8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Sound Precepts with good examples. Interesting book., February 23, 1999
This review is from: Feisty Females: Inspiring Girls to Think Mathematically (Paperback)
These four authors are really on to something which needs to be considered by not only educators , but parents of girls who more and more need to be strengthened in their abilities to compete in the fast-moving technical, mathematical and scientific world of the future. Their precepts are very sound.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Propagation of inappropriate stereotypes, November 24, 2004
This review is from: Feisty Females: Inspiring Girls to Think Mathematically (Paperback)
There is no question that there has historically been a gender gap in the hard sciences of mathematics, physics, chemistry etc. The ratio of males to females has always been very high, and there have been many different reasons put forward for this. As a consequence of these reasons, programs have been created that attempt to rectify the problem. Some of those solutions are presented in this book, and while some are good, there are some dubious claims regarding the reasons for the gap and the justification for the solutions.
One of the strongest claims is that young girls are not exposed to female role models with strong personalities, and the goal should be to change that. This is the reason for the title and I have serious doubts as to the validity. There is no doubt that girls are equal to and in many cases outperform boys in mathematics until roughly middle school, where there is a dramatic change. The argument that there are no role models is not accurate. In my experience, the vast majority of elementary school teachers are female, none of my children had a male teacher until the fourth grade.
The point I have the most disagreement with deals with the nature of learning mathematics. Much of this is summed up in the following paragraph, which appears on page 3.
"Interestingly, these researchers also connect the characteristics of a hardy personality to successful problem-solving skills. Although the problem-solving skills they are discussing are not only mathematical in nature, these findings could be related to the fact that young females often lose interest in mathematics at the very same age. When female students do not have confidence in their ability to prevail in novel or challenging situations, their approaching mathematics problems with risk-taking behaviors seems unlikely."
While a hardy personality is certainly helpful in being a successful problem-solver, this is another statement about how math is different. If you follow this line of reasoning, then the girls should experience the same difficulties in writing, learning foreign languages and all other problems that are non-mathematical in nature. Since they do not, the point made above is of dubious validity.
Another point that I question is on page 51.
"Males tend to prefer competitive learning activities while females prefer cooperative learning situations. Yet, as is often pointed out, traditional components of mathematical instruction foster competitive types of behavior. Damarin categorizes these features as competition with the computer, with the clock, or with one another."
Why single out mathematics? Like boys, girls compete for grades in all classes, positions on the sports teams, roles in the school plays and many other things. Examinations in history, social studies and all other classes are timed, so the competition with the clock is not restricted to mathematics. To say that mathematics instruction is somehow different, is to say that math is somehow different. That mentality is the greatest impediment to learning math, so the authors are reinforcing a mentality that is part of the problem.
One of the primary solutions put forward in the book is that girls should read stories where the primary character is a strong female that "slays the dragon." I certainly believe that this is of benefit, any activity that reinforces the "I can do it" mentality benefits all children, regardless of gender. Other activities used that will help build mathematical strength is to see math in as many daily activities as possible. Once again, this is a gender-neutral improvement.
In conclusion, I found the perpetuation of the absurdity that learning mathematics is somehow different, and when the authors describe good methods for improving mathematics education, they are generally gender neutral. I found the book illuminating, but not in a positive way.
Published in the recreational mathematics e-mail newsletter, reprinted with permission.
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4 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Incorrect Solution for a Non-Existent Problem, May 29, 2001
This review is from: Feisty Females: Inspiring Girls to Think Mathematically (Paperback)
This book is based on incorrect solutions for a problem that no longer exists. According to the 1999 NAEP results, the math "gender gap" has been eliminated at all grade levels. In addition, according to the National Science Foundation, female students are currently more likely than male students to take advanced mathematics courses in high school. As a result, the problem this book claims to address - that girls "fall behind" boys - is no longer relevant.
Even if the gender gap in mathematics did exist, the solutions proposed in this book create more problems than they solve. In particular, by advocating the use of literature that does not include a positive portrayal of boys, this book emphasizes that reading is a "girls-only" activity. The authors do not include suggestions for creating a positive learning climate for boys. They also do not devote sufficient attention to eliminating the much larger gender gaps in reading and writing where boys trail girls. It is perhaps not a coincidence that since the publication of this book, the reading gender gap has nearly doubled.
In summary, this book attempts to provide solutions for a problem that does not exist. This in and of itself would not be so terrible if the proposed solutions did not have such a negative impact on the real gender gaps in education.
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