SciGirls provides some terrific ideas to help nurture girls’ love for Science in school. SciGirls is a production of Twin Cities Public Television in Minneapolis-St. Paul. While we need to dramatically improve the participation and representation of girls in Science activities and careers, it seems these ideas are good for both girls and boys.
1. Collaboration, especially when girls can participate and communicate fairly. (Girls are often energized by the social aspects of Science. Well, so do most boys!)
2. Girls are motivated by projects they find personally relevant and meaningful. (Well, so do most boys!)
3. Girls enjoy hands-on, open-ended projects and investigations. (Again, why differentiate this solely toward girls. So do most boys love to investigate.)
4. Girls are motivated when they can approach projects in their own way, applying their creativity, unique talents and preferred learning styles. (Again, terrific idea, but the research supports this idea being a good one for most all boys as well.)
5. Positive feedback helps, especially on things the can control such as effort, strategies, and behaviors. (Same for boys!)
6. Girls can gain confidence and trust in their own reasoning when encouraged to think critically. Cultivate an environment where asking questions is a must. (Good for boys too!)
7. Girls benefit from relationships with role models and mentors. (Again, why is this statement made about girls and not boys.)
While I applaud the ideas provided by SciGirls, and where teaching quality research would support each of the ideas, none of these are good for only girls.
Winning for Kids 