40.4
Copyright 2014 Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland (STAQ). This journal may be
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Queensland Science Teacher
Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland
Volume 40 Issue 4
Climate Change, Sustainability & Science
Education: A way forward
Julie Davis
ASTA Japan Teacher Exchange - goes beyond a
4D experience
Sarah Chapman
Senate Committee Role-play
in Year 10 Science
Louise Edwards
Blitzing it in the Kimberley Bush
Peta Jackson
PLUS
Winners of National Science Week Grants
Winners of the 61st Queensland Science Contest
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Queensland Science Teacher
Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland
Volume 40 Issue 4
The Queensland Science Teacher
is published quarterly by the
Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland
Post: C/- School of Education, University of Queensland,
St Lucia, Queensland 4072
Web: http://www.staq.qld.edu.au
Email: staq@staq.qld.edu.au
Phone: 0430 731 120
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Cover image: Helicopter landing at Oomaloo Falls. Credit:
Peta Jackson
This issue is also available as a digital download from
the Members Area of the STAQ website.
Editor: Angela Harper
Editorial Assistant: Kimberley Wilson
Table of Contents
President’s Report 2
Tony Wright
Editor’s Request
3
In the News
4
6
Angela Harper
Climate Change, Sustainability &
Science Education: A way forward
Julie Davis
ASTA Japan Teacher Exchange - goes
beyond a 4D experience
12
Senate Committee Role-play in
Year 10 Science
16
Blitzing it in the Kimberley Bush
20
Qld Winners of the National Science
Week Grants
22
Neighbouring Schools Jointly
Celebrate Science Week
24
2015 Astronomy and Space Teaching
Opportunities
26
61st Queensland Science Contest
Awards Winners
27
Member Profile: Cheryl Capra
31
32
Sarah Chapman
Louise Edwards
Peta Jackson
Sue Monteath
Louise Hoey
Paul Floyd
Jackie Mergard
Disclaimer:
All reasonable attempts have been made to trace copyright 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 understanding 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.
Life Membership: Cheryl Capra
President’s Report
Tony Wright
STAQ President
staq@staq.qld.edu.au
A Successful Year for STAQ and Interesting Times
Ahead
2014 has been a successful and fruitful year for
STAQ so far and there is still the Senior Sciences
Conference to come later this month! At the same
time there are a number of major drivers, such as
the review of the OP system, that are promising
change generally, including science education.
This means that the role of STAQ is particularly important, providing a stable platform of support and
advice, and advocating a scientific approach to
science education.
At the top of the news from STAQ is that Peta
Jackson retired from the position of president at
the October AGM after serving the Association in
this role for five years. The Association owes Peta
a great deal because she has led us through a
very difficult time in which the way that the STAQ
office works has been redesigned and placed on
a much sounder footing for the future. This is an
opportunity to publically thank Peta.
Peta Jackson,, Immediate Past President
Another member of the STAQ Executive to whom
STAQ owes a debt is Charlotte Pezaro who also
retired during the year. She spearheaded the
move for STAQ to engage with the social media
and also to make use of new technologies in the
Association’s events and administration. This is an
opportunity for the Association to thank Charlotte.
The STAQ office has two part-time staff, Gaynor
2
Tony Wright
STAQ President
Johnson and Angela Harper, who are making the
office run smoothly and providing the knowledge
and support for the everyday running and the new
initiatives that we are trying out. They provide the
first point of contact when you ring or email STAQ.
STAQ Events
For the last few years the major events in the STAQ
calendar have included the three conferences:
• Science is Primary in March
• Beginning and Pre-Service Teachers in May
• Senior Science in November
They remain the major events in the STAQ Calendar and the opportunity for professional learning
and networking.
This year we have been piloting the use of webinars as an alternative form of professional learning. The first set of webinars focus on science in
the middle years and is targeted at Year 7. The
webinar format is very flexible and we are trying
out a variety of ways of engaging participants and
getting feedback to find out what works well. For
example the first webinar had a chemistry focus
and involved the participants carrying out a couple of experiments so that they had a practical
experience. The webinar was timed shortly after
school and teachers from a couple of schools reported forming a group in a lab so that they could
discuss issues as they came up while monitoring
the webinar and getting feedback when appropriate.
The webinar has the obvious advantage over our
traditional conferences and workshops in that they
are delivered to the participant rather than requir-
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Tony Wright
President’s Report
ing the participant’s attendance. This directly addresses one of STAQ’s long standing problems of
providing support for regional and remote members. The Executive are particularly keen to get
feedback from members about the most useful
ways of presenting the webinars. So please send
your ideas to Angela at: connect@staq.qld.edu.
au.
an outlet for students with an interest in investigating and with a chance to receive recognition for
their discoveries. The recent Awards presentation
celebrated these achievements in a packed lecture theatre of students and proud parents, showing the calibre of students from early primary to
senior secondary. It also provides a mechanism
for students’ work to go on to the national event
and the BHP Billiton Awards, a good reason for
schools to encourage entries and the chance to
share in the glory of student achievements.
The increasing importance of science contests
has come to the fore in a study of science curricula
around the country. In each state, the value of experimental investigations is demonstrated by their
mandating in the curriculum or at least strongly
recommended. In Queensland we have to thank
Jackie Mergard for her leadership organising the
Science Contest and the support provided by the
STAQ officers.
In contrast to the webinars, the STAQ Science
Contest has a long history and a well-deserved
place in the STAQ Calendar. It has long provided
I hope this catalogue of events and achievements
encourages you to sign up for the Senior Science
Conference in a few weeks. If not, please look out
for the STAQ Calendar which will be coming out
for next year.
Editor’s Request
The Queensland Science Teacher is seeking
articles from practising classroom teachers in
Queensland - that’s you. Practising teachers have
experiences worth sharing.
teaching experiences? It could be a lesson, a unit,
a strategy, an excursion, a program, a PD or even
just a book you enjoyed. Tell us what works for
you, and why!
It’s wonderful when an academic can contribute
to our (not peer-reviewed) journal, and share the
research that they have conducted and the knowledge they have gained from it. As those at the
“chalkface”, we are in the best position to make
use of the findings of research. It is important we
keep on top of what is happening in research so
that we are using the best strategies and teaching
practices that will make the most difference in the
educational careers and lives of our students.
Many thanks to Louise Edwards and Louise Hoey
who have all taken the time and made the effort
to share something they have tried in their classrooms this semester.
However, we stand to benefit further by sharing
and learning from the experiences of each other.
In conversation with members, I have found that
such articles, written by teachers and for teachers, are not just enjoyed but deeply appreciated.
Editorial Assistants
Special thanks to Kimberley Wilson who has taken
on the role of Editorial Assistant.
We are still seeking other members who may be interested in managing small sections of our journal.
Email Angela Harper at editor@staq.qld.edu.au to
find out more about sharing your practice or becoming an Editorial Assistant.
Do you think you could write about one of your
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
3
In the News
In this section, we summarise some of the major
media stories covering science education in the
previous quarter. We welcome your contributions
via Twitter, Facebook and email.
Chief scientist Ian Chubb releases science
strategy
Chief scientist Ian Chubb released his science
strategy at Parliament House in Canberra. The
strategy included 24 recommendations to help improve Australia’s competitiveness, science education, research and international engagement. He
called on the Government for a national strategy.
“We can continue to say it used to be good in
1970, so it probably will be again some time. (But)
incrementalist, self-protective self-delusion is not
the way for Australia to build a sensible future,”
he said.
John Ross, The Australian, September 2, 2014
(Full article: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/chief-scientist-ian-chubb-releasesscience-strategy/story-e6frgcjx-1227045077155)
Science cuts ‘fiscally irresponsible’, Boyer lecture biologist says
Prof Suzanne Cory criticised the Federal Government’s lack of support for science in Australia - both the lack of funding and the absence of
a dedicated science minister. She said that science is vital for building the future prosperity of
the country and that it is “fiscally irresponsible not
to increase our investment in science if we are to
have a prosperous future”. She also said that Australia has always had some good science teachers but there needs to be investment in developing
enough good science teachers for the increasing
population and changing students.
CSIRO push for more Aboriginal science and
maths students
CSIRO in partnership with BHP Billiton has
launched a $28.8 million program in an attempt
to address the under-representation of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people professionally and academically engaged in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The
five year project will deliver education programs,
mentoring, summer schools, excellence awards
and bespoke university degrees to reach out and
inspire ATSI students all over Australia to become
immersed in STEM subjects. Only 1.4 per cent of
university student enrolments in 2010 were ATSI
students. This is even more pronounced in science, technology, engineering and maths courses
and in applied science professions.
Marie Sansom, Government News, October 3,
2014
(Full article: http://www.governmentnews.com.
au/2014/10/csiro-push-aboriginal-science-mathsstudents/)
Tony Abbott pushes for business to take role in
schools as part of industry makeover
As part of the Federal Government’s Industry, Innovation and Competitiveness agenda, there is
$500 000 for a pilot program to trial companies
having a greater role in the school system. “The
Prime Minister said he was keen to explore a trial
of an industry-linked Pathways in Technology Early
College High School, or P-TECH type-school, like
the one he visited in New York earlier this year.”
There are schools in Australia that already specialise in languages, sport and performing arts.
The Prime Minister suggested having schools that
specialise in science, mathematics and technology that work in conjunction with some businesses.
James Massola, October 14, 2014
(Full article: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-pushes-for-business-to-take-role-in-schools-as-part-of-industrymakeover-20141014-115wm9.html)
Melissa Davey, The Guardian, September 4, 2014
(Full
article:
http://www.theguardian.com/
world/2014/sep/04/science-cuts-fiscally-irresponsible-boyer-lecture-biologist-says)
4
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
In the News
The Abbott Govt has allocated just $12M to
put science, tech, engineering And math at the
forefront of a smarter Australia
Together with the Prime Minister’s announcement
of the Commonwealth Science council, the Government also announced $12 million to improve
the focus on science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) subjects in Australian
primary and secondary schools. That includes
$7.4 million for mathematics resources, $3.5 million to provide greater exposure to computer coding and $500,000 for a pilot program.
Given that the announcements were around the
importance of science to the innovations of the future, “$12 million seems like a paltry investment in
the education of future scientists ... in contrast, the
May budget cut $111 million from CSIRO funding
over 4 years and deregulating education fees is
estimated to save the government $1.1 billion over
three years.”
