Dd is the only girl in her AS Further Maths class - what could the school do to support her?

Agree with others that it is really about the individual and not "boys are horrid".

I went to an all-girls school, very high achieving. I can tell you that in maths some of those girls were mean . There was much theatrical groaning at anyone who asked a question and people were continually asking the teacher to move on to more difficult areas beyond the curriculum. I didn't do very well, because I was that shy, intimidated girl at the back who feared to speak up. As far as I remember I don't think the teacher was in any way unkind, just a bit oblivious.

And so it goes at A Level. In ds's class there are the super geeks who know it all. And likewise in ds's English class there are the girls who ds says are "full of themselves" and try to dominate the discussions. And, btw, ds is the only boy in the class. He says that in an ideal world he'd like some male company, but he's not particularly bothered.

Dd1's is in year 9 and they've just split all the maths sets boy/girl.

Great maybe you think?

Actually dd1 is begging to be allowed to join the boys group so she'll be 1:32 in there. She's very shy and hasn't a lot of confidence, but she found the mixed goups last year much easier to get on in, and the boys are more supportive of each other-helping each other etc.

Just taking a slightly different angle here - OP, has anyone explicitly said to your DD that FMaths Alevel is hard and that it is completely normal for people who've coasted through maths all the way to and through GCSE to suddenly find that there are things they don't "just get" and which they really have to work on?

I spent most of my lower sixth thinking my world was ending. Actually I was doing fine - it was just that I was used to getting close to 100% on no work and suddenly I was having to work to get 70%!

Does she have a class tutor who she could ask about having an arranged chat with her maths teacher about her concerns?

My dd is much younger but has experienced similar in that her maths class she was one of only a few girls. She had an inexperienced teacher last yr and was quite convinced that the boys were better than her knew all the answers because their hands shot up and they were louder and had a more competitive attitude. I had a word with the teacher and she arranged the class so that the girls were sat together.
However at the end of the year she was graded as one of the best in the class - so her perception was obviously wrong. I know it is different because she is much younger but perhaps the competitive mindset is still there?

That's a pretty large sixth form!

We had to shuffle maths sets recently. We did take gender split into account, to avoid having one set very male dominated. But then I suppose it's more important in maths.

Some do A Levels, some do IB. The groups are determined by who chooses which subjects for Higher and which for Standard, as well as numbers doing A Levels, numbers doing IB, numbers doing Lang/Lit, numbers doing Lit, teachers' timetables, students' timetables and how the subjects are blocked. So we can't make all the sets perfectly balanced according to gender - in fact, it doesn't even get a look in after all the other factors have been considered. We have about 18 English sets in the sixth form at the moment.

I would be interested in knowing where the school is, even if its Uk based, and where the kids would go onto university,

Ive had 2 go down the A Level route and 2 do IB.

But only parents of girls?

Yes, I get that, but why is there apparently a big gender split in who does which? 11 to 1 is surely worthy of explanatory comment?

No, not really. Its two very different systems and one is more than likely favoured over the other by parents.

Yes, I get that, but why is there apparently a big gender split in who does which? 11 to 1 is surely worthy of explanatory comment?

If they all have to do it, how come there's only one boy in a class of twelve?
Because some of them will be doing A-levels (where they don't have to do it) rather than IB, because the school offers both.

Dd was the only female in her Further Maths group. The boys she went to school with for the previous five years were her friends, the ones who joined the school for sixth form were initially dismissive of dd probably because she didn't fit their idea of a serious maths student (her other subjects were Art, History and Philosophy) but she soon proved she was more than able to hold her own.
Is dd new to the school/college? Is there no one in the class at all who she would feel comfortable making a friendship with? If the boys are being openly intimidating then the teacher should be dealing with it IMO.

If they all have to do it, how come there's only one boy in a class of twelve?

"LeBearPolar have you ever considered what your school is doing wrong that you only have one boy in a class of 12?"

