FLATE’s newest “Women in Manufacturing” video has been an
effective tool in highlighting the
role and significant contributions of women
who have made remarkable strides in the Manufacturing workforce. The Video,
produced by FLATE in partnership with the Scientific League, discusses
pertinent issues about the role women have played in the manufacturing
industry, outlines their journey/struggles in entering the manufacturing
workforce, and how women have maneuvered through each of the challenges to
assume rewarding careers in manufacturing starting at the technician to the C
Suite level.
Since
the debut of the Video, FLATE has built a Teacher’s Guide featuring three
comprehensive curriculum and lesson plans that addresses issues outlined in the
Women in Manufacturing video. These curriculum/lessons align with the new
Florida Standards (SP.PK12.US.3.3b), and are designed to serve as teaching aids
to help educators formulate lessons that stir students’ interest in
manufacturing, and help with academic and career planning, course selection,
and/or post-secondary goals. The lessons outlined in the teacher’s guide also
provide a first-hand look at real-life scenarios surrounding gender bias in the
hiring process, and how these collective experiences have shaped the role of
women in the current manufacturing workforce. Jesse Kokotek, FLATE curriculum
coordinator states the lessons complement FLATE’s STEM based resources targeted
to attract women/girls in STEM, and hopes the lessons will help educators
enhance their curriculum and spur students particularly girls’ interest in
manufacturing careers.
The
first lesson plan “Now Hiring-Help Us
Pick the Best Candidate” simulates a real-life scenario
where students are
provided with resumes and asked to identify the best candidate for a fictitious
position at a manufacturing plant. This lesson is intended to be used prior to
watching the Women in Manufacturing
video, or doing any other lessons. It also serves as a discussion starter about
gender stereotypes and inequality. Expected outcomes include building
insight/understanding about gender stereotypes and how it can play a role in
the hiring process for technical jobs.
The
second lesson plan, “Traditional versus
Non-Traditional Jobs” compares the two types of jobs often sought by women.
The primary focus of the lesson is to explore and contrast manufacturing and technology-driven
careers in terms of education requirements, standard of living and job
availability. Expected outcomes of the lesson include: an understanding that
not all career paths are equal, and sometimes, it is advantageous to seek
employment in a non-traditional technology-driven field. The lesson also
underlines the importance in assessing standard of living and job availability
while choosing a career.
The
final lesson plan, “Women Who Lead the
Way” takes a closer look at women who have
made significant impact and
contribution towards gender equality in the workplace. The lesson helps
students understand how past experiences of women in manufacturing have helped
shape the way women are currently perceived, and/or will be treated in the
workplace in the future, particularly in manufacturing and technical jobs that
are considered nontraditional for women. At the conclusion of the lesson,
students gain an understanding of how present-day opportunities represent a
culmination of discrepancies women have encountered in the past, and the ongoing
need/quest for gender equality in the workplace.
For
more information on the Women in
Manufacturing video and related curriculum/lesson plans visit the “STEM
Resources for Girls” section on the FLATE Wiki. To
watch the Women in Manufacturing video
head to FLATE’s YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/rKW7DslaZAs,
and/or contact Dr. Marilyn Barger, Executive Director of FLATE at barger@fl-ate.org, and Jesse Kokotek, FLATE curriculum
coordinator at kokotek@fl-ate.org.
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