “<a href="https://stemeducationguide.com/is-psychology-stem/">soft sciences” like psychology</a> are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-020-09545-0">not included</a> in many STEM educational models. I lacked a background in most of the disciplines included in STEM. And I struggled to find a project that inspired me.</p>
<p>But eventually I began work on five one-act plays, called “The STEAM Plays: Using the Arts to Talk about STEM.” Each focused on a category of STEAM education. I wrote the first draft of the show with a chip on my shoulder, trying to prove that the arts did indeed belong in STEM education.</p>
<p>The tone was defensive and provocative – and not entirely appropriate for the elementary age range I was focused on. </p>
<p>The new, revised version that toured Michigan elementary schools in the Fall of 2023 contains 20 bite-sized comedic scenes and songs that dramatize how the arts are integral to many STEM fields. These include how engineering skills go into designing a celebrity’s evening gown, how bakers need to know some basic chemistry, and how the mathematical algorithms of TikTok find new videos for each user.</p>
<p>In each of the scenes, students can see how artistic imagination and creative thinking expand STEM education.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of people performing on a stage, wearing brightly colored costumes. The background is a screen projecting blue, green and yellow geometric shapes. The two performers on the left have their arms crossed and stand back to back, same on the right." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">‘The STEAM Plays’ in action. Performers, from left: Alex Spevetz, Marcus Pennington, Zoe Dorst, Cassidy Williams and Olivia Hagar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rob Roznowski</span></span>
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<h2>Beyond the stage</h2>
<p>These themes emerge from a wider scholarly understanding that STEM isn’t done in a creativity vacuum, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2013.09.317">stimulating students’ artistic thinking</a> will help them both in the science classroom and the art studio.</p>
<p>One plot point of the show is about an evil genius who views the arts as less important trying to keep the arts out of STEM. He swaps the bodies of a scientist and an actor, as well as an engineer and a creative writer. In each body swap, the STEM professional and the artist recognize how similar their work is. In the final scene, the evil genius tries to switch the bodies of Pythagoras and Taylor Swift, only to realize that music is all about math.</p>
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<img alt="A square box with the words 'Art & Science Collide' and a drawing of a lightbulb with its wire filament in the shape of a brain, surrounded by a circle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Art & Science Collide series.</span>
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/art-in-science-series-2024-149583">This article is part of Art & Science Collide</a></strong>, a series examining the intersections between art and science.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/literature-inspired-my-medical-career-why-the-humanities-are-needed-in-health-care-217357">Literature inspired my medical career: Why the humanities are needed in health care</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/art-and-science-entwined-this-course-explores-the-long-interrelated-history-of-two-ways-of-seeing-the-world-210250">Art and science entwined: This course explores the long, interrelated history of two ways of seeing the world </a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/art-illuminates-the-beauty-of-science-and-could-inspire-the-next-generation-of-scientists-young-and-old-168925">Art illuminates the beauty of science – and could inspire the next generation of scientists young and old</a> </p>
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<p>Many teachers have provided rave reviews. “The plays did an excellent job of highlighting the importance and value of arts in our educational system,” one noted. “Students walked away enjoying and having a deeper understanding of how all of the different aspects of STEAM were able to work together collaboratively.</p>
<p>A STEAM education in which <a href="https://www.ucf.edu/online/engineering/news/comparing-stem-vs-steam-why-the-arts-make-a-difference/">students learn soft skills</a> like empathy, collaboration, emotional intelligence and creativity through the arts helps prepare students for the job market. And these discussions aren’t confined only to K-12 education – many research grants <a href="https://new.nsf.gov/funding/learn/research-types/learn-about-interdisciplinary-research">encourage interdisciplinary work</a>.</p>
<p>My understanding of the STEM and STEAM debate and my experience writing, producing and watching how people respond to my show have helped me understand how the arts are necessary to every student’s education. I learned that without artistic imagination, STEM students’ big-picture thinking skills can get stifled. </p>
<p>It only took writing a play for children for me to get it myself.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218001/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rob Roznowski received funding from Michigan State University from two places. As part of the STEAMpower Fellowship <a href="https://grad.msu.edu/news/steampower-facultystaff-fellows">https://grad.msu.edu/news/steampower-facultystaff-fellows</a> $10,000
and the Humanities And Arts Grant Proposal System. <a href="https://research.msu.edu/humanities-and-arts-research-program">https://research.msu.edu/humanities-and-arts-research-program</a>
The first fellowship covered the writing and research. The HARPwas awarded to tour and design the play. $7000</span></em></p>Is it a STEM education or a STEAM education? Integrating arts into science programming and vice versa can pique kids’ curiosity − a play touring Michigan aims to do just that.Rob Roznowski, Professor of Acting, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2134362023-09-29T12:23:41Z2023-09-29T12:23:41ZSci-fi books are rare in school even though they help kids better understand science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551054/original/file-20230928-25-qakotc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=61%2C33%2C4462%2C3953&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sci-fi books are popular choices.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/surprised-boy-watching-colorful-characters-fly-out-royalty-free-image/546821353?phrase=sci+fi+books+kids&adppopup=true"> John M Lund Photography Inc./Stone via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Science fiction can lead people <a href="https://doi.org/10.22323/2.18040208">to be more cautious about the potential consequences of innovations</a>. It can help people <a href="https://theconversation.com/sci-fi-movies-are-the-secret-weapon-that-could-help-silicon-valley-grow-up-105714">think critically about the ethics of science</a>. Researchers have also found that sci-fi serves as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018780946">positive influence on how people view science</a>. Science fiction scholar <a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/csicsery-ronay_istvan">Istvan Csicsery-Ronay</a> calls this “<a href="https://www.weslpress.org/9780819570925/the-seven-beauties-of-science-fiction/">science-fictional habits of mind</a>.”</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/meet.2008.1450450345">Scientists</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2015-Feb-1">engineers</a> have reported that their childhood encounters with science fiction framed their thinking about the sciences. Thinking critically about science and technology is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1175/1/012156">an important part of education in STEM – or science, technology, engineering and mathematics</a>.</p>
<h2>Complicated content?</h2>
<p>Despite the potential benefits of an early introduction to science fiction, <a href="https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/E/Equipping-Space-Cadets">my own research on science fiction for readers under age 12</a> has revealed that librarians and teachers in elementary schools treat science fiction as a genre that works best for certain cases, like reluctant readers or kids who like what they called “weird,” “freaky” or “funky” books. </p>
<p>Of the 59 elementary teachers and librarians whom I surveyed, almost a quarter of them identified themselves as science fiction fans, and nearly all of them expressed that science fiction is just as valuable as any other genre. Nevertheless, most of them indicated that while they recommend science fiction books to individual readers, they do not choose science fiction for activities or group readings.</p>
<p>The teachers and librarians explained that they saw two related problems with science fiction for their youngest readers: low availability and complicated content. </p>
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<img alt="A girl sits in a library reading a book." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551057/original/file-20230928-27-822zw5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551057/original/file-20230928-27-822zw5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551057/original/file-20230928-27-822zw5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551057/original/file-20230928-27-822zw5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551057/original/file-20230928-27-822zw5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551057/original/file-20230928-27-822zw5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551057/original/file-20230928-27-822zw5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Realistic fiction books outnumber sci-fi books.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/portrait-of-a-young-school-child-black-reader-in-a-royalty-free-image/1496939521?phrase=sci+fi++kids+library&adppopup=true">Lorado/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Why sci-fi books are scarce in schools</h2>
<p>Several respondents said that there simply are not as many science fiction books available for elementary school students. To investigate further, I <a href="https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/E/Equipping-Space-Cadets">counted the number of science fiction books available</a> in 10 randomly selected elementary school libraries from across the United States. Only 3% of the books in each library were science fiction. The rest of the books were: 49% nonfiction, 25% fantasy, 19% realistic fiction and 5% historical fiction. While historical fiction also seems to be in low supply, science fiction stands out as the smallest group.</p>
<p>When I spoke to a small publisher and several authors, they confirmed that science fiction for young readers is not considered a profitable genre, and so those books are rarely acquired. Due to the perception that many young readers do not like science fiction, it is not written, published and distributed as often.</p>
<p>With fewer books to choose from, the teachers and librarians said that they have difficulty finding options that are not too long and complicated for group readings. One explained: “I have to appeal to broad ability levels in chapter book read-aloud selections. These books typically have to be shorter, with more simple plots.” Another respondent explained that they believe “the kind of suppositions sci-fi is based on to be difficult for younger children to grasp. We do read some sci-fi in our middle grade book club.”</p>
<h2>A question of maturity</h2>
<p>Waiting for students to get older before introducing them to science fiction is a fairly common approach. <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/author/susan-fichtelberg/">Susan Fichtelberg</a> – a longtime librarian – wrote a <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/encountering-enchantment-9798216079095/">guide to teen fantasy and science fiction</a>. In it, she recommends age 12 as the prime time to start. Other children’s literature experts have speculated whether children under 12 <a href="https://keywords.nyupress.org/childrens-literature/essay/science-fiction/">have sufficient knowledge to comprehend science fiction</a>.</p>
<p>Reading researchers agree that comprehending complex texts is <a href="https://greatminds.org/english/blog/witwisdom/the-science-of-reading-what-is-prior-knowledge-and-why-is-it-important">easier when the reader has more background knowledge</a>. Yet, when I read some science fiction picture books with elementary school students, none of the children struggled to understand the stories. The most active child in my study often used his knowledge of “Star Wars” to interpret the books. While background knowledge can mean children’s knowledge of science, it also includes exposure to a genre. The more a reader is exposed to science fiction stories, the <a href="https://christopher-mckitterick.com/Essays/protocol.htm">better they understand how to read them</a>.</p>
<h2>A matter of choice</h2>
<p>Science fiction does not need to include detailed science or outlandish premises to offer valuable ideas. Simple picture books like <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/60590019">“Farm Fresh Cats” by Scott Santoro</a> rely on familiar ideas like farms and cats to help readers reconsider what is familiar and what is alien. <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1122792103">“The Barnabus Project” by the Fan Brothers</a> is both a simple escape adventure story and a story about the ethics of genetic experimentation on animals.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551058/original/file-20230928-15-abzpvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A small girl on a foot stool reaches for a book on a library shelf." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551058/original/file-20230928-15-abzpvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551058/original/file-20230928-15-abzpvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=804&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551058/original/file-20230928-15-abzpvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=804&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551058/original/file-20230928-15-abzpvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=804&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551058/original/file-20230928-15-abzpvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1011&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551058/original/file-20230928-15-abzpvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1011&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551058/original/file-20230928-15-abzpvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1011&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Some educators are hesitant to introduce sci-fi books to young children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/african-school-girl-taking-library-book-off-shelf-royalty-free-image/81715011?phrase=sci+fi++kids+library&adppopup=true">Dave & Les Jacobs/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>The good news is that elementary school students are choosing science fiction regardless of what adults might think they can or cannot understand. I found that the science fiction books in those 10 elementary school libraries were checked out at a higher rate per book than all of the other genres. Science fiction had 1-2 more checkouts per book, on average, than the other genres.</p>
<p>Using the lending data from these libraries, I built a statistical model that predicted that it is 58% more likely for one of the science fiction books to be checked out in these libraries than one of the fantasy books. The model predicted that a science fiction book is over twice as likely to be checked out than books in any of the other genres. In other words, since the children did not have nearly as many science fiction books to choose from, their readership was <a href="https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/E/Equipping-Space-Cadets">heavily concentrated on a few titles</a>.</p>
<p>Children may discover science fiction on their own, but adults can do more to normalize the genre and provide opportunities for whole classes to become familiar with it. Encouraging children to explore science fiction may not guarantee science careers, but children deserve to learn from science fiction to help them navigate their increasingly high-tech world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213436/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Midkiff does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Despite their scarcity, science fiction books are highly sought after by elementary school students.Emily Midkiff, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Leadership, and Professional Practice, University of North DakotaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2144362023-09-28T12:26:32Z2023-09-28T12:26:32ZA solution to America’s K-12 STEM teacher shortage: Endowed chairs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550751/original/file-20230927-17430-2s6dng.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=60%2C10%2C6720%2C4386&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Thousands upon thousands of STEM teacher jobs have gone unfilled in recent years.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/african-american-boy-working-on-a-computer-part-royalty-free-image/1060858390?phrase=stem%2Bteacher">skynesher/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ever since the Soviet Union launched Sputnik into orbit on Oct. 4, 1957, America has been struggling to recruit and retain STEM teachers in its public middle and high schools.</p>
<p>In the 2017-2018 school year, <a href="https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/75/3/25/2842714/The-US-is-in-dire-need-of-STEM-teachersFaculty">approximately 100,000 teacher jobs in STEM – or science, technology, engineering and mathematics – went unfilled at the high school level</a>. At the middle school level, there were about <a href="https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/75/3/25/2842714/The-US-is-in-dire-need-of-STEM-teachersFaculty">150,000 unfilled STEM educator jobs</a>.</p>
<p>The situation has been getting <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2023/2023144.pdf">progressively worse over the past decade</a> or so. For instance, in the 2011-2012 school year, 19% of public schools were unable to fill a teaching position for biology or life sciences. By the 2020-2021 school year, that number had grown to 31%. The situation was similar for other subjects, going from 19% to 32% for mathematics, and 26% to 47% for physical sciences, such as physics, geology and engineering.</p>
<p>Science shortages were a problem even before Sputnik, but the launch served as a wake-up call. Three months afterward, President Dwight D. Eisenhower stated during his <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/special-message-the-congress-education-2">Special Message to the Congress on Education</a> that federal action was necessary to educate more science and mathematics teachers. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://batten.virginia.edu/people/gerard-robinson">professor of education policy</a> – and also as a <a href="https://iasculture.org/scholars/profiles/gerard-robinson">former state secretary of education in Virginia</a> – I have examined the STEM teacher shortage from multiple vantage points. In a September 2023 policy paper, a colleague and I recommend that in order to solve America’s STEM educator shortage, elected officials and education leaders should <a href="https://pioneerinstitute.org/news/pioneer-study-adopt-innovative-approaches-to-address-k-12-stem-teacher-shortage/">adopt something that is widely used in higher education – an endowed chair position for STEM teachers</a>.</p>
<p>We think endowed chairs have the potential to retain and attract more STEM educators at the K-12 level, but it requires a willingness to rethink the ways that schools employ STEM educators.</p>
<h2>What’s behind the gap?</h2>
<p>Two factors contribute to so many unfilled vacancies in STEM education:</p>
<p><strong>1. There are fewer college students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education that ever before.</strong></p>
<p>Between 1959-1976, bachelor’s degrees in education were the <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/pubs93/93442.pdf">most popular college major</a> in the United States, and they accounted for about 20% of all degrees. Between 1975-2021, the percentage of students majoring in education <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/education-majors-colleges-decline-teacher-pay/">fell from 17% to 4%</a>.</p>
<p><strong>2. STEM graduates can earn more money outside of education.</strong></p>
<p>When STEM majors go into a STEM career, <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/06/does-majoring-in-stem-lead-to-stem-job-after-graduation.html">they will earn, on average, US$101,100</a>. When STEM graduates become a math, computer science or science teacher, they will earn, on average, <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/tables/ntps1718_21022402_t12n.asp">only a fraction of that amount – roughly $60,000</a>.</p>
<p>This salary gap between STEM professionals and STEM educators is what is known as the STEM teacher “<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/stem-teachers-are-most-in-need-of-additional-pay/">wage penalty</a>.”</p>
<p>According to a national survey of teacher salaries in 2017-18, <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/tables/ntps1718_21022402_t12n.asp">average teacher salaries never exceeded $100,000,</a>, regardless of years of experience.</p>
<p>But this only tells a portion of the STEM teacher salary story. In 2021, <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/teacher-pay-penalty-2022/">K-12 teachers’ weekly salary was only $1,348</a> – about $660 less than the $2,009 earned weekly by other college graduates.</p>
<h2>Prior efforts to close the gap</h2>
<p>Since developing a strong STEM workforce is vital to the nation’s security and economic well-being, several U.S. presidents have used their position to advance a STEM education agenda. </p>
<p>For example, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, Eisenhower
and Congress <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/special-message-the-congress-education-2">came to realize</a> that the nation needed to focus on what takes place in the classroom space – not just outer space.</p>
<p>The Senate and House passed the <a href="https://history.house.gov/HouseRecord/Detail/15032436195">National Defense Education Act of 1958</a>, and Eisenhower signed it into law on Sept. 2, 1958. </p>
<p>This set in motion a <a href="https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Sputnik_Spurs_Passage_of_National_Defense_Education_Act.htm#:%7E:text=The%20National%20Defense%20Education%20Act%20of%201958%20became%20one%20of,and%20private%20colleges%20and%20universities">national STEM education agenda</a> for American colleges and K-12 schools for decades to come.</p>
<p>Fifty-three years later, President Barack Obama utilized his <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-before-joint-session-the-congress-the-state-the-union-16">2011 State of the Union address</a> to advance the national STEM agenda. “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment,” he said. “And over the next 10 years, with so many baby boomers retiring from our classrooms, we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science and technology and engineering and math.” </p>
<p>Through the leadership of 100Kin10, now named <a href="https://beyond100k.org">Beyond100K</a>, the initiative <a href="https://100kin10-files.s3.amazonaws.com/IncreaseSupplyValidation2021.pdf">exceeded the goal in 2021</a>.</p>
<p>But the <a href="https://www.edweek.org/leadership/they-recruited-100-000-stem-teachers-now-theyre-setting-their-sights-even-higher/2022/09">goal of the 100,000 STEM teacher campaign</a> was to narrow the gap, not end it.</p>
<p>A shortage of STEM teachers remains. According to a survey of 53 states and territories, 39 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands had <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/map-shows-us-states-dealing-teaching-shortage-data/story?id=96752632">teacher vacancies in all subjects</a>, STEM disciplines included, as of Feb 9, 2023. One additional reason for the current shortage is that public schools <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-105816.pdf">lost approximately 7% of their teachers</a> – 233,000 instructors – between 2019-2021, which included STEM teachers. </p>
<p>Currently, President Joe Biden is <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2022/12/12/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-bold-multi-sector-actions-to-eliminate-systemic-barriers-in-stemm/">promoting STEM education programs for teachers</a>, the Department of Education has dedicated <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-launches-new-initiative-enhance-stem-education-all-students">$120 billion to support STEM</a>, and the National Science Foundation is <a href="https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/robert-noyce-teacher-scholarship-program-0">supporting teacher fellowships</a>. </p>
<h2>The endowed chair as a potential solution</h2>
<p>Federal investments in programs and fellowships to produce more STEM teachers are good. But those alone will not be enough to retain and attract the quality STEM educators we need.</p>
<p>That’s why a colleague and I <a href="https://pioneerinstitute.org/news/pioneer-study-adopt-innovative-approaches-to-address-k-12-stem-teacher-shortage/">recommend endowed chairs</a> for K-12 educators.</p>
<p>Traditionally, an endowed chair is a <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2021/10/26/obtaining-endowed-chair-or-distinguished-professor-position-opinion">prestigious faculty position</a> funded through annual spending from a university’s endowment fund.</p>
<p>The interest earned on the endowment will partially or fully fund the salary of the position for as long as the university exists. Endowed chairs are <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2021/10/26/obtaining-endowed-chair-or-distinguished-professor-position-opinion">awarded to those who are the best in their field</a>.</p>
<p>The benefit of an endowed chair is that it will be paid for decades to come by the interest on investment. In our paper, we suggest that K-12 schools could use endowed chairs to support a K-12 STEM teacher’s salary, benefits and professional development, all the while saving money for the district and state.</p>
<p>If structured right, the interest on the endowment will pay a teacher’s salary and benefits, something the district would subsequently not have to pay. The endowment can be used to purchase STEM supplies. The money saved by the district can be used to invest in another teacher. The money could come from private individuals, corporations or foundations.</p>
<p>An endowed chair could also provide funding for teachers and students to have access to state-of-the-art learning technology. As part of the endowed chair contract, a teacher can participate in a fully paid externship at a STEM-focused public or private sector company during the summer months. The goal would be to bring to the classroom the experiences and insights the teacher learned from the externship.</p>
<p>An endowed STEM chair salary may never outpace what educators could earn if they entered the private market. But it can potentially help elevate their position and, perhaps, enable educators to make a salary that would be higher than what it would otherwise be.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214436/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gerard Robinson is affiliated with <a href="https://www.tepf.org/#leadership">https://www.tepf.org/#leadership</a>. I joined the endowment project a few months ago. Our goal it to help public high schools create an endowment for the school. My idea of supporting an endowed K-12 chair preceeded my joining the board. I do not receive a salary for my board membership. </span></em></p>Year after year, public schools have come up short on STEM teachers. An education policy scholar pushes for a novel solution.Gerard Robinson, Professor of Practice in Public Policy and Law, University of VirginiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2047772023-08-31T12:20:15Z2023-08-31T12:20:15ZTrans students benefit from gender-inclusive classrooms, research shows – and so do the other students and science itself<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541976/original/file-20230809-15-2j6fem.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2121%2C1412&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teaching sex and gender more accurately can counter gender stereotypes and encourage all students to study STEM.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/girl-in-denim-t-shirt-with-rainbow-symbol-wear-royalty-free-image/1365444357">Iurii Krasilnikov/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Across the U.S., legislators are debating how and when sex and gender should be discussed in the classroom and beyond. Specifically, <a href="https://www.transformationsproject.org/state-anti-trans-legislation">these bills</a> are considering whether anything beyond male or female can be included in library books and lesson plans. These bills are part of a larger debate on how to define and regulate sex and gender, and there are no immediate answers that satisfy everyone.</p>
<p>Many of the bills draw on science to make claims about sex and gender. For example, <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1069">Florida House Bill 1069</a>, which legislates pronoun use in schools, assumes that all of a person’s sex markers – listed as sex chromosomes, “naturally occurring” sex hormones and internal and external genitalia at birth – will align as female or male “based on the organization of the body … for a specific reproductive role.” The bill claims that “a person’s sex is an immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person’s sex.”</p>
<p>Invoking biology is a way to sound objective, but it’s not so simple. Science itself is still grappling with the nature of sex and gender.</p>
<p>My co-author Sam Long and I are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2021.83.7.427">high school</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rZ-cbGUAAAAJ&hl=en">college science educators</a> who research how to <a href="https://www.genderinclusivebiology.com">increase student motivation, interest and retention in biology</a>. Our work and that of our colleagues show that teaching sex and gender more accurately in classrooms benefits not only gender-diverse students but all students and the field of science.</p>
<h2>Science of sex and gender</h2>
<p>Bills like Florida’s define sex as a binary set of biological traits. But scientists know that sex is far more complicated.</p>
<p>In nature, there is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001899">huge diversity</a> in how sexes are arranged within bodies. For example, the sex of some organisms is classified by the size of their gametes, or sperm and eggs. Some species produce both gametes in one body. Some change whether they produce sperm or eggs over their lifetime. Others technically don’t have a sex at all.</p>
<p>Sex in humans is actually an <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203127971">amalgamation of many traits</a>, which include the type of gametes a person produces as well as their reproductive tract anatomy, hormone levels and secondary sex characteristics like hair growth and chest shape. These traits are determined not just by a few genes on the X and Y chromosomes but also by a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53500-y">myriad of genes</a> on other chromosomes as well as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53500-y">developmental environment</a>. When <a href="https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-biology1/chapter/reading-polygenic-inheritance-and-environmental-effects/">many genes</a> contribute to a trait, it appears as a continuum.</p>
<p>The continuum of human sex is illustrated by the experiences of intersex individuals. For nearly two out of every 100 people, a binary definition of sex <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/anne-fausto-sterling/sexing-the-body/9781541672895/">would not work</a>. People <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-everyone-is-male-or-female-the-growing-controversy-over-sex-designation-172293">who are intersex</a> don’t have chromosomes, hormones or internal and external genitalia that completely match cultural expectations of what males and females should look like. Under these bills, what pronouns would they be allowed to use? There is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/518288a">no universal scientific rule</a> for pronoun assignment.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kT0HJkr1jj4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Sex is a spectrum.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If sex is not binary, then <a href="https://theconversation.com/sex-and-gender-both-shape-your-health-in-different-ways-98293">gender</a> – or personal perceptions of masculinity, femininity, a mix of both, or neither – cannot be either. A 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that roughly <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/06/07/about-5-of-young-adults-in-the-u-s-say-their-gender-is-different-from-their-sex-assigned-at-birth/">1.6% of U.S. adults</a> describe their gender as not aligned with their sex assigned at birth, which can be captured by the terms transgender or nonbinary.</p>
