Middle_School_Females_in_Math

Middle School Females in Math Chapter 1 Introduction Does the separation of boys and girls in the classroom make a difference' According to the National Association for Single Sex Public Education (NASSPE), “the single-sex classroom creates more opportunities than the coed classroom. The NASSPE also suggest that in the all-boys or all-girls classroom teachers can utilize strategies that would otherwise not work in the coed classroom” ("Coed or Single Sex Education: What's the Difference'," 2012). In the article “Shedding Some New Light on Old Truths: Student Attitudes to School in Terms of Year Level and Gender,” it is said that middle and high school girls have positive attitudes towards school but negative attitudes towards mathematics.” Throughout the years, girls have continued to make positive strides to be as good as boys in these subjects, yet they still fall short. Society has been putting females and males in the same classroom for years thinking that everyone, males and females, can learn the same exact way. As I continue to research, I am finding that single-gender classes are better for girls and, therefore, should be encouraged. Single-gender classes eliminate gender bias and are proving to give girls both academic and personal benefits. “Some researchers have found that girls develop more leadership skills and self-confidence in single-sex schools, where they do not have to compete with boys who tend to dominate in leadership roles” (Sleeter & Grant, 2007, p. 54). Statement of the Problem I believe that because of gender bias, girls are shortchanged when it comes to learning mathematics in the co-educational classroom. “In general, girls are less confident in their math abilities and show less interest in math and science careers, beginning in early adolescence” (Anderson, 2007, “Encouraging Girls in Math and Science,” para 3). According to the National Education Association (2010), in the field of math, gender discrimination is still a major issue in the nation’s school. Often time, educators do not even know that there is a bias present in their classroom. The question teachers and educators are often faced with is, “How can I make math more relevant for girls in my class and can they perform better in an all-girls’ setting'” Background Information In 1972, legislation developed Title XI to help ensure that gender discrimination was no longer an issue in schools. However, according to Pytel, during instruction, many teachers tend to spend more time and attention on boys in math classes rather than female students who are overlooked during a time when attention is needed (Pytel, 2008, p. 256). “According to the National Association for Single Sex Public Education (NASSPE), girls lose self-esteem and confidence as they progress through adolescence. Because of this, girls become more passive and take less intellectual risks. In the coed environment, they are constantly put under social pressure by boys and lack the confidence in their own individual abilities. So, when girls are in math class, they do not answer as many questions, rather they are quiet in fear of being wrong or that they will be judged by the male students. Most teachers are not trained to address these issues in the classroom” (NASSPE: Home Introduction, 2012). “Boys and girls learn differently and this has a lot to do with the brain and how they think. A boys’ brain is suited for more spatial abilities and skills, while the girls’ brain is more suited for verbal related skills” (James, 2009, pp. 11-14). “Parents, teachers, or school counselors who believe these stereotypes are less likely to encourage or support a young girl's decisions to take math and science in high school and beyond. It has been found that when parents believe boys are better at math than girls, they are willing to let their daughters drop out of math class when the going gets tough. With sons, however, the same parents encourage persistence. In the classroom, teachers, often unaware of their own biases, call on boys more, praise boys more for correct answers, and are more likely to ask boys for help in science and math demonstrations. The message girls get is that they are not as good as boys” (Javonoviv/Dreves, 1995). When students are not connected to what they are learning, they tend to lose interest really quickly. Teachers have to build into these female students math self-efficacy, and build up their self-esteem so that learning these subjects become more relevant. Teachers should also create a nurturing classroom and a safe environment for the female students to strive in. They also need to have higher expectations for girls, call on them as often as they do boys, ask higher level thinking questions, provide hands on activities, and build a better connection with the female student. Before introducing a new unit, I usually have my co-ed classes write down what they already know about the topic we are about to discuss, whereas, with my all girls group, I usually have a discussion about what they already know because I usually get more conversation out of the single gender class. I feel that I receive more discussion in my single gender vs. my co-ed because the young ladies are afraid of being wrong in front of the male gender, but with each other, they