Million Girls Moonshot’s four Transformative Practices include resources for all educators to foster inclusive STEM learning spaces for all youth, particularly girls. All resources have been vetted using a culturally responsive and equity lens. Below is each transformative practice along with corresponding resources you can start using today!

Equity and Inclusion

While the Initiative’s goal is focused on increasing the number of girls with an engineering mindset and a STEM identity— the Initiative will benefit all students, improving the overall quality of all afterschool STEM opportunities and lifting up both boys and girls as they become future innovators. As STEM system builders, MGM works to increase access to STEM learning opportunities in afterschool and summer learning programs. Additional focus areas:

• Explore how to support programs to engage and nurture all young people’s interest in STEM learning.
• Address how programs are designing and implementing programming to broaden participation in STEM for learners in poverty, learners of color, learners in rural areas, and girls in STEM.
• Million Girls Moonshot worked with national experts and developed an Equity and Inclusion Framework with hopes to be a useful guide for supporting programs in this transformation. A framework is a way to illustrate the particular concepts and variables that are connected to a specific issue (e.g. Equity and Inclusion). It can serve as a map, illustrating connections, and a way of identifying strategies and actions for addressing the specific issue(s). 

Resources

• https://stemnext.org/engineering-mindset-toolkit/
• Download a PDF of the Equity and Inclusion Framework

• Math Equity Toolkit: check out these 5 strides of math instruction for Black, Latinx, and Multilingual students (grades 6-8)! https://equitablemath.org/ 
• From @InventorsHOF: The Importance of Equity in STEM Education → https://bit.ly/3F33qKN

Engineering Mindset

One of the primary goals of engineering education is to promote the development of an engineering mindset. An engineering mindset refers to the values, attitudes, and thinking skills associated with engineering. Engineers solve problems using systematic, iterative processes. Though the products of engineering are diverse, engineers approach their work using a common set of engineering practices. High-quality engineering experiences that engage youth in these practices help them develop and strengthen an engineering mindset. Million Girls Moonshot is highlighting 10 engineering practices. An overview of each follows. Subsequent briefs will explore each one individually. These practices are also more fully described in educational research articles (Cunningham, 2018; Cunningham & Kelly, 2017). https://stemnext.org/engineering-mindset-toolkit/

• Download the brief
• Download the Engineering Mindset graphic

For more information on each practice, please visit the links below. 

• Children consider problems in context
• Children use a specific problem-solving process
• Children investigate the properties and uses of materials
• Children consider constraints and criteria that require trade-offs
• Children envision multiple solutions
• Children apply science and math knowledge to problem-solving
• Children evaluate designs and make improvements
• Children persist and learn from failure
• Children work effectively in teams
• Children envision themselves as engineers

Resources

Math is an integral part of engineering. Learn how to utilize engineering activities to foster a deep understanding of math concepts: https://bit.ly/30Dkubm 

In search of creative #STEM activities? Check out this #STEM Educators Academy Activity Toolkit from @expand_school → https://bit.ly/3p8OfJp 

Role Models, Mentors, and Families

Incorporating Role Models:

• What does a day in the life of scientist & @IfThenSheCan ambassador @serenity_astra look like? Check it out! https://bit.ly/2V4phPO #girlsinSTEM
• Satellites keep us connected – even from 22,000 miles away! Check out this video to learn more about satellites → https://bit.ly/3xWVLKm @goldieblox

Families:

• Check out this toolkit to learn how to implement a Community Math Night for K-5th grade! https://bit.ly/3mqqdZD 

STEM Transitions and Pathways

• Research: The Connected Learning Research Network: Reflections on a Decade of Engaged Scholarship
• Toolkit: Brokering Youth Pathways: A Toolkit for Connecting Youth to Future Opportunities