<p>Overall, science <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/692517">does not have a definitive answer</a> for how to define sex and gender in people that lawmakers can draw upon – science only indicates that these traits are nuanced and complex.</p>
<h2>Limiting teaching on sex and gender affects everyone</h2>
<p>Bills limiting how sex and gender are taught exacerbate the disproportionate obstacles that transgender students already face. The 2019 National School Climate Survey of over 16,700 students in the U.S., conducted by national education nonprofit Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, reported that trans teens in <a href="https://www.glsen.org/research/2019-national-school-climate-survey">schools without gender-inclusive curricula</a> experienced more bullying, a decreased sense of belonging, poor academic performance and low psychological well-being.</p>
<p>Restrictive bills also discourage LGBT students from studying science. The 2013 GLSEN Network National School Climate Survey found that LGBT teens were <a href="https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/GLSEN-2013-National-School-Climate-Survey-Full-Report.pdf">less interested in majoring in STEM</a> and the social sciences when the high school classes they took in those fields were not taught with inclusive curricula. </p>
<p>I and my colleagues found similar downstream effects on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-12-0343">college students</a>: Trans and nonbinary students reported feeling isolated and uncomfortable in biology courses that teach sex and gender only as a binary. They felt they couldn’t form relationships with their teachers or peers, and this lack of a supportive personal network prevented them from requesting letters of recommendation or getting involved in research. Some dropped out of STEM, and many others contemplated it.</p>
<p>Limiting gender-inclusive curricula in schools can ultimately have negative effects on all students. Children begin <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100511">developing and testing</a> their understanding of sex and gender starting as young as 2 years old. Erasing gender diversity even in elementary schools reinforces <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000307">inaccurate conceptions of sex and gender</a> that can last a lifetime. For example, a 2018 study of 132 college students found that those who read a paper emphasizing binary sex and typical gender roles exhibited <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0786-3">increased prejudice against transgender people</a>. A 2019 study of 460 eighth through 10th grade students found that those taught an oversimplified and inaccurate definition of sex – as defined by sex chromosomes – had increased beliefs about the genetic basis of sex and in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21502">stereotypes about men and women</a>, including unchangeable sex differences in intelligence and scientific ability. These studies suggest that teaching oversimplified narratives about sex and gender influences not only how students conceive sex and gender but also beliefs about their own and others’ abilities.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541788/original/file-20230808-27-jcydy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Protestors holding signs reading 'Protect trans kids' and other slogans" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541788/original/file-20230808-27-jcydy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541788/original/file-20230808-27-jcydy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541788/original/file-20230808-27-jcydy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541788/original/file-20230808-27-jcydy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541788/original/file-20230808-27-jcydy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541788/original/file-20230808-27-jcydy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541788/original/file-20230808-27-jcydy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People rally in front of the Kentucky State Capitol on Mar. 29, 2023, to protest the passing of Senate Bill 150, a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill that bans gender-affirming care for trans youth, limits discussion of LGBTQ topics in K-12 schools and allows teachers to misgender students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-many-of-whom-are-adolescents-gather-during-a-rally-news-photo/1249909096">Jon Cherry/Stringer via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The trans and nonbinary college biology students we interviewed suggest there is another long-term harm of oversimplifying sex and gender: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-12-0343">lack of preparation</a> for a future career in science or medicine. An oversimplified understanding of sex and gender does not train students to work with the diverse patients and clients they might encounter, and it can <a href="https://mashable.com/article/transgender-healthcare">worsen health disparities</a> for trans people.</p>
<p>Lack of exposure to a broader range of sex and gender roles also limits potential scientific discoveries. Being taught only binary sex and genders biases the research questions scientists consider and the way they interpret their findings.</p>
<p>The study of <a href="https://theconversation.com/women-have-disrupted-research-on-bird-song-and-their-findings-show-how-diversity-can-improve-all-fields-of-science-142874">birdsong</a> offers one example of how this bias can influence research. A common stereotype is that male birds are more competitive than female birds. Because competition occurs partially through song, researchers studied birdsong only in males for a long time. Some scientists recently challenged these beliefs about sex roles by finding that females sing in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0059">about 64% of songbird species</a>, opening doors to greater understanding of the function of birdsong.</p>
<h2>What educators and scientists can do</h2>
<p>When science is being misrepresented to justify oversimplified ideas about sex and gender in schools, scientists and science educators have an important role to play. </p>
<p>Sharing perspectives about gender diversity with school boards and elected officials can make a difference. Bringing conversations about sex and gender into the classroom can help all students feel seen and reduce gender stereotypes. Through his work with educators, my co-author, Sam Long, knows it can be intimidating to get into these conversations, but they do not have to be fights about who is right or wrong. Encouraging curiosity about human variation and questioning the portrayal of any trait as pathological simply because it is different or uncommon can help students think critically about sex and gender in respectful ways. </p>
<p>Disability advocates offer an <a href="https://odpc.ucsf.edu/clinical/patient-centered-care/medical-and-social-models-of-disability">inclusive approach</a> that focuses on changing the environment to fit the person rather than changing the person to fit the environment. Physical and mental variations do not inherently reduce a person’s ability to thrive; instead, it is environmental and culture barriers that are limiting or disabling. Educators can pose questions that encourage students to explore this idea. For example, red hair is as rare as intersex traits. Of the two, why are only intersex traits often framed as a disorder? Likewise, human height varies across people. How are buildings, products and services designed to accommodate a spectrum of heights? Why haven’t other physical variations been accommodated in the same way?</p>
<p>Initiatives like <a href="https://www.genderinclusivebiology.com/">Gender-Inclusive Biology</a>, <a href="https://projectbiodiversify.org/sex/">Project Biodiversity</a>, and <a href="https://welcomingschools.org/resources">Welcoming Schools</a> offer additional resources to help adapt the curriculum to acknowledge and celebrate variation in the living world. My co-author Sam is a founding member of Gender-Inclusive Biology.</p>
<p>Encouraging students to think critically about the complexity of sex and gender will encourage everyone to pursue their passions regardless of gender stereotypes, promote creative thinking in science and medicine and support trans students. In this way, teaching about sex and gender complexity can benefit everyone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204777/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Eddy receives funding from the National Science Foundation.</span></em></p>‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills claim to use science to justify a binary definition of sex based on certain traits. But the biology of sex and gender is not so simple.Sarah Eddy, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2111712023-08-17T12:34:54Z2023-08-17T12:34:54Z3 reasons we use graphic novels to teach math and physics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542875/original/file-20230815-20-jxi8dm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C0%2C2393%2C1061&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Graphic novels can help make math and physics more accessible for students, parents or teachers in training.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/education-concept-science-technology-reading-books-royalty-free-image/1201355144?adppopup=true">Metamorworks/iStock via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Post-pandemic, some educators are trying to reengage students with technology – like videos, <a href="https://theconversation.com/video-gaming-can-bolster-classroom-learning-but-not-without-teacher-support-190483">computer gaming</a> or artificial intelligence, just to name a few. But integrating these approaches in the classroom can be an uphill battle. Teachers using these tools often struggle to retain students’ attention, competing with the latest social media phenomenon, and can feel limited by using short video clips to get concepts across. </p>
<p>Graphic novels – offering visual information married with text – provide a means to engage students without losing all of the rigor of textbooks. As two educators <a href="https://www.sarahklanderman.com/">in math</a> <a href="https://www.joshaho.com/">and physics</a>, we have found graphic novels to be effective at teaching students of all ability levels. We’ve used graphic novels in our own classes, and we’ve also inspired and encouraged other teachers to use them. And we’re not alone: Other teachers are rejuvenating this analog medium with a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/jeu.2014.0018">high level of success</a>.</p>
<p>In addition to <a href="https://gnclassroom.com/">covering a wide range of topics and audiences</a>, graphic novels can explain tough topics without alienating student averse to STEM – science, technology, engineering and math. Even for students who already like math and physics, graphic novels provide a way to dive into topics beyond what is possible in a time-constrained class. In our book “<a href="http://bloomsbury.com/uk/using-graphic-novels-in-the-stem-classroom-9781350279186/">Using Graphic Novels in the STEM Classroom</a>,” we discuss the many reasons why graphic novels have a unique place in math and physics education. Here are three of those reasons:</p>
<h2>Explaining complex concepts with rigor and fun</h2>
<p>Increasingly, schools are <a href="https://theconversation.com/textbooks-in-the-digital-world-78299">moving away from textbooks</a>, even though studies show that students learn better <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-enduring-power-of-print-for-learning-in-a-digital-world-84352">using print rather than digital formats</a>. Graphic novels offer the best of both worlds: a hybrid between modern and traditional media.</p>
<p>This integration of text with images and diagrams is especially <a href="https://theconversation.com/heroes-villains-biology-3-reasons-comic-books-are-great-science-teachers-143251">useful in STEM disciplines</a> that require quantitative reading and data analysis skills, like math and physics.</p>
<p>For example, our collaborator <a href="https://www.dordt.edu/people/jason-ho">Jason Ho, an assistant professor at Dordt University</a>, uses “<a href="https://maxthedemon.com">Max the Demon Vs Entropy of Doom</a>” to teach his physics students about entropy. This topic can be particularly difficult for students because it’s one of the first times when they can’t physically touch something in physics. Instead, students have to rely on math and diagrams to fill in their knowledge.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"964876541174931457"}"></div></p>
<p>Rather than stressing over equations, Ho’s students focus on understanding the subject more conceptually. This approach helps build their intuition before diving into the algebra. They get a feeling for the fundamentals before they have to worry about equations.</p>
<p>After having taken Ho’s class, more than <a href="https://acmsonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/journal-and-proceedings-2023.pdf">85% of his students agreed</a> that they would recommend using graphic novels in STEM classes, and <a href="https://acmsonline.org/conferences/">90% found this particular use</a> of “Max the Demon” helpful for their learning. When strategically used, graphic novels can create a dynamic, engaging teaching environment even with nuanced, quantitative topics.</p>
<h2>Combating quantitative anxiety</h2>
<p>Students learning math and physics today are surrounded by <a href="https://theconversation.com/think-youre-bad-at-math-you-may-suffer-from-math-trauma-104209">math anxiety and trauma</a>, which often lead to their own negative associations with math. A student’s perception of math can be influenced by the attitudes of the role models around them – whether it’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-parents-with-high-math-anxiety-help-with-homework-children-learn-less-46841">a parent who is “not a math person”</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2021.150213">a teacher with a high level of math anxiety</a>.</p>
<p>Graphic novels can help make math more accessible not only for students themselves, but also for parents or students learning to be teachers.</p>
<p>In a geometry course one of us (Sarah) teaches, secondary education students don’t memorize formulas and fill out problem sheets. Instead, students read “<a href="https://gnclassroom.com/graphic-novel/who-killed-professor-x/">Who Killed Professor X?</a>”, a murder mystery in which all of the suspects are famous mathematicians. The suspects’ alibis are justified through problems from geometry, algebra and pre-calculus.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">A peak inside the mathematical graphic novel ‘Who Killed Professor X?’.</span></figcaption>
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<p>While trying to understand the hidden geometry of suspect relationships, students often forget that they are doing math – focusing instead on poring over secret hints and notes needed to solve the mystery. </p>
<p>Although this is just one experience for these students, it can help change the narrative for students experiencing mathematical anxiety. It boosts their confidence and shows them how math can be fun – a lesson they can then impart to the next generation of students.</p>
<h2>Helping students learn and readers dream big</h2>
<p>In addition to being viewed favorably by students, graphic novels can enhance student learning by improving <a href="http://repository.unej.ac.id/handle/123456789/97529">written communication skills</a>, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jaal.666">reading comprehension</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1598/JAAL.53.2.5">critical literacy skills</a>. And even outside the classroom, graphic novels support long-term memory for those who have diagnoses like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2019.1635175">dyslexia</a>. </p>
<p>Pause and think about your own experience – how do you learn about something new in science? </p>
<p>If you’re handed a textbook, it’s extremely unlikely that you’d read it cover to cover. And although the internet offers an enormous amount of math and physics content, it can be overwhelming to sift through hours and hours of videos to find the perfect one to get the “aha!” moment in learning.</p>
<p>Graphic novels provide a starting point for such <a href="https://gnclassroom.com/">a broad range of niche topics</a> that it’s impossible for anyone to be experts in them all. Want to learn about programming? Try the “<a href="https://gnclassroom.com/graphic-novel/secret-coders/">Secret Coders</a>” series. Want to understand more about quantum physics? Dive into “<a href="https://gnclassroom.com/graphic-novel/suspended-in-language/">Suspended in Language: Niels Bohr’s life, discoveries, and the century he shaped</a>.” Searching for more female role models in science? “<a href="https://gnclassroom.com/graphic-novel/astronauts-women-on-the-final-frontier/">Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier</a>” could be just what you’re looking for.</p>
<p>With all that they offer, graphic novels provide a compelling list of topics and narratives that can capture the attention of students today. We believe that the right set of graphic novels can inspire the next generation of scientists as much as any single individual can.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211171/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Graphic novels pair text and images to explain complex topics – from thermodynamics to abstract math – without alienating STEM-averse students.Sarah Klanderman, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Marian UniversityJosha Ho, Adjunct Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, Marian UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2070772023-06-15T12:29:53Z2023-06-15T12:29:53ZJuneteenth matters for thinking about race relations in Canada and Canadian education<p>On June 19, African Americans will <a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/why-juneteenth-important">celebrate Juneteenth</a>. This day marks emancipation from chattel slavery and the long and violent struggle for Black people to be recognized as equally human. </p>
<p>Despite <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/02/01/1153364556/ap-african-american-studies-black-history-florida-desantis">Republican efforts to ban the teaching of accurate Black history in schools</a>, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/06/17/a-proclamation-on-juneteenth-day-of-observance-2022/">Juneteenth became a federal holiday in the United States</a> in 2022, signalling that Black history is American history. </p>
<p>While this is not an official holiday in Canada, it is significant for thinking about the history of race, racial relations and education. </p>
<p>Canada and the United States - once part of the British Empire - share a settler-colonial history. It is in this context that <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-whiteness-was-invented-and-fashioned-in-britains-colonial-age-of-expansion-175027">ideas about race were developed and circulated</a>. </p>
<h2>Colonialism and race</h2>
<p>The project of colonialism required Europeans to categorize and classify the natural world. They sought to do the same thing with humans. European men saw themselves as superior to all other humans, <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/racist-history-race-science">including European women. They applied this ideology to race science</a>. </p>
<p>Carl Linnaeus, who developed the system that replaced local Indigenous names of flora and fauna with Latin names, also described “species” of humans. Europeans were described as “white, sanguine (cheerful), muscular and Africans <a href="https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-was-linnaeus/linnaeus-and-race-easy-read">as "black, phlegmatic (unemotional), lazy</a>.” </p>
<p>Race science placed <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41949874">Africans at the bottom of the hierarchy of human and was used to justify genocide, colonialism, segregation and, of course, enslavement</a>. These ideas about race that developed <a href="https://1619education.org/?gclid=CjwKCAjwhJukBhBPEiwAniIcNaGnY_VO10w4NI1PgE0JPum1YejPa4OST5EEZAA6-cx_CmaqCS5egRoCon0QAvD_BwE">during the colonial era continue to influence the experiences of Black people in Canada today</a>. </p>
<p>University of Columbia’s Black Studies professor <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/society/saidiya-hartman-interview/">Saidiya Hartman refers to this as the afterlife of slavery</a>, meaning the violence and dehumanization that Black people endured during enslavement continue in present forms of <a href="https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/policing-black-lives">racial violence</a>, <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/obpccjs-spnsjpc/index.html">high incarceration rates</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-021-00160-8">substandard education</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.201579">anti-Blackness in health care</a>. </p>
<h2>Black enslavement in Canada</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17405904.2017.1360192">Canada’s image of being multicultural and welcoming</a> is maintained by <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/demonic-grounds">erasing histories of enslaved Africans and denying racism</a>. History about slavery emphasizes <a href="https://youtu.be/mlG5ywXxoV4?t=259">Canada’s role in the Underground Railroad as a safe haven for the self-liberated</a>.</p>
<p>However, Canada contributed to <a href="https://thewalrus.ca/canada-slavery/?gclid=CjwKCAjw4ZWkBhA4EiwAVJXwqUo3aQ_AaTQ5n0Brm5L4IBh1CCKNo6a4eADjByuUPykp2RhZI_ngdRoCq3QQAvD_BwE">and benefited from enslavement in the British colonies</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://humanrights.ca/story/story-black-slavery-canadian-history#:%7E:text=Slavery%20was%20legal%20and%20practiced,and%20sustained%20the%20slave%20trade">Slavery was practised in Canada for more than 200 years</a>, longer than Canada has been a nation. Unearthed narratives pertaining to the experiences of Black people in Canada <a href="https://doi.org/10.26522/brocked.v27i1.623">reveal that they were treated as inhumanely as their counterparts in the United States</a>. </p>
<p>The work of Nigerian-raised artist Oluseye Ogunlesi has documented how at least 60 ships that were used to carry stolen Africans to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/arts/black-ark-a-12-ft-structure-modelled-after-slave-ships-asks-us-to-see-canadian-history-differently-1.6490185">the colonies were built in Canada</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CfQQhivt5h6","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<h2>Race and education in Canada</h2>
<p>Canada has a <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/racial-segregation-of-black-students-in-canadian-schools">history of racially segregated schools and denying Black students admission to medical and nursing schools</a>. </p>
<p>In contemporary primary and secondary schools, Black students are more likely to be <a href="https://youthrex.com/report/research-spotlight-mistrust-and-low-expectations-educational-disadvantage-and-black-youth-in-ontario/">tracked into lower level classes, feel discriminated against by teachers and are at risk of not completing high school and entering post-secondary education</a>.</p>
<p>Recent <a href="https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/as-sa/98-200-X/2021011/98-200-X2021011-eng.cfm">Statistics Canada</a> data reveals that Black Canadians who have been in Canada three or more generations are less likely to <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9458122/canada-black-population-education-outcome-census/">have achieved a bachelor’s degree or higher than Black people who have recently arrived in the country</a>. This points to the racism that Black students in Canada encounter in their education.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/black-youth-yearn-for-black-teachers-to-disrupt-the-daily-silencing-of-their-experiences-177279">Black youth yearn for Black teachers to disrupt the daily silencing of their experiences</a>
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<p>Black students describe experiences of feeling isolated, having their experiences of racism dismissed by teachers, hearing ignorant <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/peel-students-racism-panel-1.6408851">comments from teachers and peers and negative assumptions about their intellectual abilities</a>. </p>
<p>In research my team conducted <a href="https://prism.ucalgary.ca/items/84a24620-3a63-4d74-979f-29312ba1e739">about the experiences of racialized students in in post-secondary science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs</a>, Black students describe being excluded from peer groups, followed by security and having their abilities questioned by their peers. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People seen marching in the streets, with one person holding a sign that says 'stop killing us.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531440/original/file-20230612-161741-sgqp5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531440/original/file-20230612-161741-sgqp5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531440/original/file-20230612-161741-sgqp5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531440/original/file-20230612-161741-sgqp5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531440/original/file-20230612-161741-sgqp5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531440/original/file-20230612-161741-sgqp5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531440/original/file-20230612-161741-sgqp5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Thousands of people march to mark Juneteenth in Vancouver in June 19, 2020, shortly after George Floyd was murdered in the U.S.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Equity, diversity and inclusion in universities</h2>
<p>The 2020 murder of George Floyd catalyzed racial reckoning across Canadian institutions. </p>
<p>Black-led organizations such as the <a href="https://blackscientists.ca/">Canadian Black Scientists Network</a> emerged to elevate, make visible, celebrate and connect Black Canadians in science. </p>
<p>Universities ramped up equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) efforts and solidified statements aimed at addressing racism and bias in post-secondary education. Universities across the nation signed the <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/principal/scarborough-charter">Scarborough Charter</a> as a commitment to address anti-Black racism and foster Black flourishing in post-secondary education. </p>
<p>A study of Canadian University EDI statements found that although institutions appear to be prioritizing EDI, the language defining equity, diversity and inclusion is broad and vague, <a href="https://doi.org/10.7202/1066634ar">suggesting a “slogan-like” use of the term, potentially overlooking the detailed complexities within each term</a>. </p>
<p>They also noted that the people who were making policy decisions about EDI were mostly those who have benefited from systemic racism. </p>
<p>At the University of Calgary, <a href="https://twitter.com/malindasmith?lang=en">political scientist Malinda Smith</a> is the vice provost and associate vice-president <a href="https://www.ucalgary.ca/equity-diversity-inclusion/team">of research in the Office Equity, Diversity and Inclusion</a>. </p>
<p>Her research has documented the <a href="https://www.federationhss.ca/en/blog/beyond-single-story-black-lives-and-hidden-figures-canadian-academy">importance of Black</a> <a href="https://www.thediversitygapcanada.com/diversity-gap-in-university-leadership.html">and other historically marginalized people being actively involved in policy and decision-making</a> designed to address inequity. Her work notes that you cannot make decisions about <a href="https://gazette.mun.ca/campus-and-community/blackness-and-the-academy/">Black people without Black people at the table</a>.</p>
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<img alt="People standing at a rally." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531447/original/file-20230612-256738-x7gx5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531447/original/file-20230612-256738-x7gx5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531447/original/file-20230612-256738-x7gx5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531447/original/file-20230612-256738-x7gx5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531447/original/file-20230612-256738-x7gx5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531447/original/file-20230612-256738-x7gx5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531447/original/file-20230612-256738-x7gx5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Students and faculty members take part in Juneteenth March for Justice on Stockton University campus in Galloway Township, N.J. on Juneteenth in 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Edward Lea/Press of Atlantic City via AP)</span></span>
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<h2>Juneteenth and racial equity</h2>
<p>Juneteenth could provide the context for reflection on how we can expose, address and dismantle the systemic ideologies about race that maintain inequity in education. </p>
<p>Leaders in education need to do deep, reflective work to recognize and address their own biases, and the ways that white supremacy shows up in educational policies and practices. They need to articulate strategies and action plans for institutional transformation. They also need to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated for equity-focused projects.</p>
<p>Universities must not fall into the trap of performative EDI. This is avoided by identifying equity challenges at institutions and articulating actions, strategies and milestones for change. </p>
<h2>Paths to senior leadership</h2>
<p>Educational institutions should provide initiatives to recruit and retain Black educators and universities should ensure that there are pathways to senior leadership for Black faculty. </p>
<p>Faculty who are concerned with social justice can <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/a-third-university-is-possible">draw inspiration about subversion and using the tools of </a> the university to dismantle the anti-Black, racist, colonial ideologies. </p>
<p>August 1 is <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/emancipation-day.html">Canada’s Emancipation Day</a>. Following Juneteenth, this could provide the context for reflection on Black history as Canadian history and ways to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-022-10114-7">centre and leverage Black joy</a> in learning spaces.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207077/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer D. Adams receives funding from SSHRC. </span></em></p>Juneteenth is not an official holiday in Canada, but it is significant for thinking about the history of race, racial relations and education.Jennifer D. Adams, Canada Research Chair of Creativity and STEM and Associate Professor, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2023862023-04-13T20:07:45Z2023-04-13T20:07:45ZConnecting to culture: here’s what happened when elders gifted totemic species to school kids<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520685/original/file-20230413-22-niu3io.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=62%2C44%2C4796%2C3943&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nicolas Rakotopare</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, a <a href="https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/approach2/indigenous_res012_0804.pdf">totem</a> is a spiritual emblem from the natural world, such as a plant or animal. The totem is gifted to an individual by a parent or elder, usually around the time of their birth. Some people have several totems. </p>
<p>The connection is mutually beneficial: the totem is a protector of the person, who in turn shows their respect for the totem by caring for it. </p>
<p>We wanted to find out if totemic species, when gifted to schools by Traditional Custodians, could generate care for threatened species - while also embedding cultural awareness and Indigenous knowledge in the Australian science curriculum. </p>