Simon Thomsen, Business Insider Australia, October 14, 2014
(Full article: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/
the-abbott-government-has-allocated-just-12-million-to-put-science-tech-engineering-and-mathat-the-forefront-of-a-smarter-australia-2014-10)
Science stream reaches thousands of young
Australians
British physicist, Brian Cox, was streamed live
across Australia to pre-registered schools for a
live Q&A session on October 14. It was reportedly
the largest ever Australian education stream.
The students submitted questions for the session
before hand so that Professor Cox could answer
them live during the streaming. The video of the
live session is available as downloadable content
via RiAus from November 20.
The event was organised by RiAus – a not-for-profit science organisation in Adelaide.
David Swan, iTWire, October 16, 2014
(Full article: http://www.itwire.com/science-news/
space/65740-science-stream-reaches-thousands-of-young-australians)
Free national resource filling huge gaps in science education
Science ASSIST is an online advisory service for
science teachers and laboratory technicians. It includes a library of teaching resources linked to the
Australian Curriculum and chemical safety information for school laboratories that has been inaccessible until now. It is the first national resource
of its kind and it is free to all schools in all jurisdictions.
Senator Bridget McKenzie and the Australian Science Teachers’ Association will launch Science
ASSIST on November 12 at Parliament House,
Canberra.
Delese Brewster, Education HQ, October 16, 2014
(Full article: http://www.educationhq.com.au/
news/11550/free-national-resource-filling-hugegaps-in-science-education/)
Graduate glut puts trainee teachers on the
scrapheap
Last year only half of the 16,000 trainee teachers
who graduated across Australia had secured permanent employment four months after graduating.
Professor Dinham, from the University of Melbourne, said better workforce planning was needed to limit Commonwealth-supported places for
primary education to address the oversupply. He
said that it would be better to ”move resources to
fill vacancies in secondary maths, science, languages and special education”. There is a national shortage of secondary maths and science
teachers.
Australian Education Union president Angelo
Gavrielatos said the oversupply of teachers was
reducing quality.
Anna Patty, Sydney Morning Herald, October 20,
2014
(Full article: http://www.smh.com.au/national/
education/graduate-glut-puts-trainee-teache rs -o n -t h e -s c ra p h e a p -2 0 1 4 1 0 1 9 -11 5 w a 4 .
html#ixzz3H12OwXz4)
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
5
Climate Change, Sustainability & Science Education
Climate Change, Sustainability and Science Education: A Way Forward
Julie Davis
Queensland University of Technology
Introduction
The world and its peoples are facing multiple,
complex challenges and we cannot continue as
we are (Moss, 2010). Earth‘s “natural capital” - nature‘s ability to provide essential ecosystem services to stabilize world climate systems, maintain
water quality, support secure food production,
supply energy needs, moderate environmental
impacts, and ensure social harmony and equity –
is seriously compromised (Gough, 2005; Hawkins,
Lovins & Lovins, 1999). To further summarize, current rates of resource consumption by the global
human population are unsustainable (Kitzes, Peller, Goldfinger & Wackernagel, 2007) for human
and non-human species, and for future generations. Continuing growth in world population and
global political commitment to growth economics
compounds these demands. Despite growing
recognition of the serious consequences for people and planet, little consideration is given, within
most nations, to the social and environmental issues that economic growth brings. For example,
Australia is recognised as one of the developed
countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate
change. Yet to date, responses (such as carbon
pricing) have been small-scale, fragmented, and
their worth disputed, even ridiculed. This is at a
time referred to as ‘the critical decade’ (Hughes &
McMichael, 2011) when the world’s peoples must
make strong choices if we are to avert the worst
impacts of climate change.
Climate change impacts
MacCracken (2011) states that climate change
and its associated impacts will be perverse – affecting everything and everyone - young and old,
healthy and infirm, rich and poor, some a little,
others a lot. Some impacts will affect us directly,
such as extreme heat waves, cyclonic storms and
severe drought. Many impacts, however, are likely
to be less direct such as increases in insurance
premiums or council rates to cover ongoing and
increasing mitigation and recovery costs. While a
small number of changes may lead to localised
gains and opportunities, many changes are likely
to have negative effects. Nonetheless, we cannot continue to ignore climate change, even if it
seems that fighting terrorism or restructuring the
6
Solar house project entered in the Qld Science Contest
national budget seem to have become more politically and socially urgent. Climate change is not a
speculative construct that only our grandchildren
will experience in the future.
If Australia is to effectively tackle climate change,
it needs to engage at multiple levels and in numerous ways around climate change matters. One
critical way is to engage scientifically with climate
change science, though I argue later that simply
more science and, by extension, more science
education is not enough. As Cook (2014) comments, ‘it’s been hot before’ is faulty logic – issued
with worrying regularity from powerful political and
media interests - that skews the climate debate.
Such comments that the climate has changed over
eons, that it was warmer at the time of Christ and
colder during the medieval ‘dark ages’ – an overused rationale for skepticism or denial of humaninduced climate change - ignores decades of robust, peer-reviewed research that dignifies 97% of
climate research as endorsing the consensus that
humans are responsible (Intergovernmental Panel
of Climate Change, 2013).
As Boon (2014) states, climate change ignorance
is an unacceptable legacy for our children and
grandchildren as it is becoming clearer that children and future generations will most acutely feel
the effects of climate change. A recent analysis of
environmental threats to children’s health in Australia (Hughes & McMichael, 2011), for example,
identifies a range of potential climate change impacts. A short list includes:
• changing patterns of infectious and vectorborne diseases such as dengue fever
• heat stress and health impacts of extreme
Queensland Science Teacher, 38 (4)
Julie Davies
Climate Change, Sustainability & Science Education
weather events such as fires, floods and cyclones
• effects of changing plant growth on allergen
levels and asthma
• water and food insecurity
• pressure on mental and emotional health due
to drought, climate change concerns, and traumatic exposures to fires, floods, and storms.
Living Sustainably
Nevertheless, while climate change is a serious
threat to human advancement now and into the
future, it is not our main problem. Rather, climate
change is a symptom of unsustainable development models (dependent on continuous economic growth) that structure how we live. While bringing many observable benefits there is also an
abundance of hidden or denied consequences.
Thus, issues of poverty, income disparity, global
movements of refugees and asylum seekers, and
the status of fourth-world populations living poorly
within first-world societies are part of the contemporary sustainability agenda. Further, while many
people consider that sustainability is primarily
about environmental issues, more holistic understandings that emphasise the interconnections
between the social, economic and environmental
dimensions of development are necessary in order
to ameliorate negative trends and impacts, and to
transition to more sustainable ways of living. The
overall effect of unsustainability on a global scale
is that our fragile, complex and interconnected
environments are at risk from accelerating habitat
loss and massively increased resource extraction
that destroys habitats and landscapes. As physicist, environmental activist and eco-feminist, Vanada Shiva, remarked in her Reith Lectures (BBC,
2000), ‘sustainability demands that we move out
of the economic trap that is leaving no space for
other species and other people’.
The role of education
One way to try to understand the complexity of
sustainability is to look at it as a ‘wicked problem’
(Rittel and Webber, 1973). A wicked problem is
one that cannot be easily defined, is a site of conflict, has multiple perspectives and requires multilayered, often hard-to-formulate solutions. Resolution of wicked problems requires multidisciplinary
insights and contributions from all sections of society, not just policymakers, politicians or scientists.
After all, we are all in this together; it’s everyone’s
business.
Education across the lifespan is recognised as a
crucial investment in transitioning to sustainability
with a key role in guiding the changes required to
reduce consumption to sustainable levels and in
empowering people for change (UNESCO, 2009).
Rickinson, Lundholm & Hopwood (2009) comment that a life-course perspective on education
and learning is necessary “to think about what we
know and what we need to know about environmental learning during infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, middle age, retirement and old
age” (p. 106). Thus, all education institutions – from
early childhood centres, schools, community education, through to colleges and universities – need
to provide effective ways to publicise and educate communities with concepts of sustainability
and environmental responsibility, through student
learning and via their larger societal connections
(Chesterman, 2008). A key content characteristic
is recognition that healthy humans and healthy
environments are interdependent thus putting the
state of the planet front and centre.
Humanity, however, requires a different kind of
education from a mainstream education based on
an individualistic model, which many see as being part of the sustainability problem (Orr, 1992).
Recognition of the shortcomings of contemporary
education demands transformative approaches
to education (Mezirow, 2006) embedded in social
change and empowerment. Bonnett (2002) calls
for the exploration of sustainability as a frame of
mind’ (p. 9), a metaphysical transformation that
qualitatively shifts outlook and relationships where
‘the attitude of sustainability is not a bolt on option
but a necessity’ (p. 19). How well does contemporary education, including science education, meet
this purpose?
Science for sustainability?
Currently, significant investments in Australia and
internationally are being made into Science as
part of the wider STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) focus as a key way
for creating ideas and opportunities to alleviate the
adverse by-products of our current unsustainable
ways of living. More efficient mass transport systems, low emissions cars, water-savings technologies and renewable energy investments are a few
examples. The contention of this paper, however,
is that STEM approaches to sustainability offer limited solutions, in light of the speed and scale of
the challenges we are facing. While useful, STEM
approaches are restricted, aimed more at problem
fixing – reducing negative impacts - than imagin-
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
7
Climate Change, Sustainability & Science Education
ing and creating dramatically new ways of conceiving of, and enacting, sustainability. The world
has known for decades that we must integrate
economic, social and environmental dimensions
of development, requiring more than a focus on
scientific and technological fixes. Since the core
of sustainability is the coupling of social and ecological systems, social scientists must be part of
sustainability conversations from the very beginning when questions that require investigation are
formulated, not appended onto the process after
the questions have been posed (Bael, 2010).
Science/STEM Education for Sustainability: A
critique
Contemporary literature in Education for Sustainability (EfS) informs us that integrated, holistic
approaches rather than narrower Science/STEM
approaches, offer the best opportunities for successful and widespread EfS because they encourage inclusivity and collaboration, and support
sustainability as ‘everyone’s business’. Further,
approaches that integrate the social sciences
recognise the pivotal idea that unsustainable development is derived from socially-produced behaviours, and hence require socially-derived solutions that depend on social critique and social
practices that help citizens work together for the
common good. As Holbrook (2009) admonishes,
“education for SD [Sustainable Development] has
little to do with accumulating a body of scientific
knowledge and is far more aligned with the development of personal and social aptitudes leading
to responsible citizenship” (p.44).
