Encouraging Girls in Math and Science Essay -- Essays Papers

Encouraging Girls in Math and Science An ideal classroom in an elementary school would allow both boys and girls to learn fairly, equally, and also be encouraged to be involved in the classroom. The teacher would expect the same effort from the boys as well as the girls. The teacher would implement a respectful atmosphere where the teacher as well as the students would respect one another. The reality is that girls quickly become discouraged to pursue math and/or science related careers. Girls lose their self-esteem from experiencing negative attitudes from their teachers as well as from the boys in their class. Girls are not encouraged to participate in math and science, and they feel that they are not capable of doing well in these subjects. The low self-esteem is reflected on girls’ actions and choices. Girls become at risk for dropping out of high school, experiencing gender bias in the classroom and on their assessment tests, not enrolling in math and/or science classes, teen pregnancy, and possibly experiencing sexual harassment at school. Therefore, I believe that it is extremely important that teachers realize these risks and try to find solutions in their teaching methods and assessments. Even though drop-out rates are higher among boys than girls, the number of girls who do not return to school or get their GED is higher than boys. Many reasons that girls drop out of school reflect: â€Å"a sense of alienation from school: a lack of individual success and/or that school is not worthwhile†. (MAEC, 1993) Reasons include: â€Å"having a large number of siblings, mother’s educational level, and belief in traditional gender-role stereotypes†. (MAEC, 1993) Girls who don’... ...esearch Matters - to the Science Teacher. Retrieved on March 20, 2001 from the World Wide Web. http://narst.org/research/class.htm Kahle, Jane Butler. (1985) Encouraging Girls in Science Courses and Careers. Retrieved on March 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web. http://narst.org/research/encourage/htm Kahle, Jane Butler and Arta Damnjanovic. (1997) How Research Helps Address Gender Equity. Retrieved on March 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web. http://narst.org/research/gender2.htm The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center. (1993) Beyond Title IX: Gender Equity Issues in Schools. Retrieved on March 17, 2001 from the World Wide Web. http://www.maec.org/beyond.html NEA. (2001) Be an advocate for gender equity in your classroom, school, and district. Retrieved on March 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web. http://www.nea.org/bt/1-students/1-3-q-b.html Encouraging Girls in Math and Science Essay -- Essays Papers Encouraging Girls in Math and Science An ideal classroom in an elementary school would allow both boys and girls to learn fairly, equally, and also be encouraged to be involved in the classroom. The teacher would expect the same effort from the boys as well as the girls. The teacher would implement a respectful atmosphere where the teacher as well as the students would respect one another. The reality is that girls quickly become discouraged to pursue math and/or science related careers. Girls lose their self-esteem from experiencing negative attitudes from their teachers as well as from the boys in their class. Girls are not encouraged to participate in math and science, and they feel that they are not capable of doing well in these subjects. The low self-esteem is reflected on girls’ actions and choices. Girls become at risk for dropping out of high school, experiencing gender bias in the classroom and on their assessment tests, not enrolling in math and/or science classes, teen pregnancy, and possibly experiencing sexual harassment at school. Therefore, I believe that it is extremely important that teachers realize these risks and try to find solutions in their teaching methods and assessments. Even though drop-out rates are higher among boys than girls, the number of girls who do not return to school or get their GED is higher than boys. Many reasons that girls drop out of school reflect: â€Å"a sense of alienation from school: a lack of individual success and/or that school is not worthwhile†. (MAEC, 1993) Reasons include: â€Å"having a large number of siblings, mother’s educational level, and belief in traditional gender-role stereotypes†. (MAEC, 1993) Girls who don’... ...esearch Matters - to the Science Teacher. Retrieved on March 20, 2001 from the World Wide Web. http://narst.org/research/class.htm Kahle, Jane Butler. (1985) Encouraging Girls in Science Courses and Careers. Retrieved on March 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web. http://narst.org/research/encourage/htm Kahle, Jane Butler and Arta Damnjanovic. (1997) How Research Helps Address Gender Equity. Retrieved on March 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web. http://narst.org/research/gender2.htm The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center. (1993) Beyond Title IX: Gender Equity Issues in Schools. Retrieved on March 17, 2001 from the World Wide Web. http://www.maec.org/beyond.html NEA. (2001) Be an advocate for gender equity in your classroom, school, and district. Retrieved on March 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web. http://www.nea.org/bt/1-students/1-3-q-b.html