Nothing at all, noblegiraffe - although thanks for your concern. Our school offers both A Level and IB, and every IB student - male and female - has to do English at either Higher or Standard level. So I guess that in terms of the national average, we're actually doing better than quite a lot of schools in terms of how many boys we have taking English beyond GCSE.

Nah. Men can be just as bitchy, and the women in my workplace are mostly far more supportive.

And yes, if she's feeling intimidated, she does need to deal with it, but not in isolation and without support. She needs to build her confidence before she's able to deal with it entirely by herself. I know most of us may have thought we knew everything at 16 or 17, but most of us didn't, and it's perfectly fine to get advice and support. Please stop being so hard on her!

Bonsoir
It's extremely unpleasant to be the lone girl or lone boy in a class or an office or anything really.
Nope.
I was always much happier working in all male teams - much less bitching.

OP
In DDs biology A level classes there are far more girls than boys.
In Further maths there are more boys than girls
in Chemistry its about equal.

If the boys are being a PITA the teacher needs to stamp on it
if she is feeling intimidated SHE needs to deal with it

The STEMettes do mentoring for female sixth formers.

www.stemettes.org/girls

I do think the lack of uptake of STEM subjects by girls is a real problem, but I have no idea what the solutions are.

I can (and have) banged on about this endlessly, including on several MN threads. I think you're right about the education bit, as there are a lot of stereotyped images around what STEM careers involved, and they just don't cover the huge range of roles which are actually available.

Nearly every country (including the UK) has government-sponsored organisations to help promote STEM and forge links between educational institutions and industry. And women currently working in STEM careers are more likely to be aware of all the issues than their male colleagues. There's a limit to what anyone can fit in on top of your day job, though, and STEM promotion is usually extra to the job.

In any case, none of this helps the OP's daughter. I think it is worth asking why she's feeling intimidated, because there might be particular things going on which can be dealt with, such as bullying behaviour. I'd be wanting to know whether she was the only girl who was really interested in doing FM this year, or whether she was the only girl who felt strongly enough and was strong enough to sign up for it, when it's generally a negative environment for girls.

Some schools are better than others; some do have sexist teachers who still have a problem with girls doing STEM subjects. Some schools are far better at promoting STEM subjects to girls and supporting girls - it's not a coincidence that girls in single-sex schools have a greater take-up of subjects like physics and maths at A-level than girls in mixed schools, but even in mixed schools, teachers can help create an environment which is more encouraging to girls. I'm assuming that changing schools isn't really an option, except as a very last resort, but it may be worth asking the school how they deal with stereotype threat and implicit bias and so on. The very fact she is the only girl will be giving her the message that girls don't do this, and that in itself can cause her to doubt herself and affect her confidence.

I think support in terms of a mentor if you can find one is good. It's hard enough to find one at work, so I'm really not sure how you'd go about it in terms of a teenager at school; however, I am sure that there will be people out there willing to assist once you've found them. If you're in a university town, I'd try to make enquiries there, to see if they might have any support - even just an hour's talk could help reenthuse her. It might be worth asking your local Stemnet coordinator.

If it's just about her confidence, then maybe look at whether there's any assertiveness training available anywhere. Amy Cuddy's TED talk on body language could help, so she can learn to sit up straight, hold her head up, sit with her arms wider, so she's physically taking up more space. Learn to project her voice more. There's also loads written online about men talking over women in meetings in the workplace, and it's this sort of classroom where they learn to get away with this, and girls learn that it will happen. If you google subjects like "how to get your voice heard in meetings", there could be some useful tips there, too. Also, something I find useful to remember is that if I need to ask a question, I'm probably not the only one in the room who needs it; however, it will sometimes be difficult to believe that in a room full of boys who are full of bluster and not prepared to admit to not knowing. It will help if you've got the teacher onside.

I doubt any one of these things in themselves will fix it - but a combination of some of them will have a cumulative effect, plus if she finds her confidence growing, that in itself will help her even more.

