The Monday Consult: Girls and math
A reader wrote to say that her third-grade daughter is already saying that girls just aren't good at math. "Where in the heck did she get that??," the reader e-mailed me. "Are there any resources for parents who want their girls to not fall into that trap?"
I sent the question to Penny Rheingans, associate professor of computer science and interim director of the Center for Women and Information Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She wrote that this is largely a problem of perception, and that girls actually perform as well as boys at math at least through high school.
"Unfortunately, the perception alone can be damaging, convincing girls that they're not supposed to succeed at math," she wrote. "Those who belong to groups not typically expected to succeed in a setting . . . are more vulnerable internalizing the inevitable rough spots in a challenging subject. A minor difficulty in a math class can leave a girl convinced that she's the problem and just not suited for math. A boy in a similar situation would be more likely to conclude that the teacher or the test or some other external factor was the problem, since it couldn't possibly be him."
Here are a few tips Rheingans offered to help:
"Offer encouragement. It's important to recognize and reinforce things that go right. Concrete, specific praise tends to be more believable to those skeptical about their abilities, so "Wow, I was impressed by how you solved that problem" works better than "You're great at math."
"Enlist a group. Being a majority of the (group you're working in) helps counter the effects of not being stereotypically expected to excel. Experiments have shown girls to do better on math tests in majority-girl groups than when they're in the minority. Even a single buddy will provide a sounding board for experiences and expectations, as well as peer-pressure to persist.
"Emphasize practical applications of math. Point out math aspects of activities she enjoys: probability in card games, fractions in cooking, score differentials and trends in sports, and discounts in shopping.
"Girls are frequently more motivated by math and technology as a means to an end, rather than as an end to itself," Rheingans wrote. "Ways in which math, science, and technology can help people, animals, and the environment are particular engaging."
Rheingans offered a couple of web resources she thought would help. "Sally Ride Science runs programs and provides materials and links to cool websites for educators, parents, and girls. The Ada Project (named after the first computer programmer -- Ada Byron, Lady Lovelace) maintains a great list of math and computer science links for girls."
Comments
I think one way to build enthusiasm about math is to expose our daughters to challenging and exciting math, and show them how it relates to the world at large. I work for The Ingenuity Project, a non-profit organization in Baltimore City that provides advanced math and science education at three public middle schools and one high school. I'm happy to report that we've seen first-hand how easily this stereotype can be debunked. The girls (and boys) in are program are interested and excited about math, and are very capable of doing advanced work. They love the challenge! I'm thrilled to see more and more young ladies interested in the STEM subjects.
Posted by: Shani Ortiz | October 13, 2008 10:59 AM
When I was growing up my mom had two mantras for me: until junior high it was "Math and Reading, Math and Reading," which was then followed by "Math and Science, Math and Science." (I am an engineer now.) I think the best bet is to encourage girls from home, from a young age, that a strong foundation in math can take them in many directions... and I like the idea of emphasizing the practical applications.
Posted by: Heather | October 17, 2008 8:55 AM