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Math and science are useful skills in approaching life experiences
regardless of whether they lead to careers in this field or
not. However, math and science have traditionally been dominated
and geared towards boys more than girls. To address such issues
of inequity, the WEEA Equity Resource Center, under contract
with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary
and Secondary Education, Women's Educational Equity Act, developed
the "Engaging Middle School Girls in Math and Science" online
course.
This course provides a way for middle school educators to
explore ways to increase girls' interest and participation
in math and science, and to develop equitable classrooms that
support learning for both girls and boys. It incorporates
online discussions, activities, and reflection into the course
structure. These online discussions between the course participants,
building on course readings and activities, and guided by
a facilitator explore the various methods to create classrooms
that support girls' involvement in science and math subjects,
by building on their knowledge of good instructional practice
to address the unique social and academic needs of girls.
In line with the goals of the course, participants:
- explore unconscious biases into which individuals are
socialized and that permeate instructional practice
- examine hidden gender-based assumptions in math and science
curricula
- examine good instructional practice that recognizes the
unique needs of students who are girls of color, English
language learners (ELL), and/or have disabilities
- try resources such as tools, materials, and role models
that enable teachers to be more inclusive in their representation
of good math, science, and technology practices
- learn how to build family and community support that
values girls' successes in math, science, and technology
- meet and explore the subject with colleagues, share research
information, reflective exercises, and lots of good discussion
After participating in the course, participants form part of
an online network of course graduates. This network offers ongoing
professional development and peer exchanges, and provides a
community of support for building equitable, and excellent math
and science classrooms. Graduate or undergraduate credit though
Antioch University is available. For mre information click here
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