Australian Academy of Science

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Australian Academy of Science
Professor Jenny Graves Foreign Secretary
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Primary Connections linking science with
literacy

• Vision Engaged students Confident and
  competent teachers

The purpose of Primary Connections linking
science with literacy is to increase the
quality and quantity of science teaching
learning in primary schools.
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Primary Connections - a two-pronged
approach
complimented by curriculum resources
Professional learning programme
Funded by the Australian Government
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Making Connections training manual and DVD
12 segments

• Overview
• Facilitation tools and techniques
• Introduction to Primary Connections
• Science and literacy
• 5Es
• Investigating
• Assessment
• Cooperative learning
• Indigenous perspective
• Unit planning
• Questioning Minds DVD
• Reflecting and journaling

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PrimaryConnections professional learning
Building confidence and competence
Trained leaders 2006 - 2008 125 University
lecturers (ie Tertiary Facilitators) (2 days
training) 880 Teacher leaders (2 days
training) 400 Facilitators (3 days
training) 2,700 workshops conducted by Academy
staff and trained facilitators
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PrimaryConnections Curriculum resources

• 19 award winning units
• Background Science CD in every unit
• Links science with literacy
• Incorporates indigenous perspectives
• Supporting web resources
• Unit overviews
• Assessment rubrics
• Equipment lists
• How to appendices

Award winning units
Category winner
2006
2007
2008
2009
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Science and literacy a mutually supportive
relationship
Measuring and recording observations of broad
bean seed germination in a science journal
Creating a labelled diagram to represent
understanding of parts of a germinating broad
bean seed
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What is the evidence of impact?Stage 3 Research
Report No 15 (June 2008)

• STUDENTS
• Reported a greater perception of frequency of
  science lessons
• Were significantly more curious during science
  lessons
• Were more likely to affirm that they learned
  interesting things in science
• Is the achievement on literacies of science and
  science processes by Primary Connections students
  greater than that of students from non-Primary
  Connections classes in equivalent schools?

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Overall results
Means of processes of science scores for
sub-groups of year 5-7 students



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Overall results
Means of literacies of science scores for
sub-groups of year 5-7 students





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Primary Connections Unit distribution
Over 176,000 units distributed to 20 August
2009 ie 48 Australian primary schools
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International
Malaysian and Thai representatives attended a 2
day Curriculum Leader Program with Australian
teachers in Sydney and Melbourne in 2008. The
Inter Academy Panel has provided US 50,000 in
seed funding to conduct a Primary Connections
workshop in Singapore mid - 2010 with FASAS and
the Association of Academies of Sciences in Asia
(AASA) as partners.
The Primary Connections team with Asian delegates
2008
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Singapore workshop mid 2010

• 3 day workshop
• June 2010 school holiday period
• Focus on training teacher-leaders to help others
  teach science
• There will be time on the last day for strategic
  planning
• All costs for the conference will be covered by
  the IAP grant
• Participants will need to fund their own travel
  and accommodation

www.science.org.au/primary connections