Talk to high school physics teachers to initiate a discussion about inclusion and diversity in the classroom. Part of the UCR Summer Physics Teacher Academy program. Annotated version. (Slides with green bars represent content that was discussed verbally but did not appear on the slides explicitly.) Some teacher responses included at the end.

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Flip Tanedo
2 FEB 2019
UC Riverside Particle Theory
ATTENDING TO DIVERSITY
I N T H E P H Y S I C S C L A S S R O O M
UCR Physics and Astronomy
High School Physics Workshop
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&
mostly unqualified
to give this talk
Annotated Version

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Annotated Version
This version is lightly edited from the slides
presented on Feb 2, 2019.
The edits include copies of some of the teacher
responses and additional slides of what was
presented verbally.
Annotations are indicated by green top bars.
-Flip

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Why I’m here
This week grad schools started sending out acceptances.
One of our undergrad women is one of the most tenacious researchers I know. She has
been bullied by her male colleagues and taken less seriously in her classroom. This week
she was accepted into Yale.
Another undergrad is a first-generation college student whose parents did not finish
high school. He grew up helping his parents with English while teaching himself on his
way to college. He’s had to figure out how to succeed as a physics student. This week he
was accepted into Boston University.
I am proud these two students, all the more so because I
know how close they were to falling through the cracks.
But I am deeply concerned: for each student like these,
there are many students who do fall through the cracks.

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Caveat Emptor
This discussion is a combination of some actual
data, observations, and anecdotes.
Some ideas may be uncomfortable. Respectful
disagreement is okay. We share common goals to
help our students.
“The plural of anecdote is not data
“”Thoughts/opinions not not necessarily reflect UCR or anyone else.

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How can we promote
inclusion in physics?
Goal: building ways to cooperate in support of our students.
Next opportunity: Summer Physics Teacher’s Academy 2019

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Note Cards
What should
college instructors
know about your
students to help
them succeed?
What do you
need from college
instructors to help
our students
succeed?
(anonymous)

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Why are some groups underrepresented at
all levels of physics training & practice?
… but physics doesn’t care about your
race, gender, sexual orientation,
socioeconomic status, politics …
“”

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8https://www.aps.org/programs/minorities/resources/statistics.cfm
Is this a lot? Is this a little?

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9https://www.aps.org/programs/minorities/resources/statistics.cfm

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10https://www.aps.org/programs/minorities/resources/statistics.cfm

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11https://www.aps.org/programs/education/statistics/

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12https://www.aps.org/programs/education/statistics/womenmajors.cfm

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How can we promote
inclusion in physics?

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How can we promote
inclusion in physics?
What pitfalls in college can we
inoculate against in high school?
What should college instructors
know about students coming
from our high schools?

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How can we promote
inclusion in physics?
Breaking down barriers to diversity can
benefit all people inclusively

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working definition
minority, n.
an identity that is disproportionately not
present; underrepresented group
We will use “minority” to include any such identity, whether
visibly apparent or not; one can be a “compound” minority."
Suggested reading: American Physical Society websites on the
Committee on the Status of Women in Physics, Committee on Minorities,
LGBT Physicists; similar for the American Astronomical Society
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17https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/january-2015/of-symmetries-the-strong-force-and-helen-quinn
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Helen Quinn (paraphrased)
Physics is hard.
It is harder if you are a
woman, if your skin is
brown, if you are gay, if
you do not identify with
the other physicists
around you.
Photo: Nicholas Bock at SLAC

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Compound Identities
Often “minority identities” can compound. If one
identifies with multiple underrepresented
demographics, one can feel especially isolated.

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Working Definition
self-efficacy, n. (also: physics identity, agency)
belief in one’s ability to “do physics,” that one
belongs in the group of physics students
from social cognitive theory (Banduras)
Suggested reading: “Connecting High School Physics Experiences…,” Hazari
et al. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 47 8 (2010), “Developing physics
identities,” Irvine and Sayre, Physics Today 69, 5, 46 (2016), “Critical look at
physics identity,” Hyater-Adams et al. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 14, 010132.
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20Adapted: Hazari et al. J. of Research in Science Teaching 47 no. 8, (2010)
Physics
Identity
Can I handle AP physics?
Am I a math-y person?
Is doing physics acting white?
Can women be physicists?

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Science Communication
See, e.g. ComSciCon workshop for and by graduate students
Physics
Identity
self efficacy
You are a junior colleague
who belongs in this space

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Stand & Deliver
The movie adaptation of Stand and Deliver featured
scenes of Jaime Escalante’s students answering AP
calculus questions out loud in front of their peers.
I do something similar with our first year graduate
students. The practice improves public speaking—an
important skill in research—but more importantly: it
validates students’ place at the head of the class,
explaining something meaningful to their peers.
It also creates a space where one can see minority
identities being physics experts on something. It
encourages self-efficacy by promoting a social
identity that overlaps with a physics identity.

