6 Top Tips to Engage Girls in Science

I’m sure we can all recall a time during a lesson when a student has asked:

“When will I ever need to know this?”

Too many students, especially girls, do not see the value in studying Science as part of their education.

During the course of my 25 year career I have been increasingly encountering students arriving at school with very low aspirations for their future with little awareness of the huge number of possibilities that lie before them. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to hear from former students who are now pursuing scientific careers. For example, I recently received an email from an ex-pupil who is now working as a cardiac sonographer in Australia.

Engaging more girls in Science has many benefits for the students themselves, their school and society as a whole.

• Success in Science at GCSE level can unlock a wider possibility of career choices. That may be a career very closely related to science such as becoming a dentist. Alternatively it could be a career which merely stipulates a science qualification for entry into the profession such as primary teaching. For an enormous list of science based careers click here.
• According to the The Complete University Guide, 9 out of the top 10 starting salaries for graduates are STEM based degrees.
• If we can engage more girls in science and ignite their intrinsic motivation they will be more likely to get a good pass in their GCSE which is a win for the student and also a win for the school. Let’s not forget that most students follow either Combined Science or Separate Science so it is contributing 2 or 3 qualifications to their total and also the school tally.
• If we don’t actively encourage as many girls as boys to get excited about learning Science, our society and economy will be missing out on all of that potential talent.

6 Tips to engage more girls in science

1. Think carefully about the content that we introduce into lessons. How many times are Physics calculations based on the speed of a train or the acceleration of a car? These questions can just as easily be the speed of a cheetah or the acceleration of an Olympic sprinter. By using content that is more gender neutral, you’re not inadvertently switching off the interest of some of the girls.
2. Embed STEM careers information into lessons.
   In our science department we have a rolling programme of adding into our scheme of work numerous examples of STEM careers that feature women. This could be a powerpoint slide at a relevant point in the lesson that highlights a woman in a role such as a chemical engineer. We inform the pupils what the role involves, the qualifications needed for that career and the typical salary. For careers videos that can be shared with classes click here.
3. Use former female students as role models for the current cohort. Whenever I hear from former students, even if it’s just a “hello” in the street, I make sure they contact me at school so they can tell me more about their science career for the “Alumni” display on my classroom wall. Each woman featured on the classroom display tells us a little about their role and what they studied to lead them into that role. I also ask for a photo of them “at work” and one of their school photos. It’s a very powerful way of showing how a student from the same school in the same uniform from the same background can achieve success. From time to time with my classes, I make a point of standing next to the display and talking about one of the women featured. Otherwise it would just become “classroom wallpaper”.
4. Ensure women in STEM careers are represented at school careers events. Most schools will have some form of “careers fair” each year where outside companies come in and have a stall to inform pupils about their line of work. We also have careers “speed dating” where women from industry sit at different tables in the hall and are asked questions by a group of 8 students. When the bell rings they then move onto another table. This is an ideal opportunity to ensure representation by women in STEM careers.
5. Think carefully about how students are put into groups for practical work. Experiment with the way you allocate students to groups for practical work. Try out boys and girls working collaboratively versus single sex groupings. Invite a colleague along to be an independent observer to see if there is any significant difference in terms of the girls getting involved in practical work.
6. Incorporate relatable female scientists into classroom displays. Some of the early female scientists truly were great pioneers. However, grainy black and white photos of women from a totally different generation are not going inspire the young minds of today. Let’s include modern examples of remarkable female scientists like Dr Hadiyah Green who was inspired to pursue a career in science after her aunt and uncle both died from cancer. Dr Green was the first person to treat cancer with nanoparticles. This links directly with the Structure and Bonding topic of GCSE Chemistry.