Welcome to the first ever episode of 'The Classroom Chat' by Kirsty Hall and Jonny Ross-Tatam, two teachers in their second year of the Teach First programme. This is where we talk about the big issues in education and gather  top tips for your classroom, from the research and fellow teachers. 

In this episode, we will be talking about why there are fewer girls pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects. This is both a moral and economic issue, particularly with the rise of well-paid technology jobs in the future. We'll be breaking down the research behind why girls are being discouraged in STEM subjects, while gathering tips from the research and fellow teachers for what we can do about it in the classroom. 

Music credits to: Audio Jungle - MorningLightMusic - Upbeat Inspiring Corportate Uplifting (AJ Preview)

For more on the research behind this podcast, see the articles below:

Suzanne Choney (March, 2018), ‘Why do girls lose interest in STEM? New research has some answers – and what we can do about it’, Microsoft;  https://news.microsoft.com/features/why-do-girls-lose-interest-in-stem-new-research-has-some-answers-and-what-we-can-do-about-it/ 

Nathalia Gjersoe (March, 2018), ‘Bridging the gender gap: why do so few girls study Stem subjects?’, The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2018/mar/08/bridging-the-gender-gap-why-do-so-few-girls-study-stem-subjects. 

Catherine Hill, Ph.D. (2010), ‘Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)’, American Association of University Women (AAUW); https://www.aauw.org/research/why-so-few/ 

For a summary of the Manchester Metropolitan University research see this article; Amy Packham (March, 2018), ‘7 Practical Ways Parents Can Inspire Girls To Get Into STEM’, The Huffington Post, https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/inspiring-girls-into-stem_uk_5aa7b5a7e4b03c9edfaf8584?guccounter=1&guce_referrer_us=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvLnVrLw&guce_referrer_cs=fzpgFS6YhkwWZgVt66ipsA. 
Anni REINKING, Barbara Martin, ‘The Gender Gap in STEM Fields: Theories, Movements, and Ideas to Engage Girls in STEM’, Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, [S.l.], v. 7, n. 2, p. 148-153, july 2018. ISSN 2254-7339. Available at: <https://naerjournal.ua.es/article/view/271>

The Classroom Chat - Girls in STEM - Episode 1

Welcome to 'The Classroom Chat', where we talk about the big issues in education, the research behind them and gather practical tips for our classroom. We hope you enjoy listening!