Yet, despite calls from as early as the 1970s for
interdisciplinary approaches to addressing unsustainability - primarily the inclusion of social
sciences education - scientific approaches continue to dominate, focused on building scientific
and technological knowledge and skills as the
main way to deal with, manage and alleviate the
adverse by-products of unsustainable ways of living. As noted earlier, the world has known for decades that we need to integrate economic, social
and environmental dimensions of development if
sustainability is to be achieved. It is well past time
for discipline integration to become a widespread
reality in how we educate for sustainability. This is
not to say, however, that Science/STEM teaching
and learning for sustainability has no place. What I
am saying is that it is not sufficient for dealing with
our current challenges; my call here is for Science/
STEM educators to better contribute to education
8
Julie Davies
for sustainability by being inclusive of social scientists and their ideas and perspectives.
What is Education for Sustainability?
EfS is not a new form of education. Its precursor,
environmental education, has a 40-year history,
with the Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO/UNEP, 1977)
stating, “environmentally-educated teachers are
the priority of priorities”. The Declaration noted that
environmental education was life-long, interdisciplinary, holistic, focused on interrelationships and
interconnectedness between humans and natural
systems, and directed towards construction of an
environmental ethic (McBeath & McBeath, 2009).
Characteristics of contemporary integrated, holistic and transformative EfS include critical thinking
and reflection; systems thinking; values and futures-oriented learning; and participatory, actionbased pedagogies where decision-making and
action-taking occurs in local contexts (Australian
Government, 2009). The United Nation’s Learning
for the Future (2012) characterises EfS (known as
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in
Europe) as having three key attributes, it:
• is an holistic approach that seeks to integrate
thinking and practice;
• envisions change through exploring alternative futures, learning from the past and inspiring engagement in the present, and
• seeks to achieve transformation by creating
changes in the way people learn and in the
systems that support learning.
When applied in practice, EfS supports pedagogies that encourage learners to critique current
conditions and mindsets, propose solutions that
promote sustainability, and importantly, take action. Even preschoolers are capable of understanding and responding to sustainability issues,
and can learn to participate and “make a difference” (Davis, 2010). Action-oriented EfS means
that scientific literacy goes beyond scientific
problem-solving and encompasses socio-scientific decision-making aimed at creating an active,
informed citizenry.
Convergence between science/STEM education and EfS
In a recent article in the prestigious journal, Science, (July 2014), the case was made for the
shared purposes of science educators and environmental educators (EE) (also read ‘educators
for sustainability’) to engage people in address-
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Julie Davies
Climate Change, Sustainability & Science Education
ing our sustainability challenges. The authors
(Wals, Brody, Dillon & Stevenson, 2014) comment
that science education with its focus on teaching
knowledge and skills, and EE/EfS which stress the
incorporation of values and changing behaviors,
have become increasingly distant. They cite the
example of the natural sciences and environmental education which, when taught separately, give
a disjointed answer to society’s demands for a
sustainable society. These authors make a strong
case for the convergence of science education
and environmental education, noting that without
linkage with the sciences, EE will not be able to
find responsible and realistic ways of dealing with
the contradictions and uncertainties raised in scientific debates surrounding questions of sustainability. Equally, I argue (Davis, 2012) that science
education is limited without recognition that the
social sciences offer understandings of the root
causes of unsustainability, and provide moral and
ethical frameworks for changing worldviews. Simply continuing the pursuit of ‘scientific’ solutions to
the world’s problems is itself part of the problem,
aimed more at problem-fixing than imagining and
creating dramatically new ways of conceiving and
enacting sustainability. Integrated approaches
Optional Faucet
Optional
IAT Inlet Assy
Research in early childhood EfS
If readers think integrating science with the social
sciences is way too difficult, I can tell you that it’s
child’s play! My specialist area is early childhood
education for sustainability. The children, teachers
and communities that I have engaged with over
the years offer a range of interesting case studies of EfS practice where sustainability issues and
topics are addressed locally in childcare centres,
kindergartens, schools and the local community.
Such issues and topics include learning where
food comes from (Japan), using digital technologies to engage with community officials and parents to help clean up a local park (Korea), campaigning against battery hen farming (Sweden),
and an array of projects involving water and energy conservation, materials recycling, understanding food cycles through gardening, learning about
and protecting local habitats, protecting and caring for wildlife, and embedding Indigenous perspectives into sustainability learning (several Aus-
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Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
9
Climate Change, Sustainability & Science Education
tralian and international cases). [See edited texts
by Davis & Elliott, 2014 and Davis, 2010 for details
of these projects and more examples]. Simultaneously, the children involved in these case study
projects have learnt scientific knowledge and processes, combined with ways to engage as active
and informed citizens ‘making a difference’ in matters of local importance. It’s not too young to start
EfS!
Where to from here?
One of the key drivers for EfS in recent times has
been the United Nations Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development (UN DESD) (2005-2014)
(UNESCO, 2005), a major international initiative
that Australia signed up to in order to address sustainability. As a result, many excellent examples
in EfS in action have been undertaken; however,
we owe it to our children and grandchildren to do
much more.
The next international effort designed to build on
the UN DESD is the Global Action Programme
(GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development
(UNESCO, 2013). The GAP will focus on five priority areas from 2015. These are:
Policy support to integrate EfS into international
and national policies in education and sustainability.
Whole institution approaches that promote EfS at
all levels of education and in all settings.
Strengthening the capacity of educators, trainers
and other change agents to become learning facilitators for EfS.
Supporting children and young people in their role
as change agents for sustainability through EfS.
Accelerating the role of local communities in
searching for sustainability solutions through EfS.
These priorities offer a framework for enacting
new forms of education and learning to address
unsustainability. It is hoped that closer alignment
between Science/STEM education and EE/EfS will
emerge sooner rather than later. Looking beyond
the narrow scope of current curricula is a necessity and becoming more urgent.
Final comments
To summarise the arguments forwarded in this
piece, our current economic growth models,
where damaging exploitation of the natural world
and exploitation of human beings are closely interwoven, are unsustainable. With continuing envi-
10
Julie Davies
ronmental degradation and future disasters seemingly inevitable, a billion people living in poverty,
and new waves of environmental refugees having
the potential to undo 20 years of poverty reduction
around the globe, the world is facing significant,
complex and interlinked development challenges.
Integrated approaches are necessary that examine the nexus of social, environmental and economic dimensions of human activity, and that do
not diminish options for future generations
With these challenges as the backdrop, this paper calls for the gap between science and the social sciences to be closed, and with it, the gaps
between science education (and STEM, more
broadly) and EE/EfS. It is no longer appropriate for
Science/STEM education to be chiefly about the
teaching and learning of science content, theories,
laws and skills. Science educators must recognise that sustainability is fundamentally a human
problem, not simply a science and technology
problem. EE/EfS specialists, educators from social
science disciplines, and science educators well
versed in social education, should all be collaborating in the design and delivery of education that
addresses our sustainability challenges. The case
for integration is undeniable; the time for convergence is already past, but late is better than never.
References
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Climate Change, Sustainability & Science Education
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Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
11
ASTA Japan Teacher Exchange - Goes beyond 4D
Australian Science Teachers’ Association - Japan
Teacher Exchange - Goes beyond a 4D Experience
Sarah Chapman
Townsville State High School
The opportunity to go on the Australian Science
Teachers’ Japan Exchange Program was so much
more than I had bargained for. This experience
went way beyond a school visit, professional development or a holiday tour to a country. The other teachers on the program became people you
share unforgettable experiences with. Alongside
this, the Japanese-based staff from SONY Education provided an enriching learning experience
about Japanese culture, education, food and life
in general, something that you would be devoid of
on a normal trip to Japan. It was a life-enhancing
experience.
The school experiences were so very memorable,
as many parts of the Japanese schooling system
are different to Australian schools, yet the essence
is still the same. Students being students, they
were keen to learn, a little cheeky at times, but so
inquisitive and genuinely interested in ‘the Australian visitors’. The teachers were enthusiastic and
dedicated to engaging their students in the learning experience, very similar to what is seen in Australian schools.
In Japan we visited two Elementary schools (Years
One to Six), one Junior school (Years Seven to
Nine) and one High School (Years Ten to Twelve).
At each school we were welcomed like rock stars,
with the school administration all present to formally greet us and show us their schools. Entering the schools, we were required to remove our
outside shoes, stow these in a locker, then put on
indoor shoes which were worn inside the school
buildings. The tours of the schools certainly demonstrated the priority of science education from
Elementary through to High school. All of the
schools were well resourced to teach and facilitate
high standard science lessons.
The first Elementary school that we visited was
Sanda Elementary school. It provided us the
chance to observe an engaging lesson where students investigated the concepts of elastic energy
and energy conversions. Students used small cars
to test the relationship between the stretch of the
elastic band and the propulsion of the car and this
simple and effective lesson helped the Year Three
12
students clearly see the relationship. We were all
so impressed with these small car sets that the
school assisted us to purchase a small set each
to take back to Australia to share with our schools.
We attended a school assembly and had students
from a range of year levels ask us questions about
Australia. This was a really interesting experience
to see what Japanese students thought of Australia and to see what they were interested in. Questions ranged from “what do Australian students
do at school for fun” and “what do your students
dream to be”. This assembly was topped off by
having the entire school sing their school song to
us. Every student singing their school song with
such pride gave me goosebumps! At this moment
I was overwhelmed to think how lucky I was to be
there, experiencing this truly remarkable sight.
Danielle Spencer from Brisbane had the first experience of educating in a Japanese school, teaching seventy-seven Year Three students about the
life cycles of Australian marsupials. She did a tremendous job to hold the attention of all of these
students, whilst the interpreter Keiko Tonegawa
translated her lesson into Japanese. The students
were fascinated to learn about the underdeveloped joey developing in the marsupial pouch,
with each student captivated at how small they
were. This was an enriching experience to see my
colleague teach a dynamic lesson and to engage
with the students in this learning experience.
The highlights from visiting Utase Junior School
included seeing a newer school with architecturally designed buildings that facilitated a very supportive and dynamic learning environment. We
observed a lesson about enzymes and digestion,
taught by Mr Saso. Students were engaged in an
extensive investigation using a vast selection of
foods to explore how they impact the digestion of
starch and gelatine. This lesson was very effective
and certainly provided me with some ideas that I
will extend into my own teaching of this subject.
I found Utase Junior School students were much
more timid than similar aged students at my own
High School. Compared to the Elementary students, Junior School students were more reluctant
to engage with us. This was a little foreign for me,
as students at this age in my classrooms at home
are much more verbal and inquisitive. This proved
to be my challenge in teaching a lesson to thirtyfive fourteen year olds, however I did manage to
engage them with the topic of adaptions of Aus-
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Sarah Chapman
Japan Teacher Exchange - Goes beyond 4D
tralian animals, so that they interacted with me.