<p>We ran a <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.12904">pilot program</a> to test the idea and build an evidence base. The program was successful. Care for the totemic species increased and students expressed enthusiasm for this approach. And there were other benefits too.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Connecting kids with nature and culture: A totemic species for Carlton North Primary School.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/first-peoples-knowledge-of-mysterious-fairy-circles-in-australian-deserts-has-upended-a-long-standing-science-debate-202956">First Peoples' knowledge of 'mysterious fairy circles' in Australian deserts has upended a long-standing science debate</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Caring for the matted flax-lily</h2>
<p>The matted flax-lily (<em>Dianella amoena</em>) is culturally significant to the Wurundjeri people. The berries and leaves are used for food and tea, weaving and making whistles to deter snakes. </p>
<p>But the species is critically endangered in Victoria and listed as <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/recovery-plans/national-recovery-plan-matted-flax-lily-dianella%C2%A0amoena">endangered nationally</a>. After land clearing for urban development, it is thought only <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/dianella-amoena.pdf">1,400 plants remain</a>. </p>
<p>Students in all year levels at Carlton North Primary School in Melbourne worked with Uncle Dave Wandin, a Wurundjeri Elder, to create habitat for the flax-lily and learn about the species. </p>
<p>The program sought to embed both Indigenous and Western knowledge in a balanced and holistic way. Over ten weeks, the biology curriculum addressed sustainability and the environment, incorporating interactive and outdoor activities. </p>
<p>In one activity, students helped to construct a grassland ecosystem habitat with plantings of the flax-lily. Other activities included interactive food web role play, scientific drawing, seed planting, learning about Indigenous land management and the use of native ingredients in modern baking. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520689/original/file-20230413-20-g0bm7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Native Australian dianella grass with flowers in a sunny backyard shot at shallow depth of field" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520689/original/file-20230413-20-g0bm7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520689/original/file-20230413-20-g0bm7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520689/original/file-20230413-20-g0bm7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520689/original/file-20230413-20-g0bm7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520689/original/file-20230413-20-g0bm7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520689/original/file-20230413-20-g0bm7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520689/original/file-20230413-20-g0bm7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The grassland flax-lily has blue, star-shaped flowers from spring through autumn followed by purple berries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/native-australian-dianella-grass-flowers-plant-2041026290">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Connecting to nature</h2>
<p>We used surveys of students, teachers and parents to understand the outcomes of the program. </p>
<p>After participating in the program, students had a better understanding of the matted flax-lily and its ecology. They also felt more connected with nature and indicated that they had learned about the Traditional Custodians and the importance of the totemic species. One student said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I really enjoyed science this term (and) I feel much closer to our Indigenous culture than I ever have.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Students told the lead teachers that they wanted to bring the blue-banded bee back and plant native species in their own gardens: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I never knew about the matted flax-Lily and that it was going extinct and now I’m planning to plant some in my backyard!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Teachers also told us they felt better equipped to teach students about traditional ecological knowledge in a culturally appropriate manner. The main educators in the program thought the approach could be extended to other disciplines, including engineering, art and mathematics.</p>
<p>Parents and guardians also felt positive, referencing their child’s high engagement as well as their own interest in learning more about Indigenous culture and totemic species. One parent stated their child started to ask regularly if they could “plant native plants because of how important they are”. </p>
<p>Students went beyond the project team’s expectations and began to take care of the garden themselves, protecting their species during break times at school, showing the garden to their families and teaching them about the different species within it.</p>
<p>Overall, the program improved student engagement with nature and science. This permeated through to parents and guardians.</p>
<h2>Weaving into the curriculum</h2>
<p>Our research has the potential to improve teaching of Indigenous content across Australia. The program shows how Indigenous science can be embedded into the existing curriculum in a holistic way. </p>
<p>Student engagement with nature and science also increased along with personal feelings of connection and responsibility to the environment. </p>
<p>Additional benefits included the creation of habitat for threatened species. Imagine if every school in Australia contributed in this way to the conservation of biodiversity? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520687/original/file-20230413-24-xts6q5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Closeup of a yam daisy or murnong, including the roots, held by a person with beautiful painted nails" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520687/original/file-20230413-24-xts6q5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520687/original/file-20230413-24-xts6q5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520687/original/file-20230413-24-xts6q5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520687/original/file-20230413-24-xts6q5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520687/original/file-20230413-24-xts6q5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520687/original/file-20230413-24-xts6q5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520687/original/file-20230413-24-xts6q5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The murnong or yam daisy has white tuberous roots that may be eaten raw or baked.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nicholas Rakotopare</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There’s also evidence that children playing in biodiverse schoolyards have <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1503402112">improved cognitive function</a> and reduced behavioural issues. Finally, greening our schoolyards can provide a critical <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132317303773">cooling function</a>.</p>
<p>Key to the program’s success was recognition of the time commitment from teachers and Wurundjeri Elders and recompensing them appropriately. This was crucial for facilitating deep involvement. </p>
<p>The school curriculum is already crowded with many competing demands. Expecting that an additional body of material can be incorporated without appropriate time and resources would have been impractical. Likewise, the time and knowledge of Traditional Owners is in high demand, so adequate provision of resources was an important feature of the program. </p>
<p>Further, embedding the material into an existing subject school-wide meant the program did not impose further demands on the curriculum. Instead, it was an efficient and effective way to deliver the material. </p>
<p>This also generated a sense of the topic being “core” to the curriculum, rather than an optional “add-on”. This alignment of the program with existing curriculum and the fact that the budget – while critical - was modest, mean it is entirely feasible to imagine implementation of similar programs in many other schools. </p>
<p>We hope that the <a href="https://icon-science.org/totemic-species/">program will be picked up</a> and implemented in other schools across Australia. Ideally, the concept of totemic species will ultimately become integrated into the Australian curriculum. </p>
<p><em>The authors would like to acknowledge Emily Gregg, Benjamin May, Dave Wandin, Michael Harrison, Marnie Pascoe, Fiona McConachie and Alex Kusmanoff for their contribution to the research that underpins this article. Thanks also to the principal, staff, students and parents of Carlton North Primary School for supporting the project.
<a href="https://icon-science.org/totemic-species/">Visit our website</a> to download the Totemic Species in Schools resources, including the program curriculum, findings factsheet, and evaluation survey.</em></p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A student crouching in the native garden planted at her school" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520711/original/file-20230413-28-oidxe4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520711/original/file-20230413-28-oidxe4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520711/original/file-20230413-28-oidxe4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520711/original/file-20230413-28-oidxe4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520711/original/file-20230413-28-oidxe4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520711/original/file-20230413-28-oidxe4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520711/original/file-20230413-28-oidxe4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Zadie was one of 283 students involved in the pilot Totemic Species in Schools program at Carlton North Primary School, which culminated in the planting of a native garden.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Bekessy</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-spiritual-teaching-in-schools-can-foster-reconciliation-and-inclusion-194324">Indigenous spiritual teaching in schools can foster reconciliation and inclusion</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202386/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natasha Ward research cited in this article was undertaken by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub with funding from the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program (Phase 1).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bradley J. Moggridge is affiliated with the University of Canberra, is a Governor with WWF Australia and a Member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Georgia Garrard receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Research cited in this article was undertaken by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub with funding from the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program (Phase 1). She is chair of Birdlife Australia's Research and Conservation Committee, a member of Zoos Victoria's Scientific Advisory Committee and a member of the Sustainable Subdivisions Framework advisory group for the Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Bekessy receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Ian Potter Foundation and the European Commission. Research cited in this article was undertaken by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub with funding from the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program (Phase 1) and the Victorian Department of Land, Water, Environment and Planning. She is a Lead Councillor of the Biodiversity Council, a Board Member of Bush Heritage Australia, a member of WWF's Eminent Scientists Group and a member of the Advisory Group for Wood for Good.</span></em></p>The 10-week pilot program Totemic Species in Schools shows how Indigenous science can be woven into the existing curriculum. Students, teachers and parents provided positive feedback.Natasha Ward, Lead Researcher, RMIT UniversityBradley J. Moggridge, Associate Professor in Indigenous Water Science, University of CanberraGeorgia Garrard, Senior Lecturer, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of MelbourneSarah Bekessy, Professor in Sustainability and Urban Planning, Leader, Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group (ICON Science), RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1953622022-11-28T01:22:38Z2022-11-28T01:22:38ZVisually striking science experiments at school can be fun, inspiring and safe – banning is not the answer<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497500/original/file-20221128-18-3ldy04.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=57%2C0%2C5415%2C3673&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alexandr Grant/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>To a young mind, science can be magical. Perhaps you remember a visually striking or seemingly inexplicable scientific demonstration from your own youth?</p>
<p>A liquid spontaneously and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7pfoy2iKFM">unexpectedly changes colour</a>. A banknote is set <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucrRDTdoFUA">alight without being burnt</a>. A column of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrHi-cc6F9E&t">colourful bubbles shoots into the air</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ucrRDTdoFUA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Scientists and science teachers often make use of dramatic demonstrations to capture the attention of young, impressionable minds, to inspire and to teach. But sometimes these experiments go wrong.</p>
<p>In September, <a href="https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/explosion-at-outreach-event-under-investigation-after-18-people-injured-in-spain/4016397.article">a public display in Girona, Spain</a> involving liquid nitrogen in large metal barrels failed, causing injuries to the presenters and the audience. </p>
<p>In October, a teacher and a student in the US state of Virginia were airlifted to hospital after a <a href="https://www.nbc12.com/2022/10/19/student-remains-hospitalized-after-dinwiddie-school-fire/">methanol fire demonstration caused an explosion</a>.</p>
<p>And last week, a demonstration known as the “carbon snake” <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/maybe-it-needs-to-be-prohibited-school-experiment-has-hurt-children-before-20221122-p5c0c5.html">injured several schoolchildren in Sydney</a>, leading to the suggestion that such experiments should be banned.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A bowl with sand and a dark curled burnt object on top" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497502/original/file-20221128-26-a2cao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497502/original/file-20221128-26-a2cao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497502/original/file-20221128-26-a2cao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497502/original/file-20221128-26-a2cao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497502/original/file-20221128-26-a2cao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497502/original/file-20221128-26-a2cao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497502/original/file-20221128-26-a2cao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Burning sugar and baking soda produces the ‘carbon snake’, a classic demonstration of several chemical reactions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Vins Contributor/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Demonstrations are a valuable teaching tool</h2>
<p>Our rapidly changing, technologically complex world benefits greatly from a <a href="https://theconversation.com/science-communication-is-more-important-than-ever-here-are-3-lessons-from-around-the-world-on-what-makes-it-work-147670">scientifically informed and engaged population</a>.</p>
<p>A key aspect of achieving a “science-savvy” community is inspiring our children to <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-need-help-to-save-nature-with-a-smartphone-and-these-8-tips-we-can-get-our-kids-on-the-case-192622">value and connect with science</a>. Demonstrations can be inspirational and memorable.</p>
<p>They are valuable tools to link young people with science, but a careful line must be walked to balance spectacle with the expectation that school is a safe place. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/science-education-the-key-to-a-better-public-debate-2474">Science education the key to a better public debate</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Demonstrations have been used in <a href="https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/history-christmas-lectures">science education for centuries</a>, and shown to <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1515/pac-2020-1005">enhance education when students are actively engaged in the experiment</a>.</p>
<p>Scientific demonstrations are the living embodiment of science as an observational practice: seeing is believing.</p>
<p>Participating in an experiment provides direct, lived experience of <a href="https://hooktraining.com/defence-of-science-demonstrations/">scientific principles in action</a>, while also affording an element of mystery and intrigue. This intrigue can open a <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/curious-kids-36782">curiosity-driven</a>, questioning mindset that is central to building hypotheses, understanding, and applying the scientific method.</p>
<h2>Not just ‘scientific theatre’</h2>
<p>For effective learning it is crucial that a demonstration is more than scientific theatre.</p>
<p>Recreating an <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00978">ancient alchemical pyrotechnic based on honey</a> gives a brilliantly violent burst of flames. On its own, this is just noise, flash and smoke. It becomes much more when discussed in the context of the origins of medicine, the development of gunpowder, the ratio of chemicals needed for optimal reaction, and the contribution of alchemy to modern science.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Video showing a plate above a bunsen burner spontaneously burst into flame" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497507/original/file-20221128-305-ulnp1d.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497507/original/file-20221128-305-ulnp1d.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497507/original/file-20221128-305-ulnp1d.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497507/original/file-20221128-305-ulnp1d.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497507/original/file-20221128-305-ulnp1d.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497507/original/file-20221128-305-ulnp1d.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497507/original/file-20221128-305-ulnp1d.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Honey, potassium nitrate, and sulphur provide a demonstration of a brilliant alchemical pyrotechnic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, this is also a potentially dangerous experiment, and should only be attempted by a suitably cautious chemist, with appropriate preparation and assessment of risk.</p>
<p>Assessing risk is an act of imagination. The worst possible outcomes must first be considered before controls are applied to make the activity as safe as possible.</p>
<p>Risk assessments are typically managed through the application of the hierarchy of controls to reduce or eliminate the dangers of an activity.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497497/original/file-20221127-16-uzll7g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A rainbow-coloured inverted pyramid listing a series of practices for safety" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497497/original/file-20221127-16-uzll7g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497497/original/file-20221127-16-uzll7g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497497/original/file-20221127-16-uzll7g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497497/original/file-20221127-16-uzll7g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497497/original/file-20221127-16-uzll7g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497497/original/file-20221127-16-uzll7g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497497/original/file-20221127-16-uzll7g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The hierarchy of controls as defined by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchy_of_hazard_controls#/media/File:NIOSH%E2%80%99s_%E2%80%9CHierarchy_of_Controls_infographic%E2%80%9D_as_SVG.svg">NIOSH/Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>You might be surprised to see that personal protective equipment (think lab coats, gloves and safety glasses) only come into play at the final step in this process. These are among the first things that come to mind when we think “safety”. But they are most effective only after other elements of control have been implemented before them.</p>
<p>Introducing some controls can be challenging, like finding a suitable substitute for a hazardous material that is uniquely suited to a particular chemical reaction.</p>
<p>But engineering controls, such as increasing the distance between viewer and demonstration, are simple and usually highly effective.</p>
<p>Once we establish the risks and have considered their likelihood and potential consequences, we can decide whether the activity is worth pursuing.</p>
<h2>Training, not banning</h2>
<p>Universities and professional scientific bodies have a role to play in providing training, professional development and mentoring to teachers. </p>
<p>This is especially important for teachers who may be <a href="https://theconversation.com/too-many-teachers-teaching-outside-their-area-of-expertise-39688">teaching outside their direct area of training</a> and who may not have the hands-on experience of experimental risk assessment or chemical handling. </p>
<p>In addition to workplace-specific risk-assessment processes, the American Chemical Society has many <a href="https://institute.acs.org/lab-safety/education-and-training/safer-experiments.html">resources available for school teachers</a>, including highly useful <a href="https://institute.acs.org/content/dam/pldp/center/lab-safety/publications/divched_2018_safetyflyer2pager_proof1.pdf">safety guidelines for chemical demonstrations</a>.</p>
<p>These guidelines show the depth of thought and preparation required before conducting a demonstration in front of others. </p>
<p>Time will tell what factors were responsible for the incidents mentioned above. In the meantime, teachers should be empowered to share the wonder and visual impact of science through demonstrations to their classes.</p>
<p>And while <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/why-i-teach-my-students-about-scientific-failure">failed experiments are an important part of learning how to do science</a>, they can and must be safe.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-is-lava-made-190431">Curious Kids: how is lava made?</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195362/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nathan Kilah has received funding from Inspiring Australia to run 'Chemistry of Fireworks' lectures and pyrotechnic displays, funding from the Festival of Bright Ideas for fire and chemical reaction based scientific demonstrations, and funding and administrative support from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Rutledge has received funding for travel and administrative support from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute NSW to present the Nyholm Youth Lectures at high schools across NSW. His lectures included live chemistry demonstrations with student participation.</span></em></p>Inspiring our children to value and connect with science is key to improving society – and there are ways to do this safely in the classroom.Nathan Kilah, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, University of TasmaniaPeter Rutledge, Professor of Chemistry, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1950152022-11-21T11:36:24Z2022-11-21T11:36:24ZGroundbreaking studies of Earth’s churning oceans recognised at Australia’s most prestigious science prizes this year<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496396/original/file-20221121-14-7m0lqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=609%2C0%2C6173%2C4311&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=3827">Greg Shirah/NASA Scientific Visualisation Studio</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>This year, Australia’s prestigious Prime Minister’s Prize for Science has been awarded to a physical oceanographer whose work has had a “transformative impact” on our understanding of Earth’s oceans.</p>
<p>Professor Trevor McDougall AC from the University of New South Wales has made major contributions to unveiling the fundamental physics of the ocean.</p>
<p>During his illustrious career, McDougall has discovered previously unknown ocean mixing processes – the turbulent ways seawater churns and <a href="https://www.uib.no/en/rg/fysos/53334/ocean-mixing">irreversibly changes</a> under various conditions.</p>
<p>His discoveries have improved climate models, allowing us to better predict our planet’s fast-changing future.</p>
<p>“The ocean is notoriously difficult to observe; we know more about the surface of the Moon than we do about the seafloor,” McDougall said.</p>
<p>“We study the ocean because it transports a lot of heat from the equatorial regions towards the poles and also because it acts as the thermal flywheel of the climate system.” </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496389/original/file-20221121-12-1clq6g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A smiling older gentleman looking at the camera with the sea in the background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496389/original/file-20221121-12-1clq6g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496389/original/file-20221121-12-1clq6g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496389/original/file-20221121-12-1clq6g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496389/original/file-20221121-12-1clq6g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496389/original/file-20221121-12-1clq6g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496389/original/file-20221121-12-1clq6g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496389/original/file-20221121-12-1clq6g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trevor McDougall is a world-leading researcher in ocean thermodynamics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A world-leading authority on ocean mixing, McDougall was recognised for his many contributions, including a redefinition of the thermodynamic description of seawater. The latter <a href="https://csiropedia.csiro.au/science-adopts-a-new-definition-of-seawater/">was accepted by</a> the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in 2009 as a new international standard. </p>
<p>“To receive the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science is an incredible honour, and it’s also an honour for the early career researchers that I’ve been working with for the past ten years,” said McDougall.</p>
<p>“They’ve been integral to some of the results that have been recognised in this prize.” </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-ocean-is-becoming-more-stable-heres-why-that-might-not-be-a-good-thing-157911">The ocean is becoming more stable – here's why that might not be a good thing</a>
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</em>
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<hr>
<h2>Predicting sea level rise</h2>
<p>Earth’s oceans and their role in climate change are also the focus of another prize recipient this year – physical oceanographer and ocean modeller Dr Adele Morrison from the Australian National University (ANU). </p>
<p>She won the Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year for her innovative methods of modelling ocean circulation around Antarctica.</p>
<p>Morrison’s research has greatly reduced uncertainty in predicting future sea level rise from Antarctic ice sheet melt, driven by warm ocean currents in the Southern Ocean.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A smiling woman with curly hair looking at the camera with greenery in the background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496391/original/file-20221121-18-9zfgta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496391/original/file-20221121-18-9zfgta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496391/original/file-20221121-18-9zfgta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496391/original/file-20221121-18-9zfgta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496391/original/file-20221121-18-9zfgta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496391/original/file-20221121-18-9zfgta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496391/original/file-20221121-18-9zfgta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Adele Morrison’s work has revealed the ongoing impact of warm ocean currents on Antarctic ice melt.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Such work is particularly pertinent to Australia, with 85% of Australians living in places that could soon be affected by rising sea levels.</p>
<p>Morrison hopes to “inspire the next generation of scientists to unravel new discoveries and technologies that limit the impacts of climate change and our transition to a zero-emissions world”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/satellites-reveal-ocean-currents-are-getting-stronger-with-potentially-significant-implications-for-climate-change-159461">Satellites reveal ocean currents are getting stronger, with potentially significant implications for climate change</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Molecular diagnostics and solar cell improvements also recognised</h2>
<p>Several other researchers and inventors received accolades at the ceremony held on November 21 at Parliament House in Canberra.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Adjunct Professor Alison Todd and Dr Elisa Mokany, co-founders of the molecular diagnostics company SpeeDx, received the Prize for Innovation. Their highly advanced diagnostic tests have improved diagnosis and treatments for several infectious diseases and cancers.</p></li>
<li><p>The other Prize for Innovation went to Dr Nick Cutmore, Dr James Tickner and Mr Dirk Treasure of the company Chrysos. They have successfully commercialised an X-ray technology that measures the presence of gold and minerals in ore samples.</p></li>
<li><p>Professor Si Ming Man from ANU was awarded the Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year for his work on inflammation and new therapies for inflammatory diseases.</p></li>
<li><p>The Prize for New Innovators went to University of Melbourne’s Dr Pip Karoly, whose unique seizure forecasting technology is improving the lives of millions of people with epilepsy.</p></li>
<li><p>UNSW Associate Professor Brett Hallam was also awarded the Prize for New Innovators, whose discoveries and patented tech have improved solar cell performance by a whopping 10%.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Inspiring our youngest future scientists</h2>
<p>Each year, the prizes also include recognition for outstanding achievements in science teaching.</p>
<p>Mr George Pantazis from Marble Bar Primary School in Western Australia was awarded the Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools for his work integrating First Nations cultural knowledge, including the critically endangered Nyamal language, in the school’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program.</p>
<p>This “wouldn’t be possible without the support of our teachers and the community, in particular the Nyamal people and their Elders”, said Pantazis.</p>
<p>“This prize is the highlight of my career. I owe it all to the students. Without them, I have nothing.”</p>
<p>The Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools went to Ms Veena Nair from Viewbank College, Victoria. She has collaborated with countless academics and industry leaders to not only show students the practical application of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) subjects, but also find pathways for them in STEAM careers.</p>
<p>“As a first-generation migrant, I’m deeply thankful to my birth country India, where I got my foundation skills – and to my adopted country Australia, where I was given the wings to fly,” said Nair.</p>
<p>For 23 years now, the Prime Minister’s Science Prizes have been awarded for outstanding achievements in scientific research, research-based innovation and excellence in science teaching. The recipients share a prize pool of $750,000.</p>
<p>This is the first year since 2019 the prizes were held at the Parliament House again, with the 2020 and 2021 events having taken place virtually.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-whats-the-difference-between-stem-and-steam-95713">Explainer: what's the difference between STEM and STEAM?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195015/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
