Welcome! And thank you for visiting our video focusing on the importance of girls’ math identity to their success in STEM. Our project’s online community will continue to connect practitioners and researchers taking action to improve middle-school girls’ math identity as a way to broaden participation in STEM. What can you and others do to help girls believe they belong in math?

What an uplifting and important message you are giving.  This seems like such a simple message but we know it is also complex. What is your plan for disseminating this message?  What are the obstacles, if any, that you are finding you have to overcome in order to get practitioners to be more encouraging to girls about STEM?

It is exciting to have this opportunity to share access the to the Furthering Girls Math Identity Networked Improvement Community.  Please take a moment to join at http://www.girlsmathidentity.org/nic

Thank you for this important work. Could you describe some of the ways in which you work with teachers in order to raise their awareness of (and also change their practice) the ways in which they may be unconsciously impacting negative messages about girls and STEM? Also, how do you work with teachers to change practice?

I have joined your Google community and am so thrilled with the work you have outlined in your video.  My only question is, are you broadening your scope to include our girls in elementary school as well?

Welcome to the Girls' Math Identity Community! While our main focus is on girls in grades 4-8, the strategies apply to elementary grades as well, and you will find  relevant information and resources on our website. FYI, here's a link to information about another of our programs, Playtime is Science, that focuses specifically on grades PreK -3:  https://www.fhi360.org/resource/playtime-science

Merle, In your opening sentence alone, you CAPTURE so much...The "belief that you can do math and the belief that you belong." Having observed classes and instruction for decades, I see the unconscious, well-intended forms of (disabling) bias routinely. Thanks for calling it out-again.

Phyllis, thanks for the positive feedback. It's true that there is so much unconscious bias in well-intended comments. For example, an adult trying to assure a girl by saying, "That's  OK, I wasn't any good at math either."

I found your message to be very empowering!  I am a high school mathematics teacher, and I often have female students who lack confidence.  They are awesome girls with such potential, but their lack of confidence often gets in their way.  I try my best to encourage these girls and instill confidence in them throughout the school year.  I notice that a lot of your materials focus on middle school aged girls.  Is there a particular reason you focus on this age group?  Do you still think that it is possible to change a girls math identity once she is a junior in high school?  

Katey, thanks for your thoughtful comment and for your efforts to instill confidence in your students. We focused on middle-school girls because that is a critical time of transition -- from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high school. However, I believe that it is never too late to make change, and I am fully confident that you are doing just that. All of our strategies -- providing role models and career choices and giving girls the opportunity to be "experts" -- certainly would work in high school as well. Good luck.

Great video Merle... as you know I have a Goddaughter who has done extremely well for herself in typically male-dominated areas such as engineering, technology and business development and funding.  I truly believe she has been so successful because of reinforcement during her early years from her dad (and I hope a little from me).  You're like the Energizer Bunny - you keep going and going and going... Bravo!

Thank you, Ed. Your Goddaughter has done great work. Research has shown that support from a father to his daughter is one of the best indicators of whether a girl will consider STEM as a career. (I'm sure Godfather counts big as well!).

Merle and Maryann - Great video and discussion! I was so honored to be a part of the related conference, and am excited to see where this work goes next - Thanks also for the reminder of Playtime is Science - now that I am at a children's museum, i need to revisit this!

Thank you, Dale. How great to hear from you. I hope we can find some way to continue to work with you at the children's museum. Yes, Playtime is Science would be a natural fit, and it includes wonderful suggestions for family outreach and involvement as well.

Great topic. I loved math as a student but way back then (!!!), I never saw a career path in pursuing that topic. Best of luck continuing this important work!

Thanks, Kris. Hopefully students are now more likely to understand all the possible career paths that math offers. I'm sure you are a great mentor!

This video has such a strong message that every girl needs to hear.  I am a second year sixth grade math teacher and I have seen first hand exactly how these young individuals feel about math.  I like how you mentioned about moving to an inquiry base aproach and not functional mathematics.  What ways as a teacher could this be done and how do you approach this way with young girls who already are reluctant?  I also teach in an inner city school.  Have you found anything similar or different about the approach in the way mathematics should be taught in the various school settings?

Aubree, thanks for your comment and for your very good questions. Inquiry-based learning is a form of active learning that starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios—rather than simply presenting established facts or portraying a smooth path to the answers. It fosters problem-solving, creativity and critical-thinking skills. If you haven't already, I suggest you visit https://www.youcubed.org which has a wealth of ideas for exciting inquiry-based classroom activities grades K-8, that would work in any school setting. You also might look at our After-School Math PLUS program https://www.fhi360.org/resource/after-school-ma..., which uses easy-to-find, culturally familiar materials to teach real-world, inquiry-based math grades 3-8.

Hi Merle,

I am a high school math teacher at an all-girls private and therefore only see girls’ math identities.  I hope that as a department we are showing our students that females can do math and do belong in the mathematics field since four out of our five math teachers are female.  On back to school night we make sure to tell our students’ parents that their daughters’ mindset about her ability to do math starts at home and that it is important for them to talk positively about mathematics. Do you provide any inquiry-based professional development opportunities to teachers in addition to having the Networked Improvement Community?

Thanks, Allison

Allison, thanks for your comments and for all the good work you are doing. Having female teachers as role models and involving families are two of the most important strategies for fostering a positive math identity in girls. We do provide professional development to teachers -- where are you located? if you would like to explore the possibility, you can reach me directly at mfroschl@fhi360.org.

Thanks, Merle

Hello, Furthering Girls' Math Identity Team,

I am honored to have the opportunity to both work with and advance my own learning in this NSF sponsored researcher-practitioner (RP) collaborative endeavor. The results of this RP Initiative is groundbreaking, especially in its collaboration focus. Indeed, advancing girls' sustained interest and pursuit in the mathematical sciences can be most effective when all stakeholders, including parents, communities, corporate, public and non-public entities collaborate and strategically partner with each other to make mathematics relevant in a student's life. It will be through these interactive in- and out-of school learning opportunities that the excitement and joy of "doing" mathematics will be realized, especially for girls.

Keep up your great work, Merle, Maryann and Ben!

Thank you for the comment Lorraine!  And thank you for the important work that you do with WME.

Thank you, Lorraine. It has been a pleasure to work with you as well! Your RP project on strengthening girls' math identity through problem-based learning makes a real contribution to the field.