This was personally rewarding to be able to go
beyond the boundaries of language and engage
students in the science that I was teaching.
Visiting Urawa Daiichi Girls School, a Science Super School, was certainly a highlight of my trip.
This school was everything science, geared to
engage students in lifelong science careers. This
was the first time that the Australia-Japan teachers had visited a Science Super school. It was enriching to hear the extracurricular and additional
subjects the school provided, to enable students
to engage in a super science learning pathway.
Students started their school day at 7:30am and
progressed through until 5:00pm. From then until
7:00pm, all students had the opportunity to engage in clubs that ranged from science investigations to traditional dance to sport. This was an
eye opener and certainly something I felt Australian schools were deficient in. The school also provided international trips for exceptional science
students to American science agencies and this
school had successfully competed (and even
won!) at the International Science and Engineering Forum a number of times.
I was very fortunate to be invited to give a presentation to a small group of girls at Urawa Daiichi
Science Super School. I was both honoured and
daunted at the chance to share my passion for science at an international level. I started my presentation by introducing myself and sharing a video of
my school and so that the Urawa girls could get an
idea of what school in North Queensland looked
like. I then talked about my love for science and
how it was a universal tool that can improve the
world we live in. I got the girls excited with a short
video of cool science experiments which involved
an explosion or two! From the giggles and ‘oohs’ I
knew the girls were excited and ready to talk more
science. I introduced a small experiment that
Obentoo - Japanese school lunch box
With the other teachers in Japan
demonstrated the concept of diffusion using four
Skittles lollies in a Petrie dish. I asked if any of the
students could predict what would happen. One
replied “will it blow up?” Following my video clip,
this was a very funny but not unexpected prediction. Students were able to set up the experiment
and before long they were captivated at what they
saw. I asked the students if they could use their
knowledge of science to explain what had happened. A few students attempted an explanation,
however I was surprised that I had stumped them.
I explained the concept of diffusion, where the
high concentrated solution of sugar travelled from
the Skittle to a lower concentration and would stop
when it met the coloured water of the other Skittle.
I related this to the concept of oxygen diffusion
in the body. I encouraged them to find science in
everyday and simple things as these sometimes
help us to understand more complex systems. I
also encouraged them to keep asking questions,
to persist when they didn’t know the answer and
to always share their ideas, as these are key factors in becoming successful in the future. I encouraged the girls to pursue their passion as this
would help them become the best that they could
be. This was a truly inspiring experience, to share
my passion of science with others. The icing on
the cake was a number of students saying that
what I shared was really inspirational. Two of the
SONY officials also said how moving my presentation was. Wow! What an experience! To share my
love of science and inspire others was a gift given
with so many unexpected and heartfelt returns.
This sincerely moved and humbled me.
From my preconception that a science super
school would involve students wearing capes like
super heroes and science would be taught as the
only subject at the school, I realised it was much,
much more than that. This school was very well resourced, provided extensive pathways both within
Queensland Science Teacher, 38 (4)
13
Japan Teacher Exchange - Goes beyond 4D
Sarah Chapman
the school timetabling and curriculum, as well as
extra-curricular avenues to engage in science. I
was beyond impressed and this has certainly left
me with much food for thought, in so many ways
that I am sure my mind has overindulged! This is
something that will be a catalyst and motivator for
me to find avenues to embrace some of these philosophies in my school, what an accomplishment
that would be!
Takasago Elementary School was certainly one
to remember, it had such a wonderful welcoming
feel. It was a very supportive environment, for both
teachers and students. This school has a rich history of developing supportive professional practices, which was evident in the classrooms of beginning teachers where there were mentor teachers
present as a support. Teachers with more experience were dynamic educators that really engaged
and challenged their students to be enthusiastic
learners and effective communicators. Although
this was an Elementary School, the students here
were able to problem-solve and communicate at a
level much beyond their years. It was fantastic to
see such proactive and intelligent science teaching. It was also enjoyable to watch my colleague
Leah Taylor from Canberra deliver her lesson on
Australian animals and adaptations, using jelly
beans with a touch of ‘stop-bite’, a bitter but harmless coating. This was a well delivered lesson that
once again gave me many ideas that I will take
into my own classroom.
Overall, all of the schools we visited embraced
Japanese traditions within their learning experiences. Students learnt traditional dance, drumming, tea ceremony and singing as a part of their
curriculum. The well-roundedness of the Japanese student learning experience was something
that I found truly admirable. The extracurricular ac-
Sensoji Temple
tivities or clubs for students start as early as Year
Three, once a week, and expand to every afternoon once students reach High school. These activities provide students with a structured avenue
for developing their skills and interests that again
left me amazed. Students in Australia are not provided these learning extensions and experiences,
and it is something that could possibly give our
students more of an edge. The time dedication of
each of the teachers to deliver these extracurricular activities is staggering and admirable.
The technology divide between Australian schools
and Japanese schools was also very evident. I
must admit I had the preconception that Japan
was the place of robot restaurants and technology that oozed from every corner. However this
was not the case in any of the Japanese schools
we visited. Computers were in limited supply, with
most schools having a small number of computer
labs for students to access. In each classroom
there were no interactive whiteboards, data projectors or laptops. This was surprising to see,
however it did not seem to result in a deficit in
student learning. Teachers were creative with using prewritten pieces of paper that they attached
to the blackboard. This was the status quo in all
of the Japanese classes. Only one class used a
television screen and visualiser as a tool in their
teaching.
One really great thing to see was that both Australian and Japanese schools value problem-based
learning experiences that involve the students
taking ownership of the investigation and using hands-on experiences to work through a set
problem. The one advancement that Australian
learning experiences have here is the tying in of
Mathematics and Technology (a STEM approach)
to the learning experience. This, when discussed
14
Queensland Science Teacher, 38 (4)
Sarah Chapman
Japan Teacher Exchange - Goes beyond 4D
Breaking Bad (a favourite of mine), were just some
of the amazing things that left my senses reeling.
I loved the Tokyo Sky Tree, the largest communication tower in the world. To see the expanse of
Tokyo city stretch beyond where the eye could see
was rather mind boggling. Sensoji Temple was
very special as I had never visited a temple before. It was wonderful to hear the story of how the
temple was built there and the combination of two
religions and their different traditions was really
special. The shopping surrounding this area was
also a sensory overload, my wallet certainly got
overused here!
Sarah Chapman
with the Japanese teachers, was something that
was of great interest to them and something they
were looking to achieve in the future.
The added bonuses on this trip included a traditional dinner with SONY executives, visiting
the Australian Embassy, Tokyo Sky Tree, the National Science Museum, the SONY exclusive ‘The
Square’ Showroom, the Railway Museum, JAXA,
Sensoji Temple and Miraikan. Mind blowing! On
all of these journeys we were accompanied by our
Japanese friends from SONY Education, who told
us stories and experiences about their lives. So
many dimensions of this visit would be missing
without their expertise to enhance the experience.
I learned more about Japan and Japanese culture
than I ever thought possible in a week!
The traditional dinner was certainly an experience
to never forget. At our dinner table were engineers
and scientists who developed the BLURAY and
Camcorder. WOW! We enjoyed a night of healthy
discussion, sharing and trying new foods. I must
say this dinner took me way beyond my comfort
zone, trying raw fish, tempura eel and shabushabu, things that prior to the trip I would not have
been brave enough to try.
My favourite, and the pinnacle of the trip, was
Miraikan, The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. This place was amazing and
certainly was a jaw dropping experience. I met
Asimo the robot, the closest a robot has been built
to mimic human behaviour. To see the demonstration of a robot, running, hopping and singing was
unreal. I loved the robot dog and this little fellow
nearly snuck into my bag to come home with me!
To see a compartment of the International Space
Station, from the toilet to sleeping quarters, was
very cool. It was amazing to see displays on the
value of human society and your important place
in it. This is something I believe Australian museums and public places could include more of,
teaching us all to value our society and our place
in it. The coolest part of Miraikan was the large
Earth suspended from the ceiling. This was made
up of tiny screens that showed the Earth moving
with its clouds swirling above. This was suspended above a room with areas to lie and gaze up at
it. What a beautiful sight. Our Earth. This was the
end of such a marvellous adventure, and such a
Asimo the robot
My highlights of the ‘extras’ were certainly the
SONY ‘The Square’ Showroom. I had certainly
worn the word ‘wow’ out by the end of our visit.
This place had everything! We experienced a
four dimensional movie by watching a music clip
in which you felt the breeze as the artist sung in
the clip and smelt the flowers from the field they
were standing in. We saw the future of television;
4K resolution which puts HD television to shame.
Memorabilia from movies and TV shows, including
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
15
Japan Teacher Exchange - Goes beyond 4D
fitting place to sit and reflect.
Seeing the Earth above me made me realise that
even though Japan and Australia are different
countries we belong to the same Earth. We as
citizens of this Earth share the same atmosphere
and oceans. We are more connected than I had
ever realised. I felt overwhelmed to have had this
experience but also to really appreciate my place
on our Earth. I have grown as a person. This trip
reminded me of the benefits of trying new things,
the importance of sharing ideas and perspectives
and the true pleasure of immersing yourself in experiences as you learn so much more from them. I
have been motivated to be more creative with my
teaching and to find avenues that extend my stu-
Sarah Chapman
dents beyond their classroom walls. I have gained
strong collegial ties that go beyond this country
and I am lucky enough to have colleagues from
Australia that I proudly now call friends. This trip
was beyond amazing. A four dimensional experience seems a deficient way to explain it. But one
thing is for sure, my love and passion for science
is firing more than ever! A subject that can certainly go beyond the bounds of country, culture
and language. A subject that continues to amaze.
Science!
Thank you to the Australian Science Teacher’s Association, The Australia Japan Foundation and
SONY Education for this unforgettable experience.
Senate Committee Role-play in Year 10 Science
Louise Edwards
St Edmund’s College
Abstract
This unit of work was developed out of a need to
engage a Year 10 Science class, help them to reconnect with their local waterway in a positive way
(after several flood events) and to involve students
to work like ‘real life scientists’. It was an exciting
challenge that was enhanced by adding a roleplay to explore how a Bill is progressed through
Parliament.
Introduction
Australia is reported as the driest inhabited continent on Earth and therefore is especially vulnerable to the impacts of predicted climate change.
