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Mathematicians

Students’ Stereotypesof

Where do they come from?

Can they change?

Presentation by Susan H. Picker, PhDemail: spicker@schools.nyc.gov

Draw your perceptionof amathematician.

7th Grade MaleStudent

“Mathematicians,have:-No friends. (Exceptother mathematicians)-Not married or seeinganyone.-Usually fat.-Very unstylish.-Wrinkles in foreheadfrom thinking so hard.-No social lifewhatsoever.-30 years old.-A very short temper.”

7th Grade

Female Student

An International Study

• 476 seventh grade students in the US,UK, Finland, Sweden and Romania.

• In a variation of the “Draw-A-ScientistTest”, students were asked to draw apicture of a mathematician at work.

• Students were asked to list reasons forwhy a mathematician would be hired.

• They were encouraged to comment ontheir drawing.

Students’ Images

• 28.8% of the drawings containedstereotypical or weird characters.

• 21.4% of all the drawings contained acharacter who was clearly a teacher.

• When a drawing was stereotypical and ofa teacher, it didn’t represent thestudent’s current teacher.

• The dominant image was that of awhite, middle aged, balding or wild-haired man.

Sweden—female student

Pocket protector

Weird hair

Mismatched socks

Trivial computations

Light bulb

Romania—female student

US—male student

“2+2=

8 I’

m not s

mart”

UK—male student

US—female student

Students chose to draw very small childreneven as they were now in their early teens.

Sweden—male student

“He is a strong mathematician. If you answer wronghe [will] KILL you.”

Finland—male student

US—male student

“I think that mathematicians always think ofcomplicated things as obvious. This drawing has asnotty person saying, ‘Can anyone but me find theanswer?’ and I dislike mathematicians.”

Finland—female student

Some conclusions…

• Students believe mathematicians do thoseapplications they have seen in their ownmathematics classes: arithmeticcomputation, area and perimeter,measurement.

• Media images mix with images fromstudents’ experiences in their mathclasses to produce the most stereotypicalimages.

For all practical purposes,mathematicians are invisible

to students of this age…

The image held of a mathematician can serveas a “kind of gatekeeper.” Henrion, 1997

Finland—male student

7 New York City classes (179 7th gradersfrom 3 schools)

Brainstormed 144 questions—asked in eachclass: What does a mathematician do?

Each drew a picture of a mathematician atwork.

40, or 24.7% contained weirdos, wizards,some missing figures, and Einsteinreferences.

The Mathematicians Panel

5 women and 3 men ranging in age from late20s to late 40s.

Three of the women were from countriesother than the U.S.: Nigeria, England andRomania.

One of the two American women was ofAfrican descent.

Of the three men, 2 were white Americans,the third was from Wales.

A statistician

A researcher and ethnologist interested in themathematics to be found in games

A combinatorial biologist who studied epidemics

A network specialist for a major telecom company

A former designer of defense systems

Teachers and trainers of teachers

They were…

The Images Change…

Males drawingmales by %

Males drawingfemales by %

Femalesdrawing males

Females drawingfemales

85.4 3.7 46.7 37.0

Male and female drawings by gender of pupils,before panel

Males drawingmales by %

Males drawingfemales by %

Femalesdrawing males

Femalesdrawingfemales

86.6 8.5 34.8 51.1

Male and female drawings by gender of pupils,after panel

Mickey’s drawing (pre-panel) (post-panel)

Maria’s drawing (pre-panel) (post-panel)

Clara’s drawing (pre-panel) (post-panel)

Allie’s drawing (pre-panel) (post-panel)

“I learned that mathematicians are normal peoplewith normal lives. What surprised me is that whatthey do is totally different than what I expected.”

(Brittney)

“I learned that mathematicians are not only involvedwith numbers, [they’re] involved with shapes and

computers. I learned that the mathematician withthe wizard’s hat is just a stereotype.” (Matthew)

“This gave a human face to mathematicians.”(Anon)

In their own words…

Students Õ Stereo types - New York University a mathematician would be hired. ... answer?Õ and I...

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