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Professor Kurt Lambeck, President, Australian
Academy of Science
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Science Education Work of the Australian Academy
of Science

• Nova - Science in the news
• Interviews with Australian Scientists
• Primary Connections
• Science by Doing

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Reasons for involvement?

• Development of a scientifically literate society.
  
• It is not only about ensuring a cohort of future
  scientists or increasing the numbers enrolled in
  science courses
• but also
• To give all students a basic understanding of
  science to make sense of their world and to be
  able to operate successfully in an increasingly
  scientific and technological world.

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Concerns about primary science
Science teaching time Australian primary
teachers spend less time on Science than all
other subjects except LOTE (Language other than
English) 41 minutes per week spent on Science
on average across K-7 2.7 of total weekly
teaching time (Angus et al, 2004)
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Purpose of Primary Connections

• To
• improve learning outcomes for primary students in
  science and
• literacy
• by
• developing a professional learning program
  supported with
• curriculum resources
• that will
• improve teachers confidence and competence for
  teaching
• science through developing their science
  pedagogical content
• knowledge.

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Primary Connections
supported by curriculum resources
Professional learning programme
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Underpinning frameworks

• 5Es teaching and learning model
• Engage
• Explore
• Explain
• Elaborate
• Evaluate
• (Roger Bybee, 1997)

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Underpinning frameworks

• 5Es teaching and learning model
• Assessment embedded within the teaching and
  learning model
• Linking science with literacy
• Inquiry and investigative approach
• Cooperative learning strategies

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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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2005 Trial of Primary Connections

• 56 schools, 106 teachers and gt3000 students
• trial schools from all jurisdictions and
  sectors, metro, regional and rural schools
• teachers completed 5 1 1 1 days PD
• taught supplied units in Terms 1 and 3
• taught teacher-developed units in Term 2
• data gathered by teacher and student
  questionnaires, case studies, analysis of
  students work samples

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Changes to Teachers Self-efficacy (n 89)
A 10 item self-efficacy scale was assembled using
items selected from Riggs and Enochs (1990)
Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument.
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Achievement Gains Year 5 Students (n
72) Duration 1 term
Year 6 Bench mark
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Changes to Time teaching Science (n 89)
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Research findings overview

• Primary Connections was trialled by 106 teachers
  in 56 schools Australia-wide in 2005.
• Primary Connections
• improved teachers confidence, self-efficacy and
  practice
• increased the amount of science taught and
  increased the focus on learning rather than
  managing activities
• received a very positive response from students
• according to both teachers and students,
  increased the quality and amount of learning of
  science and literacy and
• improved the status of science teaching within
  the school
• (Hackling Prain, 2005. Stage 2 Research Report)

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• www.science.org.au/primaryconnections