One concern is that climate change will reduce
the availability of water. The water story is complex. There is an interconnectedness of water
with the needs of people and ecosystems. Managing these resources is central to all communities. Management involves people and it is these
hard working and dedicated men and women who
inspire that part of the curriculum titled ‘human
endeavour’. As Professor Ian Chubb, Australia’s
Chief Scientist, has explained on many occasions
a key to engaging students is by teaching how
science is practised. So what does this all mean?
It means a coherent and comprehensive unit of
work needed to be developed that was hands on
and relevant to the lives of 15 year old students.
A unit that was inspiring, engaging and would develop informed citizens on how amazing the Earth
really is.
16
The beginning
Getting a Year 10 Science class to work like ‘real
life scientists’ started with the curriculum, trying to
address the content area of science understanding that was not fully covered – global systems interactions with the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. The second aspect to be
addressed was the need to make the content relevant to the lives of the students to encourage engagement. With the recent local flooding events
in 2011 and 2013, many students, their families
and properties were effected, and it was out this
tragedy that the idea to reconnect positively with
the river was formed.
The ‘water unit’ as it become known had students
sampling the local river to assess its health in relation to the set of local and state government water
quality guidelines for aquatic protection. After the
unit was implemented in 2013 it was further modified and improved in 2014 after attending the National Science Teachers Summer School. The visit
to Parliament House and its education unit saw
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Louise Edwards
Senate Committee Role-Play in Year 10 Science
forty teachers participate in a role play of a Senate
Committee, this experience created a light bulb
moment - to link the water unit with a role play of a
Senate Committee hearing to address a proposed
Water Bill.
Setting the Scene
The unit commences with creating an understanding of what happens to the water in a catchment
by first exploring the water cycle. This leads nicely into answering the questions: what is a healthy
catchment and why there is a need for management. The students learn that everything in a
catchment is linked together and therefore there is
a need to work together to manage the resources
in a balanced and sustainable way.
Aboriginal people and waterways
Another important aspect of reconnecting the students in a positive way with the local river and its
catchment was to ensure that the belief systems
and the interconnected aspects of Country, people and culture of the local Aboriginal peoples, the
Ugarapul, were covered in an inspiring manner.
We were fortunate that early in 2014, as part of a
regional arts celebration, the local river became a
top feature of events, where a floating, light sculpture was accompanied by a soundtrack that contained the Bremer Rivers creation story, narrated
by Steven Jamieson with Didgeridoo played by
John Parsons. The recording is freely available
from the Ipswich Festival website. Some of the
Year 10 students were able to engage with this information by writing a persuasive report, on behalf
of the Ugarapul peoples, that was presented to
the classroom Senate Committee before the hearing (the role play).
Field work
There are a variety of viewpoints on what is meant
by hands-on- activities in science education, for
this interpretation it means learning by doing. And
the doing in this unit of work incorporates field
work. Field work is how science is practiced in the
‘real world’, by real men and women who go out
and monitor and report on the water quality and
therefore the health of a river and its catchment.
Assessment of Learning
Over the 6-week unit of work the students demonstrated learning through a two part task.
Part One required the students to write a persuasive report to the classroom Senate Committee
either supporting or not supporting the proposed
Water Bill (ie proposed Law). The Water Bill is an
Act to legislate for the use of recycled water for
all residential and industrial purposes in Australia.
This would be a management tool to ensure water
security. The students wrote their reports in role,
that is, as a member of one of the interested parties that parliament refers to as a ‘witness’ group.
The witness groups were:
• CSIRO Expert Reference Group
• SEQ Water (South East Queensland Water)
• CADS (Citizens Against Drinking Sewage)
• Healthy Waterways Organisation, Queensland
• Department of Energy and Water Supply,
Queensland Government
• Ugarapul People of Ipswich (Indigenous
Group)
Part 1:
Individual Report.
Write a report detailing your Witness Group’s position on the proposed Water Bill.
You will:
Produce a report to persuade the Senate Committee as to your Witness Group’s point of view, either
supporting or not supporting the proposed Water
Bill.
Address the terms of reference of the Committee
hearing:
Whether the use of recycled water for residential
and industrial purposes (treated to fit-for-purpose)
will provide a water resource management tool
that is sustainable and economical,
Whether this Bill could create problems in Australia, and if so;
How to avoid any problems that this Bill could
cause.
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
17
Senate Committee Role-Play in Year 10 Science
Part Two – the role play of a Senate Committee.
Parliamentary committees are an important part of
the work of the parliament. They investigate issues and bills (proposed laws) in detail, so that
the Parliament can be well-informed before making decisions of national significance. An optional
stage in the passage of a bill is when members of
the Senate may meet as a committee to consider
a bill in detail. It was this aspect that provided
the opportunity for the students to write a report
for part one of the task. Through thoroughly researching the topic for the witness group’s report
to the Senate Committee before the hearing in Part
One, the students were well prepared for completing Part Two. In Part Two of the task, the students
produce a script for the role play. This script becomes the record of the public hearing, as the
Committee hearings are formal public meetings of
the Parliament. Hansard reporters record everything that is said and are published.
Part 2:
Group Script.
Write questions and responses detailing your Witness Group’s position on the proposed Water Bill
for the role play of a Senate Committee hearing.
These are questions asked by the Senate Committee, which your Witness Group will answer.
You will:
Produce a script by developing 5 to 7 questions
with full answers.
Write your group’s opening statement to be read
out on approaching the Senate Committee hearing.
Each member must have a speaking role in the
role play.
Hand in one (1) copy of the script only.
The benefits of Role Plays
Providing the opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning through a role play is a rich
example of synthesis - the students produce
something new by combining pieces or elements.
Modifying the original task to include a role play
made it a more purposeful activity that gave direction to what I, as the teacher, wanted the students
to be able to do. The students were genuinely
engaged. They stayed on task and produced well
researched and persuasive reports that lead to
scripts that contained well thought out questions
with detailed answers for the role play.
18
Louise Edwards
The key
What I learnt was that you never really know where
the next inspiration may come from. By attending
the National Science Teachers Summer School
this year, I was inspired to incorporate a role play
into my science program, something I had never
included before. The importance of being around
other teachers of all levels of experience and expertise is the key, as they will open your eyes to
new ideas and provide that very much needed encouragement to be the best teacher you can be.
References
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA). (n.d.) Science: Foundation to
Year 10 Curriculum. Retrieved April 6, 2014 from,
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/science/
curriculum/f-10?layout=1#level10
Hare, Julie. 2014. “Professor Ian Chubb says
teaching science needs to be more practical and applied”. The Australian, September
5. Accessed September 5, 2014. http://www.
theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/professor-ian-chubb-says-teaching-science-needs-tobe-more-practical-and-applied/story-e6frgcjx
1226465054799?nk=222f501 fa899f7 29 fad0168a db4d759d
ICC (Ipswich City Council). 2013. “Water Quality
Monitoring”. Accessed January 10, 2013. http://
www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/about_ipswich/environment/catchments_waterways/water_quality_management
Ipswich Festival. 2014. “Adrift”. Podcast audio:
MP3. Accessed May 20, 2014. http://ipswichfestival.com.au/2014/event.php?id=1
PEO (Parliamentary Education Office). 2014.
“Committee: House of Representatives or Senate”.
Accessed January 18, 2014. http://www.peo.gov.
au/teaching/role-play-lesson-plans.html
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Blitzing it in the Kimberley Bush
Peta Jackson
Rosewood SHS
In May/June this year I spent a week based at
Home Valley Station in the East Kimberley with 4
other teachers and a team of leading scientists in
the fields of taxonomy and biodiversity. The whole
team was made up of scientists, teachers, cooks,
helicopter pilots, specialist photographers and
staff from Earthwatch and ABRS.
What a truly amazing and inspiring educational
experience. I have participated in many professional development activities during my time as
a teacher, this one would have to be put in the
genuinely remarkable basket. During my time in
the Kimberley, there were so many fantastic experiences; I have outlined a few of these below:
Working with Mark, an arachnologist, at Oomaloo Falls.
Scrambling down a cliff face to witness Mark,
looking under rocks and capturing specimens of
a beautiful Wolf Spider – one not seen by Mark
before. Then digging up a burrow entrance of a
Whistling spider (Australia’s Tarantula) in order
to collect the spider, and the disappointment of
not capturing it after over an hour of digging and
coaxing… all part of scientific field work.
Searching for lichen specimens with Pat, a lichenologist.
Lichen is an organism that is a symbiotic relationship between fungus and algae/cyanobacterium.
I was eager to collect as many specimens as possible; however there is a lot of skill and technique
in the collecting of these specimens. You have to
be careful not to destroy the lichen and look for
a section of rock that will be easy to chisel away.
A day in the field with Pat soon made me realise
the importance of lichen, and that there are a lot
of them around in certain areas, once you know
what you are looking for (although I am far from
being an expert). Pat felt that there were a number of new species discovered during his time in
the field, however he wouldn’t know until they were
examined under the microscope and chemically
back in the lab.
Support crew with the ichthyologists: Mike and
Glenn and using one of the coolest sampling
methods - electro-fishing!
Electro-fishing involves running an electric current
through the water that stuns the fish temporarily,
they float to the surface and can be collected. One
of the most exciting things is that it stuns all organisms in the water, even crocodiles! One of my
favourite parts of my time with the ichthyologists
was spending time with the traditional owners,
learning about the history of the area we were in
and some of the animals living in it. I also enjoyed
the lab work after collecting fish where they photographed and tissue samples were taken.
Entomology work with Matt, Nik, Gerry and
Jackie.
Refreshing skills, learning new ones and reliving
some of my university entomology study as specimens were collected through sweeping, beating,
pootering and pinning. Working with the entomologists and the other scientists in the field has
inspired me to share these experiences with students. At Rosewood SHS, we are currently investigating sites for field trips for Year 7’s (classification
and collections); Year 9’s (ecosystems, biodiversity and food webs); and Year 11’s (taxonomy and
classification) and having a freshwater fish tank in
the Biology room.
The amazing part of doing field work out in the
Kimberley is that many of the sites are so remote a
helicopter has to be used to get there. Sharing pictures and stories are only the start of how incredible this opportunity was both professionally and
personally. It is hard to explain what it is like to be
“on the spot” when a new species is discovered
and I look forward to seeing the list of new species discovered while we were in the Kimberley.
A huge thanks to all the people involved in putting
the Bush Blitz program together, to the scientists
for being so generous with their time and sharing
their passion, the other teachers for all the stories
and expertise they shared, and most of all thank
you all for reigniting my joy for field work, I hope
that I can share your passion and mine with my
students and the teachers I work with.
