Copyright 2015 Science Teachers’ Association of (STAQ). This journal may be 41.3 downloaded for use by STAQ Members only. Any other use requires prior permission of STAQ. Queensland Science Teacher Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland Volume 41 Issue 3

Reading in the Science Classroom Deanne Haffner

Why Join a Professional Association? Caroline Brooks

National Science Week Sue Monteath AvAilAble NOW

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access free samples and full previews Call our sales team www.BIOZONe.com.au/workbooks (07) 5535 4896 Queensland Science Teacher Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland Volume 41 Issue 3 The Queensland Science Teacher is published quarterly by the Table of Contents Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland President’s Report Post: C/- School of Education, University of Queensland, Tony Wright 2 St Lucia, Queensland 4072 Web: http://www.staq.qld.edu.au Editor’s Request Email: [email protected] Angela Harper 3 Phone: 0430 731 120 In the News 4 Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Reading in the Science Classroom Deanne Haffner 6 Why join a profssional association? Editorial submission deadline for the next issue: Caroline Brooks 10 14 October 2015 National Science Week Sue Monteath 11 Interested in advertising in the Queensland Science Teacher? Visit our website to find out about rates and Beginning & Pre-service Teachers’ 15 deadlines. Conference Review Matthew Crank Cover image: Pluto Image Sent to Earth on July 14. 2015 Courtesy of NASA/APL/SwRI Sustainability in Science Angela Andrews 18 This issue is also available as a digital download from Earth Science Field Trip, WA the Members Area of the STAQ website. Gaynor Johnson 20 Editor: Angela Harper Amazing Space Editorial Assistant: Kimberley Wilson Paul Floyd 21 President: Tony Wright Beginning & Pre-service Teachers’ 22 Secretary: Susan Burchill Conference Q & A Panel Responses Treasurer: Jackie Mergard Executive member: Peta Jackson

Advisory Council: Anne Brant, Sarah Chapman, Matthew Crank, Jasmyn Daniels, John Elfick, Ellen Grant, Deanne Haffner, Louise Hoey, Sue Monteath

Disclaimer: All reasonable attempts have been made to trace cop- yright holders of materials published. No material may be reproduced wholly or in part without written consent from the copyright holders or otherwise stated in the article. Articles published are the personal expressions of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Editor or the Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland. The Editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication. All photographs have been published on the understand- ing that appropriate compliance with privacy legislation has been obtained by the author of the article. Articles may be reprinted with permission and due credit to Queensland Science Teacher. President’s Report Tony Wright STAQ President [email protected] A Busy Time in Science Education

A Heathy Interest in Soils – The BPST Conference It’s curiosity that counts! Take soil for example. A topic that can appear mundane springs to life when a person shares their interest with you. This was certainly the case at the STAQ Beginning and Pre-Service Teachers Conference at the CSIRO Ecosciences Precinct in May. Keynote speaker, Kelly Bryant, from from Soil Science shared her knowledge and enthusiasm for soils and ignited our interest in something that is both familiar and much more complex and valuable Tony Wright STAQ President that we at first think. Given that it is the Internation- al Year of Soils it is an ideal time to pass on Kelly Bowls Club. This was a chance to tune up your Bryant’s enthusiasm and help students appreciate science for National Science Week 2015. We had the importance and interest that soils deserve. 13 teams from schools and education depart- ments. A fun night was had by all.

Webinars STAQ delivers webinars for teachers to give you access to useful professional support to suit where you are and when you want it. At the moment we are focusing on junior secondary topics and par- ticularly Year 7. Details about how to get access to these webinars are on the STAQ website.

62nd Queensland Science Contest This year is the 62nd year for The Queensland Sci- ence Contest. It is the only event that STAQ runs for students rather than for teachers. So for those This year’s conference also included a successful holding a primary science fair in your school or trial of a Q & A style lively panel discussion followed for secondary school teachers with a commitment by workshops for Primary and Secondary teach- to experimental investigations, this is an impor- ers. STAQ relies on the generosity of its members tant opportunity to celebrate your students’ work. and invited guest presenters who contribute their There are more than $6000 worth of prizes to be time and expertise that makes the events such as won! Top entries in the Queensland Competition the BPST Conference possible. So this is a good gain entry to the national BHP Billiton Science and opportunity to thank the speakers, panelists and Engineering The details of how to register your workshop presenters for their contributions. students and their work are on the STAQ website under “Competitions”. This year we have revised A special thank you goes to the conference con- the judging criteria to make them more self-evi- veners, Mathew Crank, Jasmyn Daniels, Susan dent and easy to use, both for the entrants and Burchill and all the other people who helped the the judges. running of such a successful event. CONASTA STEM Quiz Night A number of STAQ members made it across to STAQ ran a STEM Quiz Night with the support of for CONASTA, the annual Australian science QAMT and Engineers Australia at the Toowong education conference. It was big, successful, and an excellent opportunity to re-energise in the mid- 2 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) Submission Guidelines

year break. Some of the Queenslanders were sur- is keen to give as many Queensland teachers as prised to find STAQ staff there, helping run the possible the chance to present at the conference. show, and getting ideas to help make CONASTA 65 in Brisbane next year an even bigger success. STAQ Senior Sciences Conference It is time to put the dates, 3-6 July, 2015 in the The STAQ Senior Sciences Conference is a chance diary now. You will be getting regular updates for many teachers to reflect on a busy year and through that STAQ news channels. catch up with people, ideas and networking. This year the conference will be held on Friday, 27th The Conference Committee started work last year November. The call for presenters will be coming and is in the process of arranging the venues and out shortly, so please start thinking how you can inviting the speakers. It is a big event. In Perth contribute this year. Perhaps by tuning up a work- there were 20 workshops to choose from in each shop for CONASTA next year! time slot across the three days. The Committee

