Monday, April 23, 2012

Imagine how working with a scientist could change a girl’s life.

Girls push boundaries, test limits, and look at the world around them with inquisitive eyes. They’re natural scientists! Girl Scouts introduces girls of every age to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities that are relevant to everyday life.

Whether they’re discovering where bugs make their home or becoming naturalists in their neigh-borhoods, girls are moving forward into the future. They can discover how medicinal flowers and herbs can help others, recommend ways to reduce light pollution, engineer improvements to a dam, and more.

Girl Scouts’ approach to STEM is unique because it’s framed in leadership. Girls use their leader¬ship skills to make the world a better place. Research shows that girls need to be hands-on, active learners and are more interested in STEM careers when they know how their work can help others.

Our program intentionally engages girls using three unique processes:
• Learning by Doing: This process involves a reflection step that engages girls in thinking about how an activity worked and what they would do differently in the future—a key skill set when conducting experiments or scientific testing.
• Girl Led: This process encourages girls to decide which topics they want to explore and how they want to go about it.
• Cooperative Learning: This process gives girls the opportunity to develop their leadership skills in the way they feel most comfortable.

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