For Educators
Teachers and group leaders, you have more influence on the career and course decisions of young girls than you can imagine.
Your reactions and comments on their interests, their classwork, and their products make all the difference in their future careers. Plan what you say, and watch what you do.
Download the GEMS Club Handbook.
Talking with girls about GEMS handout
How teachers can encourage girls in STEM
Suggestions:
- Show no fear. Start with STEM activities you like to do so that they see and feel your excitement.
- Don’t be afraid to fail. If the experiment you all try does not end with the expected results, work together to analyze the results. This attitude shows girls that they do not have to know everything to try STEM.
- Move out of your comfort zone. Learn something new and share it with the girls.
- Expose them to other professions through guests, volunteers, mentors and videos. Let STEM careers cross their radar over and over.
- Fill the environment with good role models and make it welcoming. There are tons of resources for this from NCWIT, Engineer Girl, the National Women’s History Project, to name just a few. Remember, you are combating years of television watching as you try to change each girl’s self image.
Science Resources for Educators
BioEd Online — Science teacher resources from Baylor
PBS’ Design Squad — hands-on STEM activities, especially good for younger children
The Molecularium — understanding nanoscale atoms and molecules
Steve Spangler Experiments — great experiments for all ages
Technical Education Research Center — research to improve science teaching
Teacher Source — products and lessons by teachers for teachers
Association of Physics Teachers — links, resources and information for physics lessons
Cool Science — lessons and collaboration for teaching all areas of STEM
Try Nano — news and information about nanotechnology
National Association of Rocketry — great information to encourage girls in rocketry
KidWind — teaching the world about wind and wind power
Small Science Zines — let your girls contribute their knowledge and creativity to this site
Understanding Science — How science really works from Berkeley
You Be the Chemist — so many lessons and activities here — an inspiring site
Solve Puzzles for Science — folding proteins and more–crowd-sourcing scientific mysteries
Great Science for Girls — Tools for evaluating your club and its impact on girls in science
Learn About Sound–Acoustical Society — help your girls explore sound and careers
American Association of Chemistry Teachers — activities and resources for K-12
XPLORLABS –understanding power and more
ZOOM — Videos and activities from PBS Learning Media
NIH Science Curriculum Supplements — explore the science behind many health topics
STEM2D–exceptional resources from the Smithsonian Institution designed to encourage girls in STEM
General Resources for Educators
A checklist for gender-fair teaching from NAPE
Teaching Tips to share with your colleagues or CLT from GEMS leaders
AAUW research on equity in schools and workplaces
Myra Sadker Foundation — promoting equity in and beyond schools
NSF Classroom Resources for all branches of STEM
PBS STEM Education Resources — bringing the world to your classroom
Girls Love STEᴀM — A source for STEM & STEᴀM children’s books & websites.
STEM Ecosystems — general resources on STEM education
littleBits White Paper on STEM in Elementary School
STEM Teaching Tools — research and tools for improving the teaching of STEM
STEM Read –-Lesson plans, podcasts and resources connecting STEM with English/Language Arts. This site is very “school” oriented but has great activities that can be used in an after school setting.
STEM Pathways — 4-H has great resources for exploring careers and facets in STEM
STEM Learning — curriculum resources from the UK to support teaching and learning
ITEEA Open Access Resources for Teachers — free resources from the International Technology Educators Association (Elementary, Middle, High)
Math Resources for Educators
Math Activities Linked to Math Standards—let your out-of-school time program help your girls in classroom math.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics — multiple avenues to encourage math exploration
MIT Blossoms — math resources from the masters
Math Counts — competitions for middle schoolers to build confidence and improve attitudes
Project Euler — challenges and problem sets for the adventurous
Museum of Math — fun puzzles and experiences from this new museum
CSandMath — making sense of math while building career skills in computer science
Youcubed — building a mindset of success in math
Strategies for supporting females in STEM— Lynda Weist, University of Nevada
“I want my daughter to see the possibilities in math and science beyond what she learns in the classroom.”
Parent, 2004
Engineering Resources for Educators
Purdue University’s EPICS resources — preparing for the future while improving communities today
Nanoscale Network — developing an understanding of nanotechnology
Try Engineering — resources for students and teachers
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics — resources for aerospace education
Model and Materials Lessons — great ideas for clubs
Engineering Design-Based Science — housed by Auburn University
STEM by Design — Resources from MiddleWeb
Technology Resources for Educators
Intel’s Idea Showcase–Ideas for integrating technology into the core curriculum. Short and long lessons.
Ready to Code -– Extensive resources on embedding computer science into your program
Be sure to review the resources for teaching programming on the Computer Science page.
Exploring Computer Science — high school level curriculum and teacher professional development
Computer Science Unplugged — teaching the fundamentals of Computer Science without screens
Computational Thinking — the building blocks of computer science
Computer Science Teachers Association — news and resources for teaching Computer Science
Pair Programming — one of the best approaches to teaching Computer Science
Hour of Code — teach yourself! And then help the girls to learn.
Try Computing from IEEE–lessons, activities and explanations for the budding computer scientist
Hacking STEM from Microsoft–a collection of collaborative projects using everyday toys and tools