November

14 October

Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 3 In the News In this section, we summarise some of the major OECD education rankings show Australia slip- media stories covering science education in the ping, Asian countries in the lead previous quarter. We welcome your contributions via Twitter, Facebook and email. The Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) has published the most recent global education rankings based on international tests Christopher Pyne pushes for maths or science including the Programme for International Student to be compulsory for year 11 and 12 students Assessment (PISA, 2012) and Trends in Interna- tional Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS, Mr Pyne will call for it to be compulsory for all 2011). The report seeks to explore links between Year 11 and 12 students to study a maths or economic growth, social development and edu- science subject when he attends an Education cational attainment. Council Meeting with state education ministers. Studying maths and science is not compulsory In the OECD league table, Australia is ranked for Year 11 and 12 students in , NSW 14th behind Poland (11th), Vietnam (12th) and and the ACT. Queensland and South Australian Germany (13th). Australia is ranked 17th for hav- students must take one maths subject in their ing the lowest share of students (just under 20 final years of school. He acknowledges there is per cent) who have not acquired basic skills. For a significant shortage of STEM trained teachers, Singapore and Korea, this figure is under 10 per particularly in rural areas. cent. Henrietta Cook, Morning Herald, 26 May Colleen, Ricci, The Age, 31 May 2015 2015 Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/ Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal- education/oecd-education-rankings-show- politics/political-news/christopher-pyne-pushes- australia-slipping-asian-countries-in-the-lead- for-maths-or-science-to-be-compulsory-for- 20150525-gh94eu#ixzz3i0s5I0AU year-11-and-12-students-20150525-gh9kjv. html#ixzz3i0q37f3s Student teachers to undergo new literacy and Schools lacking resources to teach high-level numeracy exams maths, science, technology and engineering: experts A pilot program will be run in August this year to test the literacy and numeracy skills of student Experts at a meeting in Sydney claimed that there teachers. Mr Pyne announced that as of next are not enough resources in poorer schools to year, student teachers that do not pass the test adequately provide for high-level maths, science, would not be able to work as teachers. “Testing technology and engineering education. “Already key aspects of the personal literacy and numer- we can see differences in schools — with some acy skills of aspiring teachers will assist higher schools having one-to-one computers, where education providers, teacher employers and the other schools where the broadband doesn’t work general public to have absolute confidence in the and there’s really old laptops,” Dr Boyd said. They skills of graduating teachers,” he said. also expressed concern that not enough students were choosing the high-level STEM subjects. Chloe Booker, Sydney Morning Herald, 28 June 2015 Bridget Brennan, ABC News Online, 29 July 2015 Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/ Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015- student-teachers-to-undergo-new-literacy- 07-29/schools-lack-science-technology-maths- and-numeracy-exams-20150628-ghzn4x. resources-experts-say/6656106 html#ixzz3i0uVZ5BS

4 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) In the News

Young male drift from engineering and sci- underprivileged and immigrant backgrounds, ence alarms industry and girls. They aim to inspire these students to undertake further study and careers in STEM. The Household Income and Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) survey reported there were Stephen Hutcheon, The Sydney Morning Herald, proportionately fewer men aged 25-34 holding 31 July 2015 STEM degrees than there was in the 45-54 year Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/digital- old age group. The proportion of women aged life/digital-life-news/stem-education-gets- 25-34 holding STEM degrees had increased but milliondollar-boost-from-google-australia- not enough to offset the reduction in numbers of 20150729-gin1sz#ixzz3i6DaSiXO men. This meant there was a shortage of people with STEM degrees in this age group. NAPLAN results: Annual numeracy and literacy report shows ‘limited’ significant improvement Stephen Durkin, chief executive of Engineers in students’ skills Australia, said that people with STEM degrees were needed both to support a growing popula- In the seven years since NAPLAN tests began, tion with infrastructure and for Australia to en- there has been little improvement in the literacy gage with the global knowledge economy. and numeracy skills of students. “I think what we would all like to see, mums and dads and teachers Ben Potter, Financial Review, 20 July 2015 and everyone in the community would like to see Read more: http://www.afr.com/news/ some more gains over time, so compared to 2008 policy/education/young-male-drift-from- when we started NAPLAN and compared to last engineering-and-science-alarms-industry- year,” said Robert Randall, The chief executive 20150717-gieti1#ixzz3i0yQPhRU of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. “In spite of spending 40 per STEM education gets million-dollar boost from cent more on school education over the last 10 Google Australia years our results have stagnated, so it’s not about money it’s about the basics of school education - The philanthropic arm of Google Australia, curriculum, teacher quality, parental engagement Google.org, is pledging $1 million to help fund and school autonomy,” Mr Pyne said. the grassroots work being carried out by FIRST Robotics, Australian Indigenous Mentoring Bridget Brennan, ABC News, 5 August 2015 Experience (AIME) and Engineers Without Borders Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08- Australia. The programs that these groups carry 05/naplan-results-show-limited-improvement-in- out are targeted at students from indigenous, rural, students-skills/6673118

Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 5 Reading in the Science Classroom Deanne Haffner our coding the words, for example, as nouns and Brisbane State High School verbs, or as concepts and examples may also as- sist students to understand the relationships be- Have you tried to infer the contents of an article just tween the terms. I discovered a word wall can be by studying the illustrations? What about if I gave dynamic! Refer to it, move it, ask students to use you all of the text, but no titles? Could you cre- it; build with it. ate useful headings? Have you ever introduced a text to students and focussed on the context Frayer models (Frayer et al., 1969) were also used to find meaning (Anon, 2015)? Graphic organis- by some teachers as an effective tool to extend ers such as the Frayer model (Frayer, Frederick & and deepen their word wall vocabulary. Students Klauysmeier, 1969) have been an excellent tool for completed Frayer model templates either for learning new vocabulary and uncovering student classroom display or in their books. Rather than misconceptions. Fishbone organisers (developed simply copying definitions, the students were able in the 1960s by Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese qual- to engage in a graphic organisers to improve their ity control statistician) have also been very useful vocabulary; clarify the definition by exploring ex- in helping students extract the key pieces of infor- amples and non-examples of the term; and create mation in a text; while simple compare and con- visual representations. trast tables have been a useful tool for highlighting the similarities and differences between two ideas. QAR (Raphael, 1982) is a metacognitive ap- All of these and more are reading strategies that proach to comprehension, ensuring that students we have been implementing in our science class- first identify the type of question being asked so rooms. that they can then adopt a particular strategy for finding the answer. “Right There” and “Think and Our faculty was challenged to share our practice. Search” are questions for which the information Each member of the teaching staff was requested should be found explicitly in the text. “Author and to present a reading strategy that we had been You” questions rely on a student being able to re- using in our classrooms; we had. On Monday af- late the text to something in their own experience ternoon, the tables were arranged somewhat like whilst “On My Own” questions require a student to a conference poster session. Half of us were al- draw on their prior knowledge. located a stall, the other half were the willing del- egates. We had invited guests, including our ex- Similarly, 3LGs (Morris & Stewart-Dore, 1984) help ecutive team and teachers from the local primary students comprehend by providing clear learning schools. For half an hour we walked around and objectives from the text. This strategy differs from discovered how our colleagues had engaged in QAR in that after reading a text, students are given using reading as a teaching and learning strategy a list of statements and must identify what the text in the science classroom. Then we swapped over. is saying, what the text means and how this can There were a myriad of approaches, everything be applied in real life. In groups they then must from word walls to cloze activities (Taylor, 1959); justify their selection based on evidence from the Question Answer Response (QAR) comprehen- text and linking it with their own experience. sion activities (Raphael, 1982); and the Morris & Stewart-Dore (1984) Three Level Guide (3LG). Let Science provides such a vast array of texts for QAR me explain. Word walls are probably familiar to activities and 3LGs. It is particularly well suited us all. We consider the vocabulary that will be when exploring Science as a Human Endeavour, included in a unit of work, dutifully print them out where students can read about the people who onto coloured paper, laminate and place around have helped scientific understanding and devel- the classroom to embed these terms, along with oped advances that improve our everyday lives. how to spell them, into our students’ memories. It is also applicable to topics that may have moral Sometimes we are creative and ask the students or ethical components, for example, stem cell re- to make them for us. My colleagues demonstrated search or the use of renewable resources. Try The how we can be more strategic. Word walls can be Conversation (http://theconversation.com/au) as a used to map a path through a unit of work, remind- useful source for classroom comprehension ac- ing students of the concepts that were covered in tivities, published under Creative Commons and the beginning, middle or end. They can show stu- they are happy for us to use their articles to create dents how their knowledge has developed. Col- learning resources for our students. The articles 6 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) Deanne Haffner Reading in the Science Classroom