The 2022 Prime Minister’s Science Prizes have been awarded for outstanding achievements in scientific research, innovation and teaching.Signe Dean, Science + Technology Editor, The ConversationLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1919902022-11-10T13:43:35Z2022-11-10T13:43:35ZDisparities in advanced math and science skills begin by kindergarten<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492335/original/file-20221028-40936-xe5ijo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=63%2C18%2C5975%2C3992&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A child's family background has a lot to do with how advanced their math knowledge is in kindergarten.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/side-view-of-a-cheerful-african-american-4-5-years-royalty-free-image/1310735857">Nitat Termmee/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Racial and ethnic disparities in advanced math and science skills occur far earlier in the U.S. than previously known. Our new study finds that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00169862221128299">13% of white students and 16% of Asian students</a> display advanced math skills by kindergarten. The contrasting percentage for both Black and Hispanic students is 4%.</p>
<p>These disparities then continue to occur throughout elementary school. By fifth grade, 13% of white students and 22% of Asian students display advanced math skills. About 2% of Black students and 3% of Hispanic students do so. Similar disparities occur in advanced science skills. </p>
<p>What explains these disparities? Factors that consistently explain these disparities include the family’s socioeconomic status – such as parental education and household income – and the student’s own understanding of math, science and reading during kindergarten. </p>
<p>We observed these findings in analyses of a nationally representative sample of about 11,000 U.S. elementary school students. The students were followed from the start of kindergarten until the end of fifth grade.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p><a href="https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf19304/digest/employment">Fewer than 10%</a> of U.S. scientists and engineers are Black or Hispanic. </p>
<p>Racial and ethnic disparities in advanced math and science skills are constraining the country’s <a href="https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/134/2/647/5218522">scientific innovation</a> and <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12984/expanding-underrepresented-minority-participation-americas-science-and-technology-talent-at">economic competitiveness</a>. Students who display advanced math skills early are more likely to later obtain doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and math fields – collectively called STEM – and to become <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/aeri.20190457">scientists</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjy028">inventors</a>. </p>
<p>Yet little has been known about how early racial and ethnic disparities in advanced math and science skills emerge. This information could help inform <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986216673449">efforts to support students of color</a> at a <a href="https://joanganzcooneycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/jgcc_stemstartsearly_final.pdf">key</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X16633182">time</a> of child development.</p>
<p>Currently, most efforts by <a href="https://www.air.org/event/using-research-inform-policies-and-practices-stem-education">researchers</a> and <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/204/text">policymakers</a> to address Black and Hispanic underrepresentation in STEM begin in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-018-9493-3">high</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/hsj.2020.0004">school</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.09.029">college</a>. Yet minority students’ <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/desc.12837">interest</a> in STEM careers begins to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21231">decline</a> by middle school, with many students viewing scientists as stereotypically white.</p>
<p>Recent work suggests that racial and ethnic disparities in advanced math skills are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X19864116">increasing in size</a> in the U.S. by the upper elementary grades. </p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>We were able to identify the factors that mostly explained disparities in advanced math or science skills between Hispanic and white students during elementary school. These factors included the family’s socioeconomic status, the student’s emerging bilingualism, and the student’s early knowledge about math, science and reading. However, these same factors explained only some of the disparities between Black and white students.</p>
<p>Other factors we did not study could be involved, including the greater likelihood of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1162/003465304323031049">Black students</a> to attend <a href="https://pricetheory.uchicago.edu/levitt/Papers/FryerLevittFallingBehind2004.pdf">lower-quality</a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/poor-black-children-are-much-more-likely-to-attend-high-poverty-schools-than-poor-white-children/">schools</a>. The emerging bilingualism of many Hispanic students may help facilitate advanced STEM skills through greater <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2017.12.007">mathematical reasoning</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2014.07.005">procedural learning</a> and problem-solving. </p>
<p>To increase STEM representation in high school, college and the workforce, efforts by educators and policymakers to support talented students of color may need to begin by the elementary grades.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191990/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul L. Morgan receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. </span></em></p>By kindergarten, white and Asian students are three to four times as likely as Black and Hispanic students to display advanced math skills.Paul L. Morgan, Harry and Marion Eberly Fellow, Professor of Education and Demography, Department of Education Policy Studies, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1908392022-09-20T22:55:04Z2022-09-20T22:55:04ZMore women are studying STEM, but there are still stubborn workplace barriers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485231/original/file-20220919-67457-2t01r9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C280%2C7441%2C4638&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/GzDrm7SYQ0g">ThisisEngineering RAEng/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Today, the Australian government released the <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/publications/stem-equity-monitor">STEM Equity Monitor 2022</a> – the nation’s annual scorecard on gendered participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. </p>
<p>These data are more relevant than ever. Australia is facing unprecedented <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-education-or-immigration-the-answer-to-our-skills-shortage-we-asked-50-economists-189388">skills shortages</a> in critical areas – we need highly qualified people to help address our economic, environmental, and technological challenges.</p>
<p>Future careers in all sectors will rely heavily on STEM skills. But a lack of diversity means we have a limited workforce, and it’s missing a broad range of perspectives.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-needs-more-engineers-and-more-of-them-need-to-be-women-130282">Australia needs more engineers. And more of them need to be women</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What does the scorecard say?</h2>
<p>We start with some positive news – the number of women enrolling in university STEM courses increased by a whopping 24% between 2015 and 2020, compared with a 9% increase among men. There was a more gradual rise in vocational STEM enrolments, where only 16% are women. </p>
<p>Women’s workforce participation is gradually increasing too. The proportion of STEM-qualified jobs held by women was 15% in 2021 – that’s an increase of 2% in just 12 months.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485450/original/file-20220920-16502-4s04q1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two charts showing comparison between women's and men's participation in STEM workforce" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485450/original/file-20220920-16502-4s04q1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485450/original/file-20220920-16502-4s04q1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485450/original/file-20220920-16502-4s04q1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485450/original/file-20220920-16502-4s04q1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485450/original/file-20220920-16502-4s04q1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485450/original/file-20220920-16502-4s04q1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485450/original/file-20220920-16502-4s04q1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stem Equity Monitor Data Report 2022</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But just 23% of senior management and 8% of chief executive officers in STEM industries are women. On average, women are paid 18% less than men across all STEM industries – although this gap closed by 1% last year.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485451/original/file-20220920-17325-bnbvqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three charts demonstrating the gender pay gap in all STEM, all health and all industries" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485451/original/file-20220920-17325-bnbvqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485451/original/file-20220920-17325-bnbvqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485451/original/file-20220920-17325-bnbvqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485451/original/file-20220920-17325-bnbvqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485451/original/file-20220920-17325-bnbvqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485451/original/file-20220920-17325-bnbvqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485451/original/file-20220920-17325-bnbvqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stem Equity Monitor Data Report 2022</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although we are doing a better job at attracting women to some university STEM courses, very few women are still going for vocational STEM education. And there’s far too little attention paid to actually <em>keeping</em> STEM-qualified women in the workforce.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/sites/default/files/May%202021/document/stem-equity-monitor-highlights-report-2021_0.pdf">five-year study of STEM graduates</a> from the year 2011 found that by 2016, only 1 in 10 STEM-qualified women worked in a STEM industry, compared with more than 1 in 5 STEM-qualified men. Data on other gender identities were not collected.</p>
<p>The huge difference in retention rates should come as no surprise when we consider the gendered roles our society enforces, and the vastly different experiences people face, both in workplaces and in society at large.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1556431859046764545"}"></div></p>
<p>It is important to acknowledge the major gaps in these data, for example on other gender identities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic factors, disability, and race. Broadening the data captured will enable us to better understand the full impact of the many intersecting barriers to participation that people face.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/educators-can-help-make-stem-fields-diverse-over-25-years-ive-identified-nudges-that-can-encourage-students-to-stay-178578">Educators can help make STEM fields diverse – over 25 years, I've identified nudges that can encourage students to stay</a>
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<h2>We need structural workplace changes</h2>
<p>Businesses suffering chronic skills shortages can’t keep focusing on programs designed to grow the pipeline, in the hope that the system will fix itself. We need structural workplace changes.</p>
<p>One avenue is to introduce more flexible work options and broaden access to paid parental leave. <a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2020-21_WGEA_SCORECARD.pdf">According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency</a>, gender-equal primary carer’s leave was offered by 3 in 5 employers in 2020-21. </p>
<p>Thanks to a concerted effort by many employers, 12% of this leave was taken by men last year, almost twice as much as the year before. This figure was even higher (20%) in management roles.</p>
<p>Bias, discrimination, and sexual harassment are major factors that drive people from workplaces. Solving these issues receives too little funding and attention.</p>
<p>Workplace sexual harassment costs Australia A$3.5 billion per year and inflicts a terrible personal toll on those affected. Women are more likely to be sexually harassed than men, and people from racial minorities, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ individuals suffer disproportionately.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/antarctic-stations-are-plagued-by-sexual-harassment-its-time-for-things-to-change-189984">Antarctic stations are plagued by sexual harassment – it's time for things to change</a>
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<p>According to the <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/publications/respectwork-sexual-harassment-national-inquiry-report-2020">Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report</a>, sexual harassment is more prevalent in male-dominated industries. The Australian government recently committed to implementing all 55 recommendations of that report – a significant, positive step.</p>
<p>Businesses must urgently put robust systems in place to prevent discrimination, bias, and sexual harassment. There are many excellent tools available to guide this work, for example these provided by the <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/education/employers">Australian Human Rights Commission</a>, <a href="https://cew.org.au/respect-its-everyones-business/">Chief Executive Women</a>, the <a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/take-action">Workplace Gender Equality Agency</a>, <a href="https://workplace.ourwatch.org.au/">Our Watch</a>, and the <a href="https://www.atse.org.au/news-and-events/article/diversity-and-inclusion-toolkit/">Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering</a>. </p>
<h2>Crashing barriers</h2>
<p>Ultimately, we need rigorous and well-resourced initiatives to reduce barriers to workforce participation. My office has created a <a href="https://womeninstem.org.au/national-evaluation-guide/">national evaluation guide for STEM equity programs</a> for this purpose.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485452/original/file-20220920-325-8d079p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Several charts showing the proportion of women receiving research grants" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485452/original/file-20220920-325-8d079p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485452/original/file-20220920-325-8d079p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485452/original/file-20220920-325-8d079p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485452/original/file-20220920-325-8d079p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485452/original/file-20220920-325-8d079p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485452/original/file-20220920-325-8d079p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485452/original/file-20220920-325-8d079p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Women are underrepresented in teaching and research roles in STEM.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stem Equity Monitor Data Report 2022</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<p>Rather than the usual PR campaigns and cupcake drives, we need investment in evidence-based solutions to address systemic issues affecting people who face discrimination in the workforce. </p>
<p>Nothing short of strong, decisive, and coordinated action from governments and the business sector will shift this pattern. The Australian government has already committed to this path, by <a href="https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/husic/media-releases/paving-pathway-diverse-science-and-tech-workforce">announcing</a> a review of existing government women in STEM programs.</p>
<p>This review will determine the impact of these programs, to drive future investments into measures that are proven to strengthen Australia’s STEM workforce. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1566988923381121026"}"></div></p>
<p>The key to diversifying STEM workplaces is respect – and reducing power differentials that appear along gendered, cultural and other lines.</p>
<p>Greater respect for every person will build a stronger, more cohesive society ready to tackle future challenges. And it will ensure that Australia’s fast-growing sectors – like space, advanced manufacturing, quantum technologies and cybersecurity – are well supported by a qualified workforce into the future.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-law-on-workplace-gender-equality-is-under-review-heres-what-needs-to-change-172406">A law on workplace gender equality is under review. Here's what needs to change</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/190839/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>As Australia's Women in STEM Ambassador, Lisa Harvey-Smith receives funding from a Commonwealth grant. </span></em></p>With unprecedented skills shortages looming in Australia, more than ever we need gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Here’s what needs to happen.Lisa Harvey-Smith, Australian Government Women in STEM Ambassador, Professor, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1785782022-09-12T12:13:26Z2022-09-12T12:13:26ZEducators can help make STEM fields diverse – over 25 years, I’ve identified nudges that can encourage students to stay<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483056/original/file-20220906-26-49l9q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7951%2C5297&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Connecting studies to the real world, mentoring and building community make all the difference.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/students-dancing-celebrating-in-the-university-royalty-free-image/1282170217">FG Trade/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Jen, a student I taught early in my career, stood head-and-shoulders above her peers academically. I learned she had started off as an engineering major but switched over to psychology. I was surprised and curious. </p>
<p>Was she struggling with difficult classes? No. In fact, Jen’s aptitude for math was so strong, she had been recruited as an engineering prospect. In her first year, her engineering classes were filled with faces of other women. But as she advanced, there were fewer and fewer women in her classes – until one day, she realized she was the only woman in a large lecture class of men. </p>
<p>Jen began to question if she belonged. Then she started to wonder if she cared enough to persist in engineering. Her quest to understand what she was feeling brought her to my psychology class.</p>
<p>Jen’s experience in engineering shows that human behavior is driven by a few fundamental social needs. Key among them is the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497">need to belong</a>, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68">need to feel competent</a> and the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037637">need for meaning or purpose</a>. These three motivations influence whether people approach or avoid a range of social situations, including academic ones. </p>
<p>What Jen experienced in engineering is called <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(02)80009-0">social identity threat</a> – negative emotions aroused in situations where individuals feel their valued identities are marginalized or ignored. It raises doubts about belonging and depletes interest, confidence and motivation. In the long run, social identity threat may lead individuals to withdraw from activities altogether. </p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=zCt9j34AAAAJ">social psychologist</a> and the founder of the <a href="https://www.umass.edu/diversitysciences/">Institute of Diversity Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst</a>. For the past two decades, my research has focused on evidence-based solutions: How do we create learning and work environments that fulfill young people’s feeling of belonging, nurture self-confidence and connect their academic and professional pursuits to purpose and meaning? I’m particularly interested in the experiences of girls and women, students of color and working-class college students.</p>
<h2>Connecting to the real world</h2>
<p>With my team, I have been designing and testing interventions in classrooms, labs and residence halls to see if they protect young people against social identity threat in science, technology, engineering and math – or STEM – environments. My work shows that, just as a vaccine can protect and inoculate the body against a virus, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2011.607313">features of learning environments can act as “social vaccines”</a> that protect and inoculate the mind against noxious stereotypes. </p>
<p>In one study, we found that when teachers highlight the social relevance of math and connect it to social good, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000377">it makes a big difference to students</a>. We followed almost 3,000 adolescents taking eighth grade algebra and tracked their progress for one academic year. Some teachers in our study illustrated abstract concepts using socially meaningful examples. For instance, exponential decay was explained using depreciation of car values or the dilution of medicines in the bloodstream. Others taught such concepts using abstract equations only. </p>
<p>We found students got excited and motivated when they could apply abstract math to socially meaningful problems. They got better grades, reported math was important to them personally and were more active participants in class. We also found that students working in small collaborative peer groups got better end-of-year grades than those working alone. These benefits were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000377">especially noticeable for kids of color</a>.</p>
<h2>The importance of role models</h2>
<p>Another low-cost but powerful “social vaccine” is to introduce young people entering a STEM college program to a fellow student who is a couple of years older and shares their identity.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483772/original/file-20220909-12278-xmlyya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two college age women sitting in front of a computer, one explaining something to the other." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483772/original/file-20220909-12278-xmlyya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483772/original/file-20220909-12278-xmlyya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483772/original/file-20220909-12278-xmlyya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483772/original/file-20220909-12278-xmlyya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483772/original/file-20220909-12278-xmlyya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483772/original/file-20220909-12278-xmlyya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483772/original/file-20220909-12278-xmlyya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Near-peer mentoring can yield dramatic results.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/smiling-student-discussing-with-friend-in-computer-royalty-free-image/1339976329">Morsa Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>We conducted a field experiment in which 150 first-year women interested in engineering were randomly assigned a female peer mentor, a male peer mentor or no mentor. Mentoring relationships were limited to mentees’ first year of college. Mentees’ academic experiences were measured each year through college graduation and one year after graduation.</p>
<p>We found that a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1613117114">one-year mentoring relationship with a female peer mentor</a> preserved first-year women students’ emotional well-being, feeling of belonging in engineering, confidence, motivation to keep going and aspiration to pursue postgraduate engineering degrees. Women with male mentors or no mentors showed a decline on most of these metrics. Women who had female peer mentors were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1613117114">significantly more likely to graduate with STEM bachelor’s degrees</a> compared with those who had male peer mentors or no mentors. A follow-up study that is under review shows that these benefits endured four years after the mentoring intervention ended. </p>
<h2>A community of peers</h2>
<p>First-generation college students are <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED580935">twice as likely to leave college</a> without earning a bachelor’s degree than students whose parents have college degrees. My team and I combined a cocktail of ingredients to create a strong social vaccine to protect this group of young people. Participants were selected from three incoming classes of first-year students at the University of Massachusetts who were interested in biology. All were working-class, and the majority were students of color.</p>
<p>Eligible students were invited to apply to a living-learning community. From the applicant pool, we randomly selected 86 students to become “BioPioneers,” while the remaining 63 students comprised our no-intervention control group. </p>
<p>BioPioneer participants lived together in the same residential college. They took introductory biology and a seminar as a group. Participants in the no-intervention group took introductory biology in a large lecture class with the general student body. The same instructor taught both classes – the course content, teaching style, assignments and grading system were identical for BioPioneers and the no-intervention group. </p>
<p>We brokered authentic relationships between BioPioneers and faculty instructors and academic advisers. We also provided BioPioneers access to student mentors two years ahead of them in the same major. </p>
<p>Results showed that BioPioneers students developed a stronger sense of belonging in biology than students in the no-intervention group. They were more confident about their science ability, less anxious and more motivated to persist. They also received better grades in biology than the no-intervention group. </p>
<p>One year after the program ended, 85% of BioPioneers participants remained biological science majors compared with 66% of students in the no-intervention group. We also compared BioPioneers with a group of 94 honors students, mostly from middle-class and upper-middle-class families, who were in a different living-learning community. We found BioPioneers closed the achievement gap between first-generation students and honors students in terms of belonging, confidence and retention in biology majors. We are currently preparing to submit our findings to a peer-reviewed journal. </p>
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<span class="caption">STEM graduates will be tackling some of the world’s biggest problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/college-students-studying-together-royalty-free-image/55962362">Andersen Ross Photography Inc/Digital Vision via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>I’ve begun to see a pattern in 25 years of research. When educators <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000377">connect science and engineering to social good</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021385">build relationships</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1422822112">create communities</a> that intentionally draw in people who are usually invisible, we automatically attract and advance the talents of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. </p>
<p>In my view, not only is this the right thing to do morally, but research shows that <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691138541/the-difference">diverse viewpoints invigorate problem-solving</a>, <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/11/why-diverse-teams-are-smarter">reduce the impact of personal biases</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2200841119">promote higher-impact scientific discoveries</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178578/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nilanjana Dasgupta receives funding from the National Science Foundation and Reboot Representation, a coalition of technology companies working to close the gender gap in technology. She is a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Advancing Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEM Organizations. </span></em></p>Research shows underrepresented people in STEM studies thrive in learning environments that address their need to belong, feel competent and find meaning in their work.Nilanjana Dasgupta, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1852562022-06-23T11:50:39Z2022-06-23T11:50:39ZOnly about 1 in 5 engineering degrees go to women<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469564/original/file-20220617-15-euge0j.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C0%2C6017%2C4011&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research shows women who study engineering do better when mentored by other women.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/milling-machine-setup-process-female-african-royalty-free-image/1350414597?adppopup=true">Nitat Termmee/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>Despite various efforts to <a href="https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/broadening-participation/supporting-women-and-girls-stem">encourage more women to study STEM fields</a> in college, the percentage of engineering bachelor’s degrees earned by women in the United States hasn’t increased much in the 21st century. Specifically, it has risen from 18% in 1998 to 22% in 2018. </p>
<p><iframe id="PkKnG" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/PkKnG/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Of all the fields in STEM – or science, technology, engineering and mathematics – the engineering workforce <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/01/09/diversity-in-the-stem-workforce-varies-widely-across-jobs/">has the lowest proportion of women</a>, at 14%.</p>
<p>That low participation matters for several reasons. Women are not only being left out of some of the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/home.htm">highest-paying jobs in STEM</a>, but companies are losing out as well. Research shows that gender-diverse teams <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/eriklarson/2017/09/21/new-research-diversity-inclusion-better-decision-making-at-work/?sh=71ea3baa4cbf">make better business decisions</a> than teams that are all-male.</p>
<p>So why aren’t women going into engineering? And what, if anything, can be done to help women who decide to study engineering stay the course? The Society of Women Engineers reports that <a href="https://alltogether.swe.org/2019/11/swe-research-update-women-in-engineering-by-the-numbers-nov-2019/#_ednref7">over 32% of female STEM majors switch to another major</a>. Research shows this rate is <a href="https://www.rise.hs.iastate.edu/projects/CBiRC/IJEE-WhyTheyLeave.pdf">typically higher</a> than the rate at which men leave engineering. Of those women who leave the engineering profession, 30% cite the workplace environment as the reason, the society reports. A 2017 study of over 5,000 women who earned bachelor’s degrees in engineering <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00875">found that 10% never entered the field and 27% left the profession</a>.</p>
<h2>Colleges intervene</h2>
<p>These are all issues I’ve been <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sZGzlnMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">researching</a> as associate director of the <a href="https://cwit.umbc.edu/mission-vision/">Center for Women in Technology</a> at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, or UMBC. In 2018, several colleagues and I found that computing and engineering students who are supported by the center <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3159450.3159533">graduate within four years at a rate of 61.2%</a> – a <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2143/A_Model_for_Increasing_Gender_Diversity_in_Technology.pdf?1655991489">full 19 percentage points higher</a> than students who are not supported by the center. The center supports students through scholarships and extensive academic and social support; in the 2021-22 academic year, 73% of students supported were women.
