STEM X Academy – from a 2016 alumnus( continued)
REPORTS
STEM X Academy – from a 2016 alumnus( continued)
them as a basis for depth studies to equip our students with skills needed for jobs in the future.
Utilising Questacon’ s activities, like fellow STEM-Xer Caroline Gregory, I have incorporated the use of Makey Makeys. She is a K-6 teacher, and is using these with year 6. I have been using Makey Makey in the stage 4 circuits topic and during our stage 5 STEM class. The Makey Makey enabled my students to express their creativity in different ways, from testing the conductivity of different fruits and vegetables and different cooking utensils to creating an extra dimension to incorporate sound into artwork.
Many Alumni from different STEM-X years and backgrounds have been able to link up forming local networks, and also visit schools to keep each other on track, the teachers chosen from STEM-X, come from different science backgrounds and different teaching backgrounds. It has been beneficial in connecting both experienced and less experienced teachers. Establishing connections has been an asset, especially through social media. With the implementation of the Australian Curriculum, I am able to build programs, receive ideas and lesson hooks from teachers in Western Australia, Northern Territory and South Australia that have students with backgrounds and experiences similar to my students’ rural and remote lifestyle.
This has been just a short review of how I, and some of the contacts, have used the information we have gained from STEM-X. If you are looking for a professional development that can help in all areas of your teaching, this could be it! When asking alumni what they would say in this article“ The experience helped strengthen my science knowledge, gave insight into improved teaching methods, better resources and gave me exposure to the latest cutting edge science that Australia has to offer” and“ engagement has never been as high” in my experience, the lower-end students are understanding so much more, while the higher end are now thinking“ why?” and“ what if?”.
Tanya Riach is currently a STANSW Councillor. She is a Science teacher and STEM coordinator at Condobolin High School.
19 SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 1