I would encourage any teacher who has an interest in Science to apply for the Bush Blitz program,
the experience is exceptional.
20
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Peta Jackson
Blitzing it in the Kimberley Bush
Mark digging for the spider
Peta and Pat examining rock
Electro-fishing success
Pinning specimens wiht Nik
Home Valley Station
Peta at Pentecost River
Queensland Science Teacher, 38 (4)
21
Qld Winners of the National Science Week Grants
Sue Monteath
STAQ Councillor
Natinoal Science Week Grant Winners
• Calvary Christian College, Mt. Louisa. Calvary
Science Week Challenge – events will include
bridge building, egg drops, Ecohabitech and
catapult constructions.
• Capalaba State College. Fast Food Festival – a
week of “fast science” activities designed to
give students, teachers and other community
members an insight into the science of food
run in many different areas of the school.
• Carinity Education, Southside. Greenhouse
Project – Construction of a greenhouse by
year 12 science students.
• Currumbin Primary School. Science Enrichment Day – building a rubber band racer. The
students will design, build and test their racer.
Parents and school community members will
then be invited to view the final testing of the
cars in the afternoon session of the day and
listen to students explain the design and testing process.
• Dutton Park State School. ‘Food for the Future’
photographic competition – students will be
asked to take photographs that represent the
theme and to write a paragraph to explain their
image. The winners and runners up in each
category will be displayed in the Bogo Road
Ecoscience Center and the Queensland Museum as part of the BSHS display.
• Home Hill State High School. HHSHS will hold
a number of events including and annual solar viewing for students and community, an
astronomy night, the annual mouse-trap-car
construction and racing competition, Growers
video competition and a presentation evening
including Brain Box quiz.
• Ingham State High School. Ingham SHS Community Engineering Challenge –­ The school’s
Science and Engineering team (made up of
Year 9 and 10 students) will host the event,
where parents and the wider community can
enter a team of 4 and compete in engineering
challenges such as bridge and catapult building, constructing sustainable housing and other group science challenges.
• Lota State School. Whole school is to participate in science/engineering activities. Each
class will progress from one activity to the next
as a group, but be broken into smaller groups
to perform the Science experiment. Particular
experiments will be performed either by a staff
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member or by the older year 6/7 students under supervision of a teacher. Mackay Northern Beaches State High
School. A crystal growing competition using
potash alum and a science trivia event.
Macleay Island State School. Science Day to
be hold for whole school with students rotating between activities based on Science Week
theme of ‘Food for our Future’. Activities are
to be run by classroom teachers, feeder high
school staff, local scientist and an indigenous
worker.
Maryborough Special School. Earth Foods
Science Show – full of fun and activities of natures recipes for selected students to make including fruit fizz whizz, edible chocolate slime,
dyed vegetables with beetroot, egg white and
sugar mountains and maple syrup crystals.
Meringandan State School. How do gardens
grow? – Investigate how to improve the health
of our gardens and to extend them by starting
our own fruit orchard.
Mitchelton State School. Science competition
for children in years P-7, with varying categories: Scientific Investigation, Classified Collection, Communicating Science and Models/Inventions. The competition will culminate in an
open parent afternoon; our local high school
is also participating in the event with their
student science ambassadors as part of the
judging panel.
Moreton Bay Boys College. Whacky Science
in Action – Family science night.
Mt Morgan State High School. Open day for
aquaponics – primary schools, high school
students, parents and community will be invited to visit and learn how our aquaponics
system works. There will be hands on.
Our Lady of the Angel’s, Wavell Heights. A new
approach to farming. Students will investigate
the use of automation for the completion of a
range of tasks in industry, specifically learning
more about QUT’s AgBot program.
Pacific Lutheran College, Birtinya. The Junior
School (P-6) will present our inaugural Science
Expo / Fair 2014. Each class will have a project stall that reflects an investigation based on
the ‘Food for the Future’ theme. We will invite
local media to cover the event and of course
our parent body and local community members will be invited.
Pimpama State School. Science Fair – The
fair will be a whole school event whereby each
class is asked to contribute to the fair. Each
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Sue Monteath
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Qld Winners of National Science Week Grants
year level will be given an area of study/or investigative question in which those classes
are to examine and present their findings at
the fair. Community groups will also be invited
to attend the fair, add displays and show how
science impacts everyday life.
Pine Rivers State High School. School Anniversary and Expo – We will have 10-15 hands
on Science experiences such as DNA extractions, Iodine from salt, acid practicals, microscope work, plants etc as well as posters that
all relate to famous Australian Scientists, Nobel prize winners in Science as part of our 50th
Anniversary in August.
Rosewood State High School. Rosewood Cluster Science Competition: Plants. As part of the
National Science Week Food for our future:
Science feeding the world theme for 2014 we
will run a plant science competition amongst
the high school students and the students in
the cluster primary schools in the area.
Saint Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Sarina. How can we help feed the family? – Whole
school science fair.
St. Francis College, Browns Plains. A focus
Science Day – to raise awareness of the significant role science plays in production and
presentation of food. Older children will prepare food related investigations and competitions in the College hall, and all will be involved
in ‘hands-on’ planting of herbs and vegetables.
St. Patrick’s College, Gympie. The senior science students (Year 11 and 12 Chemistry, Biology and Physics) will design and implement
science enquiry activities based on the discipline they are studying.
The Cathedral School, Townsville. Hands-on
workshops, a Science food fair and the traditional “Quiz in the Quad”.
Tingalpa State School. ‘Everyday Scientists,
Every Day’ – parents/visitors will be invited to
visit classroom exhibits of students’ work in
science. Students will be asked to be the ‘experts’ explaining the concepts, thinking and
processes highlighted during the current unit
of study.
Townsville State High School. Students will engage in molecular gastronomy activities, linking with a qualified chef and scientist that use
these skills in their restaurant and for scientific
research.
Trinity Anglican School, White Rock. Science
in the Courtyard is a science fair for students
from Kindergarten - Year 12, staff and the wider
community. There will be a focus on the design
and presentation of engaging hands-on activities that support science process skills and reflection on the role of science in everyday life.
• Wavell State High School. Planting of traditional food plants. As well as this area being used
for direct teaching, the students and wider
community are involved in large plantings for
special events.
• Yeppoon State School. Yeppoon Science
Week – Students from the senior classes will
work with the Science coordinator and personnel from the university designing Science activities to teach to other classes. The week will
cumulate with a demonstration to community
members and parents of science experiments
and knowledge by students.
• Yorkeys Knob State Primary School. Vege
patch and worm farm – Students will plan,
participate and reflect on the rebuilding of the
yearly worm farm and vegetable/herb patch
for the purpose of supplying products to the
tuckshop and when possible sale of herbs to
parents.
Qld GRDC Grant Winners
• Laidley District State School. Celebration of International Year of Family Farming. The main
focus will be a showcasing the value of family
farms to the economic and scientific life of the
Laidley Valley, both past and present
• Mount St Bernard School. The science of exotic and rare tropical foods community forum
aims to promote and engage the local community – farmers, migrant, traditional owners,
students and scientist’s interest in exotic fruit
and nut agriculture. Participants will be asked
to bring along fruits, nuts and plants to discuss properties. This will be documents/photographed and made into a booklet.
• Silkwood School. ‘Food security - enough for
all forever?’ – Student run workshops! Grade
9 students will create hands-on workshops for
Middle School. Rotations will include making
mini-biomes, food tasting, role plays, soil analysis, bee security (we have natives bee hives
on site), case study analysis, experiments,
short film clips and more! • St Andrew’s Catholic College. ‘Chocolate Beans to Bars’ – Daintree Estates, a local
cocoa growing and chocolate production enterprise, will provide cocoa beans at various
stages of production. All 550 students in Middle Years at St Andrew’s (Yrs 6 to 9) will com-
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
23
Qld Winners of National Science Week Grants
plete a round robin lesson where they examine
the cocoa beans from the pods through to fermenting, drying, roasting and cracking.
• St Mary’s Catholic College. ‘Natures Wild
Tropical Foods’ – Indigenous elders will provide detailed knowledge of tropical foods and
herbs used for medicine and eating. The elders will provide a cooking demonstration
and students will design and develop a Bush
tucker garden in partnership with the Cairns
Botanical Garden.
Sue Monteath
Editor’s Note:
National Science Week Grant Winners
The theme for National Science Week 2014 was
‘Food for our future – Science feeding the world’.
Schools could apply for up to $500 to help them
conduct a National Science Week activity/event.
National Science Week is an annual celebration
to raise the profile of science, technology and
engineering. It also aims to encourage an interest
in science and acknowledge the contributions of
scientists to the world.
Qld GRDC Grant Winners
The Grain Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) offered grants of up to $700 for
schools to create activities and events related to
the National Science Week theme and specifically to: sustainability, crop management, water
use for plant growth, soils, seeds and grain products, food production, innovation and technology
in agriculture, use of fertilizers and herbicides,
precision agriculture etc.
Neighbouring schools jointly celebrate Science Week
Louise Hoey
Sheepstation Gully Environmental Learning Centre
St Stephen’s Primary School, Algester
Students were motivated to write about their experience. They wrote:
Year Six students of two neighbouring schools, St
Stephen’s School and Algester State School of Algester, Brisbane, gathered together to think and
work like scientists as a celebration of this year’s
National Science Week. The theme of the event
was, the energy needed to fuel the food for our
future. The students gathered together in Sheepstation Gully Environmental Learning Centre, at St
Stephen’s School, a purpose built facility equalled
shared by the schools.
“My group made a solar car. Unfortunately it went
backwards, not forwards. We had to use a lot of
team work and effort to build the car. We took
phots along the way and had a lot of fun.” By Ella.
“I’d like to share my experience of Science Week
with you. I was in a group with 5 other students.
Our team had to test 3 different sized sails which
we attached to a Lego car. We put the car in front
of a fan to make it move. We collected data about
the distance it travelled. Overall, I had a great time
interacting with others!”. By Georgia.
Teams of five or six were formed by students from
both schools. Students worked in teams to construct simple machines to conduct an investigation. The students worked out the independent
(what they would change) and dependent variables (what they would measure) and conducted
an investigation to gather data. They had 50 minutes to do this.
“During our Science Week activity we investigated
how to make a sail boat. In the activity, the first
thing we did as a team was create the sail boat.