And recently two alumnae of the center – one in <a href="https://umbc.edu/stories/fourteen-umbc-students-and-recent-alumni-receive-fulbright-awards-setting-new-record/">2019</a> and one in <a href="https://umbc.edu/stories/umbc-2022-fulbright-student-scholars/">2022</a> – have become <a href="https://us.fulbrightonline.org/">Fulbright Scholars</a>.</p>
<p>The program at UMBC is by no means the only campus-based program in the nation that supports female students in their plans to enter engineering and computer science – two areas in which women are <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/01/09/diversity-in-the-stem-workforce-varies-widely-across-jobs/">persistently underrepresented</a>. Through my research, I have discovered that there are more than two dozen such programs or initiatives at colleges and universities throughout the nation. They include, for example, the
<a href="https://sites.udel.edu/wie/">Women in Engineering Program</a> at University of Delaware, the <a href="https://wise.ncsu.edu/">Women in Science and Engineering program</a> at North Carolina State University and the <a href="https://awe.seas.upenn.edu/#:%7E:text=Women%20make%20up%20approximately%2040,and%20opportunities%20to%20Penn%20Engineering.">Advancing Women in Engineering</a> program at the University of Pennsylvania. </p>
<p>To better understand the necessity of such programs, consider the abundance of research that has found women who study STEM report <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2016.0072">“chilly” and “negative” experiences</a> in the classroom and on campus. This includes being subjected to gender-based harassment and a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2016.0072">perception that women are unable to ‘do science.</a>’” Colleges also have long struggled with how to help women <a href="https://www.ijemst.net/index.php/ijemst/article/view/293/141">see themselves as part of the scientific community</a>.</p>
<h2>Proven strategies</h2>
<p>It doesn’t have to be that way. Research shows that when female engineering students are mentored by female peers, they feel less anxious about their ability, have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1613117114">more positive academic experiences</a> and are more likely to stick with STEM as a major. Peer-based tutoring has also <a href="https://peer.asee.org/examining-the-effectiveness-of-scholars-assisting-scholars-program-among-undergraduate-engineering-students">been shown to help students get their grades up</a>.</p>
<p>With support from an approximately $233,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, I have also been looking at <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2025349&HistoricalAwards=false">what kinds of academic experiences and supports</a> help female engineering students stay the course.</p>
<p>Based on my analysis of 356 female engineering students at UMBC from 2007 to 2016, what follows are preliminary findings from my National Science Foundation research:</p>
<h2>1. High school math and grades make a difference</h2>
<p>Starting college in a higher level of college math and having a higher high school GPA both help. Specifically, starting college at a higher level of college math – such as Advanced Calculus or Differential Equations – increases the likelihood of graduating with an engineering degree within five years by 8% over those who start at lower levels of college math. Having a higher high school GPA increases the likelihood even more.</p>
<p>To boost the number of women who earn engineering degrees, educators must help girls get on track at the high school level. This means establishing a strong record of success in their high school math and science courses.</p>
<h2>2. Gateway engineering courses matter</h2>
<p>By “gateway” courses, I mean classes that are required to officially declare the engineering major and that faculty identified as critical for success. In other words, classes that make or break an engineer. This would include courses such as Principles of Digital Design in computer engineering, Statics in mechanical engineering and Chemical Process Thermodynamics in chemical engineering.</p>
<p>I found that women who took more gateway engineering courses were less likely to leave their intended engineering major.</p>
<h2>3. Freshman and sophomore years in college are critical</h2>
<p>For those who eventually left engineering, making it through the first four semesters is critical. Among women students who left engineering, 59% – or about three out of five – did so during the first four semesters.</p>
<p>This points toward the need for colleges and universities to provide very deliberate academic and social supports – such as tutoring and mentoring – for female engineering students at the very start of their college careers.</p>
<p>If only 1 in 5 bachelor’s degrees in engineering are awarded to women, it may take these efforts and more to get the number anywhere close to being on par with the proportion that are awarded to men.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185256/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Danyelle Tauryce Ireland works for the Center for Women in Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She receives funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p>A negative environment dissuades many women engineering students from staying in the field. Can colleges and universities do anything to reverse the trend?Danyelle Tauryce Ireland, Associate Director of the Center for Women in Technology and Research Assistant Professor in the Engineering and Computing Education Program, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1816972022-05-26T12:26:30Z2022-05-26T12:26:30ZWant to expand computer science education? Educate more teachers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464866/original/file-20220523-23-ehi9kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5691%2C3797&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A teacher works with students in a computer lab.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mature-teacher-assisting-female-students-using-royalty-free-image/1055844022">Maskot via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When advocates push for computer science education, usually they’re talking about boosting the number of schools offering computer science classes – <a href="https://advocacy.code.org/2021_state_of_cs.pdf">with the intent to reach more students</a>. But from our perspective as scholars of computer science education, a key factor is how many teachers are qualified to teach the subject.</p>
<p>Data from 2020 indicates that in one of the most advanced high school computer science classes taught around the country, the College Board’s Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles course, enrollment <a href="https://cs4all.home.blog">grew from nearly 44,000 in 2017 to more than 114,000 in 2020</a>. The growth in enrollment – for that class and other computer science courses leading up to it – has been driven by more teachers taking quick classes on how to teach computer science.</p>
<p>Expanding the number of computer science courses depends on educating even more teachers to teach them. But almost half of all U.S. states don’t have a plan to teach computer science at the K-12 level. There are eight states that lack certification for computer science teachers. And 27 states and the District of Columbia don’t offer incentives for higher education institutions to offer computer science teacher education programs, according to data from <a href="https://code.org/advocacy/landscape.pdf">Code.org</a>.</p>
<p>What this means is schools won’t have enough teachers to expand computer science education. Increasing high-quality access to computer science is important for students who want to use computing as a tool for <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3029595">problem-solving</a> and <a href="https://www.learntechlib.org/p/151572/">creativity</a>.</p>
<p><iframe id="E0xM0" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/E0xM0/16/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Teacher education programs</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1953163.1953193">National Science Foundation</a> and private groups have <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=134316&org=NSF">set up programs to increase</a> the number of computer science teachers. But most of those training efforts happen in <a href="https://code.org/educate/professional-development-online">one- to two-week sessions</a> that typically prepare teachers without a computing background to <a href="https://www.pltw.org/our-programs/pltw-computer-science">teach basic computer science principles</a>.</p>
<p>They do teach some of the computer science content teachers will need to impart, but they emerge from the training often lacking the <a href="https://narst.org/research-matters/pedagogical-content-knowledge">ability</a> to translate that content for students. The short-term courses don’t offer that level of depth.</p>
<p>Without policies and incentives for more dedicated teacher preparation, we believe many new computer science teachers won’t be adequately prepared. Two-week training courses can give prospective computer science teachers a grounding in the basics. But in our view they can’t provide enough depth to prepare teachers to deliver high-quality computer science instruction. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464060/original/file-20220518-21-dyxnjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Girls work on computers while a woman assists." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464060/original/file-20220518-21-dyxnjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464060/original/file-20220518-21-dyxnjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464060/original/file-20220518-21-dyxnjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464060/original/file-20220518-21-dyxnjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464060/original/file-20220518-21-dyxnjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464060/original/file-20220518-21-dyxnjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464060/original/file-20220518-21-dyxnjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fifth graders at Marshall Elementary School in Marysville, Wash., participate in computer science class.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/GirlsTechScores/f038776721b740dcb797dce201f86061/photo">AP Photo/Elaine Thompson</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A combination as a solution</h2>
<p>At <a href="https://education.msu.edu/news/2021/msu-helps-increase-computer-science-equity-and-access-in-detroit/">Michigan State University</a>, in partnership with University of Detroit-Mercy, we have begun exploring another approach that we hope will better prepare school teachers to teach a full range of computer science courses.</p>
<p>Our effort puts university instructors with deep knowledge of computer science in high school computer science classes alongside a schoolteacher who is seeking to become a computer science teacher. The university instructor initially takes the lead, teaching the high school students while simultaneously demonstrating best practices for the teacher. As the year progresses, the high school teacher gains knowledge and experience, ultimately taking on more responsibility in the classroom.</p>
<p>We expect our evaluations to find that this method will allow the teachers to become more comfortable with the content. Then they can independently offer high-quality computer science instruction.</p>
<p>We have also seen great opportunities arise for schoolteachers to connect with their students’ identities and interests to explore computer science. For instance, one teacher used a coding tool called <a href="https://csdt.org/culture/cornrowcurves/index.html">Cornrow Curves</a> – named after an African and African American style of hair braiding – to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3379918">explain and explore how algorithms work</a>.</p>
<p>More recently, we have been thinking about how to build on social relationships that students value – such as with coaches and barbers – to design a computationally and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3379918">culturally rich learning environment</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181697/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aman Yadav receives funding from National Science Foundation, Robin Hood Foundation, and Apple. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Lachney does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Without university-level programs to provide teacher training for advanced computer science, states will not be able to offer high-quality computer science education to all students.Aman Yadav, Professor of Educational Psychology and Educational Technology, Michigan State UniversityMichael Lachney, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology and Educational Technology, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1762222022-04-20T12:16:26Z2022-04-20T12:16:26ZBiology with Tibetan Buddhist monks: What I’m taking back to my college classroom from teaching at a monastery<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456456/original/file-20220405-12-t3iafr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C1%2C613%2C459&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tibetan monks at Sera Jey Monastery in Mysore, India, experience using microscopes for the first time.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Dan Pierce</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It would be quite appropriate for a college professor to assume students know that a tree is alive and a rock is not.</p>
<p>Or would it?</p>
<p>For several summers, I have had the pleasure of teaching biology to Tibetan Buddhist monks <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-tibet-india/tibetans-in-exile-struggle-to-see-beyond-dalai-lama-idUSKCN1R80ZP">exiled in India</a>. This program, called the <a href="https://tibet.emory.edu/">ETSI (Emory-Tibet Science Initiative)</a>, was sparked by discussions <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-75-years-the-dalai-lama-is-more-important-than-ever-37499">the Dalai Lama</a> had with Emory University researchers in the 1990s and has blossomed into a way for monks of all ages to learn about science in the decades since.</p>
<p>The differences between modern biology and traditional Buddhist <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-94-007-7747-7_8481">understandings of nature</a> can seem significant – even in their definitions of what is “living.” Biologists’ understanding of life incorporates animals, plants and bacteria. <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/E/bo44307351.html">Traditional Tibetan monastic teachings</a>, on the other hand, base life on the idea of consciousness. Bacteria and animals, including humans, are recognized as having consciousness, and therefore are considered “living” beings. Plants, according to these traditional teachings, do not have consciousness and are thus “nonliving.”</p>
<p>But differences like these have led me to understand what I take for granted in <a href="https://biology.richmond.edu/faculty/bpierce/">my teaching at the University of Richmond</a> and how much richer learning can be when we step back to explore the most basic – yet biggest – questions together. Thinking about how I would present various topics to the monks has given me <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.731497/full#B14">concrete lessons</a> to take back to my classroom in Virginia.</p>
<h2>Looking at life up close</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/cbic.201500334">I study the relationship between bacteria and plants</a>. In most introductory biology courses, college students bring an intuitive sense for what science defines as “life,” one they have built since kindergarten. But what if educators don’t assume that students “know” what defines a living thing – or, better yet, what if we used assumptions to spark inquiry? </p>
<p>Developing a definition of a “living thing” can be an effective way to introduce scientific inquiry. Through an activity in which students place something in “living/nonliving/once-living” categories, students can explore questions at the edges. For instance, <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/viruses-alive-coronavirus-definition">is a virus a living thing</a>? How about <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-bot-not-beast-scientists-create-first-ever-living-programmable-organism-129980">artificial intelligence</a>? How would we decide when we discovered <a href="https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/research/life-detection/about/#:%7E:text=The%20NASA%20definition%20of%20life,life%20we%20know%20%E2%80%94Terran%20life.">extraterrestrial life</a>? These philosophical discussions about life spark interesting discussions across both cultures.</p>
<p>In both educational settings, we can use students’ observations of pond water under a microscope to discuss how scientists have built their <a href="https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-wmopen-biology1/chapter/the-characteristics-of-life/">concept of life, based on the following characteristics</a>: something that is made of cells, has the capacity to reproduce, grows and develops, has evolved, uses energy, responds to stimuli and <a href="https://www.livescience.com/65938-homeostasis.html">maintains homeostasis</a> – a way to maintain an appropriate level of all sorts of chemicals and large molecules.</p>
<p>Different biologists will include or exclude some of these properties, and discussing whether to include them in our classroom’s definition can be an exciting process for students. In addition, we often extend this conversation to discuss how the definition of life has changed throughout human history and consider what questions biology may not be able to field, such as the notion of a soul or the Tibetan Buddhist <a href="https://www.learnreligions.com/vijnana-449563">concept of consciousness</a>.</p>
<h2>Asking questions</h2>
<p>There are seeming contradictions between scientists’ and monks’ perspectives on other topics, as well. For example, traditional Buddhist teachings affirm <a href="https://www2.nau.edu/gaud/bio301/content/spngen.htm">spontaneous generation</a> – the idea that life can arise from nonlife – which biologists rejected in the 19th century, based on experiments by Louis Pasteur and others.</p>
<p>According to Tibetan Buddhist perspectives, some life, like worms and bacteria, <a href="http://tibetanbuddhistencyclopedia.com/en/index.php?title=Four_forms_of_birth">can be created through “dampness</a>.” In the monks’ view, too, all animals <a href="https://speakingofresearch.com/2019/08/26/what-is-sentience/">are sentient</a>, meaning that they have consciousness, as opposed to plants, which do not. This has traditionally been how Tibetan Buddhism forms a definition of life.</p>
<p>To explain the biologists’ view, we ask ourselves: How can biologists truly show what makes something “living”?</p>
<p>The key is <a href="https://www.livescience.com/20896-science-scientific-method.html">the scientific method</a>, based on testing and analysis. At the monastery, science instructors approach questions about spontaneous generation or sentience through the method’s series of questions: What experiments could you perform that could test your hypothesis that life arises from nonlife? What controls would you include to be confident in your results? How do you increase your confidence in the conclusions? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Monks in red robes sit in a classroom as two teachers talk at the front of the room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456459/original/file-20220405-12-lhnm5k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456459/original/file-20220405-12-lhnm5k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456459/original/file-20220405-12-lhnm5k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456459/original/file-20220405-12-lhnm5k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456459/original/file-20220405-12-lhnm5k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456459/original/file-20220405-12-lhnm5k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456459/original/file-20220405-12-lhnm5k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Instructors and interpreters conduct a class with Tibetan monks at Sera Jey Monastery as part of the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Dan Pierce</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These conversations highlight that the foundation of modern science, this scientific method, is extremely compatible with the Buddhism the monks practice.</p>
<p>In part, this is because <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-020-01338-1">debate</a> is central to their monasticism. Like the scientific method, debate requires that the participants approach ideas with skepticism and request “proof.” Tibetan Buddhists <a href="https://texts.mandala.library.virginia.edu/thl/drepung/monastic-education">practice debate</a> for hours daily. As one monk challenges another, they volley a religious idea back and forth to develop a deeper understanding of the concept.</p>
<p>While scientists don’t practice formal debate, we exercise similar muscles when we try to build a deeper understanding of the processes of life through theory, experimentation and challenging one another’s ideas.</p>
<h2>Where science and religion meet</h2>
<p>As we go further in any kind of classroom – at the monastery, or at a university – teachers and students sometimes find questions for which biology does not have especially satisfying answers: What are the origins of life? What is the purpose of sleep? </p>
<p>As teachers, we can use those to spark students’ curiosity, along with additional questions about how religion and biology intersect. Though some may bristle at the idea of theological questions entering a biology course, <a href="https://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/15/my-take-the-scientific-case-for-teaching-religion-and-ethics-in-science-class/comment-page-27/">raising them can engage students</a> by integrating science with deep questions they may have about their lives. What does biology have to say about <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315111995">the evolution of religions</a>? How does what we learn in biology influence the concept of a soul? If we believe in the idea of souls, what organisms have them? </p>
<p>[<em>More than 150,000 readers get one of The Conversation’s newsletters.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-140K">Join the list today</a>.]</p>
<p>For the monks, this last question is critical, as Buddhism teaches that all life is <a href="https://www.eubios.info/EJ144/ej144f.htm#:%7E:text=In%20Buddhist%20thought%20animal%20life,central%20position%20in%20the%20universe.">sentient and sacred</a>. When working with the monks, visiting teachers are very careful not to dispose of the microorganisms we inspect using a microscope as I would at the University of Richmond. Out of respect for their views, we simply pour the microorganisms outside in the grass. The monks have given me a new perspective on experimentation, including reconsidering the necessity of using certain organisms in research and teaching.</p>
<p>Scientific inquiry truly crosses cultures. And when we engage our differences head-on, with openness and compassion, it can prompt more meaningful learning for teachers and students alike.</p>
<p><em>I would like to thank Geshe Sangpo la for insights into Tibetan Buddhism that helped guide this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176222/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Pierce does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Religious beliefs and modern biology sometimes seem to collide. But exploring those ideas with compassion and an open mind can lead to deeper learning across cultures.Daniel Pierce, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of RichmondLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1772712022-02-22T17:15:10Z2022-02-22T17:15:10ZOttawa convoy protest points to a failure of civic education in Canada<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447634/original/file-20220221-15-8gy8yn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=51%2C167%2C7005%2C4627&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A lone protester stands draped in the Canadian flag at a fence controlling access to streets near Parliament, in Ottawa, Feb. 20, 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/ottawa-convoy-protest-points-to-a-failure-of-civic-education-in-canada" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>With a downtown Ottawa clean-up continuing after police <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/trucker-protest-downtown-cleanup-continues-secured-zone-remains-in-place">dispersed the protestors’ occupation</a>, it’s important to look at what this episode tells us about how Canadians understand their civic institutions. </p>
<p>In a video posted on YouTube Feb. 8, convoy spokesperson <a href="https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/former-georgian-college-instructor-in-ottawa-as-spokesperson-for-freedom-convoy-1.5775106">Tom Marazzo</a> floated the idea that the protestors should “<a href="https://youtu.be/x6fBFdLGUZw?t=554">sit at a table with the Conservatives and the NDP and the Bloc as a coalition</a>.” Presumably, he means as a coalition government. He added: “I’ll sit with the Governor General. You put me … you put us at the table with somebody that actually cares about Canada.”</p>
<p>Never mind that parties cannot form coalition governments with external groups.</p>
<p>Never mind that the Governor General does not have the power to dissolve governments simply because the protestors feel their cause is popular.</p>
<p>Never mind that we recently had an election, and the party most closely aligned with protestors — the People’s Party of Canada — only <a href="https://www.elections.ca/enr/help/national_e.htm">won five per cent of the popular vote</a> and zero seats. </p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/Justin_Ling/status/1490925393498767362">The video</a> in question has over a million views.</p>
<p>What we are witnessing now is an acute failure of civic education in Canada. People simply do not understand their civic institutions, history or even basic political ideas. They do not understand who has what authority, or where the boundary of that authority resides. Evidence of this failure is all around us. </p>
<h2>Throwing around the Charter</h2>
<p>Truckers encamped in downtown Ottawa in the hopes of pressuring the Trudeau government to end restrictions, despite the fact that many of these restrictions were put in place by provincial governments. </p>
<p>Anti-vaxxers reached for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to justify their opposition to vaccine mandates, despite the charter containing language that these rights are subject to “reasonable limits” (<a href="https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/practice-areas/litigation/federal-court-refused-to-grant-interlocutory-injunction-against-covid-19-vaccination-policy/362572">a point reinforced by the Federal Court’s refusal to strike down mandates</a>). </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person is seen securing a camper van that says 'Freedom'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Where are Canadians getting their ideas about freedom? Here, a camper is secured before being hauled away in Ottawa, on Feb. 20, 2022.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Even the most tepid efforts at law enforcement have led protestors to brandish <a href="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/financialpost/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ambassador-bridge-2-0209.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=564&type=webp">signs likening Canada to North Korea</a>, the <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/01/14/north-korea-systematic-repression">totalitarian regime known</a> for its prison camps where <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/world/asia/north-korea-human-rights.html">hundreds of thousands of political prisoners have died</a> and for its recurring <a href="https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=gsp">famine</a>.</p>
<h2>Extremism, pandemic stress plays a role</h2>
<p>There is no doubt <a href="https://theconversation.com/dismantling-freedom-convoy-must-be-coupled-with-education-on-the-dangers-of-extremism-176953">that extremism plays a role</a> here. Stewing in Facebook echo chambers can warp people’s judgment and lead them to believe in outlandish conspiracy theories. </p>
<p>The accumulated stress of the pandemic certainly has also played a role. Buffeted by uncertainty and government failure, it is no surprise some people turn to radical ideas to make sense out of a world that does not make sense anymore. </p>
<p>But extremism is more likely a symptom of civic illiteracy rather than its cause. </p>
<p>Civic literacy implies the skills and knowledge <a href="https://www.samaracanada.com/docs/default-source/reports/investing-in-canadians-civic-literacy-by-the-samara-centre-for-democracy.pdf?sfvrsn=66f2072f_4">needed to make democracy work</a> and gaining competency in <a href="https://peopleforeducation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/MWM_CitizenshipPaper.pdf">understanding how we know what we know</a>.</p>
<p>Recent <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1697339">research in Germany</a> looked at civic and media literacy among adolescents as it relates to the dangers of extremism and how extremist groups communicate online. Researchers found that adolescents who were more literate were more likely to both recognize extremist content online, and to classify it as extremist. </p>
<p>A lack of civic literacy may be making it harder to navigate the stress of the pandemic. If you don’t have a working knowledge of your government and its institutions then it’s hard to see how it might help you in a time of crisis, or why it is justified in implementing more restrictive policies like vaccine mandates. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/freedom-convoy-protesters-anger-is-misdirected-176969">'Freedom convoy' protesters' anger is misdirected</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Uneducated Canadians?</h2>
<p>If recent history is anything to go by, civic literacy in Canada is in poor shape: According to <a href="https://www.samaracanada.com/docs/default-source/reports/investing-in-canadians-civic-literacy-by-the-samara-centre-for-democracy.pdf?sfvrsn=66f2072f_4">a 2019 report from</a> the Samara Centre for Democracy, a not-for-profit think tank, only 60 per cent of Canadians could identify their premier in 2015, compared to 90 per cent in 1984. </p>
<p>In 2019, a random sampling of <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/nearly-9-in-10-canadians-would-fail-the-citizenship-test-poll-1.4489704">public opinion by The Forum Poll</a> of 1,645 Canadian voters showed that nine out of 10 Canadians would fail the citizenship test given to immigrants to test their basic knowledge about Canada. In 2008, a Dominion Institute and Ipsos Reid poll found <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/wake-constitutional-crisis-new-survey-demonstrates-canadians-lack-basic-understanding-our-countrys">that half of Canadians believed that the Prime Minister is elected directly</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The Parliament buildings are seen behind a fence." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A fence cordons off Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 21, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The ‘gospel of STEM’</h2>
<p>It did not have to be this way. Provincial governments typically relegate civic education to a few compulsory high school courses, or even just one as in the case of <a href="https://www.samaracanada.com/docs/default-source/reports/investing-in-canadians-civic-literacy-by-the-samara-centre-for-democracy.pdf?sfvrsn=66f2072f_4">New Brunswick and Québec</a>. And while some federal agencies and departments, such as Elections Canada and Canadian Heritage, have a mandate to support civics education the funding for these initiatives is often <a href="https://www.samaracanada.com/docs/default-source/reports/investing-in-canadians-civic-literacy-by-the-samara-centre-for-democracy.pdf?sfvrsn=66f2072f_4">limited and sporadic</a>. </p>
<p>Instead, political leaders have overwhelmingly <a href="https://twitter.com/Sflecce/status/1275804668027944962">preached the gospel</a> of STEM — science, technology, engineering and math. Students need to focus on STEM, we are told, because it leads to individual and collective prosperity. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/stop-telling-students-to-study-stem-instead-of-humanities-for-the-post-coronavirus-world-145813">Stop telling students to study STEM instead of humanities for the post-coronavirus world</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There is certainly <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/in-demand-highest-paying-jobscanada-2022">some truth to this</a>, but it is a difficult argument to make when anti-vax protesters have blockaded a border crossing that normally sees <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60320874">$323 million</a> worth of goods cross it per day. </p>
<p>Civic disinformation has always cost us, we are now just seeing the bill splashed across the evening news.</p>
<h2>Facebook lessons</h2>
