Aiming Higher: Improving science education in Victorian school

Presented by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), Royal Society of Victoria and the Science Teachers Association of Victoria, with the support of the Inspiring Victoria program.

With the Victorian Government recently announcing new incentives for prospective teachers in tertiary education and training courses, it’s clear there’s an urgent need to take action in teacher education. Participation and completion rates in secondary schooling for students in science subjects have been declining for many years, along with numbers of science-trained teachers.

We can all imagine the professional pressures that come with being a teacher, and that asking new graduates to ‘step up’ is a big ask. Our science teachers must balance delivery of the Victorian Curriculum with the spontaneity and spark of student-led modes of inquiry to maintain their engagement, questioning and persistence. It can be challenging work, particularly if teachers are stretching to teach science “out of field”, and even more so when engaging with students who are facing their own challenges.

How can we truly address the full picture? What do teachers need to feel supported and valued in sustaining their practice? What do our primary and secondary students need from teachers to feel engaged and inspired by the challenges of the science curriculum?

Join two leaders in pedagogical research to explore these questions, opportunities to improve both student outcomes and the status of science teaching in Victoria.