Exit slip: October 21, 2021 – Gender equality and inquiry project proposal

I appreciated all of the different perspectives that my classmates shared about gender equality in math and physics. We watched videos about Donna Strickland, a Canadian female Nobel Prize winner, and Maryam Mirzakhani, a female Fields medallist. We also compared and contrasted a video celebrating female scientists working at a university and a video on a male mathematician. One female classmate found that the video on the female scientists did not present the scientists seriously and was too stereotypically feminine. However, another female classmate argued that perhaps the scientists wanted to present their feminine personality and that there is nothing wrong with a scientist showing that they are not always serious. Further, it was pointed out that the video on the male mathematician also showed him playing the drums and solving a rubik's cube. I think part of promoting gender equality is to also promote a diversity of people working in math and science. In my opinion, it is likely beneficial to show young students that they can be a successful scientist without giving up their personality and hobbies.

I also enjoyed listening to all of the different proposal for inquiry projects. Some of the ideas I found really interesting are:

1. Bringing theatre into science classes. Can theatre be a way to bring students who aren't traditionally interested in physics to try the class and perhaps discover a new interest. I think the idea is intriguing and I look forward to seeing the presentation. 
2. Two-staged assessments. I actually did a two stage assessment in my first year physics course and I really enjoyed the experience. I think it really promoted engaging discussions because everyone in the group has already thought hard about the problem before coming together to discuss as a group. I'm curious to see how this has been used in secondary classrooms and what the research says about this approach to assessment.