Topic

MM 1.3 Equity in the STEM Classroom: A Case for Action

Topic Progress:

African-American girl working on robot

Micromessaging to Reach and Teach Every Student is designed to increase the participation and success of students in STEM, with an emphasis on underrepresented populations, including women. Teachers learn how they can use the power of micromessages (small, subtle, yet powerful messages) to improve classroom pedagogy and increase the enrollment, retention, performance, and completion of students in STEM. A team of experts, researchers, and practitioners developed this program to provide research-based strategies and effective resources to address the unique needs of students by looking through the lens of gender and culture.

This online module of Micromessaging to Reach and Teach Every Student highlights just a few of the key topics related to micromessages. The full program includes 7 units and up to 24 hours of classroom training spread over 12 months. Teachers become part of an ongoing learning community and have full access to Foundation webinars, research-based materials, and effective practices, tools and resources.

The full program was piloted in Dallas, Texas, and early data suggest promising outcomes: “In 2009 and 2010, both boys and girls taught by teachers receiving the training had higher pass rates on their Advanced Placement physics exams (3.8 times for girls and 2.6 times for boys) than students taught by teachers who did not receive the training” (Morrell & Parker, 2013).