STEM Education for a more sustainable and inclusive future.
11 February is the International Day for Women and Girls in Science, a day to recognise and celebrate the achievements of women and girls in science and to highlight the vital role that women and girls play in advancing scientific knowledge and shaping our world.
The field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is growing rapidly and offers many interesting career opportunities. However, women remain under-represented, with fewer women pursuing careers and holding leadership positions in these fields.
By enabling girls and women to access STEM education and encouraging them to pursue STEM careers, we can help break down barriers and create a more inclusive and diverse STEM community. This in turn can lead to more innovative and effective solutions to environmental and societal challenges.
What role does the European Schoolnet Academy play in breaking down bias?
Education is key. Through its MOOCs and Project, European Schoolnet Academy wants to make learning more accessible and inclusive. On its educational platform, teachers, parents and anyone else interested can access a wide range of courses and subjects.
Training teachers to shape tomorrow’s generation.
There are many MOOCs in our course catalogues that focus on STEM education, whether it is teaching biodiversity, nature-based solution, or artificial intelligence, European Schoolnet wants to help teachers bring their teaching back to life and encourages women and girls to take part in our courses.
In a world facing numerous environmental challenges, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, it is becoming increasingly important to find sustainable solutions. One promising approach is nature-based solutions (NBS), which utilise natural processes and resources to address environmental problems. This approach is not only effective, but it also has the potential to create positive social and economic outcomes.
Incorporating NBS into STEM education can provide students with a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of natural systems and how they can be used to address environmental challenges. This not only helps to deepen students’ understanding of the environment, but it can also provide them with hands-on experience in solving real-world problems.
Women bring unique perspectives and approaches to scientific research, and their absence from these fields can lead to a lack of diversity in scientific thinking and solutions. It is therefore imperative that we work to remove these barriers and create a more inclusive scientific community.
Breaking down stereotypes and challenging gender-based preconceptions about STEM careers and STEM education is essential to encourage women and girls to enter these fields. It is therefore important to: enable women and girls to access quality STEM education and resources, encourage female role models by highlighting the achievements of women scientists and engineers, and create an enabling environment that values diversity and promotes equality.
By taking these steps and creating a more supportive and inclusive environment for women and girls in STEM, we can help to increase the participation of women in these fields and promote greater gender equality and diversity in STEM.
And you, as teachers, how do you address the gender gap in your classroom? Share your tips and stories in the comments section!