Graphic organisers such as Frayer models are excellent for new vocabulary or for addressing student misconceptions. Fishbone or other graphic organisers help students extract the key pieces of information in a text. A simple compare and contrast table sorts the similarities and differences between two ideas are written for an intended audience reading age as educators give our students, between the de- of a sixteen, but I have used these articles with livery of content and the time devoted to using that success in the year seven classroom. content to deepen their understanding. I think that is why I thought this next strategy was one of the Cloze activities (Taylor, 1959) use reading compre- best presented on the day. Students were asked hension to reinforce the content on a topic of work. to read a text and then had to analyse and sort One colleague showed a tried and true cloze ac- the text into most important and least important tivity that he uses for his senior students. It was a information, using a simple graphic organiser as large dense document, and students had to read the tool. In this way, they were chewing the chunk through a large amount of content. Throughout, that they had been given. Having isolated the im- there were parts of the sentences missing and stu- portant information, they then went on to write a dents had to choose from a range of phrases to summary of the text. Even more chewing! complete the sentence. Their reward for this close . reading of the text was that some of the phrases Another teacher liked to have fun; “Crazy Para- were complete nonsense, some jokes, some off- graphs” she called them. I particularly liked this hand remarks or humorous allusions about the strategy because it seemed to tap into a differ- teacher. I am sure that this would have provided ent type of thinking, a thinking that requires more some light relief and made the task quite memo- depth and sophistication. Students were asked rable. to write something about Space, however, in their writing they had to include a list of words from a “Chunk and Chew” was also a term I heard visiting random word generator. “Hamburger” was one of various stalls, but what is it? A quick trip around them. Go on, try it. The teacher presented student Professor Google revealed it is the division that we work samples and their creativity was admirable.

Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 7 Reading in the Science Classroom Deanne Haffner

They clearly demonstrated their understanding of the content, hamburger and all.

Student 1 Spring tides are often created when the moon and Sun are aligned at a statuesque, hamburger-like form; usually around full moons and new moons. The Sun is the base, the Earth is the filling, the moon is the top bun; or vice-versa.

Student 2 The cosmos has confounded and intrigued hu- mans for centuries. Even cavemen would look at the night sky in wonder as see the immense and astounding vastness of the universe above them. Today, many people still do the same thing; observing the stars, but probably eating a ham- burger stuffed with raw tomatoes while doing so.

Another teacher presented a tool that we all in- troduced to our year seven students this year, Flip Books (http://www.readwritethink.org/files/ resources/interactives/flipbook/). Students con- structed these out of coloured paper and used each page to summarise the study notes for a top- A Flipbook ic. On our unit on forces, students had headings such as Forces, Newton’s Laws, Gravity, Friction key points from the paragraph. The partner could and Push and Pull. These can easily be adapted ask to have the information read again if they for any topic or subject and this teacher had re- needed it. Once they thought that they had three peated this activity throughout the term with her key points, the text was put aside and the partner students. The result was a series of quick and had to recount the important information. The pair easy, colourful and personalised resources from then had to agree that this was, indeed, the most which students were able to study. important information. Once decided and with- out the text, both students had to write these key What did I present? Reading for note-taking, in- points into their workbooks. In order to check for spired from the book Teaching Reading Compre- understanding and progress, students then wrote hension Strategies (Cameron, 2009). It seemed a paragraph in an app called Socrative on their a good match for one particularly extraordinary iPads and sent it to me electronically. The advan- class in which all of my students get along and tages of this were many: I could check whether work well together, although some students are weaker at reading and others prefer more time to Student 3: comprehend a text. My objective was to introduce Renewable and Non-renewable resources the concept of renewable and non-renewable re- -the amount of time taken for a particular resource sources, while simultaneously developing the skill to be replaced tells us whether it is classified as a of note taking, without copying from the text! renewable or non-renewable resource

-renewable resource: resource that is able to be Students worked in pairs. One student read a replaced by natural processes that takes a small- paragraph from their textbook aloud to their part- er amount if time than an average human life. ner. Their partner had to actively listen, that is, -non-renewable: a resource that takes millions of they were not allowed to read along or take notes, years to replace just listen and try to identify and remember three 8 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) Deanne Haffner Reading in the Science Classroom

Student 4: to use this task in my classroom I would….. A renewable resource can be easily replaced To walk away with several new outstanding read- within a timescale of an average human life! ing tools was invaluable, but I also left with a spring Some examples of a renewable resource; in my step after reading how others were inspired 1. Air by my ideas, and how they were planning to adopt 2. Water and adapt it to their classroom. 3. Sunlight 4. Animals I encourage you all to try an afternoon like this. It 5. Nature/ plants and trees wasn’t onerous. All I brought to my table was my Non-Renewable resources are such as textbook, and a printout of the students’ respons- 1. Coal es. What I took away was enormous. 2. Rocks 3. Dirt and soil References 4. Oil Anon (2015) Ontario Ministry of Education. Re- These resources are non-renewable meaning trieved on 23rd July 2015 from http://www.edu. “limited” resource gov.on.ca/eng/studentsuccess/thinkliteracy/files/ reading.pdf students had truly identified the key ideas, wheth- Cameron, S. (2009) Teaching reading strategies: er they had used their own words, and I could ex- a practical classroom guide. Pearson Auckland tend the fast finishers or give them the next task pp183. and it identified those students who needed more Frayer, D. A., Frederick, W. C., & Klauysmeier, H. assistance. G. (1969). A schema for testing the level of con- cept mastery. Technical Report No. 16. University We are a large and busy faculty and it was won- of Wisconsin. derful to be given the opportunity to observe my Morris, A., & Stewart-Dore, N. (1984) Learning to colleagues’ work in this way. There were so many learn from text: Effective reading in the content ar- inspired and broad ranging ideas presented on eas. Addison-Wesley: Sydney. the day, each easily adapted for my own classes Raphael, T. E. (1982). Question-answering strate- without too much fuss. As a final note, one other gies for children. The Reading Teacher 36,2: 186- useful element of the afternoon was that we gave 190. each other feedback. We were issued with feed- Taylor, W. L. (1953). Cloze procedure: A new tool back forms which had two sentence starters on for measuring readability. Journalism Quarterly 30: them: What resonated with me was…. and If I was 415–433.

Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 9 Why join a professional association? Caroline Brooks President, Joint Council of Queensland Teachers’ Associations (JCQTA) If you are reading this article in a professional journal or newsletter the chances are you are a member of a professional teacher association. As a member you are aware of the benefits that a professional teacher association confers. What about those teachers or other people working in an educational setting who are not members? Can Public Instruction Activities at the Teachers’ Training College, they (or should they) be persuaded to join? The Lecturer in Music, and class learning to play the recorder. information below can be used to initiate a discus- April, 1951. Queensland State Archives, Digital Image ID 1616 sion about membership of a professional teacher portunities for research. Sachs (2003) identified association. two characteristics of transformative profession- alism as being enquiry-oriented and knowledge- Professionalism, as envisaged by Hargreaves building. Research supported by professional as- and Shirley (2009, p. 88), has three principles un- sociations is often action research addressing real derpinning it: high quality teachers; positive and life concerns and issues with the aim of effecting powerful professional organizations; and lively change. learning communities. These three elements are reflected in the membership of professional teach- In the standards-based accountability environ- er associations. ment that teachers work in today, the voice of the practitioner can be lost. Professional teacher as- Professional associations offer teachers a space sociations can be a collective voice. Many voices for the exchange of knowledge and practices in are louder than one and professional associations subject specific and interest group specific are- aim to be the go to organisation for governments as. This space could be a conference, seminar or and community bodies wishing to find out more workshop, a newsletter or a blog. Because profes- about their discipline or specialist area. sional associations are cross-sectoral members are exposed to different perspectives and ways of Professional teacher associations can share con- operating. This diversity encourages what Sachs cerns, listen to ideas and appreciate diversity by (2003, p.28) calls democratic teacher profession- being a member of the Joint Council of Queens- alism; a form of teacher professionalism which has land Teacher Associations (JCQTA). All Australian an emphasis on ‘collaborative, cooperative action states and territories have an umbrella body for between teachers and other educational stake- their professional teacher associations and all are holders.’ members of the national association; the Austral- ian professional Teachers Association (APTA). In- Being a member of a professional association en- formation on educational issues that is of state or ables teachers to connect with others beyond their national interest can be disseminated to members classroom and their school. Ideas and practices through their professional association. from other teachers, administrators, tertiary edu- cators and community members can be shared In summary, being a member of a professional and discussed. There are opportunities to learn teacher association has a multitude of benefits; from other disciplines and specialist services. As both professional and personal and these benefits a member of a professional teacher association need to be advertised so that associations can you can not only access professional develop- strengthen their membership and operations. ment but you can design and deliver it. This de- velops skills in communication and organisation and builds confidence. It addresses the AITSL References Hargreaves, A., & Shirley, D. (2009). The Fourth standards outlined in the Domain of teaching: Pro- Way. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin fessional Engagement. Sachs, J. (2003). The activist teaching profession. Buckingham, Philidelphia: Open University Press Professional teacher associations can provide op- 10 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) National Science Week Sue Monteath STAQ Science Week Coordinator

The National Science Week Website is the place Science resource eBook to go to register your science week event or find The Making waves: the science of light resource other events to attend: http://www.scienceweek. online eBook is now available. net.au/ The book was prepared by the Australian Sci- This year, 2015, has been proclaimed by the Unit- ence Teachers Association (ASTA) and contains ed Nations’ General Assesmbly as the Internation- an abbreviated curriculum map of the Australian al Year of Light and the International Year of Soils. Curriculum: Science covering years F-10. This has Here are some websites for the respective “years” then been used to develop a curriculum map of where you will find some great resources includ- light topics addressing most content descriptions ing powerpoints, videos and hands on activities: from the Science Understanding and Science as a Human Endeavour sub-strands.

http://www.light2015.org/Home/About/Resources.html

http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/en/

Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 11 National Science Week Sue Monteath

Congratulations to these Queensland schools our community through a range of presentations for winning a National Science Week grant. and activities.

