ARTICLES
Challenges for a Rural Science Teacher (continued)
resources also. We should remember that metropolitan schools
have their own problems which they have to overcome, too. For
example, we might grumble about sending our students to the
Museum of Human Disease for a day-long excursion, especially
as it means most of the trip involves bus travel with sleep-
deprived students! But if we consider that for many of us the
morning drive to work is brief compared to the time city people
have to commute each day it seems like a small price to pay.
Another suggestion for rural teachers who are restricted by
location, and may find difficulty accessing specialists in scientific
knowledge, is to take advantage of any times Questacon and
similar organisations do their outreach tours, regularly visiting
small towns bringing all the necessary resources with them. All
that is required is for teachers to book them in. Visit the websites
of sites that seem interesting, and join their mailing lists. The
Australian Museum offers ‘Museum in a Box’ resources; for a fee
of around $100 to cover postage and insurance, they mail lessons
and materials including real samples, informative books, posters
and a DVD, allowing teachers to gain expert knowledge, which
allows them to run information-filled activities for their classes.
The logo of the Questacon outreach group that visits rural towns
bringing Science to the people.
A Facebook closed group that teachers are encouraged to be
part of - "Awesome NSW Science Teachers"
In terms of rural teachers overcoming limited staff room
collaboration, there are two major strategies that can make a
real difference. Firstly, they should join Facebook groups. One is
called “Awesome Science Teachers”, a wonderful site of sharing,
chatting, networking and gaining a real sense of community. It
is a safe space in which just about anything related to science
teaching can be asked and the participating teachers there are
only too happy to assist colleagues or point them in the right
direction. The majority of posts in support groups like this refer
to assessment tasks suggestions and feedback, questions about
exam responses from our students, classroom ideas, sample
work and general chit-chat. They act as an extended staff room,
arguably more useful than any actual staff room, especially
when considering the number and diversity of members. Other
Facebook groups are made specifically for teachers of chemistry,
biology, Earth and environmental studies or physics. Each one is
NSW course-specific and worth joining.
The Australian Museum's "Museum in a Box" is very worthwhile
for students.
Plenty of free worksheets and suggested activities are available
from numerous large science organisation websites., which can
normally be found under the ‘education’ or ‘learning’ tabs of
their sites. Resources found there may allow teachers to design
activities within the school grounds. The Youth Community
Greening Project run by the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) is one
fine example, a brilliant resource that is both educational and
life affirming. The RBG helps establish a Greening area in the
teacher’s home town.
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 4