Bulletin

Issue: July 2006

News

Boosting student interest in science

Head of the La Trobe University School of Education, Professor Vaughan Prain, is national consultant to a $1.8million ‘Primary Connections’ professional development project to assist teachers to teach science.

Funded by the Department of Education Science and Training (DEST) through the Australian Academy of Science for three years, the project has expanded to involve 100 teachers in 50 schools throughout Australia.

Professor Prain said that our country ‘is facing a crisis with a shortage of science teachers and decline in student interest in science subjects and take-up of science careers’.

‘At a time when we have all this new technology before us and increased capacity for scientific development, the nation is facing a crisis in student interest,’ he said. ‘Enhancing science teaching and learning is now a national priority, and significant research is being undertaken to address this.’

As part of this, the Faculty of Education recently hosted a symposium on science literacy and learning at the Bendigo campus for teachers, principals, students and others.

It was led by four international experts, all working on different aspects of research to increase student interest and enhance teaching and learning in science.

They were Professor Larry Yore from the University of Victoria, Canada, Professor Professor Brian Hand, University of Iowa, United States, Professor Russell Tytler, Deakin University and Professor Prain.