Professor Jenny Graves FAAForeign Secretary
Australian Academy of Science
PrimaryConnections – an update
My concerns ….
• Science is not attracting the best and brightest• My students can’t observe and interpret for themselves• Australian society is scientifically semi-literate• Science is poorly supported
Shared by
Science Education programs
of the Australian Academy of Science
Prof Kurt Lambeck (President AAS)
High quality science education to• help children make sense of
the world • build science literate society that can
- make informed decisions- support science
• produce more and better scientists
Previous Academy initiatives
Breakthrough …
PrimaryConnections
linking science with literacy
CurriculumTeacher training and support
The 5Es model for teaching and learning
Engage Explore
Explain EvaluateElaborate
Teaching guides and Curriculum units
PrimaryConnections Indigenous Perspective
Professional learning facilitators• 350 trained at AAS• states across Australia
PrimaryConnections professional learning
Curriculum leaders• 2 day workshops• teacher leaders in schools• support implementation
Building confidence and competence
KnowledgeConfidenceTools and resources
Evaluating PrimaryConnections
Successful implementation in trial schools“Trial schools show a progressively increased commitment to PrimaryConnections and increasing amounts of science being taught, and taught using PrimaryConnections units.”
Teacher leaders are happy•95% of professional learning facilitators rated the professional learning resources as Excellent or Good
• 81% of curriculum leaders report that they are ‘Very well prepared’ or ‘Well prepared’ for the role of a curriculum leader, and reported confidence jumped 3.07 to 4.08 out of 5.
Evaluation of PrimaryConnections
Research results – teachers in schools
Hundreds of teachers have attended workshops conducted by professional learning facilitators in schools.They report a consistently high level of satisfaction. On a scale of 1-4:
• workshop activities stimulated my learning 3.45 • workshop content was relevant to my school 3.48• my overall evaluation of the workshop 3.54
There is much excitement and enthusiasm around the school this term … it is all a buzz with science.
I now feel I can actually teach science in a quality way … and enjoy doing it.
I had children walking out saying that science was fun, interesting and even their ‘favourite subject’.
It gave me renewed skills as a teacher.
Thanks to your resources I was able to help deliver science to primary age students in an engaging and meaningful way.
This has been the most invigorating and rewarding project I have been involved in.
What teachers are saying about PrimaryConnections
Evaluation of PrimaryConnections
1467 students in 26 government schools
Literacies of science
Mean of literacies of science scoresfor sub-groups of year 5-7 students
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
All** ATSI** LBOTE** Males** Females**
Sub-group
Mea
n sc
ore
/25
PrimaryConnections
Comparison
Mean of processes of science scoresfor sub-groups of year 5-7 students
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
All** ATSI** LBOTE Males** Females
Sub-groupM
ean
sco
re /
24
Primary Connections
Comparison
Processes of science
PrimaryConnections is catching on…
Distribution of curriculum units
100,000
In 40% schools
PrimaryConnections supported by the Australian Government
Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Education, The Hon Julia Gillard, launches Schoolyard safari, 24 April 2008
Support for Stage 4; $4.5M in June 2008 to total $10.3M
Internationalising PrimaryConnections
2 Malaysian, 1 Thai educators
attended 2 day Curriculum
Leader Program with Australian
teachers in Sydney and Melbourne.
IAP announced $50,000 seed funding
for 3-day PC workshop
in Singapore in 2010.
FASAS and AASA are named as partners.
Beyond PrimaryConnections……
Secondary school science
PrimaryConnections is happening now in schools throughout Australiawww.science.org.au/primaryconnections
Continued Asian development a joint Australian/FASAS project????
PrimaryConnections
Where to now?
Why not adapt the program for schools throughout Asia?• Programs can be customised (c.f. Indigenous perspective)• Interest (e.g.international participants at 2008 Sydney workshop)• FASAS and AASA support through IAP for 2010 Singapore workshop