<p>Ultimately, Canadians will get an education in civics one way or another. What matters is where that education comes from. Will it come from a robust and informed curriculum that teaches citizens about basic institutions like parliamentary democracy, charter rights and the differences between federal and provincial jurisdiction? Or will we simply leave it to YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms to fill in the void? </p>
<p>Both provincial and federal governments can play vital roles here. Provinces <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-pandemic-ignoring-science-affects-everyone-citizenship-education-can-help-ensure-that-doesnt-happen-173636">could choose to revitalize and expand civics education</a> at the primary, secondary and even post-secondary level. Federal governments could expand their granting streams for civics education while at the same time expanding the mandate of <a href="https://www.elections.ca/home.aspx">agencies like Election Canada</a> to engage with youth and under-served communities. </p>
<p>These efforts could be further buttressed with help from civil society by enlisting the aid of churches, journalists, unions, sports leagues and NGOs in the effort to educate citizens. </p>
<p>A revitalized effort to combat civic illiteracy won’t solve all of our problems. We will still have political extremism and conspiracy theories. But it stands as one of the best possible defences against the kind of disinformation that we see today.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/177271/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eric Van Rythoven does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If federal and provincial governments don’t step up their commitments to teaching citizens how our governments work, social media will continue to fill in the void with misinformation.Eric Van Rythoven, Instructor in Political Science, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1741922022-02-15T13:23:09Z2022-02-15T13:23:09ZGirls still fall behind boys in top scores for AP math exams<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444986/original/file-20220208-25-1v9c7j6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5111%2C3407&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Gender gaps in achievement for AP math exams may lead to fewer women in STEM careers. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/student-writing-formula-and-equations-on-a-clear-royalty-free-image/629330893?adppopup=true">Mint Images/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>After decades of growth, the number of high school girls who take Advanced Placement math exams is now almost the same as the number for boys. In 1997, 83 girls for every 100 boys took an AP math exam. By 2019, that number rose to 96 for every 100 boys.</p>
<p>But when it comes to getting top scores on an AP math exam, boys still outnumber girls. In 1997, 52 girls for every 100 boys made the top score. By 2019, that number rose to 69 for every 100 boys. This is what I found in my <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/01623532211044540">peer-reviewed study</a>. It was published in Journal for the Education of the Gifted in 2021.</p>
<p>After analyzing the test scores for over 10 million students who participated in the AP math exams from 1997 to 2019, I examined the rates of changes in participation and top achievement in the AP <a href="https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-calculus-ab">Calculus AB</a>, <a href="https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-calculus-bc">Calculus BC</a> and <a href="https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-statistics">Statistics</a> tests. My study predicts that if this trend continues, it may take up to 60 years to close the gender gap among top scorers in the Calculus BC exam and roughly 30 years in the Calculus AB and Statistics exams.</p>
<p><iframe id="WhGKl" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/WhGKl/7/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Gender-related gaps in general K-12 math achievement have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021276">gradually diminishing</a> to none since the 1960s. However, more men major in STEM fields – or science, technology, engineering and mathematics – than women. As an example, according to a <a href="https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf21321/">2021 report</a> published by the National Science Foundation, when it comes to engineering degrees, women only earned 12% of bachelor’s, 18% of master’s and 18% of doctorates in the field in 2016. <a href="https://www.mathedleadership.org/docs/resources/positionpapers/NCSMPositionPaper17.pdf">A joint report</a> done by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics found that gender differences in school mathematics contribute to significant disparities in educational attainments in STEM subjects. This is particularly true for AP math courses, which are among the most common <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016682996">college level classes</a> taught in U.S. high schools. In light of those reports and my findings, I suspect in order for women to be better represented in STEM careers, it will take more than just increasing their participation in AP math courses. Rather, the focus should be more on empowering more girls to get the top scores on AP math exams, as those scores can be an <a href="https://www.mathedleadership.org/docs/resources/positionpapers/NCSMPositionPaper17.pdf">important predictor</a> of who pursues a STEM career. Ways to empower more girls to get the top scores include increasing their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025415616201">math confidence</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20431">interest</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.01.002">early math achievement</a>.</p>
<h2>What is next</h2>
<p>In order to more rapidly close the gap between girls and boys who get the top scores on AP math exams, educators must discover and implement more effective ways to prepare girls for advanced math courses.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=weekly&source=inline-weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174192/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kadir Bahar works for University of Georgia. </span></em></p>A scholar warns that women will continue to be underrepresented in STEM careers unless educators focus on helping girls do better in advanced math courses in high school.Kadir Bahar, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology, University of GeorgiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1731842022-02-11T13:32:04Z2022-02-11T13:32:04Z4 ways to help STEM majors stay the course<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445158/original/file-20220208-21-4rqivc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C7335%2C5507&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Minority STEM majors are more likely than their white peers to switch fields.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/student-wearing-a-facemask-in-a-science-class-at-royalty-free-image/1297281097?adppopup=true">andresr/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Black and Latino students who start out majoring in STEM – or science, technology, engineering or mathematics – <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19831006">are more likely than their white peers</a> to switch fields or leave without a degree.</p>
<p>Some students leave because they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2020508118">feel isolated</a> on campus. Others may lack the type of technical skills, such as effective communication in science, needed to persist in these subjects. When students from underrepresented groups <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19831006">leave STEM majors</a>, it affects all of society, hampering the overall potential for <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02020">critical thinking, creativity and innovation</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-071312-145659">Scientific innovation and progress</a> require the talents of people from diverse backgrounds. </p>
<p>As Ph.D. biology candidates at <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-historically-black-colleges-and-universities-united-states">one of the nation’s top historically Black universities</a>, we joined a group of scientists in 2021 to <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.10.030">discover and recommend</a> a few things to help underrepresented students build their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0150-3">scientific identity</a> and stick with STEM. What follows are four of those recommendations.</p>
<h2>1. Take a freshman seminar class</h2>
<p><a href="https://freshmanseminars.college.harvard.edu/faq/what-freshman-seminar">Freshman seminars</a>, located at large and small colleges alike, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315584955">are designed</a> to assist students as they adjust to the new college environment. Freshman seminars help students cope with the stress of academic pressures as well as everyday college life.</p>
<p>Students who earned poor grades in introductory STEM classes are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2021.1907169">more likely</a> to leave STEM than those who earned higher scores. Participation in freshman seminars <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-005-8153-6">can help students increase</a> their overall GPA within their first year. This can in turn encourage them to persist in their given major.</p>
<p>Although it may take awhile for freshman students to get used to college work, a 2021 article notes that minority students may have an even more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.10.030">difficult transition</a> than their white counterparts. Researchers who surveyed students in first-year seminars at 45 four-year col1eges and universities concluded that the seminars <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-005-8153-6">should cover topics</a> like the benefits of mentorship, the power of networking and how to secure employment after graduation.</p>
<h2>2. Take a research course for undergraduates</h2>
<p>STEM students need <a href="https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14-06-0099">research experience</a> prior to graduating to be more attractive for future employers or graduate school. One format for these experiences is known as “CURE,” an acronym for course-based undergraduate research experiences. These CUREs, if you will, provide opportunities for undergraduates to participate in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/ed500793q">real-life science</a> from design to execution. Research shows that these undergraduate research experiences are effective. At Montana State University, for instance, a study found that students who took these courses <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00102-21">gained a better understanding</a> of environmental microbiology and thermal biology.</p>
<p>CUREs allow professors to interact with undergraduates on a more personal level. One article shows that having faculty with a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X17726535">similar identity to minority students</a> provides students with role models with whom they can relate. Students who see themselves <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biu076">reflected in their professors</a> are more successful in their majors, research has shown.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of diverse science students conduct an experiment on a lab bench." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445157/original/file-20220208-12-b8h89n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=46%2C0%2C5150%2C3407&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445157/original/file-20220208-12-b8h89n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445157/original/file-20220208-12-b8h89n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445157/original/file-20220208-12-b8h89n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445157/original/file-20220208-12-b8h89n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445157/original/file-20220208-12-b8h89n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445157/original/file-20220208-12-b8h89n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Course-based undergraduate research experiences have been shown to help students gain a better understanding of science.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/students-and-teacher-performing-experiment-in-royalty-free-image/84527707?adppopup=true">Hill Street Studios/DivisionVision via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If colleges lack the resources to establish CUREs, they can collaborate with better-resourced colleges that are nearby. One study found that when a small, predominantly white college collaborated with a larger historically Black college, student test scores <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v21i1.1939">increased significantly</a> – from a grade range of 35%-60% to a range of 65%-86%. Students also saw great benefit in being able to engage with students from different backgrounds.</p>
<h2>3. Join a journal club</h2>
<p>Aspiring STEM professionals must be able to interpret scientific articles to stay informed about their field’s scientific activity. As essential as this skill is, it is generally taught in extracurricular spaces like lab-based journal clubs, not classrooms. Universities with <a href="https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/classification_descriptions/basic.php">“very high” research activity</a> usually have these journal clubs in place, but at universities with less research activity or institutions that serve minorities, research-related activities may take a back seat <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.734426">due to high teaching loads</a> among professors. </p>
<p>For that reason, some underrepresented STEM majors are in for a rude awakening when they enter graduate school. They may become overwhelmed when suddenly asked to comprehend many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0189753">dense, jargon-filled articles</a> on their own. </p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>That is why participating in journal clubs in college is so important. These free <a href="http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008032">journal clubs</a> give students a chance to learn how to read articles with the help of their peers and mentors. Journal clubs, like <a href="http://doi.org/10.2505/4/jcst16_045_04_52">the CASL Club at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke</a>, also <a href="https://www.nap.edu/resource/25568/McGee%20-%20STEMM%20Mentoring%20Identity.pdf">help STEM majors get the confidence they need</a> to critique articles and conduct their own scientific research. Frequent participation in journal clubs also helps STEM majors meet the standards of academic journals for their own publications.</p>
<h2>4. Attend a grant-writing academy</h2>
<p><a href="https://report.nih.gov/fundingfacts/fundingfacts.aspx">It’s tough</a> but essential for STEM professionals to secure grants to fund their research long term. Most grant funding goes to a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155876">cluster of large</a> or <a href="https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf21314#data-tables">predominantly white institutions</a>. Reasons for this include <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.01.011">bias in the awarding of grants</a>, as well as lower rates of grant submission and <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1126/science.1196783">resubmission</a> among underrepresented researchers. Collectively, these issues translate to less funding over time for underrepresented STEM students and professionals.</p>
<p>In grant writing, early patterns of success or failure <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65697">tend to influence</a> later patterns of success. Hence, the earlier any STEM major learns to successfully write and secure grants to support their research, the better their chances of completing their research. Grant-writing academies can provide some of the much-needed technical guidance for students to increase their ability to secure funding. For example, student participation in Stanford’s Biosciences Grant Writing Academy made it <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243973">almost twice as likely</a> for participants to win funding.</p>
<p>As biologists who study complex phenomena, we know that the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics are hard. However, we believe these four strategies can better equip underrepresented STEM majors with the tools to excel in their fields.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173184/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Colleges don’t have to sit by and watch STEM majors leave for other fields. Two Ph.D. biology students share tips for encouraging students to stick with STEM despite the difficulty involved.Esohe G. Irabor, Ph.D. Candidate in Biology, Howard UniversityBrandyn White, Ph.D. Candidate in Biology, Howard UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1711632021-12-14T13:27:45Z2021-12-14T13:27:45ZComic book introduces kids to key concepts and careers in cybersecurity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437268/original/file-20211213-19-11nlx6x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5725%2C3837&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The number of cybersecurity jobs is expected to grow up to 33% in the near future.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/elementary-age-children-learn-computer-coding-in-royalty-free-image/947554314?adppopup=true">fstop123/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435435/original/file-20211202-17-1wdszbu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A paper wheel with different symbols sits on a desk. " src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435435/original/file-20211202-17-1wdszbu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435435/original/file-20211202-17-1wdszbu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435435/original/file-20211202-17-1wdszbu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435435/original/file-20211202-17-1wdszbu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435435/original/file-20211202-17-1wdszbu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435435/original/file-20211202-17-1wdszbu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435435/original/file-20211202-17-1wdszbu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students crack a secret message using this Caesar wheel as part of a challenge.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CryptoComics</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Three 9-year-old girls are huddled around a Caesar wheel, an ancient tool for sharing secret messages.</p>
<p>Cracking a code is one of many challenges the girls complete to help characters in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmQzIhL9vzk&t=5s">CryptoComics</a> escape a mysterious cyberworld into which they’ve been drawn.</p>
<p>CryptoComics is a curriculum designed to teach elementary school children – particularly girls of color – about <a href="https://www.cisa.gov/about-cisa">cybersecurity</a> – the practice of keeping digital information safe – and related careers. It also <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/cryptology">teaches about cryptology</a> – the science of making and breaking codes. The girls partake in this program as part of their after-school activities in Atlanta.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430385/original/file-20211104-27-1cqoq0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A computer screen shows a teacher going over a lesson plan." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430385/original/file-20211104-27-1cqoq0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430385/original/file-20211104-27-1cqoq0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430385/original/file-20211104-27-1cqoq0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430385/original/file-20211104-27-1cqoq0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430385/original/file-20211104-27-1cqoq0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430385/original/file-20211104-27-1cqoq0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430385/original/file-20211104-27-1cqoq0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teachers can go over important lesson plans with students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CryptoComics</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Led by a team of <a href="http://cryptocomics.org/team/">educators and researchers</a>, <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1849768&HistoricalAwards=false">CryptoComics</a> strategically integrates a digital comic book, apps and unplugged activities, such as painting rocks with ancient symbols and making invisible ink. It also features stories about cybersecurity professionals who are women. CryptoComics is freely available on <a href="http://cryptocomics.org/">cryptocomics.org</a>.</p>
<p>We are both researchers in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=S078Z_EAAAAJ&hl=en">educational technology</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=J1XAg5IAAAAJ&hl=en">STEM education</a>. We are examining how the program – which we both helped develop – increases awareness about careers in cybsecurity.</p>
<p>The overall objective of the program is to spark girls’ interest in careers in cybersecurity. While it will take years to determine whether the program has the desired effect, <a href="http://cryptocomics.org/research/">early research</a> shows that participants come out knowing about more potential jobs in cybersecurity than they did before.</p>
<p>Kids who’ve participated in the program have told researchers they “liked those jobs introduced in CryptoComics because they keep us safe from hackers.” They also liked that “you get to work on a team to figure out codes and break them.”</p>
<h2>Vast reach of cyberattacks</h2>
<p>Cybersecurity touches just about everyone in some way or another – from adults in the workplace and banking to schoolchildren. For instance, cybercriminals have been launching cyberattacks against U.S. schools at a record pace – as many as <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-08-09/schools-brace-for-more-cyberattacks-after-record-2020">two per school day</a> in 2020. Hackers also target individuals who use <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-safely-use-public-wi-fi-networks">public Wi-Fi</a>.</p>
<p>Cybersecurity professionals will likely be <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm">in demand for the foreseeable future</a>. The federal government <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm">projects 33% growth in jobs</a> in cybersecurity and related fields over the next decade or so. Yet women are <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-lack-of-women-in-cybersecurity-leaves-the-online-world-at-greater-risk-136654">highly underrepresented</a> in the profession, making up <a href="https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm">only 11%</a> of information security analysts. </p>
<p>Part of the reason is that young girls <a href="https://theconversation.com/stereotypes-about-girls-dissuade-many-from-careers-in-computer-science-172279">often don’t see themselves</a> going into a field like computer science. But research shows that the attitudes elementary school children have toward STEM careers like cybersecurity <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-018-9358-z">can be changed</a>. CryptoComics was designed to bring cybersecurity learning and career awareness to third to fifth grade girls through an engaging after-school curriculum.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430386/original/file-20211104-17-muwfci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A cartoon depiction of the four main characters standing together." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430386/original/file-20211104-17-muwfci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430386/original/file-20211104-17-muwfci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430386/original/file-20211104-17-muwfci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430386/original/file-20211104-17-muwfci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430386/original/file-20211104-17-muwfci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430386/original/file-20211104-17-muwfci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430386/original/file-20211104-17-muwfci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Akila, Bai, Carly and Jabari must solve a series of puzzles from the cyberworld.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CryptoComics</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The comic book, designed by media artist <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/d-a-jackson-a5933ba/">D.A. Jackson</a>, begins when three friends – Akila, Carly and Bai – find a West African souvenir box belonging to Akila’s grandma. Akila takes a picture of the box with her tablet. Suddenly, she and her friends are sucked into a mysterious cyberworld. </p>
<p>As Akila narrates the story, students follow the girls and her little brother, Jabari, who communicates with the girls through the tablet. They crack codes and ciphers and solve puzzles. They also learn the history of cryptology and basics of cybersecurity to help the girls escape the cyberworld.</p>
<p>The six chapters of the comic book progress from basic information about codes and symbols to current cybersecurity practices such as creating safe passwords. Children explore important historical developments in cryptology approaches and technologies like the <a href="https://www.intelligence.gov/index.php/people/barrier-breakers-in-history/453-navajo-code-talkers">Navajo Code Talkers</a> and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/WAVES-United-States-naval-organization">WAVES program</a>. The Navajo Code Talkers were U.S. Marines of Navajo descent who used their native language to send secret messages over radio waves during WWII. WAVES – Women Accepted for Voluntarily Emergency Service – was a division of the U.S. Navy in which female cryptologists worked during WWII. </p>
<p>Children also use a variety of ciphers and codes to encrypt and decrypt information. This helps the comic book characters during their cyberadventure. Activities are grounded in symbols from different cultures such as a scytale from Greece, pictograms from West African and Native American culture and <a href="https://cyber.org/news/home-activity-encryption-pigpen-cipher">Freemason Pigpen ciphers</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430387/original/file-20211104-19383-1a62kra.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="In one panel a pink and blue colored heart is painted on a rock. Another panel shows missing letters in a text, and a final panel shows a soldier holding a spear in his hand." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430387/original/file-20211104-19383-1a62kra.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430387/original/file-20211104-19383-1a62kra.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430387/original/file-20211104-19383-1a62kra.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430387/original/file-20211104-19383-1a62kra.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430387/original/file-20211104-19383-1a62kra.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430387/original/file-20211104-19383-1a62kra.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430387/original/file-20211104-19383-1a62kra.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Symbols and codes from different cultures hold important information for the main characters to use.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CryptoComics</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The curriculum culminates with games and simulations in which the children learn about cybersecurity. They learn to defend their device against the person who hacked Akila’s tablet. They learn about safe password practices and how to protect themselves from <a href="https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/brute-force-attack/">brute force</a> password cracking – that is, using a program or guesswork to try every possible password combination; <a href="https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/attempts-to-gain-your-personal-information/phishing">phishing scams</a> that use fake emails to get people to click on malicious links; and <a href="https://www.webroot.com/us/en/resources/tips-articles/what-is-social-engineering">social engineering</a> attacks.</p>
<p>[<em>Too busy to read another daily email?</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-toobusy">Get one of The Conversation’s curated weekly newsletters</a>.]</p>
<p>For example, the comic book characters learn about social engineering when they go back in time to the British Government Code and Cypher School – now known as <a href="https://www.gchq.gov.uk/">GCHQ</a>. This is where they meet a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/WAVES-United-States-naval-organization">WAVES</a> servicewoman named Dorothy who turns out to be Akila’s grandma. They also meet <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/obituaries/alan-turing-overlooked.html">Alan Turing</a>, a real-life WWII cryptoanalyst.</p>
<p>Dorothy, Alan and the comic book characters work to crack a briefcase password using a letter found on a spy. Meanwhile, students participating in the curriculum work to crack the code via a simulation. Students learn that social engineering is a process hackers use to figure out passwords based on personal information such as a birth dates or names of family members.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430389/original/file-20211104-27-8zsukc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A comic book panel shows a letter written from a young girl asking her grandfather to attend a birthday party." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430389/original/file-20211104-27-8zsukc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430389/original/file-20211104-27-8zsukc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430389/original/file-20211104-27-8zsukc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430389/original/file-20211104-27-8zsukc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430389/original/file-20211104-27-8zsukc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430389/original/file-20211104-27-8zsukc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/430389/original/file-20211104-27-8zsukc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Social engineering tactics are a gateway for hackers to get private information.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CryptoComics</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Preparing for cybersecurity careers</h2>
<p>Over 200 elementary school-age students – 73% girls – from diverse backgrounds in 16 after-school programs across the Southeastern U.S. have participated in <a href="https://stemforall2021.videohall.com/presentations/1925">CryptoComics</a>. <a href="http://cryptocomics.org/research/">Preliminary research</a>, which we oversaw, has found that children enjoy the curriculum, learn how to encrypt and decrypt information in different ways and demonstrate awareness of cybersecurity professions. They also transfer knowledge and skills gained in CryptoComics to real-life experiences.</p>
<p>Teachers we have spoken with also say the curriculum “can be a game changer” for participating girls. The teachers report that students “quickly retained” concepts such as enciphering and deciphering – making and breaking different kinds of messages and codes.</p>
<p>Some students struggled with reading the comic book. They said they wanted audio support but they didn’t want a monotone computer voice. Instead, they wanted the audio “to act like the characters.” As a result, we recruited <a href="http://cryptocomics.org/team/">local voice actors</a> to narrate the comic book. </p>
<p>The narration can be used by students who struggle with reading or who simply prefer listening to stories. Teachers confirmed that “the narrated version of the actual comic book itself has helped tremendously.” It has made the curriculum more accessible for struggling readers.</p>
<p>Tremendous <a href="https://www.isc2.org/-/media/ISC2/Research/2020/Workforce-Study/ISC2ResearchDrivenWhitepaperFINAL.ashx?la=en&hash=2879EE167ACBA7100C330429C7EBC623BAF4E07B">career opportunities</a> exist in cybersecurity. CryptoComics represents just one way to better position young children – and especially young girls – to take advantage of these opportunities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171163/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kara Dawson receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Material presented here is based upon work supported by the NSF under Grant #1849768</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pavlo Antonenko receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Material presented here is based upon work supported by the NSF under Grant #1849768.</span></em></p>A comic-based curriculum for after-school programs could hold the key to unlocking girls’ interest in careers in cybersecurity.Kara Dawson, Professor of Educational Technology, University of FloridaPavlo Antonenko, Associate Professor of Educational Technology, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1676512021-12-08T13:37:40Z2021-12-08T13:37:40Z4 Ph.D. neuroscience students from other countries share the challenges of studying in the US<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436178/original/file-20211207-140267-123m52j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=19%2C0%2C2098%2C1409&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">International students in the U.S. often face restrictions that make it hard to advance their research careers at the graduate level and beyond.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/people-walking-in-line-across-world-map-painted-on-royalty-free-image/912015114?adppopup=true">Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>International students make important contributions to the U.S. They can <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05326-3">enrich scientific research</a> through diversity of thought. They <a href="https://theconversation.com/drop-in-students-who-come-to-the-us-to-study-could-affect-higher-education-and-jobs-172286">pay taxes, support businesses and jobs, and can help offset the cost of tuition</a> for American students. Despite the many ways that international students benefit the U.S., a <a href="https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG180304">number of barriers</a> make it difficult for them to advance their research careers.</em></p>
