Girls and young women
Historically, girls and young women have had fewer opportunities to participate in and benefit from deep science and engineering learning. To help combat this issue, Amplify Science aids teachers in positioning girls and young women as powerful science and engineering learners. For instance, teachers can consciously leverage the many paired, small group, and class discussions that are embedded in the curriculum to be opportunities to ensure access and equity. To do so, teachers can deliberately call on girls and young women to offer ideas during class discussions at least as often as boys and young men, and to provide them with positive feedback and encouragement when they do. Teachers can also be mindful that girls get an equal opportunity to take on leadership roles when activities call for small groups to assume roles. within their small groups. Furthermore, when these groups are asked to have a spokesperson present and discuss the group’s ideas with the whole class, teachers can take heed that the girls in the class are equitably represented.
- In the middle school Weather Patterns unit, students read an article that features Dr. Joanne Simpson, one of the most famous meteorologists in history. The article, “What Are Clouds”, describes how she started studying clouds because she loved their shapes—and because her male colleagues thought she should study something they considered unimportant. Simpson’s work continues to inform the work of meteorologists today.
With Amplify Science’s myriad of books and articles that depict a variety of women scientists, girls and young women finally have the opportunity to be inspired by relatable role models, to develop positive science identities, and to imagine themselves pursuing similar roles in the future.