The University of Haifa will train 600 teachers to reduce gender gaps in mathematics through video analysis and dedicated workshops
In middle school, female students constitute a minority in the excellence classes, making up 40% of the students. Their performance on the PISA mathematics test is lower than that of boys, with only 30% of excelling students being girls. A recent study by the Aaron Institute reveals that elementary school mathematics teachers tend to favor boys and encourage them to study in excellence classes. However, when discussing these issues with middle school mathematics teachers, many emphasize that they are unaware of any gender bias or inequality in their classes.
To investigate possible gender bias among mathematics teachers, we approached the University of Haifa. A few years ago, in collaboration with the foundation, a research team at the University developed expertise in using classroom-based videos for the professional development of mathematics teachers. The assumption is that by incorporating videos that specifically showcase gender-related issues in mathematics lessons, teachers will become more aware of the gender gaps. They will observe how female students react and respond during lessons and explore how teaching practices influence these dynamics.
The University of Haifa proposes to analyze their existing video database of mathematics lessons and, if needed, to film 10 additional mathematics lessons from excellence classes where applied mathematics is being taught. The focus will be placed on applied mathematics, as data and research show greater gender gaps in this area. Studies in Israel and around the world reveal that female students tend to struggle with formulating a mathematical model when confronted with a complex problem. This unique phenomenon is referred to in the studies as “choking under pressure”, which has been found to correlate with lower self-confidence and efficacy, particularly among high-achieving female students.
To tackle this issue, the University of Haifa will collaborate with the Institute for Gender Equity in Education, which specializes in gender-sensitive pedagogy. Together, they will identify moments in the films that demonstrate gender gaps while modeling, formulating and reasoning with applied mathematical tasks. These “gender moments” will be used to create a database of 15 shorter clips, along with recommendations and a set of pedagogical practices.
Implementation will be carried out in collaboration with the National Program for Updating the Mathematics Curriculum. The National Program, coordinated by the University of Haifa, will train 40 of its teacher leaders to use the videos. They will be expected to teach a four-hour workshop on gender sensitive pedagogy to the 600 mathematics teachers who participate in the learning communities each year. In addition, the 40 teacher leaders will be trained to instruct a 30-hour workshop for learning communities of teachers that will operate on a citywide basis by various municipalities.
A final report on the impact of the program will be prepared and disseminated to the professional community. The report will dive deep into the different aspects of learning high level applied mathematics , identify common difficulties among female students, and evaluate the effect of the arsenal of pedagogical tools being implemented in the program on reducing dropout rates and increasing performance of female students.
* The text above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors / Grant 588