Rationale and structure
It is well documented that girls, by the time they reach middle school,
become less interested in mathematics and less confident in their
mathematical ability than their male counterparts. In fact, 82% of
middle school girls do not see themselves as strong mathematical
thinkers (Sadker & Sadker, 1994). This downward slide in confidence
can restrict opportunities, both intellectual and economic, for young
women. Research also documents that strong female role models
and single sex academic experiences contribute to girls' higher
achievement in mathematics and more positive attitudes about math
(AAUW Report, 1992).
At TERC our work developing and piloting the Investigations in
Number, Data, and Space™ K-5 math curriculum contributed to our
interest in figuring out ways to support school communities in
acknowledging and addressing equity issues in mathematics
classrooms. Where we value discourse about mathematical ideas,
teamwork, and developing multiple approaches to complex
problems we also need to consciously support all voices. We believe
that if we don't address equity issues then the goals of math reform
will not be met. In June 1995, we received a grant award from the
National Science Foundation to develop a model program of school
based math clubs for girls.
Initially we developed a few successful girls' math clubs that met at
lunch time, before or after school. Boys would have been included if
they expressed interest. These clubs raised questions about how to
include boys, parents and community members in thinking about how
to improve the co-ed classroom environment. We realized
interventions to "fix the girls" are too simplistic. How could we
support communities in developing structures to learn about and
address their biases? Teachers, parents, administrators, boys and
girls all contribute to creating a gender fair environment at school.
We refined our clubs to include parent and business partners, and in
two of our three pilot sites we developed parallel single gender math
clubs for girls and boys.
If the fact that girls can and do lose interest in mathematics is faced
squarely, and students of both genders, their teachers and parents
are included in the conversation about why this happens and what
the ramifications can be, we believe the problem can be alleviated.
Our experience demonstrates that single gender school based math
clubs for girls and boys at the upper elementary level is an
intervention that makes a difference.
In order to build models for these clubs that can be replicated
nationally, we established inner city, rural, and suburban school-
based math clubs for girls, to uncover the challenges and possibilities
of these settings. Boys clubs were also established in the rural and
suburban settings.
Club structure
Each community participated in developing an appropriate club
structure for itself. All clubs were school-based to ensure that
everyone could participate, not just those students whose parents
were motivated to enroll and transport them. Clubs were led by
classroom teachers with support from parent/community or business
partnerships. Community members who do math in their work
became involved and acted as role models for all students. Where
teachers developed parallel girls' and boys' clubs, they met regularly
during prep times to discuss pedagodgical issues as well as the equity
issues that math clubs raised.
This model differs from other single gender learning environments
because we used the single gender environment to make sense of and
improve the climate in the co-ed classroom. Since the issues which
single gender math clubs illuminate will vary from community to
community, each community needs its own structures to support
reflection about equity issues.
Some of the opportunities and issues clubs raised
The single gender club gave us an opportunity to explicitly
communicate our high expectations for girls in mathematics. In our
pilot sites we found that many girls participated more openly in all
girls' classes. We talked with students frankly about this and asked
them about why they don't participate to the same extent in the co-ed group. These discussions revealed peer dynamics we were not
aware of previously. Also, it raised questions about whether a
disproportionate amount of teacher attention is directed at boys for
discipline as well as content issues.
Students reported a quiet culture of put downs and harassment
between boys and girls which they said keeps girls quiet in the
regular math class. After exposing this and talking about it with girls
and boys, and after girls had a chance to participate in their own
math clubs, we found they returned to the dual gender realm of the
regular classroom with renewed confidence. Boys also became
aware of the importance of treating girls with respect.
Teachers reported that girls and boys benefited tremendously from
hosting women in mathematics as speakers. For many boys and
some girls it was a new experience to meet professional
accomplished women. (In some classes it surprised us that more
parents of girls than boys seemed to be consciously exposing their
children to non-traditional women.) In general there were more
behavior issues in the boy's groups -- as one teacher put it there were
"almost double the number of calling out instances initially than in
the co-ed classrooms." This was significant for a number of reasons.
Teachers became more aware of what the effect of this behavior is
on quieter students. They also asked themselves whether a group of
boys was absorbing an undue amount of attention over behavior
issues at the expense of other students. Those boys participating in
calling out behaviors became more aware of their actions because it
bothered them that they couldn't hear in math club, and they noticed
they were getting called on less because of the increased number of
aggressive students in the class. Their teachers were able to use math
club as a place to establish and communicate firm ground rules for
participation which then carried over to the co-ed groups.
Girls and boys in math clubs reported feeling free to ask questions
they might not ask in the co-ed environment such as, "Is it true that
boys are better at math than girls?" Generally we addressed
students' questions in the single gender groups and then in the co-ed
groups as well. Students were clear that they would not have asked
these questions at first in the co-ed groups though, because it didn't
feel safe.
Finally, we used math clubs as an explicit opportunity to
communicate to parents the importance of encouraging their
children in mathematics. We had students bring math games home
on a regular basis to play with family members. Many parents also
visited math clubs in order to discuss the math they do in their work.
Students were able to see first hand that significant mathematics is
required in most jobs.
To learn more about the math we did in math clubs and to set up your
own math club, please look at the Frequently Asked Questions
section.