1 Aspley State School 8 Cooktown P-12 State School It is proposed to create a habitat in two existing Lunchtime activities where students conduct sim- garden beds adjacent to the Year 1 and 2 teach- ple experiments and create take home gifts. A ing block. The focus of the gardens will be to en- photography competition will be held. Solar cook courage colonisation and/or utilisation by a range off - participants will be using the sun’s energy to of endemic butterflies, insects and small reptiles. cook various foods. Night Sky and Science Even- The gardens will be planted with a relevant se- ing. lection of Australian native shrubs, climbers and ground covers that are known to attract the de- 9 Corinda State High School sired species. Space Settlement Design – How to Shape and Resource Our Future. Students, staff and invited 2 Boyne Island State School guests will be shown how to become involved in P-6 students conducting hands on investigations the Australian Space Design Competition around the theme of light on a rotational basis. Pre-service teachers from the local university will 10 Djarragun College assist. Primary Science Fair. Year 9 students will provide science activities and teaching for students from 3 Burdekin Catholic High School Years 2–4 in a science fair set up. Science Spectacular - Yr 10, 11 & 12 students will demonstrate, and run, a number of different sci- 11 Ferny Grove State School ence experiments for younger students (Yr 6 main Prep to Year 3 Science Fair. The Science Co-ordi- focus) in a group rotating environment. nator will run a full day of science demonstrations for 9 pairs of classes to visit for 40 mins each. Stu- 4 Caboolture Montessori School dents will participate in hands-on demonstrations. Science in the environment. Science Day for all children from 15 months to 12 years of age. 12 Gumdale State School Shining a Light on Science. Our school will be cel- 5 Calvary Christian College ebrating Junior Science by holding a week of sci- A weeks worth of science experiments. The school ence displays, competition, interactive hands on typically will do a different experiment each lunch- activities and an incursion where the students will time (and some class times). We also have long conduct their own experiment and take home their running challenges over the week and one day work. competitions. 13 Highland Reserve State School 6 Camp Hill State Infants and Primary School HRSS Science Night – ‘Making waves: the science Students are presenting science projects across of light’. Students, parents and staff will engage the following categories – Scientific Investigations; with a variety of interactive activities which are de- Engineering and Technology Projects; Classified signed to inspire their curiosity for all things Sci- Collections; Communicating Science; and Envi- ence focussing on this year’s theme. ronmental Action Projects. Our Scientist in School Dr Kathryn will be on hand to view the presenta- 14 Ingleside State School tions. The Hinterland Small Schools Environmental Sci- ence Day. The event involves students from the 7 Centenary State High School four Gold Coast and Hinterland Schools taking Science Showcase Extravaganza. Centenary part in a fun and educational day comprised of in- State High school will be hosting its 3rd Annual teractive workshops presented by government, lo- Science Showcase Extravaganza on the even- cal council and community groups, on the theme ing of Thursday, 20 August 2015. The event is a of environmental science. culmination of a range of activities during the Na- tional Science Week. The objective of the Science 15 Isabella State School Showcase Extravaganza is to promote science in Science Expo. Using local high school students to 12 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) Sue Monteath National Science Week assist with running a number of rotational science the Science Fair. Judges from the community will activities, which engage students and develop come in to judge entries. scientific skills 24 Maryborough Special School 16 Junction Park State School The Light Force Brigade will present ” Enlighten- School science fair. All students in Years 4-6 will be ing Encounter”. required to submit a scientific investigation and for students in Prep-Year 3 it will be optional to submit 25 Meringandan State School an individual scientific investigation. We will then Science challenge day around the theme ‘Making have a day of judging with prizes awarded for first, waves: The science of light’. second and third place in each year level. 26 Miami State School 17 Kawana Waters State College National Science Week spectacular in conjunction A week of engaging science activities. Science with Book Week which has a theme of “Reading stations and student presentations. lights up the world”. The week will be run out of the library by our science committee, librarian, sen- 18 Lockyer District High School ior students with a passion for science. Hands on Science Fair. We are planning on conducting a “light” activities running all week, Ipad activites, science fair to be held during lunch breaks for stu- movies, optical illusion art, display in library of sci- dents to be involved with hands on activities and ence books. demonstrations around the theme ‘Making waves – the science of light’. 27 Minden State School A variety of events ranging from a Science Show, 19 Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District School a science competition, high school display, visit Yr 1 to Yr 6 will be involved in practical science from an astronomer, student display etc. experiences supervised by senior school students in class time during science week. 28 Moreton Bay Boys College Annual Science Fair. Whole school evening of sci- 20 Mackay Northern Beaches State High School ence related activities and demonstrations, pre- Science demonstrations. Make and do stalls, mini sented by students from every class (Prep–Yr 12). science fair and lunchtime science trivia compe- tition hosted by the schools “Mad Scientists Sci- 29 Mount Larcom State School ence Club”. National Science Day. The day will be open to a number of smaller regional primary schools in the 21 Macleay Island State School Gladstone and Rockhampton regions. MISS Technology Challenge Technology Chal- lenge. Students design, test, appraise a nomi- 30 Mt Crosby State School nated construction. Class competition for best will ‘Slime Time’. Demonstrations, experiments be held and class winners will enter final to estab- lish school champion. Parent competition will be 31 Mueller College run concurrently with the winner going up against Growing plants using banana fertilizer plus a whizz class winners. bang science assembly using liquid nitrogen and bananas among other things! 22 Mango Hill State School 32 North Rockhampton High School Mango Hill State School Science Quest. A student Prepare a lab for junior classes to visit. Teacher lead Science Expo involving a variety of interac- and senior student demonstrations and activities tive science exhibits across all Science strands, of light and related science concepts. open to the whole school and local community with a theme of “Never stop questioning”. 33 Pacific Lutheran College Switch on Science. This event will be for P–5 stu- 23 Marshall Road State School dents, teachers and community members. The School science fair. Children will be encouraged Fair will provide a hands-on opportunity for stu- to conduct a scientific investigation making use dents and community to conduct experiments. of the Cows Moo Softly technique and enter in Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 13 National Science Week Sue Monteath

34 Pimpama State School ous stations and our Year 5 students will conduct Pimpama State School Science Fair and perform different science experiments for the rest of the students. 35 Pimpama State Secondary College Pimpama Science Fair. Students from Pimpama 44 St Thomas More SSC and surrounding primary schools will attend We will run a mini-conference where our new stu- the Pimpama SSC science fair during National dents to high school (Yr 7 & Yr 8) are given the Science Week to look at displays and get involved opportunity to display their work, but not just any in activities. work, their new and exciting engagement with sci- ence through the use of apps. 36 Pine Rivers State High School Forensics is Fun. A group of our students will visit 45 Trinity Anglican School our cluster schools to run forensics activities be- Science in the Courtyard science fair, involving cause we can cover biology, chemistry, physics approximately 1000 students from Kindergarten and earth science which means there will be an through to Year 12 from both of our school cam- activity for everyone! puses. Parents and members of the wider com- munity will be invited to participate, attend and 37 Runcorn State School host activities. Runcorn Science Expo. Every class in the school will provide hands on activities and displays 46 Warwick Christian College through out the school. Parents and other mem- Gifted and Talented students will create a commu- bers of the community will be invited. nity garden. Students will design and implement a solar powered water recirculation system. 38 Saint Anne’s Catholic Primary School Science Activity Week. Each class will conduct ac- 47 Woree State School tivities using ‘Making waves: the science of light’ ‘Stop, Drop and Do’ Science activity day. For the as their topic. Other classes as well as community first 4 hours of Tuesday 18th August 2015 all 900+ members and families would be invited to attend. students will stop their usual curriculum and take part in an age appropriate series of science activi- 39 Somerset Hills State School ties. Family Science Night. 48 Yeppoon State School 40 Southport Special School Science Fair and Showcase. Science fair during Interactive Science fair. Students will research and the day for students, with older students, and sci- experiment to come up with ideas for the science ence club students teaching younger students. fair – guided by a teacher. Evening program will be open to the public, par- ents and guests, with students demonstrating and 41 St Benedict’s College explaining science experiments. En-lightening Engineering. A group of 15-20 stu- dents (Years 7–10) build on existing robotics and We look forward to: programming knowledge as they complete a full day Arduino programming workshop with Dr Dam- - hearing from all the winning schools and more ien Kee (mechatronics and electrical engineer). in the Science Week Tweet Competition. See page 19 for more details. 42 St Elizabeth’s, Tarragindi ‘Inventors Forum’. Students will come up with in- - receiving entries from a number of these ventions. They will need to research if their idea schools in the Queensland Science Contest. has been invented, look into the practicality of their Registrations for the Contest close on Friday, 9 invention, build and test and modify. They would October. then present their invention to a group of ‘industry professionals’ (parents and community members).