will agree and disagree openly about the topic. I’ve learned through teaching that there is a special kind of test anxiety, math anxiety. I’ve had students who told me before tests that they were worried they were going to fail, and they were usually correct. Usually, the only students who appear to work diligently while taking a math test and then turn in the test having only answered a few questions were the girls. When I would ask these young ladies why they didn’t answer all the questions, their normal reply is, “I couldn’t remember how to solve those problems.” I believe because of their cautious approach, young ladies take a little more time with each item, which sometimes causes them not to complete as many questions. Whereas with the young men, because of their impulsivity, they are more likely to guess and check, causing them to make more mistakes. Significance of the Study The research of this topic is very relevant to education because it is putting the issue of teaching girls math and science in the forefront so that schools and educators have a better idea of what is going on in the classroom. It will help teachers have a better idea of how to address these issues when they arise. All educators should be concerned with the idea of how to enhance the learning experience for girls in math classes. This study will provide strategies that teachers can use to help motivate their female students to take a more active role in this subject area. Purpose of the Study There are pros and cons of single gender classrooms. The pros include: as teachers, we can spend extra time with those students who are struggling, but may be embarrassed to ask a question in front of the opposite sex, those who normally have self-doubt may try new things without the worry of being teased or trying to impress the opposite sex, discipline problems decrease, and academic achievement increases. The cons include: not all discipline may decrease, not all academics may increase, and social skills between the genders get put on hold. “The strongest argument against SS education is that it reduces boys’ and girls’ opportunities to work together in a supervised, purposeful environment” (The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling, 333, 1707). The purpose of this study is to explore female learning in a single gender classroom. This study will focus on female performance in math in a co-educational setting versus the performance of females in a single gender classroom. Based on the review of current literature, I will give the female students in both settings a qualitative questionnaire/pre-survey to determine their previous experiences, and opinions about math. I will also address the following questions in my study: 1. Does separating girls into gender specific classes fully address learning issues of girls and causes them to perform better in math' 2. What are the female students’ prior knowledge, personal opinion, and attitude towards the subject math' I have read several recommendations on what teachers can do to encourage girls to choose career paths in math and science related fields. “One major way is to foster girls’ development of strong beliefs about their abilities in these subjects. (1) Teach students that academic abilities are expandable and improvable. (2) Provide prescriptive, informational feedback. (3) Expose girls to female role models who have succeeded in math and science. (4) Provide students, especially girls, with specific training in spatial skills that are crucial to success in many math and science related fields such as physics, engineering, architecture, geometry, topology, chemistry, and biology” (Gallagher & Kaufman, 2005, pp. 111-112). References Anderson, J. (2007). "Encouraging Girls in Math and Science: Questions with Assistant Professor Jon Star." Harvard Graduate School of Education. Web. 01 Sept. 2012. http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news-impact/2007/11/encouraging-girls-in-math-and-science-questions-with-assistant-professor-jon-star/. Coed or Single Sex Education: What's the Difference' Coed. Web. 01 Sept. 2012. http://nyteachers.wordpress.com/'s=coed. Gallagher, Ann M., and James C. Kaufman. Gender Differences in Mathematics: An Integrative Psychological Approach. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2005. 111-12. Print. Halpern, Diane F., Lise Eliot, Rebecca S. Bigler, Richard A. Fabes, Laura D. Hanish, Janet Hyde, Lynn S. Liben, and Carol Lynn Martin. "The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling." Web. 23 Sept. 2011. www.sciencemag.org. James, Abigail Norfleet. Teaching the Female Brain: How Girls Learn Math and Science. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2009. 11-14. Print. NASSPE: Home Introduction. NASSPE: Home Introduction. Web. 02 Sept. 2012. http://www.singlesexschools.org/. National Education Association. (2010). "Research Spotlight on Single-Gender Education." NEA -. Web. 01 Sept. 2012. http://www.nea.org/tools/17061.htm. Pytel, B. Same Gender Classrooms and Student Achievement. Mankato, MN: Compass Point, 2008. 256. Print. Sleeter, Christine E., and Carl A. Grant. Making Choices for Multicultural Education: Five Approaches to Race, Class, and Gender. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2007. 54. Print.