How does a teacher make the facts on a page turn into meaningful information for a student? How do a teacher’s words become fluid thoughts in a student’s mind, generating visual pictures which come alive even outside the classroom setting? By making the content personal. I believe this is one of the key factors that marks the exceptional quality of teachers at Webb. Great content can be found in hundreds of thousands of books, but great teachers make that content vivid, interesting, and most importantly, personal for their students.
One of the ways we achieve this is by designating small, single-sex classrooms for 9th and 10th graders (typically ranging from 12-16 students). While most boys tend to be fueled by a fast-paced, competitive environment, the vast majority of girls benefit from the supportive atmosphere and suitable pacing found in an all-female classroom. The flexibility allowed by the separation of sexes gives a teacher the ability to designate extra time for core topics and significantly reduces the fear of embarrassment in calling for additional help when confusion occurs. Feeling comfortable to ask even the most basic questions and understanding the material at a deep level becomes the standard.
The overwhelming multitude of textbooks and resources - especially in chemistry and physics - have been generated by male educators, often leaving facts stated without context or relational ties. In my own classroom, the single-sex environment allows me the opportunity to rewrite lessons or worksheets with female-friendly problems. I have found that simple modifications can completely change the attitude of my classes. By altering a word problem regarding iron (II) oxide to tell instead a story about a girl getting into a rusty old truck, suddenly the entire process becomes more inviting, if not downright enjoyable. In the end, the same mathematical skills are accomplished and my girls are excited for more! The confusion and trepidation commonly associated with chemistry are replaced by enjoyment, confidence, and desire to learn.
Rather than simply memorizing the facts, my students approach the elements with the goal of learning their “personalities.” Our objective is to find out who each element will most likely join up with, and when they do, what new characteristics will arise. When two soluble compounds mix, forming a precipitate, we make it a story: Two couples with minimal attraction go on a double date, but “chemistry” happens when girlfriend A meets boyfriend B… and the precipitate forms! By introducing chemistry to the girls as a series of chemical “relationships” akin to daily life, the content becomes more relevant, more visual and easier to identify with. While some students can generate these visualizations on their own, teaching from this perspective allows all students a window into the world of particles that so many find inaccessible. The exclusive science club mantra of “you either get it or you don’t” is crushed by creating a highly inviting and visual realm of chemistry, available to all.
I have heard science educators argue that making science more exciting by use of large scale demonstrations is the key to interest, engagement, and motivation. While I agree that exciting demonstrations do help keep enthusiasm high, I believe that when students understand chemistry - not just with the ability to do the math, but to actually visualize the particles and personalize the laws those particles obey - chemistry comes alive in their minds. That way, on their own, they can deduce why oxygen is a gas at room temperature and table salt (sodium chloride) is a solid crystal, or why tap water conducts electricity and pure water does not. It’s not just memorization of rules and properties but rather getting to know the personality of a good friend!
The ultimate gift we can give our students is a fundamental understanding that is 100% theirs: core content and solid tools that have been made personal through creative presentation of that content. For many trained in science, these may seem like strange ways to approach teaching these topics. But if your goal is to get girls interested and passionate about science in the higher levels with genuine understanding, then this method has proved highly effective in my experience.
Of course, good content is enhanced by real life experience, and lighting things on fire in chemistry class is undeniably exciting. Blowing sodium up in water does create an adrenaline-pumping BANG! accompanied by a good show of sizzle, fire and smoke, and always a few high-pitched screams. But for students who really understand the chemistry, for whom sodium has become that old unstable friend who lets his outer electron hang so far out he’s just looking for trouble, the truly astonishing marvel is that the loss of one little electron can create so much excitement. And as far as I’m concerned, if my students think that makes him a little dysfunctional, that’s okay by me.
