Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2018

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GIRLS AND MATHS

AUTHOR Ms Catrin Huxtable Director of Mathematics

REFERENCES Chen, L., Bae, S. et al. (2018). Positive attitude toward math supports early academic success: Behavioral evidence and neurocognitive mechanisms. Psychological Science, 29 (3), 390–402. Clever girls lack confidence in science and math (quotes Jonathan Osborne) | Stanford Graduate School of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https:// ed.stanford.edu/in-the-media/clever-girls-lack-confidence-science-and- maths-quotes-jonathan-osbourne Early gender gaps drive career choices and employment opportunities, says OECD - OECD. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/early- gender-gaps-drive-career-choices-and-employment-opportunities.htm When they leave our campus, we aim to ensure that those girls who arrived with a love of mathematics, and those who prefer other subjects all leave with a certainty that they have the skills and the confidence to tackle any analytical or mathematical task, or any career path that calls them. again, and eventually succeed, is a process that will serve them well in not only mathematical tasks, but many different kinds of problem-solving tasks in their futures. Additionally, girls who are passionate about maths have rich opportunities to gain even more mathematical experiences, and connect with other like-minded students across the School through the Sigma Maths Program. Each week more than 80 girls submit a solution to our problem of the week, with the lucky winners gaining a coveted prize. Annually, approximately 30 Year 9 and 10 students attend Mathapatta, a weekend of maths challenges and enrichment held at the School’s Marrapatta Memorial Outdoor Education Centre. At many points throughout the year, girls can be found competing in interhouse competitions or preparing for external competitions and challenges, such as The University of Queensland’s Science and Engineering Challenge, Maths Olympiads and the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers (QAMT) Problem Solving Competition. Most recently, our team achieved second place out of 20 competing teams of boys and girls at the Science and Engineering Challenge—a superb result, of which our girls can be justifiably proud.

It’s a myth, but a pervasive one, that girls ‘don’t like maths’. The gendering of certain subjects has been rife throughout history, however, at Girls Grammar, we know that Mathematics has strong support. Every year since NAPLAN testing commenced in 2008, boys have outperformed girls in numeracy (while girls have outperformed boys in literacy). However, it is now widely accepted that there are no inherent gender differences in mathematical ability or intelligence. Jonathan Osborne, Professor of Science Education at Stanford University, for example, maintains that there are ‘shocking disparities’ in results between boys and girls, but that these are ‘entirely cultural’ (Stanford Graduate School, n.d.). This cultural difference can translate to economic disadvantage, with girls lacking the confidence to pursue high-paid careers in science and technology, even when their school results are as good as, or better, than boys (OECD, n.d.). A Stanford study, published earlier this year in Psychological Science , identified the brain pathway that links a positive attitude in primary school-aged children to strong outcomes in mathematics. It was found that a positive attitude toward the subject boosts an important memory and learning centre of the brain, the hippocampus, and predicts maths performance independent of factors such as a child’s IQ (Chen et al., 2018). Our challenge then, is to support girls to harness their enjoyment and aptitude for mathematics by purposefully building their confidence. At Girls Grammar, we strive to ensure that all girls receive a tailored approach to learning Mathematics, and that classrooms are safe spaces in which to tackle any problems they encounter. The security they learn through being able to test their working, try

AUTUMN ISSUE / 2018