Secondly, we had to test the sail boat by using a
fan to cause it to move. Lastly, we had to record
our results. We did this with students from Algester
State School.” By Justin.
Never working together in the past, student’s personal and social capabilities were challenged but
once they got over their initial shyness, there was
strong evidence of good discussions, problem
solving and science thinking going on!
24
“I enjoyed doing science with students from Algester State School because it was nice to interact
with other kids that will be going to the same high
school I’ll be going to next year.” By Alicia.
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Louise Hoey
Neighbouring schools jointly celebrate Science Week
Louise Hoey working with some of the students
Stduents working toghether from St Stepehen’s School and Algester State School
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
25
2015 Astronomy and Space Teaching Opportunities
Paul Floyd
www.nightskyonline.info
This article provides a brief overview of the predictable significant astronomy and space events
that will occur in 2015 which you may wish to use
in your teaching of the ‘Earth and Space Sciences’
Science Understandings.
I would encourage you to incorporate the use of
these events in your teaching to ensure that students have experienced at least some of these
events with their own eyes. As teachers we need
to remember that it is important that students emotionally engage with Science. I believe we have
failed as teachers if we have ensured that students
can pass their assessment but have no interest or
emotional connection in what they have studied.
Fortunately this is very easy to do in the astronomy
and space science areas using the below list of
events.
If you plan to do nothing else from this list, I would
recommend that you arrange an astronomy night
for your students in the few months following Saturn reaching opposition. Students are consistently
stunned by their first view of Saturn through a telescope. Comments I continue to hear after 20 years
of assisting in such nights are “Is that real?” or “It
looks fake!”. Looking at the Moon through a telescope usually produces similar comments.
Note that the list is biased towards events that
occur in the evening sky and are visible to the
unaided eye. It does not represent a full list of
astronomical events occurring in 2015. For those
interested in a fantastic almanac for 2015, I highly
recommend Quasar Publishing’s annual yearbook
available in good bookshops or directly from the
publisher.
Amateur telescopic view of Saturn, Courtesy Rochus Hess,
http://members.aon.at/astrofotografie
Term 1 2015
Queensland school term 1 dates:
Tuesday 27 January – Thursday 2 April 2015
7 February: Jupiter at opposition.
21 – 23 February: Venus and Mars close. Evening
twilight sky.
21 March: Autumn Equinox.
? April: NASA Dawn spacecraft arrives at Ceres.
4 April: Total Lunar Eclipse.
Term 2 2015
Queensland school term 2 dates:
Monday 20 April – Friday 26 June 2015
25 April – 30 May: Venus crosses Milky Way. Evening sky.
23 May: Saturn at opposition. All night.
7 June: Venus greatest elongation East. Evening
twilight sky.
22 June: Winter Solstice
30 June – 2 July: Venus and Jupiter dazzlingly
close. Evening sky.
Term 3 2015
Queensland school term 3 dates:
Monday 13 July – Friday 18 September 2015
13 – 30 July: Venus passes Regulus.
14 July: New Horizons arrives at Pluto. Get your
students to imagine what Pluto will look like.
25 July: Minor planet Ceres at opposition. Binoculars required.
4 September: Mercury greatest elongation East
(27 degrees). Best time to view Mercury for year in
evening sky.
23 September: Spring Solstice
29 September: Minor planet Vesta at opposition.
Binoculars required.
Term 4 2015
Queensland school term 4 dates:
Tuesday 6 October – Friday 11 December 2015
9 October: Venus occulted by the Moon. Morning
sky.
25 – 28 October: Venus and Jupiter close. Morning sky.
22 December: Summer Solstice.
26
Queensland Science Teacher, 38 (4)
Queensland Science Contest
Jackie Mergard
Queensland Science Contest Convenor
The 2014 sponsors include
The University of Queensland’s Faculty of Science and
Energex.
Brisbane State High School and Elizabeth Fisher
of Sheldon College who both receive a $150 prize.
Winners in the Scientific Investigations category
The Queensland Science Contest is an annual
event organised by the Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland. The contest, which is open
to all Queensland students from preschool to year
12, is judged across five age divisions. Students
may enter their science project into one of the five
categories, and may nominate to be considered
for a relevant bursary award. The category awards
cover a range of topics, including Mathematical
Investigations, Communicating Science, Technological Innovations and Inventions, Classified Collections, and Scientific Investigations. The bursary
awards are donated by organisations that cover
particular areas of science.
2014 was the 61st year of the contest. Teachers
and representatives from scientific and educational organisations completed the judging on The
13th September. Students with winning entries
in the 61st annual Queensland Science Contest
were presented with their awards on 18th October
2014 at a ceremony at The University of Queensland with Channel 10 Scope host, Dr Rob.
Congratulations to all the entrants and to winners
on a magnificent effort that showcased some of
the exciting science being taught in our schools
and a big thank you to our judges who worked
very hard on the day. Bursary Award Winners
The Australian Acoustical Society, Queensland Division present a $600 bursary for the best projects
in the field of acoustics. The winners of the bursary
are Hannah Musco of The Gap State High School
who receives a prize of $300; and Fei Fei Lui of
27
The Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Qld
Branch sponsor bursaries for entries related to
chemistry. The winners of the bursary are Sean
Cottrell of Pacific Pines Primary School and Jackson Huang who will both receive a $100 prize.
The Australian Society of Soil Science Inc offer up
to $150 for projects that address soil properties,
management, fertility or plant nutrition.The joint
winners of the bursary are Kyra O’Sullivan from
Kingaroy State High School, Bronwyn Myers from
Sheldon College and Ryall Barrett from Mudgeeraba State School who each receive a $50 prize.
The Astronomical Association of Queensland offers up to $300 for projects that address topics in
astronomy and other space sciences. The winners
are Clint Therakam of QASMT who will receive a
$150 prize, Victoria Poon of St Aidan’s AGS who
will receive a $75 prize, and Nathan Lilly, Alyssa
Aspinall and Olivia McDermid also of Albany Hills
State School who will each receive a $25 prize.
The UQ Young Scientist Award is worth $250
for the entry judged to be the best scientific endeavor across all of the categories in the contest.
The winner of the 2014 UQ Young Scientist Award
Dr Rob (Channel 10 Scope host) with a student winner
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Jackie Mergard
61st Queensland Science Contest Awards Winners
was Amy Jackson from Mudgeeraba Creek State
The winner of the Best Overall School Award was
Mudgeeraba Creek State School.
School. Amy’s project was a lap counter for swimmers. The judges said of Amy’s project –
“Amy Jackson is the outstanding choice. She has
Winners in the Scientific Investigation and Engithought through the design requirements carefully
neering and Technology are sent to the national
and made extensive tests that have led to a protoBHP Billiton Science Awards, which will be announced in February in 2015.
type lap counter that she has tested successfully
with a small group of volunteers. In her discussion
she has identified the strengths of her design and
STAQ would like to encourage all schools to enter
also the weaknesses that point the way to possible
their student projects into the contest. Information
future development. She deserves the award.“ is on the STAQ website for the 2015 competition.
The winners of each Division and Category are as follows:
Scientific Investigations
Prep - 1
1st
Keeley Barrance
Albany Hills SS
My Shadow and Me
2nd Nate Sylow
Pacific Pines PS
Save the lego Men
3rd Seanna Fitzpatrick
Junction Park SS
Can you tell what flavour snake lollies
HC
Millie Wilson
Albany Hills SS
What effect does water have on plants?
1st
Ty Fitzpatrick
Junction Park SS
Will the cats remember that blue bowl?
2nd
Nathan Lilly/Noah
Carter
Albany Hills SS/Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Black or White - heat absorption/Which
method makes the clearest ice?
