– Teachers and students alike believe that having predominately women STEEM teachers, coupled with the fact these teachers set high standards and “push” the girls, has led to growth in the girls’ confidence.
– Teachers’ promotion of active learning, hands-on activities and critical thinking, and their active promotion of STEEM careers are all clear strategies used by teachers across the STEEM departments at CDS. These practices appear to have increased the girls’ engagement in STEEM, and possibly to have reinforced the idea that they might pursue STEEM careers.
– By adding entrepreneurship to STEM, CDS has seen a positive impact on girls’ and their involvement in the STEEM initiative at CDS. Furthermore, not only have teachers noticed interest in these areas increasing among girls, the girls who participated in this study were clear that they connect with STEEM and see career opportunities in STEM through the inclusion of entrepreneurship.
– Even while discussing their efforts to increase girls’ engagement with STEM, many teachers celebrate gender blindness.
– These findings raised a number issues that should be important educators and (especially) school leaders. These include the importance of high standards for girls in STEEM classes, the value of including real world experiences in STEEM lessons, the success of expanding STEM with a less traditionally academic area and the challenges that gender blindness can perpetuate for educators and their students.