Australia at the crossroads: A review of school science practical work

In Australia we are at a crossroad in science education. We have come from a long history of adopting international curricula, through to blending international and Australian developed materials, to the present which is a thoroughly unique Australian curriculum in science. This paper documents Australia’s journey over the past 200 years, as we prepare for the unveiling of our first truly Australian National Curriculum. One of the unique aspects of this curriculum is the emphasis on practical work and inquiry-based learning. This paper identifies seven forms of practical work currently used in Australian schools and the purposes aligned with each form by 138 pre-service and experienced in-service teachers. The paper explores the question “What does the impending national curriculum, with its emphasis on practical inquiry mean to the teachers now, are they ready?” The study suggests that practical work in Australian schools is multifaceted, and the teacher aligned purposes are dependent not only upon the age of the student, but also on the type of practical work being undertaken. It was found that most teachers are not ready to teach using inquiry-based pedagogy and cite lack of content knowledge, behaviour management, and lack of physical resources and availability of classroom space as key issues which will hinder their implementation of the inquiry component of Australia’s pending curriculum in science

Making a difference in secondary science education

There is empirical research and scholarly debate about what constitutes effective learning. Students have offered perspectives on describing good teaching, which mainly focuses on teachers' interpersonal qualities and subject expertise. Teachers want to make a difference to students' lives, yet little research has been conducted to determine science teaching practices that may have an impact on students' lives. This qualitative study analyses responses from 167 adults (preservice teachers; 26% males and 74% females) aged between 19 and 51 about their memories of positive and negative secondary science education experiences, and high-impact science lessons that had an influence on them. Apart from obtaining demographic information, the questionnaire requested these adults to reflect on their secondary science education experiences, for example: (1) As a secondary student, was secondary school science a positive experience? Why or why not? (2) State one secondary science experience and the effect this had on you. Results indicated 52 adults claimed science as a positive experience, 56 deemed science to be a negative experience, and 59 were split in their decisions (stating both positive and negative experiences). All responses on making a difference in secondary science experiences fell within nine categories, that is: teacher's role, hands-on experiences, group work, useful and practical science, purposes articulated clearly, interactivity with life, clear explanations of abstract concepts, involvement in field work, and the topic selection choice. Some adults responded with more than one practice (e.g., group work and excursions). The most controversial science activity in the secondary school was the dissection of a small animal (e.g., toad, frog, rat) or parts of a larger animal (e.g., cow's heart, bull's eye). This act had an impact on these adults, as they remembered distinctly dissecting a creature. The feelings were divided between disgust and repulsion to delight and enlightenment. There were those who objectively dissected a creature and those who found the experience indelibly sickening. To illustrate one participant said, "Cutting a toad up made me leave the room and made me sick, I couldn't see the point, why not work with diagrams?" Low or negative impact practices involved: disengaging activities such as sensory-repulsive tasks, unclear reasons for learning science, teacher's lack of enthusiasm, chalk and talk or copying teacher's work, and denigrating students' personal ideas. Although teaching approaches can vary between different educational levels, and an individual's preferred learning style may change with age and experience, high-impact teaching practices noted in this study were predominantly student-centred or could be adapted to suit individual styles. Indeed, exemplary primary, secondary and tertiary teaching practices may be interchangeable and relevant to effective teaching practices regardless of the level of study. Implementing science lessons with one or more elements of high-impact teaching may lead towards making a difference, particularly if these teaching practices produce in students positive long-term memories about their science education

Biotechnology learnings using ‘Claymation’ and ‘Slowmation’

This ‘Claymation’ and ‘Slowmation’ project incorporated content as well as skill development. The participants – 4 pre-service teachers and 4 secondary school students explored chromosome mapping and DNA replication. Through research, the writing, revising and editing of storyboards, two short videos were produced. Two of the pre-service teachers had prior experience with Claymation, however none of the participants had prior knowledge of chromosome mapping or DNA replication. This paper describes the learnings of the participants in terms of their self generated questions, the need for attention to detail, and argumentation / negotiation skills

