But the benefits of Primary Connections are transient if enthused primary school students enter secondary schools where it is “not cool” to do science. Primary Connections needs continuation into the secondary system to reverse the worrying trends in falling student participation at secondary level.
To this end the Academy has developed a comprehensive research-based initiative called Science by Doing. This ambitious five-year project aims to change science education in Australian secondary schools so that our students are more engaged in developing their scientific literacy. It will promote a science curriculum relevant to the needs, concerns and personal experiences of students, where teaching and learning of science is centred on inquiry with students investigating, constructing and testing ideas about the natural world.
Assessment will be embedded in the instructional units and the teaching-learning environment will be enjoyable, fulfilling and offer ownership of and engagement in learning. The benefits will be significant - improved scientific literacy of junior secondary science students. More students continuing their science studies into senior secondary school. More students choosing science at tertiary level.
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Other major benefits comes by involving teachers of junior secondary science in professional learning, enabling them to create a network of science professional learning communities across Australia, and incorporating inquiry-based teaching and learning into science programs across an increasing number of schools and classes.
The initial business-plan development has had the support and encouragement of the Department of Education, Science and Training. We have the track record and committed professional staff who are itching to transform the plan into reality. Watch this space.
Until now, we’ve always seen ourselves as the Lucky Country. But as Louis Pasteur observed: “Luck favours the prepared mind.”
At the Academy, we aim to contribute towards Australia becoming renowned as a Clever Country. And so I urge the nation’s political, bureaucratic and educative “movers and shakers” to do the same, to make the country’s own luck on excellence in science education.
We all know that knowledge will carry the nation much further than luck so, as I said when I embarked on this piece: Carpe Diem!
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