Welcome to the fifth season of SciGirls! This project is designed to increase the number of girls in computer science and coding using gender equitable and culturally responsive teaching strategies. In addition to the new coding-focused episodes on PBS Kids, SciGirls offers activities aligned with national standards and with the SciGirls Strategies, a set of research-based strategies funded by the NSF that have been proven to address barriers to STEM learning by girls, including the lack of diverse role models. Technology-aligned activities can be found on SciGirlsCONNECT.org, a website for educators that feature chaptered SciGirls videos, equity-focused strategies, and STEM + technology-focused activities. Over the next year, outreach efforts will include implementing coding-based programs for girls at 12 educational partner sites across the nation using the new resources, and includes a summative evaluation on the implementation of activities and strategies. In addition, we will complete a research study on the impact of narrative transport and character identification on girls’ interest in coding and pursuing other coding opportunities by watching the new episodes and playing the new game, CODE QUEST .

Great topic! Thank you for this important work. 

Excellent and inspiring initiative! At the University of Puerto Rico we are working in the development of initiatives to promote the participation of young girls, we will love to join efforts with your project!

Liz,

Good to hear from you! All SciGirls resources are free and in English and Spanish, you can find them on SciGirls CONNECT. 

We have worked with Dr. Sandra Cruz-Pol, Professor Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez on our Emmy Award-nominated episode, Asombrosos Arboles (Terrific Trees).

Our entire fourth season was filmed primarily in Spanish. The episodes are available also in one playlist here that includes the six episodes and 12 short-form videos of Latina STEM professionals.

Research and evaluation reports on the family and girl-focused Latina SciGirls program can be found on informalscience.org.  

An exerpt from the final research study states: 

Girls reported higher rates of emotional connection after exposure to the media-enhanced outreach program featuring family involvement and visits by in person Latina STEM role models. Emotional connection is an important component of STEM-related identity development, and one that is often a challenge to impact positively in formal education settings. The informal education Latina SciGirls programs seem to have performed better in this regard. Younger girls In particular (4^th and 5^th graders) reported significantly higher rates of both emotional connection and personal relevance to STEM after participating in a Latina SciGirls program. The influence of mothers in particular seem to make the difference between girls successfully navigating the default tension between gender identity and STEM identity prevalent in Latinx culture (and most other cultures).  It may be the case that parent involvement and influence is more pronounced in the type of informal STEM learning that Latina SciGirls generated than in formal education where parent roles are more restrictive.  

 

This is inspiring work!  I appreciate your focus on culturally responsive practices to empower girls. Will your upcoming efforts with your educational partners focus on the middle school level? 

I too like the culturally relevant piece. I find that sometimes people have a hard time imagining what these practices might look like in a classroom. Can you give some examples?

Hi there, this is such important work. Thank you for applying your resources to this topic. Our topic is about multivariable calculus learning and led by a female mathematician, but does not directly deal with inclusivity in such an acute way. Thank you!

Absolutely Janice!

The new SciGirls Strategies (just republished in 2019 after an NSF-funded literature review) has a strong focus on an overarching framework of cultural responsive practices and the design of an inclusive and welcoming learning environment. We also have a short video for educators on culturally responsive teaching here.

The link below goes straight to that part of the guide that includes an overview of culturally responsive teaching and specific tips on how to become more culturally responsive!

Download the Framework for the SciGirls Strategies: STEM for All Learning Environment and Culturally Responsive Practices

A few tips include:

Understand your own culture and how it affects others. Engage in self-reflection regarding how your values, attitudes, experiences, and social context shapes your instruction and how it might be improved.

Get to know your youth and build on their life experiences. Provide opportunities for youth to share their interests and personal experiences and connect them to STEM.

Embrace participants’ home language. Validate youth’s bilingual abilities to leverage learning and make youth feel welcome and accepted.

Have you seen any feedback or outcomes with these Vimeo links for culturally responsive teaching? I will be sharing these with my Media Arts groups as well!

The SciGirls Snapshots (videos) were produced just prior to the updating of the SciGirls Strategies. They cover a variety of topics, including culturally responsive teaching. We have used them with high school educators in Minnesota who are learning research-based strategies to recruit and retain more girls in STEM and CTE courses. Feel free to share!

In addition, SciGirls' Cultural Diversity Consultant, Dr. Alicia Santiago recently wrote this blog for NSTA, Equity in STEM Education: It's all about culture!  "A way for educators to span the cultural divide between them and their students is to build bridges using culturally responsive practices and creating inclusive learning environments. Educators who approach science teaching and learning with a culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) are effective in bridging that cultural divide."

Thank you for sharing!  One of our team members (Theresa) attended a SciGirls training a couple of years ago.  Her experience helped us as we developed our own project, to help ensure a more equitable experience for all learners.  The use of story in learning, and motivating students with experiences that add to the stories they are building about their own lives is so important.

Thanks for continuing with the great work! I hope you have a chance to check out the video I made on some of our work on increasing girls' engagement with STEM and countering negative biases like "math is for boys." SciGirls rocks!

I love SciGirls! I did the SciGirls facilitator training a couple years ago. I would love to get reconnected now that I have switched organizations (from OdySea Aquarium to the SciTech Institute).

I am very impressed with the detailed lesson plans, STEM mentors, and showing how everyday girls can use STEM in their lives.

 Hi Rita & team, Your videos are wonderful. Culturally responsive teaching is most vital in our world today. I love watching SciGirls, your work is exceptional! Thank you for sharing. CarlaDean

Your video was inspiring. I work only at the university level trying to improve STEM faculty's attitudes towards girls/women but was gratified to see the confidence you are building in the girls that will enable them to persist in science. 

Great work and fantastic job bringing so many resources together.  Conservation work, game dev, data science and STEM justice with coding and the arts.  

Can you expound on the types of data and the content of the data that comes out of this work? Learning? Skillsets? Motivations? Interests? Perspectives?