GARC Research Key Findings
Global Action Research Collaborative on Girls’ Education
Cohort 2022
Building problem-solving capacity, confidence, and skills in girls happens daily in classrooms, sports fields, theaters, science labs, and hallways across girls’ schools around the world. Fellows from the Global Action Research Collaborative on Girl’s Education’s Cohort 2022 explored the development of these traits in an intentional and structured manner through an 18-month-long action research program. The 22 teachers from schools in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States explored with their students problem solving in disciplines from art and mathematics, to languages and leadership, and many subjects in between. The findings, while rich in diversity, also highlighted several common threads connecting these schools and students across age groups and disciplines.
STRATEGIES: Girls benefit from having a variety of strategies when problem-solving.
Studies repeatedly gave evidence to the value in providing students with varied strategies and tools to engage in solving the problem at hand, no matter the discipline. Esmalet van Zyl, Afrikaans teacher from St Mary’s School, Waverley in South Africa stated, “Students did not immediately associate problem-solving with language and comprehension.” But by elevating an understanding of what problem solving really is—finding a solution—students were able to look at tasks in a different way. They didn’t see things as right or wrong, but they found opportunities to explore solutions using different tools. Sheridan Cox, Head of House Prince Rayner at Walford Anglican School for Girls in Australia, noted that “When provided with time and explicit instruction on how to use them, thinking routines improved girls’ confidence to engage in problem solving, reported through both observation and self-reflection surveys.” Intentionally designing tasks that were relevant to the students’ age group and discipline provides a clear path forward to experiment with learned tools and strategies, thus further developing confidence in tackling the problem. Students discovered that if one approach didn’t work, there was another one to try.
PERSPECTIVES: Girls benefit from considering the perspectives of others while problem-solving.
Seeking and considering others’ perspectives helped students in several studies to better understand the complexity in what they were learning. Taking time to relate to the situation, to better understand the lens through which they observed the situation, and seeking the perspectives of others in their class often changed how the students engaged with the problem at hand. As Suzy Pett, Director of Studies at Wimbledon High School GDST in the UK, and winner of the inaugural GARC Action Researcher of the Year Award, noted, “Girls avoided being ‘cultural tourists’ in their reading. They relocated themselves within racial problems, rather than remaining as narrative/social onlookers.” She further shared that “Whilst we were not ‘solving problems’ within the English classroom, we were equipping girls to navigate them, leaning into discomfort.” Developing empathy was a key skill observed to have a positive effect in the efficacy of engaging in problem solving. With building the skills of empathy, self-reflection, and perspective taking, students increased their confidence and willingness to engage with problems, whether it was through a conversation in a middle school English class or through tackling social justice issues in a high school design thinking course. Nora Moffat, Director of the Center for Global Leadership at the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur in the USA, observed that “Developing perspective-taking skills in class impacted problem-solving in other areas of the students’ lives.”
COLLABORATION: Girls benefit from collaborative approaches to problem-solving.
Taking a collaborative approach to problem solving resulted in students feeling safe and supported, thus increasing their confidence and engagement. Simply determining that a task could be solved in a group wasn’t what resulted in the positive outcomes; rather it was when collaborative skills, such as listening, asking questions, and adaptability were intentionally taught. It was clear to all involved what the process would be and how the task would be evaluated. In addition, the classroom environment was key—being open-minded and respectful, students were more willing to ask questions to deepen understanding and offer perspectives that differ from their peers. Student independence and comfort in advocating resulted in more approaches being considered and a stronger outcome. Further building on the idea of collaborative engagement, students in these intentional environments learned from one another, not simply with differing perspectives, but through articulating their understanding in different ways. Sheetal Kowalczyk, Head of Junior Science at Bromley High School GDST in the UK shared that, “Teaching the few who ‘get it’ how to share their thinking may be a key to developing scientific enquiry skills at depth for a whole class.”
The research conducted by this cohort indicates that girls engage successfully with problem solving when taught different tools and strategies to employ, when they are given opportunity to build empathy and perspective-taking skills and are given instruction and opportunities in a respectful classroom climate to collaborate while exploring a solution. The growth in confidence and empathy to engage in solution-finding will further prepare these students to make a positive impact on the complex and challenge-riddled world in which we live.
Join girls’ schools from around the world in June at the 2023 ICGS Conference: REthink, REcharge, REengage in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, where fellows from cohort 2023 will be presenting their findings on The Global Reset: New Opportunities for Educating Girls. Applications for the 2025 cohort of GARC fellows will open in July.
The International Coalition of Girls’ Schools is the leading advocate for girls’ schools, connecting and collaborating globally with individuals, schools, and mission-aligned entities dedicated to educating and empowering girls. ICGS supports 550 member schools in 21 countries through advocacy, research, professional development, networking, and other strategic initiatives. Learn more at www.girlsschools.org.