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Why students leave STEM
“Why Do Students Leave STEM,” Heather Thiry APS Bridge/NMS Conference 2018
“I felt alone, like I didn’t belong.
“”Women: more impacted by perceived low grades
Minorities: college transition, classroom climate
Engineering/CS: lack of prior exposure
Common: “poor teaching”

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Working Definitions
privilege. n. (a polarizing word)
Benefit that a select group has that others do not.
One can have some privileges and not others.
Different from oppressing others.
Not something to “apologize” for.
Suggested reading: “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” McIntosh; “Unveiling
Privilege to Broaden Participation” The Physics Teacher 55, 394 (2017), “The
Pencilsword: On a Plate,” Toby Morris, “Privilege 101,” Sian Ferguson
Everyday Feminism
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Privilege is a challenging idea
Privilege is challenging to discuss in polite
company. Sometimes it is used in a way that can
interpreted as accusatory—check your privilege.
In 2014 this became a point of national discussion
when an incoming Princeton freshman wrote an
op-ed in Time magazine titled “Why I’ll Never
Apologize for My White Male Privilege.”

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Privilege is a challenging idea
For our purposes:
1. Privilege is not always a phenotype. You
can have privilege from attending a good school.
You can’t always “see” someone’s privilege.
2. Having privilege is not binary. You can have
some privileges and not others. Often we are more
aware of the privileges we do not have than the ones that
we do.
3. Privilege is not oppression of others. It is not
intrinsically bad or something to apologize for.
Note: Other people may mean different things when they say “privilege.”

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Privilege is a challenging idea
A good example: from what I can see, everyone in
this room is able to walk on their own two legs.
This is a privilege.
There are people who must use a wheelchair. We
do not have to apologize for our ability to walk.
However, to be inclusive, it helps if we are aware
that not everyone has the privilege of taking
walking for granted (to no fault of their own!).
The awareness of the privilege helps those with
privilege be effective allies to those without.

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28UCR Society of Physics Students logo

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Re: the UCR SPS logo
This logo, however, can affect people differently
depending on their background. A white male
may fit in seamlessly and say, “I can be Einstein!”
On the other hand, a black woman may feel that
the logo emphasizes how different she is from the
common attributes that can just be assumed in
the figures.
Our undergrads came up with this
logo for their society of physics
students. From a design
perspective, it implies that anyone
can “stick their face in” and be a
famous physicist. I commend them
for that message.

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Re: the UCR SPS logo
In other words, a more
dangerous reading of the logo
is: any white male face can be
the face of a famous physicist.
I do not at all think this was the intent of the logo.
But I think it is useful to identify that minority
students may read the logo differently than non-
minority students.
Is the logo a problem? I don’t know. I’m not sure
that it is. I think that it is an useful example,
however, of the kind of awareness that can help us
better understand issues of inclusion.

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31Antonio Carlos Fontes Santos, The Physics Teacher 55, 524 (2017)
“You don’t look like a physicist.
“”“
Sorry, this bus only goes to the
university.
“”Oh, you’re a professor—but, like, a
substitute one, right? Not one that
does research?

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Working Definitions
impostor syndrome. n.
doubting one’s own ability, leading to fear of
being discovered as a fraud
Suggested reading: “Faking It,” Chris Woolston, Nature 529, 555-557
(2016); “Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome,” Stephanie Hamilton,
AstroBites (2 March 2018)
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“
You study physics?
You are so smart!
“”
One of the most inadvertently toxic
things one can say to a young physicist:

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“You are so smart” and impostor syndrome
Science is not about what we know, it’s about
discovering what we did not know.
At it’s heart, science is a struggle with not
knowing. It often involves feeling stupid and
grappling with making sense of data,
mathematics, and past ideas.
For young scientists, being told that they’re
somehow at the top of the mountain can
exacerbate impostor syndrome.

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Dunning-Kruger Effect
Too naive to know how naive you are.
Knowledge
(accumulated ability)
Confidence
Impostor Syndrome
Realize how little you know
???
Projected
growth as a scientist
danger zone!

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Working Definitions
leaky pipeline, n. (controversial)
Idea that minority students leave STEM fields
early in their educational path.
Implication: “there’s nothing universities can do—
the problem is in the schools.”
Suggested reading: “The Leaky Pipeline,” Nature Jobs, Karen Kaplan
(March 2018); Cosmic Variance, guest post by Chanda Prescod-
Weinstein (2006); Toni Feder in Physics Today 58, 4, 28 (2005)
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problematic
analogy?

