girls don't like science

[plisplas]

I am running a science club in my DS's school. There were 3 girls out of 12 kids. When I asked the teacher (science coordinator) why didn't they invite more girls, she said that a science club was more for boys than for girls, apparently, girls do not tend to like science. I thought she was very wrong, as I am female and I love science, but I don't have any DD. What do you think?

Why does baking soda make cakes rise? Does it clean teeth and why? Do salt and cold help to treat wounds? How do household cleaning agents work? What are hormones and why do they make boys so goddamn awful? The list of practical science lessons that we never learn is endless. Instead of drilling us with the periodic table and continuously asking us about the vacuum in that jar or the velocity of this imaginary object, or whether or not this paper turns blue and that one doesn't, and why, or why not, why don't they explain why daddy can make mum's car run on chip fat and what should he have done to get rid of the horrible smell?!

Science could so easily be the coolest lesson in the universe, literally. They'd be lessons that would stay with you for the rest of your life. (Rather than make you shiver every time you pass an open chem lab.)

Perhaps I was lucky, learnandsay, but I'm positive that I learnt about all of those things by GCSE level, most of them well before.

I do recognise that there are some shitty science teachers out there, though. I had a Doctor of Chemistry at GCSE, and he couldn't teach to save his life. Or his job, in the end.

The standard of science knowledge in a lot of primary teachers is also depressingly bad.

Utter bollocks. My dd would have been straight in there. As would both my boys.
There's no difference at all.

The (very few) men in my department say "girls don't like science, they like biology" to wind me up. I am head of science (and teach biology...)

People like what they like.

My dd is nearly 7 and loves science. She would definitely be interested in a science club. I would be very concerned if a teacher made assumptions like this.

And I love the periodic table, and so do my students

I'm a girl I love science. I don't have a dd yet but don't see why she wouldn't if she indeed existed.

Stunned this attitude still exists!

'We had a limited number of spaces, so the teacher invited what she considered suitable students.'

Self-fulfilling prophecy, our science club is massively oversubscribed every term and the applicants get split into two piles of male and female, then chosen at random, 10 from each pile.
She is very wrong, she is creating an atmosphere that will perpetuate the misconception and so I suggest you look at how you get the children to apply and how the selection process is run.

Um, well, I was fascinated by the story of the evolution/invention of the table, Mendeleev et al. But the table itself? What's to love? It's a list.

I would also say that to me when I was at primary school level science was about spaceships and cars and stuff and I thought (rightly of wrongly) that those were boy things. It was. Only later that I realised that science affects everything we do. Maybe do a survey as to what the girls (and boys) at your school are into? If they all watch the voice maybe teach about sound waves or how the larynx allows us to speak and sing. Or even as another poster suggested, do some cookery. How does yeast help bread rise? Cookery is not necessarily just for girls either. There may be a budding Heston in your club!

No, it's not. Just at the basic level the symbols are interesting. Where the names come from. It's full of patterns to find. When you get onto electronic configuration you answer loads of "why" questions in chemistry.

It is not just a list...

Punch the teacher then bribe the boys to bring a girl each to the club

Really? Girls don't like science? Better go and tell my 9 and 6 year old DD's.

Both have attended after school science clubs, have a home chemistry set and and electronics board, DD2 is sat here dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast, so does that make her more balanced?:)

I wonder if something might be going on like has just happened at DD's school ... not science club, but ICT club. Pupils selected, two per class, showing interest and ability, and 'have not had a chance to take part in an afterschool club yet this year'. Last term's was country dancing - a very high capacity club, and say what you like, it WAS only of interest to the girls (one boy came the first week, and didn't come back). So, in one go, pretty much all the girls in the year have had an afterschool club, when the next one comes round, effectively only the boys are considered. I'm not suggesting conspiracy, but it's pretty unfortunate.

Wow, what gender stereotypical bollocks

I love science, before having children I was a microbiologist, and DD, 4yo, is already showing a real aptitude and interest in science.

I'd be having words with the teacher and asking her what she bases her bollocks theory experience on and what you can do, as a school, to encourage girls to take an interest in science.

DH Just reminded me : in the hyper geek field of radio astronomy there are an awful lot of lady PhDs, and in laser stuff and in ISVR

and when he's working the girls like his stuff as much as the boys and their teachers even more....

"she said that a science club was more for boys than for girls"

I'd be complaining about her!

OMG I hope to God nobody like that gets anywhere near my DDs at school.

That is an outrageous thing to say.

Another female scientist here with a PhD, I love science and my DDs do to, they also love history, my DH is a history teacher.

The teacher needs challenging on her perceptions of 'girls dont like science'.

A female Physicist here!

The science coordinator needs a serious talking to! Admittedly on my undergraduate degree course there was a 1:10 female:male ratio. But at postgraduate level it was fairly even. I think it's attitudes like that of the science coordinator that put girls off studying the sciences (especially IMO Physics).

The teacher needs firing.

Nobody who thinks science is for boys should be in a position of responsibility for the education of girls in science.

It is true she needs formally challenging. She should be demonstrating the policy of the school whilst at work, not dragging her sad and sorry personal prejudices along behind her while she is in her professional capacity.

I think it stops being a personal prejudice, and starts being professional misconduct when the education of girls is adversely affected because openly sexist attitudes are held by the science co-ordinator at their school.

"Chess club isn't really for black pupils."
"Poetry club isn't really for disabled pupils."
"Latin club isn't really for working class pupils."

How did someone who thinks like this get to be Science Co-ordinator?

I would have serious questions about the school as a whole.

Agree - this person should have her role as science co-ordinator closely scrutinised. Colluding in her approach by keeping quiet and letting it slide, would be letting all those children and parents down. She should be challenged and corrected at the very least.

Hope OP can raise this with this womans manager. :)

What a weird (and awful) thing to say. If she couldn't persuade more girls to go, that is what she should have said - not make a blanket statement about girls in general.