3rd
Tom Camuglia-May/
Emily Hayes
Camp Hill/Mudgeeraba
Creek SS
Kitty Litter/Lemon Battery
HC
Emi Reed
Pacific Pines PS
Crystals
1st
Thomas Cooley
Wellers Hill SS
Kitty Litter Challenge
2nd
Owen Xie
Citipointe CC
Aerodynamics
3rd
Ruby Anderson
Pacific Lutheran College
Bananas
1st
Lachlan Cooley
Wellers Hill SS
Race to React
2nd
Ethan Jonsson
Home School
Bug Attack
3rd
Joah Nelson
Junction Park SS
Eggsperiment
1st
Matthew Lane
Sheldon College
Best Shape & Mate
2nd
Morgan Jonsson/Chris
Luxton & Jared Marot
Home School/Ormiston
Bug Attack/SI
1st
Angel Low
Sheldon College
Natural Antibotics
2nd
Tiaan House
Sheldon College
Nappy absorbance
3rd
Georgia Blair & Claire
Bates
Sheldon College
Mould Growth
HC
Yvonne Kawecki
Sheldon College
Vitamin C
1st
Jackson Huang
QASMT
Aluminium Hydroxide
2nd
Patrick Lee
QAHS
Ammonia
3rd
Emily Sun
QASMT
Nth Straddie Ecology
HC
Emily Hulme
Sheldon College
Algae
Year 2-3
Year 4-5 Year 6-7
Year 8-9
Year 10
Year 11 -12
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
28
61st Queensland Science Contest Awards Winners
Jackie Mergard
Engineering & Technology Category
Prep - 1 HC
Jordan Smith
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Ice Cream Machine
1st
Hailey Musson
Pacific Pines PS
Recycling Water
2nd
Zane McEvoy
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Wheelchair waterslide
3rd
Cloe Mackey
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Bunk bed table
1st
Ryall Barrett
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Solar Powered Aquaponics
2nd
Lachlan Burnette
Mudgeeraba Creek SS 3rd
Michael Musson
Pacific Pines PS
Wind powered battery charger
1st Amy Jackson
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Lap counter
2nd
Zayd Tones
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Socks
3rd
Imogen Playford, Lily
Steel & Samaro Roy
Camp Hill SIPS
Lunchbox
3rd
Harrison Emery & William Emery & Anhad
Jangra
Camp Hill SIPS
Water Bubbler system
1st
Lachlan Gibson
Sheldon College
2nd
Caitlyn Ariel
Sheldon College
Robotic Hand
3rd
Tobias Obermuller &
Harrison O’Brien &
Ioannis Makroliolios
Sheldon College
Water Wheel
1st
James Humphrey
Sheldon College
Pendulum
2nd
Rebecca Jiang
QAHS
Straw Bridge
Sheldon College
Electromagnet
Year 2-3 Year 4-5 Year 6-7 Year 8-9 Year 10
3rd
Kyle Stuyck
Classified Collections Category
Prep - 1
1st
Sam Gridley
Albany Hills SS
Insects
2nd
Harry McVeigh
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Rocks
3rd
Sophie Keswell
Pacific Pines PS
Feathers
HC
Mathieson Whittaker
Pimpama State School
Feathers
1st
Kai Dever
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Rocks
2nd
Michael Whittaker
Pimpama State School
Shells
1st
Joshua Schell
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Shells
3rd
Emily Stone
Pacific Pines Primary
School
Seeds
Emma Fiegert
Sheldon College
Carnivorous Plants
Year 2-3 Year 6-7
Year 8-9
1st
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Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Jackie Mergard
61st Queensland Science Contest Awards Winners
Communicating Science Prep – 1
1st
Sophie Keswell
Pacific Pines PS
What you drink
2nd
Jenna Costello
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
People Energy
1st
Mackenzie Cowan
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Wastebusters
2nd
Levi Royce
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Buzz on Bees
3rd
Joshua Milmoe
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Energy Saving Game
1st
Jack Colmer
Albany Hills SS
Migration of Humpback Whale
2nd
Bella Hammond
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Bodyrama
3rd
Tamsyn Sullivan & Mar- Camp Hill SIPS
tha Mensforth
Apollo 11 Game
1st
Chloe Dever
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Fracking
3rd
Riley White
Pacific Pines SS
Swallowed Hole
1st
Jiyoon Yoo
QAHS Salinity
2nd
Alice Cho
QAHS Sea Angel
Victoria Poon
St Aidan’s
Universe
Craigslea SS
Great Sand
Year 2-3
Year 4-5 Year 6-7 Year 10
Year 11 -12 1st
HC
Annie O’Neil
Environmental Action Projects
Prep - 1 1st
Lucie Duffield
Albany Hills SS Kael Gauntlett
Mudgeeraba Creek SS Solar powered bike rail
1st
William Storrs
Camp Hill SIPS
Shade In local Park
1st
Holly Summers
Pacific Pines SS
Mean or Misunderstood
2nd
Chloe Smith
Mudgeeraba Creek SS Sustainable Home
3rd
Brooke Stevens
Mudgeeraba Creek SS
Sustainable House
Bianca Byfield
QAHS
Different Concentrations
1st
Sang Won Cheung
QAHS
Micro Algae
2nd
Jeeyoon Kim
QAHS
Organclay on Diesel
3rd
William Tsai
QAHS Anabaena
Kezia Korbatits
Albany Hills SS
Euler’s Rule
Julian Korbatits
Albany Hills SS
Prime & square
Matthew Zhao
Craigslea SS
Tangram
Year 2-3 1st
Year 4-5 Year 10
3rd
Year 11 -12
Mathematical Investigations Prep - 1
1st
Year 2-3 1st Year 4-5
1st
Queensland Science Teacher, 38 (4)
30
61st Queensland Science Contest Awards Winners
2nd
Iain Jensen
Albany Hills SS
Monty Hall problem
3rd
Lachlan McPheat
Albany Hills SS
Tessellation
HC
Jed Hoo
Craigslea SS
Integer galaxy War
Min Hoo
All Hallow’s
1st
Max Yang
QASMT
2nd
Clint Therakam
QASMT
3rd
Jackson Huang
QASMT
HC
Danika Tran
QASMT Jackie Mergard
Year 8-9
1st
Year 11 -12
Strengths & Limitations
Congratulations to all the winners!
STAQ Member Profile: Cheryl Capra
Workplace:
I retired January 2014 from Albany Hills State
School and am now working part time on science
program development and other aspects of
science learning at Albany Hills.
How long have you beeen teaching science?
I have taught science for 40 years.
What inspired you to teach science?
I was given a set of science encyclopaedia when
I was 5 years old. I was keen to make sense of all
that these ten books contained. I loved all science,
particularly physics and astronomy, eventually
deciding to teach this exciting subject.
What has been the highlight of your teaching
career?
The highlight of my career is certainly meeting
past students, some of whom are now in their
forties! Many former students who I taught in
secondary or primary schools have kept in touch.
The number who have studied the sciences at Uni,
particularly the physical and medical sciences,
always astounds and delights me.
Why do you believe that science education is
important?
Science education is extremely important,
not only because we live in a highly scientific,
technological age but because it also delivers
a toolkit to assist in making evidence based
decisions in our lives. Once students thoroughly
understand the processes used in valid scientific
investigations and the importance of evidence in
drawing conclusions, they can easily ask the right
31
questions in order to critically examine important
decisions and the validity of opinions offered by
others.
Why did you join STAQ?
I joined STAQ in order to meet colleagues, but also
to work on projects which might provide assistance
to science teachers. I also hoped to extend my
own development as a science teacher.
Favourite science experiment, investigation or
demonstration:
One of my greatest joys was introducing students
to the universe, through providing them the
opportunity to work with me after school to gain
skill in, and understanding of, visual astronomy.
Students used the NASA telescope at Las
Campagnas in Chile (in real time) for research
and astrophotography, while also learning some
astrophysics according to their interests. They
had the opportunity to ask questions of astronauts
in a live link with the International Space Station.
It was wonderful to know that students wanted to
work after school!
As for my favourite experiments, these were
in nanotechnology, according to my students’
opinions.
Tell us who or what inspires you in science.
Many famous scientists have inspired me and one
science teacher who taught me for 8 months. She
was truly inspiring and entertaining, providing me
with the perfect role model. I also have benefitted
from reading the lecture notes of Richard Feynman
and thoroughly enjoying his humour.
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
Life Membership
Earlier this year, a letter was submitted by Sue
Monteath (STAQ Councillor) to the STAQ Executive to nominate Cheryl Capra for life membership
of STAQ. Jackie Mergard (STAQ Treasurer) seconded the nomination. The letter read as follows:
“I am writing to nominate Cheryl Capra for a life
membership of STAQ.
I believe Cheryl Capra would be an extremely worthy recipient of this award and this would be an excellent reflection of STAQ’s advocacy to recognise
quality science teaching in primary and secondary schools in Queensland.
Cheryl Capra receiving her Life Membership Award
Listed below are some of Cheryl’s qualities and
achievements which support this nomination.
Cheryl’s ability to inspire students and teachers to
be engaged in science and strive to pursue further science knowledge and skills is impressive.
Cheryl has pursued a teaching career spanning
40 years teaching in both primary and secondary
schools.
It is appropriate that her contribution to excellence
in science teaching be recognised by the awarding of a life membership to STAQ.”
At Albany Hills State School Cheryl has:
• Led a strategically planned invigoration of science teaching and learning paying huge dividends in student achievement and creating a
generation of science-savvy young thinkers. This
strategy included running the school science fair
where Cheryl coordinated entry of student projects from every year level into the annual STAQ
Science Contest. Cheryl has firmly committed to
this initiative, providing judging support for many
years.
• Provided extended opportunities for students
to engage with scientific agencies though her astronomy club where students were able to utilise
the telescopes in Chile.
• Collaborated with the Australian Academy of
Science, Primary Connections project trialling
units and becoming a Facilitator. Cheryl worked
tirelessly and gave support to teachers in her own
and in other schools.
• Provided extensive professional development to
other teachers by presenting at STAQ Science is
Primary conferences and workshops.
• Been awarded the 2007 Prime Minister’s Prize
for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary
Schools for her leadership in teaching and critical thinking. She also won the Doherty Award for
excellence in Primary and Middle School Science
Teaching in Queensland in 2007. She was awarded the Eureka prize in 2004.
On Saturday, 18 October, Cheryl Capra received
her Life Membership of STAQ Award at the Awards
Ceremony of the Queensland Science Contest at
UQ. Cheryl was surprised and delighted to receive
her award as she detailed in the following letter:
“... did you see the surprise on my face when I
heard my name announced as the recipient of
STAQ Life Membership? I don’t think I have ever
been so surprised and it brought me great joy to
receive it. I value it as much as I do the PM’s prize
and Billiton.
I attended on Saturday even though I was still ill,
almost deciding I shouldn’t come that morning,
but I wanted to be there for our kids and I’m so
pleased I made it, thanks to Christie being my
chauffeur.
Would you kindly pass on to all involved, my appreciation of this honour. The gift is a brilliant selection, now sitting on my desk along with the best of
my treasured collection of antique paper weights.
... the crystal egg, which I have placed on top
of the black cube. A nearby spotlight causes
the black spiral to glow purple while the bubble
(egg?) strongly reflects the light. It is art and science, a depiction of a primeval beginning - at
least to me; but there are other interpretations too,
which makes it all the more intriguing.”
Queensland Science Teacher, 40 (4)
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Science is Primary Conference
STAQ Science is Primary Conference 2015
Saturday, late Term 1, 2015
Venue: TBC
This conference is intended for primary teachers and those in support
roles in primary schools, as well as pre-service primary teachers. The
conference includes 6 hours of high-quality professional development,
including 2 keynotes, workshops and networking!
www.staq.qld.edu.au/science-is-primary/
Phone 0430 731 120
eMail staq@staq.qld.edu.au
8th!Senior!Science!Conference!of!the!Science!Teachers’!Association!of!Queensland!
Senior'Science'Conference'
!
Excellence!in!Teaching!
Friday,'28'November'8:10am'Registration'–'2:55pm'Close'
PBblock,'QUT'Gardens'Point,'Brisbane'
A/Prof'Bryan'Fry'
Venom!Specialist!
University!of!Queensland!
KEYNOTE'SPEAKERS:'
Dr'Stephen'Hughes'
Astrophysicist!
Qld!University!of!Technology!
The' conference' will' be' relevant' to' teachers' of' the' senior' sciences' (Agricultural' Science,'
Biology,' Chemistry,' Earth' Science,' Marine' Science' and' Physics),' Science' Operations' Officers,'
Education'Officers'and'preBservice'teachers.'
Join! us! for! a! choice! of! 30! great! workshops,! 2! interesting! keynote! speakers,! networking! with!
other! science! teachers! and! perusing! trade! items.! This! conference! is! in! its! 8th! year! and! is!
regularly! attended! by! more! than! 200! people! who! teach! or! are! interested! in! Years! 11! and! 12!
sciences. There! is! a! broad! range! of! workshops! available! from! pendulums! to! corrosion,!
dissections!and!interesting!ways!of!using!technology.!
!
We!look!forward!to!welcoming!you!at!the!conference.!
STAQ
To!register!for!the!conference!and!read!more!about!the!
workshops!visit:!
http://www.staq.qld.edu.au/seniorGscience!