<p><em>Below, four international neuroscience doctoral students
– from South Korea, China, Turkey and Brazil – share personal stories about the challenges they face in an education system that greatly <a href="https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG180304">restricts their ability</a> to compete for federal as well as private grant money, travel to research conferences or continue to work in the U.S. after graduation.</em></p>
<h2>Nuri Jeong, Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience, Emory University, originally from South Korea</h2>
<p>Out of 500 applicants to the Young Investigator Training program for aspiring neuroscientists in 2019, only 60 were selected. So you can imagine the excitement I felt when I found out that not only had I been chosen, but so had my Emory Neuroscience Graduate Program colleague from Iran. But that excitement was short-lived when I found out that only one of us could attend the <a href="https://ibro.org/world-congress/">International Brain Research Organization’s World Congress of Neuroscience</a> conference in Daegu, South Korea, that year.</p>
<p>The reason my friend could not go on this all-expense paid trip is that – even though she earned her spot in one of the most competitive neuroscience Ph.D. programs in the country – she had entered the U.S. on a <a href="https://ir.usembassy.gov/visas/faqs/">single-entry visa</a>, whereas I didn’t have any such restrictions on my visa.</p>
<p>My friend from Iran had only two options. One was to leave the United States to reapply for a 24-month multiple–entry visa and return after the conference. But this was a tricky choice because in case of a rejection, it could delay her education despite her good standing in the program. Even if successfully renewed, her F-class visa would have <a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/IranIslamicRepublicof.html">been valid for only two years</a> for a program that takes <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK82472/">more than five years</a>.</p>
<p>The other option was to change her student status to something different, such as a worker, which required additional documentation and employer sponsorship to prove her renewed status. And even then, there is no guarantee of approval. Both of these options would risk disrupting her educational plans.</p>
<p>International students are typically advised not to leave the country without a reentry visa unless it’s for a family emergency or personal reasons for which you have to go home. Many international students have this lurking sense of the potential risk of not being readmitted at the border even with valid reentry visas. So you can see how nerve-wracking it must be for someone who only has a single-entry visa to leave at all.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423175/original/file-20210924-41321-o6atw2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423175/original/file-20210924-41321-o6atw2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423175/original/file-20210924-41321-o6atw2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423175/original/file-20210924-41321-o6atw2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423175/original/file-20210924-41321-o6atw2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423175/original/file-20210924-41321-o6atw2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423175/original/file-20210924-41321-o6atw2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nuri Jeong, in the center, holding a photo of her Iranian friend.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The conference that year meant a lot to me personally because I had not seen my family back home in Korea for two years. I could not imagine not seeing them for more than five years while in the program, as was the case for my friend. Feeling frustrated and helpless, the least I could do for her was to display her scientific research poster on Parkinson’s disease at the conference. In addition, I wanted her to be recognized for her award and raise awareness of situations like this that are all too common to international students. So at the conference, I held a photo of my friend when we took a group photo with fellow awardees.</p>
<h2>Esra Sefik, Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience, Emory University, originally from Turkey, and a dual citizen of Turkey and Bulgaria</h2>
<p>When I began my doctoral training in neuroscience in 2017, I used to think that government-funded grants and fellowships were within reach of any competitive applicant. Since then, I have come to see that this is not the case. And the reason is because of a question that appears in some form or another on most government-funded grant applications. And that is: Where are you from?</p>
<p>The applications may not ask that question verbatim, but they might as well because they typically have a <a href="https://researchtraining.nih.gov/career/graduate">requirement for citizenship or permanent residency in the U.S.</a></p>
<p>My beloved mother says I am “a citizen of the world” because I am a scientist. My hope is to one day help discover more effective therapeutics for currently incurable and severe neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, which transcend geographic borders. Unfortunately, when it comes to securing government grants to further this goal, my lack of citizenship gets in the way.</p>
<p>Consequently, in more recent years, whenever my mentors tell me about a grant or fellowship opportunity in my area of expertise, my first order of business is to scroll down to the eligibility requirements and search for the words “must be a U.S. citizen.” I often see those words, spoiling my chances entirely. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423173/original/file-20210924-21-93lb7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423173/original/file-20210924-21-93lb7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=231&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423173/original/file-20210924-21-93lb7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=231&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423173/original/file-20210924-21-93lb7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=231&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423173/original/file-20210924-21-93lb7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=290&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423173/original/file-20210924-21-93lb7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=290&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423173/original/file-20210924-21-93lb7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=290&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Screenshots of two awards restricted to U.S. Citizens.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I am getting ready to begin a new chapter as a postdoctoral scholar. As a postdoc, funding becomes essential for continued academic development. One might think that citizenship status should no longer be a limiting factor for qualifying for a postdoctoral fellowship. Yet, a quick search of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website for <a href="https://www.va.gov/OAA/Advanced_Fellowships/Explore_our_Fellowships.asp">advanced fellowships</a> or visiting the National Institutes of Health website on the <a href="https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/fellowships/f32">F32 fellowship</a> – a highly prestigious NIH-funded fellowship that provides up to three years of support to enhance the research training of promising postdoctoral researchers – shows this is not the case. In my view, it is time for the nation to move away from worrying about which country a person is from and realize that scientific progress requires drawing on talent from around the world.</p>
<h2>Thomas Shiu, Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience, Emory University, originally from Hong Kong</h2>
<p>Whenever I generate experimental data or help write proposals that have secured research grants from both private institutions, such as the <a href="https://www.michaeljfox.org/">Michael J. Fox Foundation</a> and the <a href="https://www.aesnet.org/">American Epilepsy Society</a>, or governmental bodies such as the <a href="https://www.grants.gov/learn-grants/grant-making-agencies/department-of-defense.html">Department of Defense</a>, no one questions whether I am a U.S. citizen. But when it comes to applying for federal graduate student fellowships for myself, most, if not all, are off-limits. The reason is because they require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency. </p>
<p>This puts international students like me at a disadvantage, even though – from my experience – we work as hard as domestic students to contribute to the research and technology enterprise in the U.S. Many of us also do community outreach. For instance, I have given neuroscience lectures in middle and high schools around Atlanta and volunteered at the <a href="https://atlantasciencefestival.org/">Atlanta Science Festival</a> and <a href="http://sites.gsu.edu/brain-bee/competition/">Atlanta Regional Brain Bee</a>. Beyond our graduate studies, we have to pay taxes just like everyone else.</p>
<p>For those reasons and more, I believe that international graduate students deserve the chance to compete for federal training grants, such as an <a href="https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/fellowships/f31">F31</a> pre-doctoral training fellowship from the National Institutes of Health or a <a href="https://www.nsfgrfp.org/applicants/applicant-eligibility/">Graduate Research Fellowship</a> from the National Science Foundation.</p>
<h2>Thiago Arzua, Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience, Medical College of Wisconsin, originally from Brazil</h2>
<p>As I reach the end of my Ph.D., nostalgia made me search my school inbox from the very start. It begins with emails going back and forth with my <a href="https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/schools/get-started/designated-school-official">Designated School Official</a> – a person who serves as a point of contact for international students – telling them I have no idea if they will approve my visa or if I will make it to the U.S. from Brazil before the semester starts. I did make it to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a day before orientation. I arrived with no apartment lease, no friends or an American bank account. For my first few weeks, I stayed in a rental and failed at juggling school assignments, research and a new life as an international graduate student. Later that semester, I would be diagnosed with <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/adjustment-disorders/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355230">adjustment disorder with anxiety</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423174/original/file-20210924-23-1qtid85.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423174/original/file-20210924-23-1qtid85.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423174/original/file-20210924-23-1qtid85.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423174/original/file-20210924-23-1qtid85.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423174/original/file-20210924-23-1qtid85.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423174/original/file-20210924-23-1qtid85.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423174/original/file-20210924-23-1qtid85.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chain of emails from 2016 showing a range of subjects from housing, old exams, emergency loans and banks.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s hardly a secret that graduate school is difficult. Lesser known are the uncertainties associated with being in the U.S. on a student visa. With me, most of the stress that came from my search for housing and figuring out my finances could have been better handled with a simpler and more transparent process of getting a visa approved.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-140ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>The key argument a student visa application needs to make is that the applicant has no plans to stay in the U.S. after graduating. In some cases, like mine, that is a hard argument to make. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida in 2016 and now have a total of nine years of studies in the U.S. As a result, I have almost no significant ties to Brazil. In fact, the best document I could think of for my interview was my mom’s mortgage on our house back in Curitiba, Brazil. Simply put, I believe students who want to move to the U.S. and stay afterward should be able to do so. That is called a <a href="https://citizenpath.com/dual-intent-visas/">dual-intent</a> visa, and it is not new. Several employment visas already allow for it. Student visas do not.</p>
<p>Opening up this new avenue for students, <a href="https://thepienews.com/news/us-new-immigration-bill-will-allow-dual-intent-for-intl-students/">as some drafts of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 do</a>, could streamline and ease the life of <a href="https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf21318#data-tables">hundreds of thousands</a> of international students who either anxiously wait for their visas or get them denied every year simply because they want to move to the U.S. after they finish school.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167651/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Foreign graduate students in the US face a slew of obstacles when it comes to advancing their research careers. Four international Ph.D. students in neuroscience offer some suggestions.Thiago Arzua, Ph.D. Candidate in Neuroscience, Medical College of WisconsinEsra Sefik, PhD candidate, Emory UniversityFu Hung Shiu, Graduate Student, Emory UniversityNuri Jeong, Ph.D. Candidate in Neuroscience, Emory UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1722862021-11-29T13:27:06Z2021-11-29T13:27:06ZDrop in students who come to the US to study could affect higher education and jobs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433769/original/file-20211124-27-easl4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5973%2C3988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Declines in the enrollment of international students span all fields of study.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/students-portrait-in-front-of-school-in-coronavirus-royalty-free-image/1279770388?adppopup=true">Vladimir Vladimirov/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Driven largely by the global pandemic, the number of international students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities fell by 15% – or 161,401 students – from 2019 to 2020. However, early data for 2021 indicate the number might bounce back soon. This is according to <a href="https://opendoorsdata.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Open-Doors-2021-Press-Release.pdf">new data</a> from the Institute of International Education and the U.S. State Department.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://www.nafsa.org/people/david-di-maria-edd#:%7E:text=David%20L.%20Di%20Maria%20is%20senior%20international%20officer,and%20activities%20of%20UMBC%E2%80%99s%20Center%20for%20Global%20Engagement.">university administrator who specializes in international higher education</a>, I see six important takeaways to consider.</p>
<h2>1. A record decrease</h2>
<p>While <a href="https://www.iie.org/-/media/Files/Corporate/Open-Doors/Special-Reports/Fall-2020-Snapshot-Report---Full-Report.ashx?la=en&hash=D337E4E9C8C9FACC9E3D53609A7A19B96783C5DB">a drop was expected</a> due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic, which included <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/us-drops-travel-ban-more-100032260.html?src=rss">international travel restrictions</a> and <a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/suspension-of-routine-visa-services.html">suspension of U.S. visa services</a>, the number of international students in the U.S. has actually been <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-colleges-report-a-43-decline-in-new-international-student-enrollment-and-not-just-because-of-the-pandemic-149885">declining</a> since 2016.</p>
<p>The decrease in 2020, however, is the <a href="https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/enrollment-trends/">largest on record</a> based on data dating back to 1948.</p>
<p>Enrollments are down across all fields of study at both the <a href="https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/academic-level/">undergraduate and graduate levels</a>, which fell by 14.2% and 12.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, more than half of all international students come from just two countries: China and India. About 1 in 3 international students in the U.S. are from China, and about 1 in 5 are from India. For context, the third-most represented nation is South Korea, which accounts for about 1 out of every 25 international students in the U.S. </p>
<h2>2. A rebound is evident, but it may not last</h2>
<p>While the overall number of international students dropped in fall 2020, a <a href="https://www.iie.org/-/media/Files/Corporate/Publications/IIE_FallSnapshot_2021_Report.ashx?la=en&hash=296D44AE7E1483DADAA6E216653198CBCD956BDE">preliminary snapshot</a> points to a 68% increase in the number of students beginning their studies in fall 2021 compared with a year earlier. This increase, which cannot be confirmed until a more comprehensive census is released in 2022, suggests a possible rebound is occurring.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, it is important to understand that the rebound reflected in these data undoubtedly includes some of the <a href="https://www.iie.org/-/media/Files/Corporate/Open-Doors/Special-Reports/Fall-2020-Snapshot-Report---Full-Report.ashx?la=en&hash=D337E4E9C8C9FACC9E3D53609A7A19B96783C5DB">nearly 40,000</a> international students who were admitted for fall 2020 but had to defer their studies due to the pandemic. </p>
<p>Given that most admission offers may be <a href="https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/graduate-school-road-map/2013/04/12/take-4-steps-before-withdrawing-or-deferring-graduate-school-admission">deferred for only one year</a>, it is reasonable to assume that fall 2020 deferrals helped fuel fall 2021 gains. So any increase in 2021 could be a temporary spike and not necessarily a sign that international student enrollments will reverse their downward trend.</p>
<h2>3. Other nations’ losses may be the US’ gains</h2>
<p>Another factor fueling the reported surge in new international enrollments within the U.S. for fall 2021 is that the U.S. experienced less competition from abroad. </p>
<p>In addition to a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56009251">delayed vaccine rollout</a> across countries in Europe, some nations have been entirely off-limits since the start of the pandemic. For instance, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3139775/foreign-students-wait-green-light-return-china-growing-concern">China</a> and <a href="https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/reopening-just-in-time-for-khoo-sulyn-but-australia-missed-the-boat-20211123-p59ba5">Australia</a>, the world’s <a href="https://iie.widen.net/s/g2bqxwkwqv/project-atlas-infographics-2020">fourth- and fifth-most popular study destinations</a>, respectively, have both remained closed to international students since the start of the pandemic, causing students who would otherwise have traveled to these countries to <a href="https://monitor.icef.com/2020/11/international-students-increasingly-willing-to-switch-destinations-for-in-person-learning/">switch destinations</a> in pursuit of in-person learning. </p>
<p>In August 2021, Australia reported <a href="https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/reopening-just-in-time-for-khoo-sulyn-but-australia-missed-the-boat-20211123-p59ba5">more than 200,000 fewer international students</a> than a year earlier, before the pandemic began. While Australia will allow international students to return starting on Dec. 1, 2021, it <a href="https://www.studyinternational.com/news/return-to-china-for-students/">remains uncertain</a> when China might reopen its borders to students.</p>
<h2>4. Less funding for STEM graduate programs</h2>
<p>Many U.S. universities would find it difficult to maintain graduate programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, without international students. This is made clear by a 2021 report showing that international students <a href="https://nfap.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/International-Students-in-Science-and-Engineering.NFAP-Policy-Brief.August-2021.pdf">constitute the majority of full-time graduate students in many STEM fields</a>. For example, at the graduate level, international students are 82% of all petroleum engineering students, 74% of all electrical engineering students and 72% of all computer and information sciences students. </p>
<p>While some might think these figures mean U.S. students are being crowded out, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2017.10.003">research reveals</a> that international student enrollment actually helps increase U.S. enrollment. Consider that international students pay <a href="https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/International-Student-Funding.pdf">higher tuition</a> than their U.S. classmates, which helps pay for enrolling more American students. </p>
<h2>5. Fewer US jobs</h2>
<p>Beyond usually paying a higher tuition, international students <a href="https://www.nafsa.org/policy-and-advocacy/policy-resources/nafsa-international-student-economic-value-tool-v2">spend money</a> off campus as well. In fact, they spend on just about everything that U.S. students do, from apartments and transportation to insurance and technology. In much of the country, local and state sales taxes are paid on top of these purchases.</p>
<p>These dollars add up to the point that for every three international students, one U.S. job is <a href="https://www.nafsa.org/sites/default/files/media/document/isev_EconValue2020_2021.pdf">created or supported</a> by their spending. The 2020 enrollment drop-off means <a href="https://www.nafsa.org/policy-and-advocacy/policy-resources/nafsa-international-student-economic-value-tool-v2">109,679, or 26.4%, fewer U.S. jobs</a> were supported by international students in 2020 than in 2019. </p>
<h2>6. Fewer highly skilled workers</h2>
<p>International students who work internships or get practical training also serve as a <a href="https://nfap.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/International-Students-STEM-OPT-And-The-US-STEM-Workforce.NFAP-Policy-Brief.March-2019.pdf">valuable pool of talent</a> for U.S. employers <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/10/study-employers-seek-immigrants-amid-shortage-of-high-skilled-workers.html">struggling to hire workers</a> in highly skilled areas, such as science and engineering. </p>
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<p>According to the <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/us-chambers-seeks-to-double-of-h-1b-quota-to-address-workforce-shortage-121062200102_1.html">U.S. Chambers of Commerce</a>, the shortage of highly skilled workers is a key factor holding back economic recovery from the effects of the pandemic. A healthy talent pool in the U.S. also has implications for global competitiveness, as other nations, such as <a href="https://china.ucsd.edu/_files/meeting-the-china-challenge_2020_report.pdf">China</a> and <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/russia-and-technological-race-era-great-power-competition">Russia</a>, aim to increase their scientific and technological capabilities.</p>
<h2>National concern</h2>
<p>Economics aside, international students make many other valuable contributions to the U.S. These include <a href="https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v4i3.462">increasing cultural diversity</a> on college campuses, <a href="https://global.umn.edu/icc/documents/15_EducationalImpact-IntlStudents.pdf">enhancing learning in the classroom</a> and promoting <a href="https://www.ieaa.org.au/documents/item/258">positive diplomatic relations</a> with other countries. While the U.S. remains the <a href="https://iie.widen.net/s/g2bqxwkwqv/project-atlas-infographics-2020">world’s top choice</a> for international students, it <a href="https://iie.widen.net/s/g2bqxwkwqv/project-atlas-infographics-2020">continues to lose ground</a> to other nations vying to attract foreign talent.</p>
<p>Consider that from 2000 to 2020 the U.S. share of the world’s international students <a href="https://iie.widen.net/s/g2bqxwkwqv/project-atlas-infographics-2020">fell from 28% to 20%</a>. How could this be? Unlike the next four most popular destinations, the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-education-strategy-global-potential-global-growth/international-education-strategy-global-potential-global-growth">United Kingdom</a>, <a href="https://www.international.gc.ca/education/strategy-2019-2024-strategie.aspx?lang=eng">Canada</a>, <a href="https://internationaleducation.gov.au/News/Latest-News/Pages/China-%E2%80%93-New-Directive-for-International-Education.aspx">China</a> and <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/australian-strategy-international-education-2021-2030">Australia</a>, the U.S. lacks a national strategy for recruiting and retaining international students.</p>
<p>Earlier in 2021, the Biden-Harris administration signaled that may be changing. Specifically, the U.S. secretaries of education and state released a <a href="https://educationusa.state.gov/us-higher-education-professionals/us-government-resources-and-guidance/joint-statement">Joint Statement on Principles in Support of International Education</a>. In that statement, they committed to a number of actions, such as implementing new policies and procedures aimed at ensuring the U.S. remains the top destination for global talent.</p>
<p>More recently, several major U.S. higher education associations <a href="https://www.aplu.org/news-and-media/News/us-higher-education-community-calls-for-a-return-to-pre-covid-19-international-student-enrollment-numbers-and-a-national-strategy-of-federal-actions-and-policies-to-increase-international-student-enrollment">called for a national strategy</a> to reverse the international enrollment decline.</p>
<p>While it is still too early to predict if a unified strategy would actually reverse international student enrollment declines at U.S. colleges and universities, the <a href="https://www.nafsa.org/blog/whole-government-approach-implementing-national-strategy-international-education">idea of a coordinated national approach</a> could help position the U.S. to compete for the world’s best and brightest minds.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172286/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David L. Di Maria does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The US has experienced a record decline in the number of international students. How long will the trend continue? An international education scholar weighs in.David L. Di Maria, Associate Vice Provost for International Education, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1722792021-11-24T13:41:51Z2021-11-24T13:41:51ZStereotypes about girls dissuade many from careers in computer science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433194/original/file-20211122-27-gyvft9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C2986%2C2001&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Only about 1 in 5 computer scientists are women. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/project-mc2-mika-abdalla-victoria-vida-and-genneya-walton-news-photo/871499520?adppopup=true">Rachel Murray/Getty Images for MGA Entertainment</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Stereotypes about what boys and girls supposedly like aren’t hard to find.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/12/toys-are-more-divided-by-gender-now-than-they-were-50-years-ago/383556/">Toy advertisements</a> send signals that science and electronic toys are intended for boys rather than girls. Computer scientists and engineers on <a href="https://seejane.org/wp-content/uploads/portray-her-full-report.pdf">television shows and movies</a> are often white men, like the guys on “The Big Bang Theory.”</p>
<p>Policymakers, teachers and <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2002-11235-005">parents</a> sometimes subscribe to these stereotypes, too. They might <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00049">spread them to children</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-073115-103235">Efforts</a> to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/07/business/google-women-engineer-fired-memo.html">combat these stereotypes</a> often focus on boys’ and girls’ abilities.</p>
<p>But as researchers who specialize in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_UmfrM8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">motivation</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JmWiiRAAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">identity</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5jrePlgAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">cognitive development</a>, we think society has largely overlooked another harmful stereotype. And that is the notion that girls are less interested than boys are in STEM.</p>
<p>In our peer-reviewed research – published in November 2021 in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/48/e2100030118">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> – we found that these stereotypes about girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math – or lack thereof – are fairly widespread among young people today. We also found that these stereotypes actually have an effect on girls’ motivation and sense of belonging in computer science and engineering.</p>
<h2>Gains made</h2>
<p>Fields like math are <a href="https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf21321">close to having gender parity</a> – that is to say, roughly equal numbers of men and women – and <a href="https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf21321">women are actually overrepresented</a> in fields like biology among college graduates in the U.S.</p>
<p>Yet, the nation is still failing to diversify computer science and engineering. <a href="https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf21321">Only about 1 in 5</a> degrees in computer science and engineering go to women.</p>
<p>Our research shows that societal stereotypes linking these fields with boys and men act as a barrier that keeps girls and young women away. There have been many conversations about <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/magazine/why-are-there-still-so-few-women-in-science.html">the harm caused</a> by <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1999/08/thin-ice-stereotype-threat-and-black-college-students/304663">stereotypes about natural talent</a>, which assert that men are better than women at STEM. But what might be even more detrimental for girls’ motivation are stereotypes that men are more interested than women in these activities and careers. These stereotypes may give girls the sense that they don’t belong.</p>
<h2>Probing children’s perceptions</h2>
<p>For our study, our first step was to document whether children and adolescents believe these societal stereotypes. We surveyed 2,277 youths in grades 1-12 in 2017 and 2019 about how interested they think girls and boys are in computer science and engineering. The majority of youths reported that boys were more likely than girls to be interested in these fields. Most youths – 63% – believed that girls are less interested than boys in engineering. Only 9% believed that girls are more interested than boys in engineering. These “interest stereotypes,” if you will, were endorsed by youths from diverse backgrounds, including Black, white, Asian and Hispanic youths.</p>
<p>They were endorsed by kids as early as age 6, in first grade. These beliefs about gendered interests were also more common than stereotypes about ability, that boys are more talented than girls at these fields.</p>
<p>We also discovered that these interest stereotypes were linked to worse outcomes for girls. The more that a typical girl in our study believed in these stereotypes favoring boys, the less motivated she was in computer science and engineering. This wasn’t the case for the typical boy. The more he believed in these stereotypes, the more motivated he was.</p>
<h2>Effects on motivation</h2>