43 St Therese’s, Bentley Park Science Expo. School hall will be divided into vari- 14 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) Beginning & Pre-service Teachers’ Conference Matthew Crank Convenor, Beginning & Pre-service Teachers’ Con- ference On Thursday the 7th of May, STAQ hosted the Beginning and pre-service teacher’s conference (BPSTC) at the CSIRO Ecoscience precinct in Du- tton Park. The BPSTC is a conference offered by STAQ with the aim of specifically catering for the needs of those who are newest to the profession. The night begins with a Keynote presentation, fol- lowed by networking and workshop sessions. This year STAQ attempted to meet the needs of begin- ning teachers directly by offering a question-and- answer session with a discussion panel as well. Conference Attendees listening to the Discussion Panel STAQ would like to thank CSIRO for allowing us The panellists included Deborah Murtagh from the continued use of their amazing venue, the Present- QCAA, Adam Barron the Head of Science at St ers for their expertise and time, and of course, all Thomas More College, Charlotte Pezaro a prima- of the participants who came along on the night. ry school science teacher and teacher educator from UQ, Narelle Cooley a Senior Biology teacher Keynote: Kelly Bryant – Soil Science Australia from Somerville House, and was chaired by Mat- The Keynote presentation for the evening was Kelly thew Crank, an early career teacher. The discus- Bryant from Soil Science Australia. As 2015 is the sion panel was a hit. Attendees really appreciated International Year of Soils, the opportunity to hear both the depth and breadth of information provid- from a Soil Scientist was absolutely fantastic. Kelly ed, but many stated that it felt rushed, and would has worked as a Soil scientist with the Queensland have appreciated a larger timeslot. Any questions government for the past 10 years. Kelly has been that were not answered on the night have since involved in a diverse range of work over her career been answered and are available to view on the including soil mapping, reef water quality, and sci- STAQ website. Following the Discussion panel, ence communication. In her presentation we had there was a small break for refreshments, trade the pleasure of hearing about some of the work displays and networking before breaking up into she has undertaken in these areas, including the groups for the workshops. fundamental importance of having healthy soils to support a healthy population. Workshops: Primary workshop 1: Brenda Kettle Feedback indicated that attendees were very Brenda Kettle, a principle project officer at DETE, pleased with the relevance of the Keynote to the presented about the How to Teach Science online International year of soils. Numerous people stat- coaching module. In this workshop, Brenda un- ed that they were very grateful for this opportunity packed key aspects of the How to teach science as earth science was a definite weakness in their online coaching module developed by the Depart- junior science repertoire. Not only did this presen- ment of Education and Training, in conjunction tation give them more ideas to discuss and share, with the Queensland College of Teachers. Illustra- but it increased their interest and excitement in tions of practice were used as springboards for earth science in general. collaboratively designing strategies for use in the classroom. Some of the topics covered include; Discussion Panel: determining prior knowledge, using inquiry to Following the Keynote, the Q&A-style discussion build engagement and incorporating representa- panel was held. The idea behind this panel was tions effectively. Participants indicated that it was to include a number of guests that would be able excellent to find out that professional development to answer any questions that beginning teachers opportunities like this existed, allowing them to im- might still have, but were unable to ask, or find prove their practice. the answer to, within a school or university setting. Panellists were chosen in an effort to cover every possible angle of question that could be asked. Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 15 Beginning & Pre-service Teachers’ Conference Review Matthew Crank

about finding innovative and interesting ways to engage students making learning fun. In Narelle’s workshop, attendees Investigated interactive and fun ways to teach genetics, DNA and information about what makes an individual unique. Partici- pants were involved in hands-on activities that can be used in the classroom including ‘Build a Bunny’ which relates to simple monohybrid crosses, and candy DNA strands. Feedback praised Narelle for her incredible resources, and for demonstrating how an experiment would be run in a classroom – valuable knowledge to have just before practicum.

Conference attendees in a workshop Prizes and Evaluations The evening concluded with lucky door prizes, Primary workshop 2: Susan Peatey evaluations and thanks for presenters and partici- Susan Peatey has been a leader in primary sci- pants. The feedback of the conference was over- ence education for 20 years. During that time she whelmingly positive with almost all participants has participated in the state and national science rating the evening either very good or excellent. teachers’ associations co-convening conferences Feedback indicated that the slight change in the and leading workshops. She has lectured and programme with the inclusion of the discussion tutored at the Queensland University of Technol- panel in order to more directly target the needs of ogy for 11 years, and ran the CSIRO “Scientist early career teachers was an appreciated move. in Schools” project in her primary school. Susan People were happy to leave with some insight, was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Award in connections and resources to take back to their Teaching Primary Science in 2015. In line with the classrooms. International year of soils and year of light, Su- san discussed and shared resources on both of The Beginning and Preservice Teachers Confer- these topics, as well as how to cope with stress ence aims to support the pedagogical and con- and teacher burn-out. Participants who attended tent knowledge development of early career Susan’s workshop were very pleased to leave with teachers in a relaxed atmosphere. STAQ confer- some useful strategies and resources. ences are certified and contribute to professional development requirements for Queensland Col- Secondary workshop 1: Deborah Murtagh lege of Teachers Registration. Overall, the night Deborah Murtagh is a Principal Project officer at was a success as the feedback received was the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Au- overwhelmingly positive. thority. She has led the development of resources to support Queensland teachers to implement the The Beginning and Preservice Teachers confer- Australian Curriculum: Science. Deborah’s pres- ence – like all STAQ conferences – is organised by entation explored the nature of the Australian Cur- STAQ volunteers, including the workshop, seminar riculum Achievement Standard for Science and its and keynote presenters who volunteer the night relationship to the Queensland Standards elabo- as well. The success of a conference is highly de- rations. Attendees were shown how to use these pendent on people sharing their personal resourc- standards to design task-specific standards, es and time. If you are interested in presenting assessment and make judgements. Feedback at the conference or assisting with organisation, showed that participants were impressed with her please contact one of the STAQ executive mem- wealth of knowledge and that the information pre- bers to talk about ways that you can help out. Our sented and discussed was invaluable, but a lot to association is only as strong as its members; we handle in such a short time. would love for you to become involved!

Secondary workshop 2: Narelle Cooley The Beginning and Preservice Teachers Confer- Narelle Cooley is a Senior Biology teacher at ence is always a fun night, we hope to see you at Somerville House in Brisbane. With more than 25 the next one! years of teaching experience she is enthusiastic 16 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 17 Sustainability in Science Angela Andrews School Engagement and Professional Development Manager at Cool Australia Sustainability Sustainability can sometimes be a difficult term to define - the word is used in many different con- texts and can have different meanings to different people.

