There have been many studies for instance done about girls who believe that because they are girls, they are not good at math. This belief causes them to give up a little sooner on tough math problems, opt for the regular instead of advanced course when on the verge of being able to do either, and pursue jobs in less STEM related fields. It's a subtle thing, but it adds up quite a lot over the years. Now think about who else this happens to. It's not just girls that lose out on opportunities because of this, other stereotypes include those about race and the lower class. Because people think they are not worth giving opportunities to, they do not get these opportunities. Fast forward to high school and you get a participation gap, certain students that do not participate because they don't want to display how 'bad' they are, and by now they actually may very well be bad at the subject because they haven't put in the effort over the years that others have by participating. I would love to see this gap be overcome, but when there is one teacher and twenty students per class (not even considering multiple classes per day) it is difficult to devote enough attention to be able to build that bridge once the gap already exists.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Participation Gap
To begin with, I'm going to give a bit of context on my teaching experience. Thus far I have only ever taught or assisted teaching in college setting courses, primarily in the field of math and physics related subjects. As such I am familiar with students who do not participate, but I'm also seeing them at a later period in life than many here with high school experience are used to. When I see that a student is not engaged is the lesson, it seems to often have to do with the fact that they don't understand what's going on. Whether the lack of understanding is the cause of non-engagement, vice versa, or they both share some common root is something that I've always struggled to determine. I've always gotten the sense however that it's a feedback loop where not being engaged means they don't pay attention enough to understand the material and since they don't understand the material, they disengage from the lesson even more. More so, I don't think that this is a cycle unique to the class I might happen to be teaching. I get the sense that this cycle is one that has developed over many years and they have come to see themselves as someone who simply just isn't good at school. This is something which seemed to be described by Halverson's "Film as Identity Exploration" as a 'narrative' (pg 4). This self narrative is about who you tell yourself you are, which is often influenced by who other people tell you that you are.
There have been many studies for instance done about girls who believe that because they are girls, they are not good at math. This belief causes them to give up a little sooner on tough math problems, opt for the regular instead of advanced course when on the verge of being able to do either, and pursue jobs in less STEM related fields. It's a subtle thing, but it adds up quite a lot over the years. Now think about who else this happens to. It's not just girls that lose out on opportunities because of this, other stereotypes include those about race and the lower class. Because people think they are not worth giving opportunities to, they do not get these opportunities. Fast forward to high school and you get a participation gap, certain students that do not participate because they don't want to display how 'bad' they are, and by now they actually may very well be bad at the subject because they haven't put in the effort over the years that others have by participating. I would love to see this gap be overcome, but when there is one teacher and twenty students per class (not even considering multiple classes per day) it is difficult to devote enough attention to be able to build that bridge once the gap already exists.
There have been many studies for instance done about girls who believe that because they are girls, they are not good at math. This belief causes them to give up a little sooner on tough math problems, opt for the regular instead of advanced course when on the verge of being able to do either, and pursue jobs in less STEM related fields. It's a subtle thing, but it adds up quite a lot over the years. Now think about who else this happens to. It's not just girls that lose out on opportunities because of this, other stereotypes include those about race and the lower class. Because people think they are not worth giving opportunities to, they do not get these opportunities. Fast forward to high school and you get a participation gap, certain students that do not participate because they don't want to display how 'bad' they are, and by now they actually may very well be bad at the subject because they haven't put in the effort over the years that others have by participating. I would love to see this gap be overcome, but when there is one teacher and twenty students per class (not even considering multiple classes per day) it is difficult to devote enough attention to be able to build that bridge once the gap already exists.
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Thanks for sharing your experiences in the classroom. I wish that we did have more solutions to address the participation gaps in classrooms, though I suppose a lot of that starts at home? When I read about girls disengaging from math (and I think about my own struggles with math), it motivates me to provide my daughter with the encouragement and assistance that she needs to succeed.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely a shame that not every student can receive the same education or that some have a certain mindset that they are not "good" at the subject so they stop trying, as you mentioned girls and the subject and math. It was very good that you were attentive enough as a teacher to realize the patterns of some of your students. I know you mentioned that you noticed this in their later stages of life, so for teachers who teach younger students, what would you recommend to try to prevent that from happening?
ReplyDeleteI really wish I knew Tim. I don't work with young kids that much so I don't know what works and what doesn't. I guess part of it relies on teachers actually having the extra time to assess what each student really needs and be able to better individualize assignments. That's really asking a lot from teachers though I realize.
DeleteHi Chad,
ReplyDeleteWhile reading your discussion post, I was able to remember and visual the achievement gap you discussed, both from my personal experiences growing up but also through observation in my beginning teaching career. I have seen this gap not only through different genders, but also races and abilities. I remember during my student teaching having a staff meeting focusing on achievement gaps in both academic and special ed classes and how the different demographics affected it. I believe this concern is a constant problem throughout all schools and grade levels. Even though I am an English teacher and do not have as much experience in the STEM disciplines, I have seen the competitiveness in my classes between the boys and girls. In my long-term sub position I taught 2 advances LA blocks and felt the overall classroom dynamic was not nearly as open, collaborative, and close as my other classes. I always heard students comparing test scores, homework, and other grades.