Below are responses by Dr. Robert J. Wallace, Ph.D. to five questions asked about science in elementary schools.
Q: In light of Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers’ recent controversial comments on women in science, what can be done in the elementary school classroom to ensure gender equity in science education and to encourage girls as well as boys to pursue careers in science?
A: Although great progress has been made in the area of gender equity in many areas of science, it is clear from the comments by Dr. Summers that there still is a way to go before true equity is achieved. The paper by Leonhardt and Fraser-Abder outlines some of the issues (Leonardt, N., and P. Fraser-Abder. 1996. Research Experiences for Teachers. The Science Teacher 63(1): 3033.)
It is clear that a teacher must be very attentive about his/her own attitudes as well as about the attitudes of his/her students. Boys and girls need to have equal time, encouragement and access to blocks, construction materials, computers, art areas, musical instruments, cooking areas, costume and role-play areas, etc. Teachers need to be careful to treat children as individuals and not as stereotypes. Most teachers that I have worked with are very sensitive to this. Pressures can come from outside of the classroom, and the teacher cannot control everything. However, he/she must try to be a good role model for the children for whom she/he is responsible.
Often, raising these issues in classroom discussions is a good way to get everyone to look at the problem. This is especially true in the middle school but also can be very effective in elementary school. It continues to amaze me how many children in kindergarten already have clearly defined ideas about what is appropriate or inappropriate for each gender.
When doing scientific research on gender differences, there is a tendency to look for male/female differences because these groups tend to be easy to identify. Even research that suggests that there are statistically significant cognitive and learning differences between males and females show so much overlap between the two groups as to render the results ineffective in making decisions about any individual. This is complicated further by the fact that even scientific research is heavily influenced by cultural norms. The important thing to remember is that all children should be encouraged to work to meet the highest standards possible, regardless of any gender or cultural background.
