When stereotypes are shattered, girls realize they can accomplish great things, and not let social prejudice hold them back, especially in the important areas of the disciplines known as STEAM—for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Take the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, a rollicking event held annually since 2006 that now draws … Read more
In my last couple of posts, I looked at how improvisation and entrepreneurialism are related, because improv helps foster the skills to think on the fly and be open to ideas, and entrepreneurialism runs with those skills to help develop new products and processes from ideas. As with improv, in entrepreneurial learning, an idea has … Read more
“Improv makes you an amazing listener,” says Kevin Benson, who coaches entrepreneurs. “Listening involves more than just speaking and hearing. Listening is a deeper level of awareness for the communication and messages being sent by others.” Improv performers learn to pay attention to details and nuances that can open up a scene to entirely new … Read more
A curious mind can find things to explore almost anywhere, especially outdoors. I call it free-range curiosity. Take feathers. If you walk through a neighborhood where lawns aren’t cultivated like crops, and where nature’s “irregularities and imperfections” haven’t been blasted away by leaf blowers, chances are you’ll spot a few stray feathers. Simply by beginning … Read more
When we encourage a child to follow her curiosity, she discovers so much more on her own. Becoming attuned to her instincts helps a girl engage and entertain herself without requiring external stimulation like television and video games. Instead of drifting toward disengagement, she sharpens her ability to ask questions, follow her curiosity, create predictive … Read more
Too few girls pursue careers in technology, computer science, engineering, and the complement of eSTEAM subjects. All over the country, parents, teachers and industry leaders have studied, surveyed, incentivized, intervened, mentored, recruited. They’ve done everything they think they can do to encourage more girls to pursue eSTEAM. There are fantastic programs, such as First Bytes, … Read more
Nick Hahn is what I call a “technology dad.” Being a techie with a lifelong fascination with all things digital, he is ideally positioned to spark his daughter’s interest in computing. Both at work and at home, Nick is on the frontlines confronting gender biases. He shared one of his experiences with me. “When my … Read more
Through my experience teaching at the university level, and what I myself have discovered in teaching kindergarten through 12th grade, I’ve identified three keys to building our pipeline of female creative leaders and innovators: help break them free from stereotypes, let them embrace failure, and encourage entrepreneurialism. I will outline them over the next few … Read more