If you were to Google the term ‘sustainability’, you would find almost 120 million results! nity for young Australians to undertake real-world In 2014, the Australian Education for Sustainability actions in their personal lives and in their school, Alliance (AESA) surveyed five thousand Austral- whilst contributing to a prosperous, sustainable ian teachers and asked them about their under- and socially just community. Furthermore, they standing of sustainability. can develop their scientific skills through practical activities and also go in the running to win some AESA’s research found that: cool prizes ! - 92% of teachers thought that sustainability was important and should be part of the curriculum. Students can participate in small groups, as - 80% of teachers didn’t know how to incorporate a class or as part of a larger program with their sustainability into their teaching. whole school. Everyone involved in Enviroweek is encouraged to upload their photos and share The research clearly indicated that Australian a short description of their actions on the Envi- teachers need support. roweek website: www.enviroweek.org

Help at your fingertips Most importantly of all, it’s free, fun and easy ! Cool Australia is a national, not-for-profit organi- sation that supports teachers in integrating the In 2015, Enviroweek will run from Sunday 30 Au- cross-curriculum priority of sustainability into their gust to Saturday 5 September. All teachers and classrooms and learning programs. Cool Austral- students are encouraged to get involved, take ac- ia employs a team of leading teachers who have tion for the planet and discover their impact. The created over 700 lesson plans, worksheets and Enviroweek actions are supported by an extensive digital resources which are all mapped to the new range of curriculum-aligned teaching and learning Australian Curriculum. resources.

Enviroweek Examples of free teaching resources aligned to Cool Australia also runs Enviroweek in Term 3 eve- the Australian Curriculum ry year. Enviroweek provides a wonderful opportu- The following is an example of a Year 7 & 8 Sci-

18 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) Sustainabililty in Science Angela Andrews ence lesson which supports “Sparky” Enviroweek seeds need to grow into healthy plants. Students actions: then communicate what they’ve done with the http://www.coolaustralia.org/activity/switch-to- wider school community by creating a biodiversity save-dimming-audit-year-7-8/ diorama.

In this lesson, students complete a whole school Want to find out more? Log on to the Enviroweek lighting audit with the aim of de-lamping class- website (www.enviroweek.org) or contact us at rooms. Students use a lux meter to identify over-lit [email protected]. areas of the school and also manually count the types of lights used. Using their real world data, References students make key recommendations on how en- Australian Education for Sustainability Alliance ergy use could be reduced at their school. http://www.educationforsustainability.org.au/pub- lications/final-report-for-phases-1-3-education-for- This second example is a Primary Science lesson sustainability-and-the-australian-curriculum-pro- which supports “Green Thumb” Enviroweek ac- ject/ tions: http://www.coolaustralia.org/activity/enviroweek- project-action-planning-green-thumb-primary/

In this activity students take action to increase the biodiversity of the school by planting and looking after a tree, shrub or grasses. They begin by con- ducting an experiment around planting seeds to see how seeds grow and what types of ‘drinks’

National Science Week Tweet Competition

Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 19 Earth Science Field Trip, WA Gaynor Johnson STAQ Executive Officer

Ever thought of going on a Pre or Post CONASTA Conference Trip?

As part of our research into hosting CONASTA 65, I had the privilege to attend the Geological Field Trip to the Southwest of WA 3-5 July 2015 with guide leader Jo Watkins and Julia Ferguson organized by Earth Science, . After a 6 hour flight and bag drop off at my hotel, we departed for the Southwest in a mini bus with fellow teachers and geologists. All participants Jo showing layered grey gneiss with a faint fold to the left of were given the book ‘A Geological Field Guide the hammer head to the Capes Region of Southwest WA’ by John Bunting. example of unconformities and metamorphic rocks of the northern Leeuwin Inlier. The dominant rock Arriving 4 hours later at the Margaret River Tourist type is medium to coarse-grained granitic gneiss Park & Country Cottages. We headed into Margaret with lesser amounts of layered mafic gneiss. River town for dinner at the famous Settlers Tavern. Lunched at the local Sunday Market in Busselton before visiting Bunbury to see the famous basalts at DAY 2 – Started our day with field work exploring Rocky Point. The prominent feature of this basaltic iconic locations Skippy Rock and Quarry Bay. The outcrop is the columnar jointing similar to Giant’s main reason for visiting Skippy Rock beach is to Causeway in Ireland and The Causeway at Fingal see the spectacular heavy mineral sands and the Heads. Arrived back at Mercedes College, Perth Rhizoliths in the blowout in the Quindalup Dune in time to join the CONASTA Welcome Function. System, showing calcified lower part exhumed by removal of unconsolidated sand. Black ilmenite, Many thanks must go to our guide Jo Watkins a truly magnetite and dark red garnet are originally passionate and inspiring educator. I thoroughly derived by erosion from the local bedrock. enjoyed the experience that has rekindled my At Quarry Bay we saw actively growing cave enthusiasm for fieldwork. formations in limestone overhangs showing various cave decorations, stalactites, hoods and shawls; I would encourage CONASTA 65 delegates to and the famous Leeuwin Waterwheel showing take advantage of all or as many as possible of calcareous tufa and microbial mats. The old wheel the tours to be offered in July next year. is covered in calcium carbonate encrustations, formed by evaporation and aided by the microbial activity in the calcium-rich groundwater. Lunched at Augusta followed by visits to Voyager Estate and Redgate Winery (a must in the winery region) – plus a stop at Yahava Koffeeworks for Coffee tasting & Temper Temper Chocolate tasting. Finishing the day with a spectacular sunset on Redgate Beach whilst examining the granitic gneiss particularly the foliated and layering of metamorphosed granite. The gneiss here has been metamorphosed and deformed at least 3 times.

DAY 3 – After visiting the famous Shelley Beach we climbed up the sculpted pink granitic gneiss opposite the Sugarloaf Rock, a large sea stack that rises 36m above sea level and separated from the mainland. Shelley Beach’s cliff is an excellent Coffee tasting at Yahava Koffeeworks 20 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 21 Beginning & Pre-service Teachers’ Q & A Panel At the Beginning & Pre-service Teachers’ Confer- teach particular units that align themselves with ence in May, there were more questions for the Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Earth and Space panel than there was time to provide answers. Sciences, that teachers need to be able to find Some teachers and educators kindly agreed to the ‘angles’ within that unit that relate to other write answers to some of the unanswered ques- streams of science. eg. Interconnectedness of the development of the scientific model of the tions after the conference. These included Adam Bar- atom being both chemistry and physics. ron the Head of Science at St Thomas More College, Charlotte Pezaro a teacher educator from UQ, Sue Monteath a teacher currently at QCAA and Katryn, 2. Where can I get ideas to build my portfolio Narinda and Annie who are C2C writers. as a graduate teacher?