Marine Education: Teaching for the Future

This keynote presentation was developed to provide a baseline research understanding of marine science education. The aim is to provide an entry point for conversations among educators of marine education in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. Conversations are needed to develop the perceptions of marine education among policymakers not only in education but also in the economy. Marine education is under-researched and under-taught in most countries, even those with long coastlines. Yet, without our oceans, life on Earth cannot exist. This paper presents a rapid review of 149 research papers located in a systematic search of the ERIC via ProQuest that followed the PRISMA exclusion process. The findings are presented as eight themes and a set of recommendations

Biotechnology education : topics of interest to students and teachers

This paper presents the findings of a survey that investigates the biotechnology topics of interest according to students and teachers for inclusion in biology lessons and reports on the similarities and differences in teachers’ and students’ biotechnology topics of interest. The study is of significance as biotechnology has been identified as a key area of technological and economic importance worldwide yet there is scant literature relating to teachers’ and students’ interests concerning biotechnology education topics. 500 students and their 15 teachers completed the survey. Interviews were conducted with 3 teachers and 60 students. Responses indicate there is a mismatch in the interests of students and teachers, and what they perceive as being possible topics for inclusion in biology and biotechnology lessons. Where teachers are provided with the freedom to design and assess their own units of work, this mismatch of interests causes problems. The study found students withdrawing from biology courses in post compulsory settings due to lack of interest, and perceived lack of relevance of the course. It is possible that this lack of agreement on topics of interest is a factor in the world wide decline of enrolments in the sciences

Statistical and scientometric analysis of international research in geographical and environmental education

Certain statistic and scientometric features of articles published in the journal “International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education” are examined in this paper, for the period 1992-2009, by applying nonparametric statistics and Shannon’s entropy (diversity) formula. The main findings of this analysis are: a) after 2004 the research priorities of researchers in geographical and environmental education seem to have changed, b) “teacher education” has been the most recurrent theme throughout these 18 years, followed by “values & attitudes” and “inquiry & problem solving” c) the themes “GIS” and “Sustainability” were the most “stable” throughout the 18 years, meaning that they maintained their ranks as publication priorities more than other themes, d) citations of IRGEE increase annually, e) the average thematic diversity of articles published during the period 1992-2009 is 82.7% of the maximum thematic diversity (very high), meaning that the Journal has the capacity to attract a wide readership for the 10 themes it has successfully covered throughout the 18 years of its publication

Attitudes and interests towards biotechnology: the mismatch between students and teachers

Increasing the scientific literacy of Australians has become an educational priority in recent times. The ‘Science State – Smart State’ initiative of the Queensland Government involves an action plan for improving science education that includes a Science for Life action. A desired outcome is for an increased understanding of the natural world so that responsible decisions concerning our future wellbeing can be made in an age of science and technology. Biotechnology is a technology that is having profound impact on our lives. This paper describes how 15-16 year old students and biology teachers revealed a mismatch in both attitudes and interests towards biotechnology between the students and teachers. The findings are of interest as the teachers are writing biotechnology into their work programs in response to new syllabus documents. The teacher’s areas of interest did not match those of the students, possibly resulting in a curriculum the teachers want to teach, but the students do not want to learn

'Wanna do more math': Engaging underachieving Indigenous learners the YuMi Deadly way

The Accelerating Indigenous Mathematics (AIM) Program offered by the YuMi Deadly Centre from QUT accelerates the mathematics learning of underperforming students in Years 8 - 10 by a) apportioning Years 2-10 Australian Curriculum: Mathematics content into three years, and b) provides a teaching approach that accelerates the mathematical learning. The philosophy of the YuMi Deadly teaching approach for mathematics is one that requires a ‘body’, ‘hand’, ‘mind’ pedagogy. This presentation will provide examples of the “‘body’, ‘hand’, ‘mind’” mathematics pedagogy. In AIM classrooms, mathematics is presented this approach is having a positive impact. Students are willing ‘to have a go’ without shame; and they develop the desire to learn and improve their numeracy