Case Studies - Asian Role Models
‘All the Asian boys in the class say they want to be doctors or lawyers, probably with encouragement from parents - Where are the Asian role models in other STEM-related areas?’
Science teacher KS4
Advice
The websites below should give you a variety of Role Models and resources in areas other than medicine and law. The London Engineering Project has developed materials to appeal to Asian learners and girls. There are examples of good practice and some resources on their website which are very user-friendly. You might also like to think about your lesson resources and how they encourage learners to think about the wide range of jobs related to STEM - Future Morph would be another place to check things out.
You may find it useful to draw on resources produced by other organisations such as the Windsor Fellowship and the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust which aim to encourage individuals from a range of ethnic backgrounds.
You could use some of the materials from the STEMNET After School Clubs resources and ask STEMNET or Inspiring the Future to link you with some Asian and other role models to help you deliver them. This would provide an opportunity to showcase STEM activities in a positive way whilst involving people from a broader range of ethnic backgrounds.
You could also ensure that your displays around the STEM areas include images of people from different ethnic backgrounds (and cover the other areas of diversity if possible). Check out the resources section of this toolkit to see some examples from the Royal Society of Chemistry and other organisations.
Useful websites
www.windsor-fellowship.org Home page and click on REACH National Role Models Programme and Pre-19 Programmes.
www.stephenlawrence.org.uk offers bursaries and scholarships to the Architectural Association for BME students interested in architecture. There is also a mentoring scheme available for aspiring architecture students
www.stemnet.org.uk Click Ambassadors for Role Models and After School Clubs for activities to interest pupils in STEM careers.
www.rsc.org Click Educational and Professional Development, view sections on Schools and Colleges and Teachers.
www.futuremorph.org Click on Teachers to get ideas for yourself. Your learners can use the 14-16 pages.