1. Senior science in QLD schools is becoming Charlotte: There are so many resources online very specialised (as opposed to the number of and in shops… Primary Connections and Sci- science subjects available 10-15 years ago). ence by Doing are the best place to start. There Should specialisation begin in secondary edu- are two things to remember with all resources: 1. cation? Why don’t we wait till tertiary? They need to be adapted to your students and 2. They need to be adapted to your students. Learn Charlotte: That depends on what you see as the to evaluate resources so you can discern the purpose of science education. If the purpose is best ones to start from, and then to modify them the preparation of future scientist, then yes; the as necessary. Evaluation of resources should be sooner specialisation can happen, the better (if based on criteria you determine, but should at we ignore that many year 9 or 10 students don’t the very least be scientifically accurate, have a know what they want to do, or if they want to be clear link between the activity and the learning a scientist, might not know what field of science objective(s) and be appropriately levelled for they’d be most interested in). If the purpose of students. science education is to prepare all students to make good decisions regarding socio-scientific Sue: Lots of blog sites, social networking. Take issues and personal issues, as is described in advantage of being placed in a school – ask if the rationale for the Australian Curriculum: Sci- you can make copies of resources on your port- ence, then perhaps a move to more trans- or able hard drive. Don’t limit the resource request inter-disciplinary sciences would be helpful for to subjects you are currently involved in teaching. achieving this goal. Science 21 aims to do this, and to my mind, is not the “easy” science sub- Adam: The best place to start I believe is to look ject that many science teachers dismiss it as, around. We live science. Science is not a class- but is best-placed to actually prepare students room or laboratory restricted subject. Students for using science in their everyday lives. It’s also want to be able to relate what they learn to the much harder to teach, as the content is interdis- real world. Start with what relates to them. The ciplinary, and most secondary science subject resources that are available online are extensive. teachers have been educated in only one or two You need to choose what suits your students and science subject areas. I wish it were offered in what suits you. Every classroom should be differ- more schools. ent. In an ideal world you can go to your depart- ment and ask what they do but if, as a beginning Sue: Not something that teachers have control teacher, you ask all the time without offering any of – and doesn’t seem to be aligned with the ideas in return I believe in most cases you will proposed new National senior subjects. So – only soon find yourself working alone and not collabo- worry about what you can control. ratively.

Adam: Given that ACARA has guided us into 5. What effect has the introduction of the specialised areas at a very early age we need national curriculum had on the way we teach to make sure that our science students under- science? stand which science is which from a reasonably early age so that they can more wisely choose Charlotte: Hypothetically, the curriculum has no their paths. I do think it is important that while we effect on pedagogy, as pedagogy is determined by the philosophies of the school and teacher. 22 Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) Beginning & Pre-service Teachers’ Q & A Panel

However, the Australian Curriculum: Science to document every little thing. Answers… none… was the only subject designed with a specific suggestions…1. tell parents in your class news- pedagogy in mind: inquiry. For primary school letter how little time you have with their kids so teachers, this has changed very little. I’m not sure how important attendance, eating healthy food, about secondary teachers of science. ample sleep, conversations at home around the dinner table, reading most nights and stimulat- C2C writers – Katryn, Narinda and Annie: ing family outings are. Insist parents be involved From a primary perspective, the introduction of with their kids discipline plan because of the time the national curriculum hasn’t changed how sci- they are taking away from learning. Make lesson ence is taught in itself. As with any curriculum, objectives clear and linked to big picture so kids it is how teachers engage with a curriculum and understand why they are learning something and the pedagogical approaches used that deter- always give it a real world context. Email kids with mines how it is taught. However, there are many videos that help support the learning. Tell parents benefits with the introduction of the Australian what is being learned so they can link it to home Curriculum: activities. • there is a natural progression across year levels through the strands and substrands Sue: Good chance to make positive changes – • for the first time, all states have one cur- especially in the area of accessing technologies. riculum to follow which increases the potential of Teachers revisit consider alternatives. resource sharing • If students move states, their education Adam: Content driven curriculum. It is very dif- isn’t compromised ficult to deliver the content suggested and de- National Curriculum is not about the “how” – this velop the skills that require of our students in the is pedagogy; it is about content – the WHAT of senior years let alone the deep thought, complex science teaching and learning. Teaching science thinking processes, that we expect students to remains in the hands of our awesome science demonstrate in their senior years. teachers. 7. Given that we are about to embark on our Mostly positive especially in primary school… first practicum, what do each of you look for teachers are now actually teaching… 1. Science in a good prac teacher/early career teacher? 2. Real science not just reading a book about a science topic 3. When kids go from school Adam: Great question. Practicum is your real to school or class to class they have the prior job interview. You can’t hide for weeks on end. knowledge they need because it is expected that Mistakes are fine as long as you learn to adapt, at each year level they learn x. The curriculum adjust and develop. THE mistake that will not be has also brought the important things of SHE and forgiven is if you are inauthentic. It takes one very SIS to the fore in primary school. Always used small lapse in persona for you to be crossed off to be just concept based previously. Teachers the list. The students come first. Don’t tell people are feeling very overloaded. The reality is and how busy you are or how hard you work, or what always has been that we have teaching time with other things you are trying to balance. You have students for 5.5 hours per day x 5 = 27.5 hours no idea of the other life stresses that teachers per week x 40 hours = 1100 hours per school and leaders are dealing with just to turn up and year (of course this does not include sickness, smile and say good morning in a lot of situa- lockdowns, in-term holidays, sports days, assem- tions. Be involved, do the extra things, homework blies, swimming etc etc) . There are 8544 hours in clubs, cross country etc etc. Not only will this a year which means that teachers AT BEST only help you be employable but it will help with the have access to 12.8 % of a child’s total amount of rapport you build with students. time in a year. Divide this into English, maths, sci- ence, HPE, history/ geography, arts, technology To read more questions and answers, download it’s little wonder that teachers feel they can’t cover everything they are supposed to. This comes the full document at: at a time when behaviour in schools is a big http://www.staq.qld.edu.au/members-area/begin- time waster because more kids and families are ning-pre-service-teachers-conference-q-a-panel- dysfunctional and teachers are being expected response.html Queensland Science Teacher, 41 (3) 23 Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland 2015 Science Contest

Over $5000 worth of prizes available! Two Queensland entries won 1st & 3rd at the National Science Awards in 2014

Project categories: • Scientific Investigations • Environmental Action Projects • Engineering & Technology Projects • Communicating Science • Classifying Collections • Mathematical Investigations

Details & Criteria available at: www.staq.qld.edu.au/queensland-­‐science-­‐contest

The Queensland Science Contest is for students from Prep – Year 12. Winners in the Scientific Investigations & Engineering categories are automatically entered into the BHP Billiton National Competition, which then feed entries into the International Science and Engineering Fair.

How to : enter 1. Students choose a project category. 2. Students carry out their project and keep a scientific/reflective journal. 3. Students present their project as a booklet, video or poster. 4. Complete entry and consent forms online by 9 October 2015 and pay $5 per individual entry. 5. Send or bring entries to UQ, St Lucia by Saturday, 17 October 2015. 6. Winners invited to attend the Award Ceremony held at UQ, St Lucia 31 Oct 2015

All students receive a certificate of participation.

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