Educators and policy makers from around the globe gathered in New York over the weekend to discuss innovative approaches to education with the aim of increasing access and achievement.
Saturday’s World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) was unlike a typical conference. It was noisy, energized and interactive as people gathered in multiple creative spaces, shared ideas, discussed issues, considered solutions and built community. The theme was “Learning Revolutions: Creating Educational Environments for Empowerment and Inclusion.”
Established in 2009, WISE is the Qatar Foundation’s educational initiative. WISE@NY was designed to democratize the conversation and coincided with the United Nation General Assembly and the UN’s Global Goals Week. Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation, was in attendance.
The participants in the panel discussion titled “STEM for All: Tackling Biases, Expanding Opportunities” was asked by moderator Dr. Kiley Adolph why barriers exist and how they can be tackled.
Dr. José Escamilla, director of TecLabs in Monterrey, Mexico, said it’s important to dispel the notion that scientists are male geeks lacking social skills. To bridge the gender gap, he said, encouragement begins at home. Countries, such as India, where the gender gap in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is smaller, girls are encouraged from a young age to embrace STEM-related work.
Escamilla noted a project he observed in Chile where female high school students were paired with mentors. The girls were inspired to pursue STEM studies.
