ARTICLES
Reflections of the STEM-X Academy For 2018 (continued)
Questacon showed me how to start off a STEM program.
Protostorming and a simple activity where a rolling ball had to light
a LED brought all the teachers together in groups, and started off
those crucial conversations that develop into new professional
networks. After lots of great food for lunch (a recurring theme for
the whole trip) we listened to alumni of STEM-X from 2017 on how
they established those locations I had wondered about where
they built STEM stuff, aka ‘makerspaces’, in their schools. I was
amazed how complicated yet how straightforward it would be at
the same time! I could see how this could lead to challenges with
an unsupportive executive at schools, and furthermore, a lack of
space in campuses would certainly be an issue.
CSIRO at Black Mountain was our next stop. It was here that
I had one of the significant learning moments of the trip. The
primary challenge was to develop a solution to a problem within
one of the key focus areas of CSIRO. We had to create both
the question and the possible answer and present it to both our
peers and the CSIRO researchers later on in the week. Here’s the
learning moment. Whenever we’ve had to do a student research
project or open-ended investigation in Science, I’ve always had
students respond with ‘I don’t know’ whenever I’ve asked them to
think of something. I always assumed they were unimaginative (I
never have problems finding something interesting in Science…)
or just plain lazy (I’m not spoonfeeding you…). However, it took
five university trained adults over two hours to come up with a
question to work on. The eye-opener for me was if it took us as
adults that long, how was a high-school student with less than half
our life experience supposed to do it? That was a key message
for me to take home to the classroom.
The interior of the radio-quiet room at Mount Stromlo’s satellite
construction facility. A perfect place to stick those students who
are getting on your nerves.
Questacon also gave me the first of many activities that would
end up straight in programs back at school. We developed some
centrifuges based on CDs and separated orange juice and dirty
water into their components. It is incredible how easy it was, and
I’ve already taken it back to my faculty with favourable results.
A highlight for me was the Graham Walker Science Show during
dinner at ANU. If I had to pick a job I wanted from STEM-X, it would
be a tie between this one and Brod and Cindy’s at the Ian Potter
Centre. Not only was Graham an astounding presenter, but he
was also more than happy to explain how to fling marshmallows
across a room with a vacuum cleaner, light LEDs with a falling
magnet in a clear plastic tube and fire teddy bears out of cannons
with liquid nitrogen. If you don’t believe me, apply to STEM-X in
2019 and come and watch!
The business end of the machine that moves space debris by
pushing it gently with light. No. I’m serious. With light.
41
SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 1