Program for Gender Equity in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (PGE): DEM-Girls Exploring Mathematics through Social Sciences (GEMS)

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This demonstration project grows out of planning grant activity, which designed a multi-level approach to adapting a successful, intensice two-week summer program to reach a broader audience of urban girls. The present project (GEMS, or Girls Explore Mathematics through Social Science) encompasses an integrated set of three programs designed to strengthen middle-school girls' interest, competence and confidence in mathematics and mathematics-related activities through engaging them in social science research on adolescents. All three progams offer a curriculum that is attractive to middle-school girls, and that encourages their interest in mathematics, science and technology through their pre-existing interest in social issues. All three programs enhance girls' technical skills and itnerests by building on their preference for collaboration and connection; and all three encourage contact with older, relevant model-mentors. The project includes a 10 week, Saturday morning version of the program (GO-GIRL or Gaining Options: Girls Investigate Real Life) that can be offered to urban girls, but retains the key features of high interest, hands-on experience, collaboration, and intergenerational mentoring; and a web based version of the program (SMART-GIRL or Surveys Mathematics and Research Technology: Girls Investigate Real Life) that expands the capacity of a popular existing website to teah girls how to gather and analyze survey data online. At both the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, this project will provide opportunities for the pre-service teachers of mathematics and social studies who are also students, to observe, train, and teach girls on a small scale. The project will yield an economical version of the GEMS curriculum that is usable in urban settings, a teacher professional development program that is exportable to other institutions, as well as appropriate support materials to enable others to implement this curriculum in other cities.