The Ontario Science Centre acknowledges that we are on the traditional territory of many nations
including the Mississaugas of the Credit, Chippewa, Anishnaabeg nations, Haudenosaunee
and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We
are settlers on Turtle Island, and in the spirit of truth and reconciliation we commit to respect,
listen, learn, and support Indigenous peoples with whom we share this land and who have
cared for this land since time immemorial. This video will explore how equitable and
inclusive classroom STEM experiences positively impact students.
We examine both the science of bias and evidence-based classroom strategies
to promote positive STEM identity development for students of different ages.
My name is Julie and I’m a teacher at Ontario Science Centre. I’ve been researching and
exploring ways to address equity and inclusion while co-teaching with visiting classes, and
teaching my own senior science classes. This video was designed by a team of Science
communicators and teachers. As we embarked on this work we acknowledged and reflected on
our own positionality and identities, as they impact our perspectives on science education.
It may feel uncomfortable to reflect on our biases, and how they impact students,
but as reflective practitioners, teachers are continuously adapting
instruction to support our students. As educators we have the opportunity to break down
barriers in STEM. Our students come with diverse identities and previous opportunities. In this
video we think of equity as the choices educators make which can positively impact students
marginalized by the dominant worldview in STEM. Science has diverse origins and is an accumulation
of knowledge with contributions from people of all racial, ethnic and gender identities.
Major contributions of the 21st century, such as the discovery of the Higgs boson,
mapping of the human genome, or the manufacturing of the vaccinations to battle the corona virus
could not have been achieved without global collaborations.
Our pedagogical choices impact students. We have the opportunity to include all
voices in our STEM lessons, allowing for more creative, well-rounded and inclusive outcomes
This ensures the realm of opportunities is kept open to all students, regardless of identity.
For example, when the only scientists we mention in class are European, White, or Male, this can
reinforce the unconscious message to students outside of that identity that they don’t belong,
and that there isn’t a future for them in stem. To teach Modern Science as though it emerged
from solely western thought, is a disservice to our students and the science community.
I’d like to think there is a future Mae Jamieson or Michio Kaku in my class, but if I never give
students the opportunity to see that this is a possible
path - or to teach the other students in the class that this is a possible path for others - then
I haven’t been inclusive in my practice. As educators, it is necessary that we take time to
acknowledge our own worldviews and the various privileges we may hold within a given space.
We need to understand and acknowledge how our personal biases, whether conscious or unconscious,
impact our choices as educators. Our brains play a large role in what informs these choices.
For example, in this image do you see a white triangle? Our brains are always using our prior
knowledge and experiences to make sense of new information and situations. These “short cuts”
help our brain process and keep up with all the information it is constantly receiving.
This is why we can be fooled by optical illusions.
This is also why we all have implicit biases. These biases can cause us to favour or disfavour
things, people or groups without being aware of it.
Everyone has unconscious biases, these are normal human processes. Sometimes these biases
can be the complete opposite of our true values and the conscious choices that we would make.
For evolutionary reasons, we tend to favour “in group” individuals. People who have something
in common with us. We commonly perceive them as being “safe”, often despite knowing nothing
else about them. Our brains quickly categorize incoming information, and use these categories to
make snap decisions. Decisions that are so quick that we are not always consciously aware of them.
These categorizations can be helpful in our day to day lives but can also lead to stereotypes.
This is when we associate a person with a set of traits, based on how our brains have
classified them. These associations then influence our decision making
and behaviour towards members of this group. Implicit biases and stereotypes held by both
students and teachers can affect the ability of a student to develop a “STEM identity”.
The good news. Our biases do not need to determine our actions.
Research has shown that there are steps you can take to reduce unconsciously bringing
stereotypes and prejudice into your classroom. Just being aware that, as a human being,
you hold biases that you are not consciously aware of is a great place to start.
Now that you know this you can consciously slow down your decision making process and evaluate
your choices. For example, if you have chosen an image of a scientist to show your class,
why did you choose that particular image? Is it the best choice?
