Most girls will drop out of the math-science pipeline somewhere between
middle school and high school. Math and science performance are *equal*
until late in high school, where girls have often been discouraged from
taking advanced math classes. What seems to make the most difference is
girls seeing role models that encourage them to believe there are careers
for them in these areas. So if you are or know of women involved in math
and science, encourage them to speak at middle schools and high schools on
their work.
I'm not a big fan of computer games aimed specifically at girls - I don't
think their interests diverge that much from boys *except* that girls
prefer non-violent games that involve puzzle solving and thinking skills
rather than fighting games. That is the *only* real difference I've seen.
The other issue is in teaching computer skills, where girls need to be
encouraged to explore for themselves and realize these are skills they
*can* learn. Girls tend to internalize and personalize not being able to
master a skill easily (I'm not good at this); boys tend to externalize it
(this isn't easy) and may figure they just need more practice.
My resources page has links to many sites of interest to girls and women
on the Internet, especially in the areas of math and science. Please let
me know if you find out of date links. Thanks.
Donna Woodka
woodka@sdsc.edu
On Wed, 1 Apr 1998, Linda Purrington wrote:
> Forwarded by Linda Purrington <lpurring@earthlink.net>
>
> 03/09/98- Updated 06:18 PM ET
>
> Tech gender gap remains despite gains
>
> In the late '80s when teacher Tommy Bass looked over his technical
> drafting class at Southern Nash Senior High near Rocky Mount, N.C., he
> would see one female face out of about 20.