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The Leaky Pipeline
I want to make sure we know this idea, but there
are many problematic features about it, including:
1. The concept implies that those who leave STEM
are not contributing to society in a meaningful
way. The issue isn’t that people choose other
specialties, rather it is that the demographics are
disproportionately underrepresented young
scientists.
2. The concept is often used by those in higher
education to argue that issues of inclusion are not
their problem.

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Working Definitions
grit, n. (or distance traveled)
perseverance against challenge,
proposed as a measure of
student ability
Suggested reading: “For college admissions, let’s value grit over
GPAs,” Washintgon Post, Mitch Daniels (Nov 2018)
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How do we promote grit?
I highlight “distance traveled” in letters of
recommendation. Students should know they are
valued for what they are becoming, not who had
the head start. (SEE: PRIVILEGE)
“
You are your acceleration.
Initial position is a small effect.
“”

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What should
college instructors
know about your
students to help
them succeed?
What do you
need from college
instructors to help
our students
succeed?

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How can we promote
inclusion in physics?

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We can make a difference
Hazari et al. The Physics Teacher 55, 96 (2017)
College women attending CUWiP
What were their interests at each educational stage?

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CUWiP Graph
It represents undergrad women attending the Conference for
Undergraduate Women in Physics.
Start on the right. The blue/teal bars are those who identify
as physics majors. As you move to the left, you see how those
women identified at earlier educational stages.
Observe that in middle school, only a small number of them
identified themselves as interested in physics. The conclusion
is that high school can shape the physics trajectories of young
women who may not yet know that they are young physicists.
This is a difficult graph
to read.

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Challenges
How can we effectively mentor minority students
if one does not share their minority identity?
How can we find the time and resources to give
enough attention to the students who need it?
How do we talk about inclusion?
(I just want to talk about science!)

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What can we do?
The goal of this talk was to establish ideas for
further dialogue for how we can work together to
support our students inclusively.
The first place we can continue this dialogue is
through our Summer Physics Teacher’s Academy.
The next few slides present a specific opportunity
that we’re trying out this year.

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Summer 2019:
Summer Physics Teacher Academy
https://www.aps.org/programs/education/su4w/
What we can do?

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Women in Physics Book Discussion
APS Women in Physics Grant
with Lexi Costantino
2nd year Ph.D student, founder
of UCR’s POWUR
(Physics Organization for Women and the
UnderRepresented)
Funding for participants to
receive a copy of a book to
discuss as part of an add-on
event to the summer academy.

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A framework to continue this discussion between
college and high school physics educators.

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More from Step Up 4 Women
Ambassador program for training, resources for
educators.
https://www.aps.org/programs/education/su4w/

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What should
college instructors
know about your
students to help
them succeed?
What do you
need from college
instructors to help
our students
succeed?

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Copies of these slides
https://www.slideshare.net/fliptanedo/attending-to-diversity-in-the-classroom

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Discussion
During the discussion, one teacher brought up the
case of students with learning disabilities or who
otherwise learn differently. This is a minority
group in STEM that is often left out of inclusion
efforts.
We spoke a bit with Profs. Michael Anderson and
Owen Long about the kinds of accommodations
that are available to these students in a university.

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Discussion
Another point that came up in discussion was the
perception that physics is not always seen as a
safe major for career options.
This often hits socioeconomically disadvantaged
students more, pushing them towards engineering
disciplines, for example.
Perhaps more efforts to highlight non-academic
career paths would help inclusion efforts.

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Discussion
A third point during discussion was the role of
high school administrators.
The realities of high school funding restricts the
ability to offer advanced courses with smaller
enrollment, especially if they do not necessarily
lead to high standardized test scores.
Students may be advised to take “easier” courses
that would maximize their GPA or AP numbers in
order to have more impressive transcripts.

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Additional
Thoughts

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Supporting Students

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Supporting Endorsing Students
(Credit to Prof. Boerge Hemmerling for his insights on this)

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Incoming freshmen should know
The role of research in a university
… difference between UC and Cal State
… undergraduate opportunities (and why)
… career planning starts right away
How to navigate large lecture classes, hostile
environments, value one’s self
What matters? (Career)

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Incoming freshmen should know
How to ask questions. (Is it obvious that…)
How to write and discuss about science.
What impostor syndrome is.
What matters? (How to value themselves.)

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Science Communication
https://twitter.com/FlipTanedo/status/1087505695883182080
“ Kara Manke (ComSciCon 2013)There are opportunities here!
e.g. astrobites.org

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Index Card Responses
I’m including a few of the responses to the index
card prompt.
What should
college instructors
know about your
students to help
them succeed?
What do you
need from college
instructors to help
our students
succeed?

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