Back to Issue 348 9 August 2019 W4T3

“St Catherine’s Enabled My Daughter to Find Her Voice”

I recall a conversation from some years ago with a Year 11 parent when I was encouragingly told “St Catherine’s enabled my daughter to find her voice”. This phrase has been ringing in my head since the conversation; perhaps it is the secret ingredient to an education at St Catherine’s School?

A school culture that is affirming and aspirational can encourage girls to safely explore risk-taking with their learning and works to create an environment that fosters participation, leadership and engagement.

This parent’s phrase, which I have now coined ‘finding her voice’, was given even greater clarity when I recently read research provided through the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia. The topic of this research was of female students who identify feeling less confident sharing minority views in co-educational environments.

“Research from global analytics company, Gallup, has found that female university students are less likely than male students to feel comfortable sharing their views in a classroom when they perceive that their views may conflict with the opinions of their peers. In a co-educational environment, this can mean that young women are less confident to share their minority views in front of male students. So, despite young women now forming a majority of students on American university campuses, Gallup says there is a gender gap in how young women interact in the classroom.”

In response to the Gallup findings, Julie Park, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Maryland, told Inside Higher Ed magazine that she was not surprised that some female students do not feel comfortable speaking out in the classroom, given the current issues of ‘climate’, stating that: “There may be environments where male students try to dominate the conversation. Ideally we would like to see all of our students feeling comfortable to speak up, but because of issues of inequality, that might not always be the case.”

The Gallup study sought to verify how comfortable students feel about expressing themselves in the classroom. The company surveyed more than 5,100 recent graduates who earned bachelor’s degrees between 2010 and 2018. Graduates were asked to identify, on a five-point scale, whether they felt comfortable sharing ideas or opinions in their university classroom that they believed were held by a minority of people.

The results showed that 58 per cent of female graduates agreed or strongly agreed that they felt comfortable about sharing a minority opinion, compared with almost 70 per cent of males. At the other end of the scale, 17 per cent of females and 8 per cent of males agreed or strongly agreed that they felt uncomfortable sharing minority opinions.

These findings are consistent with previous research showing that females are less likely than males to ask questions during academic seminars. This “gap in comfort” suggests that the university experience of females is undermined because they are reluctant to share their opinions.

As Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed pointed out earlier this year, the issue of male domination of classroom discussions is hardly new. A 2014 study published in the Life Sciences Education journal found that even though females comprised 60 per cent of students in 23 introductory Biology courses, only 40 per cent of students heard responding to questions posed by instructors in class were female.

A school climate that allows girls to feel comfortable about speaking out is considered a priority in developing our confident, capable and happy students.

Similarly, a 2018 Stanford University study found that when instructors were aware of the gender of students posting in online discussion forums, they were 94 per cent more likely to respond to the comments of white male students compared with other students. Perhaps in response to this unconscious bias, it was also found that white female students were ten percentage points more likely to respond to posts by fellow white female students, speaking to the power of females working and supporting each other, even in co-educational environments where teacher-student interactions are often still dominated by male students.

In our Year 9 Humanities course last semester, our students undertook a focus and assessment using the Socratic methodology. Learning through the Socratic method stimulates critical thinking as a routine to draw out ideas with reasoning and logic. The goal is for students to solidify their knowledge of the case by thinking critically under pressure; it also works to reduce the passivity of students within the classroom setting, with students undertaking an increased level of pre-reading in readiness for each lesson. Such teaching practice proved to encourage girls to consider their opinions of others but to also build the confidence of all students to respond in class, to find their voice, and to respect the diversity of views of others.

This research speaks volumes for the benefit of an all-girls education and the distinct advantage of an all-girls environment. At St Catherine’s, such gender issues are acknowledged by our teaching staff with effective strategies enacted and embedded within the school culture and classrooms. For example, a focus on encouraging girls’ natural strengths or talents, whether it is Mathematics, Soccer, Chess or Music, is always prevalent. When girls feel confident, it can act as a touchstone to build confidence in other areas of their life.

A school climate that allows girls to speak out, speak often and feel comfortable in doing so is vital to the overall health of the classroom culture and is considered a priority in developing our confident, capable and happy students.

References:

Vale Irene Pollard (Crooke ’29)

St Catherine’s (oldest) Old Girl, Irene Pollard (Crooke ’29) sadly passed away at the age of 105 on Sunday 4 August. Irene adored St Catherine’s and was very proud to be an Old Girl of the School. Irene recollected her joyful memories over afternoon tea with St Catherine’s Old Girls’ Association President, Chrissy Ryan (Graham ’79), and 2018 Community Service Captains, Madeleine Leggo and Emily Kent, in November last year. Irene shared her happy memories of boarding as it allowed her access to the wonders of the city after her childhood growing up at The Holey Plain, Gippsland. During their afternoon tea, Irene could vividly remember many events that happened during these years and she fondly recalled stories of her time learning in Sherren House, including a very amusing story about smuggling a dog into Church on Sunday! Irene’s charm, wit and love of life meant she had many friends throughout her 105 years.

Vale Astrida Cooper

It was with great sadness that the St Catherine’s community farewelled Astrida Cooper at St John’s Anglican Church, Toorak on Wednesday 7 August. Astrida fought a long battle with her illness with great fortitude and strength, and the will to get better and, at all times, was surrounded by her loving family.

Astrida was a Member of the Foundation Board, a former parent and quite simply a person who drew people into her embrace throughout her life with her genuine warmth and interest in people. This was very evident by the number of people who attended the Service as a mark of respect and love for her.

Her husband Craig is a former Member of St Catherine’s School Council and served as Honorary Treasurer. Astrida was a highly respected member of the School community and her loss will be widely mourned by many.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Craig and their children, Axi (’05) and Peter (’07).

Michelle Carroll

Mrs Michelle Carroll