<p>We also did two laboratory experiments using a gold-standard random-assignment design to see whether interest stereotypes have causal effects on motivation. We told children about two activities they could try. The only difference between the activities was that one activity – one that was randomly chosen – was linked to a stereotype that girls were less interested than boys in that activity. </p>
<p>The other activity was not linked to such a stereotype. If children preferred one activity over the other, we could infer that the stereotype caused a difference in their preferences. We found that interest stereotypes can actually cause girls’ lower motivation for computer science activities.</p>
<p>Only 35% of girls chose the stereotyped activity over the nonstereotyped activity. These stereotypes – which favored boys in this case – weren’t a problem for boys, who showed no preference. There was no gender gap when there was no stereotype – a gender gap only appeared when the activity was stereotyped.</p>
<h2>Dismantling stereotypes</h2>
<p>Why are interest stereotypes so powerful? Interest stereotypes may make girls assume: If boys like these fields more than girls, then I won’t like these fields either. They also send a clear signal about who belongs there. <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2015-37516-001">A sense of belonging matters a lot</a> for motivation, including young women in STEM fields like computer science and engineering. The lower the girls’ sense of belonging, the lower their interest.</p>
<p>But what if the stereotypes are true? On average, girls in the U.S. usually do report being less interested than boys in <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2015-37516-001">computer science</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072712475290">engineering</a>.</p>
<p>Whether or not these cultural stereotypes are currently true, we believe they can create a vicious cycle. Girls might miss out on opportunities because of an assumption that they are not interested or should not be interested in certain STEM fields. Unless adults deliberately send girls a different message about who belongs in computer science and engineering, we as a society discourage girls from trying these activities and discovering that they like them. </p>
<p>But the good news is that the lack of belonging that many girls feel in certain STEM feels is not permanent. On the contrary, we think it can be changed.</p>
<p>There are simple ways to send kids a different message about who likes to do computer science and engineering. Parents and other adults can check their assumptions about what toys to buy girls for their birthdays or holidays, or what summer camps they should attend. Girls can be shown examples of women like <a href="https://www.becauseofthemwecan.com/blogs/news/self-driving-startup-zoox-led-by-black-female-ceo-aicha-evans-is-purchased-by-amazon-for-1-2-billion">Aicha Evans</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEeTLopLkEo">Debbie Sterling</a> – women who are changing the world through technology and enjoying themselves while doing so.</p>
<p>It’s not enough for girls to realize that they can do computer science and engineering. In order to change the status quo, we think it’s necessary to spread the word that many girls actually want to do these things as well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172279/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Allison Master receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the U. S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute of Education Sciences, the U.S. Department of Education, or other funders. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew N. Meltzoff gratefully acknowledges receipt of funding from the National Science Foundation, the Bezos Family Foundation, and the Overdeck Family Foundation. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the funders.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sapna Cheryan receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. The views expressed by the authors do not necessarily represent the views of these funders.</span></em></p>Could it be that girls aren’t pursuing jobs in computer science and engineering because society has told them that’s not what they want to do? Three scholars weigh in.Allison Master, Assistant Professor of Education, University of HoustonAndrew N. Meltzoff, Professor of Psychology, University of WashingtonSapna Cheryan, Professor of Psychology, University of WashingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1661892021-11-15T13:13:00Z2021-11-15T13:13:00ZHow hip-hop in the classroom is raising the volume of learning: 4 essential reads<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431743/original/file-20211112-19-1do3va9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C0%2C8231%2C5499&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hip-hop education helps students from all backgrounds learn.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/hip-hop-artist-darryl-mcdaniels-of-run-dmc-poses-for-photo-news-photo/1128038142?adppopup=true"> Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Scholars trace the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hip-hop-holiday-signals-a-turning-point-in-education-for-a-music-form-that-began-at-a-back-to-school-party-in-the-bronx-165525">origin of hip-hop</a> to a “back to school jam” that DJ Kool Herc threw in an apartment in the South Bronx in 1973. Today the music genre is <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/442354/music-genres-preferred-consumers-usa/">one of the most popular in the U.S.</a> </p>
<p>In July 2021, Congress formally designated November as <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-resolution/331">Hip Hop History Month</a>.“ In recognition of the first year hip-hop history has a monthlong spotlight, The Conversation gathered four articles from its archives that highlight how educators and rappers alike are using hip-hop to educate and engage students.</p>
<h2>1. Rappers critique the education system</h2>
<p>From Jay-Z vs. Nas to Drake vs. Meek Mill, there’s <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/biggest-hip-hop-rap-feuds/">no shortage of beefs among rappers</a>. But one of the biggest feuds in hip-hop may actually be between rappers and America’s education system. Rappers have never been shy about using their lyrical skills to point out how U.S. schools miseducate students. As rapper Scarface plainly puts it in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM5ZcRqnd34">"Black Still,”</a></p>
<p><em>“[O]ur kids educated by the enemy / And they don’t know sh-t about their history / Cause they ain’t teaching that in school.”</em></p>
<p>Ironically, some rappers who initially turned their back on education have also invested money into education for others. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nolan-jones-914605">Nolan Jones</a>, an associate adjunct professor of education and a specialist in hip-hop education, writes about this paradox in an article about hip-hop’s complicated relationship with education.</p>
<p>For Jones, rap artists’ criticism of formal education serves to “highlight frustrations with mainstream education’s lack of a viable <a href="https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/What%20the%20Research%20Says%20About%20Ethnic%20Studies.pdf">ethnic studies curriculum</a>, which has proven to <a href="https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/What%20the%20Research%20Says%20About%20Ethnic%20Studies.pdf">foster cross-cultural understanding</a>, self-respect and diverse perspectives.” </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hip-hops-love-hate-relationship-with-education-165735">Hip-hop's love-hate relationship with education</a>
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<h2>2. Hip-hop inspires interest in science</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/edmund-adjapong-1230022">Edmund Adjapong</a> – who refers to himself as a “hip-hop science educator” – says he used to think science wasn’t for him. That was until his high school physics teacher incorporated hip-hop into her teaching. In one lesson, his teacher used rappers’ chains to illustrate the motion of pendulums. </p>
<p>Adjapong, now an assistant professor of STEM education at Seton Hall University, writes on <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-to-use-hip-hop-in-the-classroom-to-build-better-understanding-of-science-160737">how to use the five elements of hip-hop</a> – MC'ing, graffiti, break dancing, DJ'ing and knowledge of self – to get more students interested in STEM. </p>
<p>“While most studies focused on using hip-hop in science focus on Black students, I believe that using hip-hop can support all students, as hip-hop is the most popular genre of music in America,” Adjapong writes.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-to-use-hip-hop-in-the-classroom-to-build-better-understanding-of-science-160737">5 ways to use hip-hop in the classroom to build better understanding of science</a>
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<h2>3. Promoting entrepreneurship</h2>
<p>Hip-hop producers Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are planning to open a school in Los Angeles that will focus on teaching students skills in entrepreneurship. Set to open in the fall of 2022, in a district that is <a href="https://laraec.net/los-angeles-unified-school-district/#:%7E:text=The%20ethnic%20composition%20of%20the,04%25">74% Latino and 10% Black</a>, the school will provide a learning opportunity for students to apply their knowledge in the classroom to real life.</p>
<p>Hip-hop scholars <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nolan-jones-914605">Nolan Jones</a> and Edmund Adjapong and career and technical education scholar <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/shaun-m-dougherty-379789">Shaun M. Dougherty</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-school-planned-by-dr-dre-and-jimmy-iovine-seeks-to-teach-blend-of-skills-to-prepare-students-for-real-world-jobs-162915">weigh in</a> on the new school and what it represents for the American high school experience. </p>
<p>“Iovine and Dre’s proposed high school appears to embody knowledge and entrepreneurialism, which are considered two elements of hip-hop culture,” the scholars write. </p>
<p>“If this is successful, it is a great way to help students uncover their potential and hidden talents through experience and formal education. It is also a possible way to provide education that can be applied in the real world.” </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-school-planned-by-dr-dre-and-jimmy-iovine-seeks-to-teach-blend-of-skills-to-prepare-students-for-real-world-jobs-162915">New school planned by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine seeks to teach blend of skills to prepare students for real-world jobs</a>
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<h2>4. Thinking about social issues</h2>
<p>Hip-hop artists have spoken about space exploration since the early days of hip-hop – from Sugarhill Gang’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKTUAESacQM">Rapper’s Delight</a>” to more modern songs like “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QMKI8L0mtI">Reach for the Stars</a>” by will.i.am. However, these lyrics about exploring the final frontier also deal with the lived experiences of African Americans on Earth. </p>
<p>For example, in A Tribe Called Quest’s song “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTrqmNieVKI">The Space Program</a>,” space exploration is used to talk about how America’s space program may exclude poor people and people of color.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 115,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-newsletter-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=100Ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/a-d-carson-175763">A.D. Carson</a>, assistant professor of hip-hop at the University of Virginia, lists some of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/10-hip-hop-songs-to-take-you-on-a-voyage-into-space-157659">most interesting examples of rappers’ references to space</a>. He argues that using these lyrics can bring cultural relevancy to the classroom. </p>
<p><em>“We’re taking off to Mars, got the space vessels overflowing / What, you think they want us there? / All us n-gg– not going.”</em></p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/10-hip-hop-songs-to-take-you-on-a-voyage-into-space-157659">10 hip-hop songs to take you on a voyage into space</a>
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<p><em>Editor’s note: This story is a roundup of articles from The Conversation’s archives.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166189/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
In recognition of National Hip Hop History Month, The Conversation presents four articles that deal with how educators and rappers are taking hip-hop from concerts to classrooms.Jamaal Abdul-Alim, Education Editor, The ConversationAlvin Buyinza, Editorial and Outreach Assistant, The Conversation USLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1607372021-06-03T12:19:26Z2021-06-03T12:19:26Z5 ways to use hip-hop in the classroom to build better understanding of science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402964/original/file-20210526-21-ux01tk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C0%2C6639%2C4192&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hip-hop can be used in science classes to help Black students gain interest in STEM. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/junior-high-age-school-students-build-robot-in-royalty-free-image/1171954788?adppopup=true">fstop123/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Back when I attended M.S. 101 in the Bronx, I tuned out the science teacher because I didn’t think science was for me. I viewed the subject as something distant and inaccessible. I never saw myself becoming a scientist. </p>
<p>Things changed, however, when my physics teacher at Marie Curie High School used hip-hop to make connections with science. We learned about the physics of pendulums by using hip-hop artists’ chains as examples and participated in call-and-responses to remember science information. </p>
<p>Once I’d found an approach that finally appealed to me, hip-hop set me on a course to become a science teacher myself.</p>
<p>But not just any kind of science teacher. Instead, I became a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=aNoDwZ4AAAAJ&hl=en#">hip-hop science educator</a>. My mission in life is to educate teachers on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00420859211000090">how to use hip-hop</a> to get more students to have a positive experience with science – something that is imperative in a global economy and at a time when the growth in STEM jobs in the U.S. is expected to outpace non-STEM occupations at a rate of <a href="https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/stem-employment.htm">more than 2 to 1</a> in the coming decade.</p>
<h2>Being left out</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, students of color often fail to get the kind of education necessary to take advantage of STEM jobs. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19831006">Research</a> demonstrates that 18% of first-year Black college students want to pursue a STEM degree, around the same as first-year white college students. But only 34% of Black students complete their STEM major, compared to 58% of white students. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-00241-4">Reasons for the low percentage of Black STEM graduates</a> include lack of preparation in STEM in high school and feelings of exclusion, isolation and discouraging academic experiences. </p>
<p>The problem starts in the classroom, where science is often taught from a <a href="https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=science_slcsp">Western viewpoint</a> with a focus mainly on the contributions of white Europeans which <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-515-9">fails to recognize the contributions of Africans to science</a>. Consequently, teachers often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21146">don’t know how to make science relevant</a> to the students they teach. Many students of color, then, <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/26d9f93x">fail to develop a science identity</a>. </p>
<h2>Hip-hop as a way of life</h2>
<p>In order to effectively use hip-hop in the classroom, it pays to understand that hip-hop is more than just a music form. Hip-hop is a culture that has influenced and empowered young people <a href="https://diverseeducation.com/article/83515/">across the globe</a>, especially those from marginalized groups, since its inception. </p>
<p>Hip-hop can be seen as being built upon five essential creative elements. Those elements are 1) MC'ing; 2) graffiti; 3) break-dancing, 4) DJ'ing and 5) knowledge of self, which includes knowledge of your own character, values, abilities and emotions. What I’ve found through my research is that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00420859211000090">hip-hop can help girls of color develop a science identity</a>. Girls of color have shared having positive experiences in science when hip-hop was used as an approach to teaching. This has increased their comfort with engaging in science and supported them in developing positive science identity. While most studies focused on using hip-hop in science focus on Black students, I believe that using hip-hop can support all students, as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hip-hop-passes-rock-most-popular-music-genre-nielsen-2018-1">hip-hop is the most popular genre</a> of music in America. </p>
<p>Based on my <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00420859211000090">study of hip-hop in the classroom</a>, here are ways that educators can use the five elements of hip-hop to help students connect more strongly with science.</p>
<h2>1. Get on the mic</h2>
<p>One of the most prominent elements of hip-hop is to serve as an MC. That’s where rappers take the microphone and perform their lyrical content and control the show verbally, which is an effective way of delivering a message to an audience. For that reason, I recommend a co-teaching strategy that encourages students to teach science content alongside their teachers, much like an emcee might help his or her fellow emcee rock the crowd. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1-5aQQ5SriE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Students from ELLIS International High School performing their song ‘DNA’ in the Bronx.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This gets fellow students more engaged and provides an opportunity for the student MC to demonstrate their science genius to their peers. It treats the classroom like a stage and science as material that student MCs must deliver to the audience that is their classmates.</p>
<h2>2. Write big and bold on the board</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A science teacher holds up a model of a molecule to a student." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402918/original/file-20210526-13-1xqr04e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402918/original/file-20210526-13-1xqr04e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402918/original/file-20210526-13-1xqr04e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402918/original/file-20210526-13-1xqr04e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402918/original/file-20210526-13-1xqr04e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402918/original/file-20210526-13-1xqr04e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402918/original/file-20210526-13-1xqr04e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Showing visual models of scientific concepts can assist students to gain a deeper understanding of science content.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/black-teacher-showing-molecular-model-to-students-royalty-free-image/601800751?adppopup=true">JGI/Tom Grill via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Just like graffiti is used in hip-hop to convey messages and claim space, students can similarly treat the whiteboard – or chalkboard – as their canvas to illustrate and explain scientific concepts.</p>
<p>For example, in my middle school science class, students drew visual representations of the different layers of Earth’s atmosphere using symbols and characters that represented their understanding. </p>
<h2>3. Have students move around</h2>
<p>Just as break-dancing is the kinesthetic aspect of hip-hop culture, the teaching of science offers plenty of opportunities for students to do physical learning activities. For example, when discussing the various states of matter, students can imagine themselves as particles and move around the classroom as particles would when their energy increases or decreases. When energy decreases, students should be moving closer to one another to the point where they are huddled in a fixed position to mimic a solid. When energy increases, students should move around the classroom at a faster speed to mimic a gas.</p>
<h2>4. Use music to set the mood</h2>
<p>Just as the DJ’s primary duty is playing music to set the mood for a hip-hop show or event, students can create playlists that feature their favorite hip-hop instrumentals to set the mood for the class. </p>
<p>Hip-hop instrumentals can be played quietly during independent or group work. Students can have agency in curating a playlist of their favorite songs. </p>
<h2>5. Work on socially relevant projects</h2>
<p>Just as hip-hop emphasizes knowledge of self and being authentic, students should be given opportunities to work on science projects that are relevant to their lives and make a difference in their communities.</p>
<p>For example, in my middle school science class, students were taught that the Bronx has the <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3109%2F02770900903350481">highest asthma rates</a> in the nation due to having the worst air pollution levels in the U.S., and decided to raise awareness in the community by creating picket signs with asthma statistics. </p>
<p>Using hip-hop in the science classroom allows students to develop an increased level of comfort when engaging in the subject and supports the development of a positive science identity. When young people engage in science while making connections to hip-hop, they are able to develop their own <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_url?url=https://ices.library.ubc.ca/index.php/criticaled/article/download/186248/185427&hl=en&sa=T&oi=gsb-gga&ct=res&cd=0&d=3865802755660472875&ei=paGtYL4xy-GZAdetrLgP&scisig=AAGBfm32UKYEWCg3c9lnfIJFLBttZ8kNsA">understanding of science</a> and feel more prepared and knowledgeable in regards to content. </p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Edmund Adjapong does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Science is often taught from a white or Western standpoint. Can teaching science from a hip-hop perspective make science more relatable to students of color? A hip-hop science educator weighs in.Edmund Adjapong, Assistant Professor of STEM Education, Seton Hall UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1577382021-04-02T12:16:02Z2021-04-02T12:16:02Z5 ways parents can help children with the ‘new’ math<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392345/original/file-20210329-23-yt4yl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=60%2C0%2C6720%2C4456&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many parents have had to play the role of a substitute math teacher during the pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/teenage-boy-having-problems-in-finishing-homework-royalty-free-image/1033164818?adppopup=true">damircudic/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tg3C4bhhz4">March 2021 Netflix special</a>, comedian Nate Bargatze complains about having to teach his kids a confusing <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/03/19/parents-confused-common-core-math/">“new math”</a> based on standards known as the Common Core.</p>
<p>“The goal of Common Core is to use one sheet of paper for every problem,” Bargatze jokes. He observes that this new math requires people to “keep breaking the problem down.”</p>
<p>“You put the problem at the top, and it just keeps going,” Bargatze says. “And then what’s funnier is you see old math in the middle of it. As you break it down, old math gets in there and you’re like, ‘Oh, just do that at the top.’ I don’t even know what we’re doing.”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-tg3C4bhhz4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Comedian Nate Bargatze tells a joke about Common Core math during his comedy special.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Math worries</h2>
<p>Bargatze is by no means alone in his frustration. Since many schools went largely remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, countless parents, <a href="http://www.clarissathompson.com">me</a> included, are becoming <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/parenting/coronavirus-remote-learning-burn-out.html">burnt out</a> as we find ourselves thrust into the role of <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-12-22/parents-feel-the-strain-as-pandemic-adds-new-role-teacher">substitute math teacher</a>.</p>
<p>Why does this so-called new math – which has actually been around for over a decade – draw so much <a href="https://slate.com/business/2014/07/common-core-math-questions-show-why-parents-are-upset-about-its-methods.html">scorn</a> from parents?</p>
<p>This new math is based on a <a href="http://www.corestandards.org/Math/">list of standards</a> that students should master within each grade. It’s different from “old math” in that the standards focus not only on the step-by-step procedures to solve math problems, but also on <a href="https://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Common-Core-State-Standards/Teaching-and-Learning-Mathematics-with-the-Common-Core/">why those procedures work</a> in the first place. The idea is to teach the procedures in such a way that children can apply this knowledge to <a href="http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Practice/">future math problems that they encounter</a> – both at school and in real-life contexts. </p>
<p>For instance, in solving the multiplication problem, 312 x 23, parents historically might line the problem up and start multiplying from right to left. We were told that we had to include the 0 on the right under 936, but I don’t recall ever being told why. But under the Common Core standards, students are encouraged to break the problem down into hundreds, tens and ones. This newfangled way to do the math makes it more transparent where the answer, 7,176, and that mystery 0 come from.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1248106005868744709"}"></div></p>
<h2>Overcoming math anxiety</h2>
<p>As Bergatze’s stand-up bit points out, this new math has triggered some parents’ “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00196">math anxiety</a>” – a common apprehension that can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13546783.2018.1475303">impair math performance</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000307">many studies show</a>.</p>
<p>Researchers haven’t completely figured out how to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2018.1447384">eliminate math anxiety</a>. But as a researcher who studies why people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2019.1653815">hate math</a>, I believe there are steps parents can take to combat any negative attitudes they may have toward math and to improve children’s math understanding. Five of those steps are listed below.</p>
<h2>1. Point out math in everyday life</h2>
<p>Math learning doesn’t happen just in classrooms. Parents can draw children’s attention to <a href="https://playfullearninglandscapes.com/">math all around them</a>. They can talk about math in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12195">grocery store</a> or at the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2019.1673753">bus stop</a>. One idea is to incorporate positive <a href="http://bedtimemath.org/apps/">math talk</a> while reading books with our children, even if <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02242">the books don’t inherently include numbers</a>. For example, even though the classic children’s book “<a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/very-hungry-caterpillar-la-oruga-muy-hambrienta/oclc/1196094219&referer=brief_results">The Very Hungry Caterpillar</a>” doesn’t include counting or comparing how much the caterpillar eats each day, parents can insert guiding scenarios like “The very hungry caterpillar ate 4 strawberries. Let’s count them. 1-2-3-4. Did the caterpillar eat more plums or strawberries?” This is a “two-for-one deal” that could help time-strapped parents promote literacy and numeracy.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of children gather to play Chutes and Ladders on the floor." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Playing Chutes and Ladders can help children learn to identify, compare and estimate numbers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/october-2008-credit-katherine-frey-twp-bluemont-va-the-news-photo/97161275?adppopup=true">Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Play board games and card games</h2>
<p>Children can learn about math as they play fun board <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00714.x">games</a>, such as Chutes and Ladders, and card <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-228X.2012.01149.x">games</a>, like war. Research has shown that playing board games pays off. One study found that while low-income families played board games <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01131.x">less at home</a> than middle-income families, even one hour of board-game play across a period of two weeks increased low-income children’s math performance to the level of their middle-income peers. </p>
<h2>3. Break math down step by step</h2>
<p>To help kids avoid the <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/kids-are-behind-in-math-because-of-covid-19-heres-what-research-says-could-help/2020/12">COVID slide</a>, a major dip in math performance occurring during the pandemic, parents can <a href="https://doi.org/10.5951/mathteacmiddscho.21.1.0026">break down math problems step by step</a>. As they learn the procedure at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3663">each step</a> children can then better understand how to get to the correct answer, or where they made a mistake along the way.</p>
<h2>4. Draw connections to more familiar and well-liked math</h2>
<p>Parents can also help children understand more difficult math concepts, such as fractions, by drawing connections to more familiar, well-liked and less anxiety-provoking math, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.03.011">such as whole numbers or percentages</a>. For instance, parents can show that ¾ – that is, three-fourths – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogpsych.2011.03.001">is the same as</a> 75 out of 100, or 75%. Parents can draw a connection to money, too. There are four quarters in a dollar. Each quarter is worth 25 cents. That means that three out of four quarters is worth 75 cents. </p>
<h2>5. Avoid negative math attitudes</h2>
<p>This recommendation goes hand in hand with our first recommendation. Parents should seek out opportunities to talk about math at every chance they get, but they should avoid negative math talk. Many an American will freely admit to being <a href="https://osf.io/hcqst">“not a math person”</a>. These off-the-cuff remarks can have serious consequences for children, who <a href="http://doi.org/10.1126/science.274.5294.1926">soak up information in their environments</a>. </p>
<p>Math-anxious teachers and parents can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910967107">transmit their anxiety to children, especially girls</a>. Girls and women have <a href="http://doi.org/10.1186/1744-9081-8-33">higher math anxiety</a>, which could be one reason they have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/11409.1556-1631">lower math performance and less confidence when estimating numbers</a> and are less likely than men to pursue <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100614541236">STEM careers</a>.</p>
<p>I hope parents embrace their new role as math tutors, because it seems as if home schooling <a href="https://info.burbio.com/school-tracker-update-feb-22/">will continue throughout the spring for many students</a>. It shouldn’t go unmentioned that kids aren’t all that enamored with their home-school teachers either. Some may even hope they won’t have the same teacher next year.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Clarissa A. Thompson receives funding from the U.S. Department of Education (Institute of Education Sciences). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marta Mielicki receives funding from the U.S. Department of Education (Institute of Education Sciences). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charles J. Fitzsimmons, Daniel A. Scheibe, and Lauren K. Schiller do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Parents thrust into the role of math teacher can take simple steps to help their children understand math better and dread it less.Clarissa A. Thompson, Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Kent State University Lauren K. Schiller, Adjunct assistant professor, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityMarta Mielicki, Postdoctoral research associate, Kent State University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.