Planting Seeds, Growing Diversity

Article Author name(s): Vanessa Hua
Title of article: Planting Seeds, Growing Diversity
Title of journal: Teaching Tolerance
Volume of the journal: Spring 2011
Issue number of the journal: 39
Intended audience: Students, parents and teachers

http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-39-spring-2011/planting-seeds-growing-diversity

Key Points: Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has long been dominated by white male students, and now is the time for women and students of color to make a breakthrough into the scientific curriculum of our schools. It’s not that there have not been notable minorities who have great contribution to the STEM fields, but rather their work has not been highlighted and added to curriculum, and it should be. The STEM fields are dominated 2 to 1 by male employees over female workers.

STEM teachers should aim to integrate lesser acknowledged scientists, preferably women and minorities, when discussing principle discoveries by the common, more popular researchers. Teachers say that my including the lesser known details of the field, stereotypes can be shattered and students can benefit from true discovery learning. Teachers must present STEM professions as passionate ones that break the mold from what students tend to think. For example, that engineering is not like being in a science club working with the “nerdy boys”, but rather than engineers are necessary to create almost everything, from toys to model homes. Using these examples, students can be prompted to relate the STEM fields to their own lives, and also ask parents to help students learn relevant STEM lessons outside of the classroom. For instance, one student’s mother discovered that although not a rocket scientist, she loved gardening; therefore she was a great asset to her daughter in the field of botany!

Relevance: Science teacher Alison Seymour summarizes the issue well, stating, “A diverse background brings diverse ideas. Thinking out of the box is a big part of science, which you won’t get if everyone is from the same background and education.