Our students also hold biases which may manifest themselves into thinking some people are more
STEM-capable. By purposefully selecting diverse representations and modelling an inclusive
worldview we can help students recognize those who are usually not represented in our curriculum,
no matter what age student we work with. This is particularly important in the context
of STEM subjects, where the prototypical scientist is often still pictured as working alone indoors,
doing something secret or dangerous, exhibiting slightly eccentric behaviours,
and is more often than not white, older, male, and able-bodied. The contributions of Newton
and Einstein are inarguably significant, but more recent and modern contributions
may spark the interest of students more than those done in the 17th and 20th centuries
By teachers like you sharing stories of the contributions of Black,
Indigenous and People of Colour , LGBTQ2S+ and people with disabilities, you may open
your students to the idea of seeing themselves as STEM-capable. This is a crucial role of schools.
Of course, recognition is only one dimension of students’ identities. In addition to recognition,
teachers can choose activities to provide students opportunities to succeed, to build their
STEM self-efficacy, and expand their interests. When we think about how we learn throughout our
lives, the periods of high brain growth help educators understand the needs for different
types of experiences for students. From birth to three years of age, and again during adolescence,
the brain experiences rapid brain growth, but around 12 years of age the brain undergoes
neural pruning to increase its efficiency. The connections which are pruned are those
that the brain deems less useful, decided by the connections which are least used.
While STEM interests are influenced by out-of-school experiences and family,
for students who have had fewer opportunities to engage with STEM outside of school,
the classroom provides a crucial opportunity to try new things and support STEM interest.
For primary students, providing as many opportunities for them to build
synaptic connections as possible will help them build their STEM identity.
Collaborative, hands-on science experiences are not only fun and engaging for students,
but help build science & engineering process skills, and participate in scientific
discourse to think like scientists. Discussing science with peers
honours and leverages students’ linguistic identities and helps them with sense-making.
These hands-on experiences and opportunities to discuss their ideas,
helps students see themselves as STEM-capable.
This doesn’t need to be complicated. These students have been challenged
to help an animal get to the top of a mountain by building an inclined plane.
The materials are easily accessible, and the challenge provides opportunities for problem
solving, scaffolding, and most importantly allows them to feel successful and capable as scientists.
For Junior-Intermediate students, having opportunities to select problems they are
passionate about and being provided a range of tools and experiences to apply to problem-solving,
provides voice and choice that positively impacts their engagement and STEM-identity formation.
Students can have voice by situating science inquiries in local issues familiar to them.
This helps them see relevance beyond the concepts in texts,
and to develop positive science identities as they participate in science, and recognize themselves
and others as science doers and thinkers. Grade 6 or 7 classes might brainstorm solutions to
support sustainable ecosystems in their community by brainstorming how to manage waste or grow local
fresh foods, particularly in urban areas where food deserts are common. This provides voice,
and builds agency in their community.. Grade 8 classes might
brainstorm, design and test solutions to a water management issues in their local neighborhood.
Conversely, learning science primarily through worksheets may disadvantage
students with less out-of-school literacy opportunities and science experiences.
For older students, approaches that focus on providing hands-on opportunities and building
conceptual understanding instead of fact recall are ideal. This levels the playing field and does
not give an advantage to students who have prior hands-on STEM experience over those who do not.
Research suggests some students may have disengaged from STEM prior to secondary,
but Grade 9 and 10 science educators have an opportunity to shift the landscape if students
experience something significant. Given that Grade 10 Science is the
last science course for some students, these courses provide an opportunity for
students to see science as relevant in their everyday lives and build science literacy.
Strategies mentioned previously, to engage in hands-on, student-driven investigations
and connect inquires to students’ lives are equally relevant in secondary.
You might also engage secondary students in examining the ethics of how science
is used in society. For example, in Grade 10 Cells & Systems or Grade 11-12 Biology
you can explore the bioethics of use of HeLa cells used without Henrietta Lack’s consent.
Many science educators may have grown up learning science with a dominant western worldview.
Employing equity and inclusion practices in STEM education has the potential to empower
students with STEM identity and capability to continue learning in science and/or engage in
scientific issues that affect their lives and communities. All students benefit from these
approaches, but these strategies are crucial for students who have historically been marginalized
in the dominant STEM worldview. We hope this video and companion
resource inspire you, and that you take away 1 reflection or 1 ideas for how you can
help remove the barriers students may face, within your power as an educator.