Mentoring: A New Way to Help Girls Step Outside of the Gender Box

"Getting Girls E.X.I.T.E.D. about Project Management," by Bjorn Norstrom, Carol Smith, Annika Haglund, describes a program, called E.X.I.T.E., that paired female IBM engineers with female students at a middle school in Colvester, Vermont. The hands-on project hoped to get female students who typically don't pursue careers in science, technology, and engineering to develop a proactive interest in the field, and to become more assertive in project management. The mentors from IBM formed a long-term relationship with the students from Colvester Middle School and visited them several times during the given school year. The students were assigned the task of designing, building, and managing a pet day care, and were required to keep "documentation" of their interactions with their fictitious client. The girls involved in this project learned how to use a number of technological tools, including basic skills such as proper phone etiquette, word processing, basic database management, voice recorders, and Internet use. However, these students also utilized more sophisticated tools such as design software, web and video editing programs, and multimedia programs to create a commercial advertising their program. At the completion of their project, the Colvester students presented what they had learned to their parents, school staff, and their IBM mentors.

I particularly enjoyed that the girls were able to build a mentorship relationship with the IBM engineers, and make engineering, math, and science more appealing to female students. I personally believe that many of the testing and performance differences between male and female students in math and science simply have to do with socialized concepts of which genders are good at which subjects approaching the subject material in an unappealing manner. I think we see a similar performance gap in male students in language arts because traditionally, they are not presented in a hands-on, approachable format. This project was fantastic because it was long-term, and is certainly something that the students will remember. The fact that these girls became excited and personally involved in such a complex project was not just a way to get them excited about math and science, but also seemed to build their confidence. The writers of the article said that many girls that were noticeably introverted gained confidence in managing the project and were actually excited to present their work at its conclusion.

This article can be found in ISTE Learning and Leading with Technology Vol. 36. No. 3, November 2008.