Overpopulation Problems

Before we move on to overpopulation problems, we need to know about the various factors that are responsible for this incessant rise in population. Significant improvement in quality of life and basic health services has resulted in decline in death rate, and at the same time has caused an increase in the birth rate. Continuous migration of people from underdeveloped areas to developed areas has triggered an unnatural growth in population in developed areas, thus, putting immense pressure on available resources. Our failure in understanding the problems caused by overpopulation in urban areas is reflected in unplanned growth of newer towns and cities. More importantly, a look at the projected population growth is even more horrendous, which in itself stresses on the fact that we are not learning from our mistakes. Read more oncauses of overpopulation. Problems Caused by Overpopulation Overpopulation problems refer to a series of interwoven problems which are basically caused due to population explosion. The worst thing about these problems is that they act as major hindrances in the process of development. Though restricted to the urban areas as of now, these problems have already begun and it will be just a matter of time before they engulf the entire planet. Scarcity of Resources Available resources will not be sufficient to meet the demand of rising population. Only 3% of water on the planet is potable, so overpopulation problems will start with the lack of drinking water for millions of people across the globe. Land available for agricultural production is also shrinking, which means the amount of crop produced will decrease with time. If population increases and crop production decreases, a large part of population will be left to die of hunger. In fact, Thomas Malthus had predicted this problem of food shortage due to rise in population two centuries ago through his theory of population. Scarcity of resources will not just be restricted to food and water, it will also affect various other walks of life, including health services, jobs and many basic amenities. Health Problems The amount of waste produced by increasing population will hamper the waste management program in several countries. Untreated waste and poor hygiene will result in the spread of diseases. A large population will make the spread of contagious diseases even more easier. Health resources available with us will not be sufficient enough to cater to the needs of the huge population in case of an epidemic, and the death toll will be difficult to handle. Entire planet will experience large scale outbreaks of diseases, which will wipe out a large part of population by itself. Environmental Issues Increase in population will also increase the anthropogenic activities which cause global warming and related climate change. Larger the population, more will be the environmental issues that we will have to deal with like pollution and deforestation. We have proved time and again that we won't hesitate to encroach upon the natural surroundings and destroy them if we don't have a place to stay. This will result in loss of habitat for various species and cause a severe ecological imbalance on the planet. It would be foolish to expect that we will be safe from these overpopulation effects, as all lifeforms subsisting on this planet, including humans, are dependent on each other, either directly or indirectly. These overpopulation problems would not have affected us if we had unlimited land and resources, but that is not the case. Already limited resources are being continuously divided into smaller and smaller portions, especially the land. Perhaps we are yet to understand the hazards of overpopulation, or maybe we will continue to turn a blind eye to them until it causes some serious calamity. The need of the hour is to identify the solutions for these

The Importance Of Literature - 1254 Words

Since the Mid 20th century literature has been a prominent aspect of life in American culture, beginning how to read it in childhood to benefiting by it throughout adulthood. Throughout the texts â€Å"Heels over Hemingway†, â€Å"Why Literature Matters† , and â€Å"Good-bad books† all argue the idea that literature has changed over the years, due to the fact that the world around us has changed as well which effects literature. For this reason Dowd, Orwell, and Gioia assert to their audience the importance of literature, and that it should have a place in society by utilizing rhetorical strategies such as analogies, ethos, pathos, logos, and diction. Both Dowd and Gioia argue why literature is important by citing the negative effects. One of†¦show more content†¦Dowd begins her op-editorial full of emotionally loaded diction to create a very critically- aggressive image; Dowd notes when looking for a book in the bookstore and quickly noticing the incre ased amount of chick-lit as it had â€Å"staged a coup of the literature shelves† and that a new re-feminized cover of a best seller â€Å"might as well be driving a stake through the heart of the classics.† The literary images she evokes of the recurring chick-lit novels read by women seen as literary hell due to the â€Å"non-challenging material†, implies to the audience the idea of women being judged by society due to book preference. Adding to this idea she utilizes words and phrase such as â€Å"possessed†, â€Å"devil† , â€Å"Will Shakespeare is being buffeted by rampaging 30- year- old heroines.† All these words elicit negative emotions of women, which emphasizes how women are judged as superficial and non-intellectual by society in the same way books are. In addition both Orwell and Gioia use pathos to convey the idea that reading any type of literature is beneficial to society. Orwell begins by slightly degrading the non-stop production of â€Å"good-bad books† in this generation to the sophisticated novels produced in the past. He implies that these â€Å"escapist† literature forms â€Å"pleasant patches in ones memory† by creating â€Å"quiet corners where the mind can browse at odd moments.† The image Orwell is able to evoke amongShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Literature In Literature937 Words   |  4 PagesGiving children access to all varieties of literature is extremely important for their success. Educators should help students develop a love and passion for learning. Reading and understanding it plays a big role in this, not only is reading important in developing cognitive skills, but it is valuable for other reasons as well. 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It is something that humans have created using shapes that people designate as letters, arranged into words, put onto the fibers of paper, and bound together. With such a vast amount of literature in existence, and the modern world existing in its disastrous state to day, it is questionable whether literature is truly one of the beneficial aspects of the human race. Certainly, the benefits of literature and the knowledge acquired from it have beenRead MoreThe Importance Of Literature In Modern Literature892 Words   |  4 PagesTwo genres of poetic literature that began in the twentieth century, Modern and Postmodern, made a dramatic impact on the world. With Modern literature being a heavy influence of postmodern authors, they sought to create their own style with substantial differences. Effectively evolving the generation of it’s time to compose in a style that has carved its niche in history, has been practiced and celebrated for the past seventy years and centuries to come. 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