Objectives

With this tool, students are expected to: 

- Learn what are STEM and STEAM in education

- Raise awareness about the effects of gender stereotypes and the choice of STEM/STEAM educational paths for women

- Establish a bi-weekly lesson dedicated to the STEM/STEAM and gender stereotypes, in order to deepen student knowledge about the topic

- Be able to apply 21st century skills in the process of gender equality awareness

Activity details

Material:

articles and researches about STEM/STEAM and gender related stereotypes that affects the access for women to STEAM educational paths.

white paper sheets (the big format), coloured post-it notes and writing tools, for the panel.

Duration:

90 minutes

Group size:

it depends on the number of students in the class, group of 5 or six students are preferred. Mixed (by gender) groups are mandatory.

Target audience: student from 12 to 15 years old.

Instructions

The teacher organizes the class in mixed (by gender) groups, according to the number of students and gives 5 minutes to let students nominate one or two spokespersons for each group.

Working in groups: each group is going to discuss the information each member found and each group is going to select 3 keywords that represents the group’s ideas and opinion about the topic, and write them on 3 different post-it notes. The group is going to write a summary that synthesize the group’s information.

Collective activities: firstly, the spokesperson for each group will read the summary about the information/knowledges on gender related stereotypes that affects the access for women to STEAM educational paths. Secondly, each spokesperson will read the selected keywords for each group.

Conclusion: a brief common debate will follow. Students will express their ideas and opinions and choose (by democratic vote, for example raising hands) 1 post-it note for each group in order to create a panel. The panel will be placed in the class.

Tips for the teacher

Before the lesson, the teacher assigns to students the task of collecting and summarizing articles and materials about the topic. According to the knowledge about students’ levels and personalities, the teacher can suggest websites or links to specific articles.

During the common debate, the teacher has the role of mediator for potential conflicts that may arise during the expression of ideas and opinion, but with the reminder that each student is a mediator of his/her behaviour as well.

During the final part in which students choose the keywords in order to create the panel, the teacher will monitor that each student will express his/her vote and opinion. 

Debriefing

Ask students what they thought about the whole process and to give a vote about the class performance, in order to boost their self-evaluation skills

Ask students to express their opinion about the learning to learn process (during the homework): how their ability to look for information on different tools is increasing? 

Ask students to explain how the group work enabled them to enrich their knowledge about the topic

Ask students what they think about the value of learning from others and contributing to the other’s learning.

Follow-up/Inspiration for the future

After the first class about raising awareness on STEM/STEAM and gender-based stereotypes, the teacher will establish, together with students’ agreement a calendar with bi-weekly lessons dedicated to the topic.

During the week, the teacher is going to assign topic-based homework. The teacher can suggest websites or provide any kind of material for the topic. It is essential to remark and keep students aware about the “learning to learn process”, in which they are able to regulate their own process of learning and to boost them to try different tools for learning and finding information.

Each scheduled lesson will foresee 4 stages:

1. a first stage of group work, in which each group is going to share the new information, create a brief summary about, choose 3 key words and write them on 3 different post-it notes. The teacher will emphasise the importance of cooperating in teams, to learn from others and to contribute to other’s learning process. 
2. a second stage of common discussion, in which each spokesperson will read each group summary.
3. a third stage in which each spokesperson will read the 3 keywords.
4. a fourth stage in which students will vote for choosing 1 post-it note for each group and add them to the panel.

References/Further reading

https://ec.europa.eu/research/swafs/index.cfm?pg=policy&lib=education

https://ec.europa.eu/research/swafs/pdf/pub_science_education/KI-NA-26-893-EN-N.pdf

http://www.eurosteamproject.eu/res/Comparative_analysis_report_vlatest.pdf 

https://www.stemcoalition.eu/publications/strengthening-steam-education-eu 

https://www.schooleducationgateway.eu/en/pub/latest/practices/steam-learning-science-art.htm 

http://www.eun.org/focus-areas/stem