Bridge Conference 2019

All kids have the capacity and ability to succeed in math – it’s only when our cultural beliefs and biases get in the way that we start to see disparities. In this session, we’ll look at research that explores how and when math-gender stereotypes form during early childhood as an example of the role that stereotypes and bias play in limiting children’s natural abilities. For example, stereotypes such as “girls aren’t good at math” can affect how well you do on a math test, the way that teachers interact with children, and limit girls’ aspirations for careers in science and technology. And this starts young: research indicates that we start developing these math-gender stereotypes by about the second grade. However, these stereotypes can be changed by directly addressing our biases about who is good at and has access to math. We will provide research-based, practical strategies that you can incorporated into classrooms, after school centers, the home, or other every-day settings to support ALL children’s abilities in math and other STEM subjects. Though this session focuses on gender stereotypes, much of the conversation is relevant for countering biases and stereotypes around race, ability, or other facets of identity.