Good luck to her - it can be hard work being the only woman in the room, but it's worth sticking at it.

I think you've passed your bizarre attitude to BOYS on to your daughter.

I was the only girl in my maths A2 class, although other girls took it at AS level, then dropped it. I was actually good friends with two of the boys in the class anyway, and so in class I sat with them and their friends and we helped each other with areas we found difficult. Although I struggled with some aspects of A2 maths, I had strengths in other areas and was secure in my general intelligence, so I never really felt intimidated. I also had the advantage of both of my teachers being female.

I do think there are boys at that sort of age who feel they have to prove their superior cleverness to everyone, and some people of both genders can find that intimidating. Actually, some of the teachers colluded with him at times- for example when some of us brought up things we had learned in psychology when we were in biology he would always insist psychology "was not a real subject".

For OP's DD:
-If specific boys in the class make her feel intimidated in specific ways she can pinpoint, she should bring this up with the teacher, her form tutor, or the head of sixth.
-If she generally struggles with speaking up in class, she could ask the teacher(s) if she could meet them at break/lunchtime to ask any questions in private.
-Perhaps a few sessions with a (female?) tutor might benefit her, as if she feels confident in what she is doing, she may feel more able to speak up.

I do think the lack of uptake of STEM subjects by girls is a real problem, but I have no idea what the solutions are. Perhaps more education about STEM careers with an emphasis on female role models might help?

In my current school our fm classes have about 10 students most years. Mostly tgere are roughly equal boys and girls but occasionally we have a yeargroup with only one girl choosing it.

If she is feeling intimidated about being the only girl she should definitely speak to the teacher about it. It may be that she seems as if she's just getting on and understanding quietly, so the teacher may be unaware of how she's feeling. Most teachers I know are happy to help at lunchtime if she would feel happier discussing issues without the others. In fact most teachers positively encourage students to come and ask for help.

LeBearPolar have you ever considered what your school is doing wrong that you only have one boy in a class of 12?

Boys performance in English is also a huge national problem. In 2014 53.8% of boys gained A*-C in English, whereas 69.7% of girls did. That's a huge difference. That would probably go a long way to explaining the gender split at A-level. However, given that English A-level take-up isn't a matter of economic importance, there isn't so much focus there. The main focus in the case of English is illiteracy in boys and that's why so much attention is given to encouraging boys to read further down the school - studying boy-heavy texts, pictures of male role-models reading, for example.

We, as a nation, need more people studying STEM in general. With girls, it's not that they don't get the grades so can't proceed to A-level, it's that even when they get the grades (and maths GCSE results are very close between the sexes) they choose not to continue. This is a huge waste of potential talent. Because confidence to continue is a major issue, that's why suggestions of female role models and special support for girls are important.

With boys and English, the GCSE gap needs to be tackled far more urgently.

Oh Cripes. I just remembered. I had two physics teachers and one of them did have a huge problem with me. He really was a sexist pig.

I see the OP has gone. But I agree with others: I don't understand why she should automatically be intimidated. If she is intimidated because of a particular issue, then that should be raised and dealt with appropriately.

I teach a sixth form group of eleven girls and one boy. He is confident and articulate in lessons, expressing himself without any hesitation or discomfort. However, based on your comments, I should clearly have found him a male mentor for him to talk to about the intimidation he would, needless to say, have been feeling for the last year and a bit. Unless anyone has any other advice for how to support male English students in a co-ed school, please?

My experience matches Noble's. I didn't have a moment's uncertainty about my place in the further maths class even though my teacher was massively prejudiced about girls' ability to study maths, because it was obvious that I was breezing through the course (as were the two boys in the 3 person class). But if I'd experienced a normal level of difficulty with the work then I might well have wobbled in the face of a teacher who was always happy to look for confirmation of his prejudices. I might easily have assumed that struggling over a single piece of homework meant that I was totally worthless and might as well give up and switch to needlework.