Celebrating National Science Week 2020
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Next week is National Science Week (15–23 August) and the August edition of ESA News celebrates this event by bringing you resources, articles and webinars to inspire scientific enquiry in all its forms.
In this edition:
- Careers in science
- Lesson ideas and insights
- Upcoming webinars
Careers in science
Five women share their love of science
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science recognise excellence and outstanding achievement in the fields of scientific research, research-based innovation and excellence in science teaching. This video features five inspiring women who were all recipients of last year’s prizes.
With careers ranging from school teacher to mathematician, chemical biologist and immunologist, these women represent just a handful of the many options a career in science has to offer.
Visit The GiST to discover the varied careers of women in STEM, as well as our quiz that matches student interests to STEM subjects and careers.
Careers in digital technologies
Inspire your students to engage with STEM careers with this Career profile on Marlee Hutton, a Bardi Jawi woman and research scientist working for CSIRO. For more posters, STEM-related careers and Women in STEM profiles, visit Careers on the Digital Technologies Hub.
Image courtesy Marlee Hutton
myfuture | Targeting careers in science and STEM
Encourage your students to explore the vast range of careers available to those who study science in its many forms. Whether students’ interests lie in the social sciences or in the natural and physical sciences and other STEM areas, interactive career bullseyes in myfuture can help them discover many exciting occupations and learn about related education pathways and employment prospects.
Printable career bullseyes are also available! These include an additional collection of ‘STEM biographical bullseyes’ that each feature the bio of someone whose interest in STEM has influenced their career pathway.
Lesson ideas and insights
Lesson ideas from the Digital Technologies Hub
Years F–2
Planting fruit and vegetables
In this lesson sequence, students grow a plant from seed, capture each step and decision as an algorithmic process and record their data.
Years F–2 and 3–4
Schoolyard biodiversity detectives
Students measure biodiversity in the school grounds by collecting data on the different types of plants and animals.
Years 5–6 and 7–8
Turtles: exploring data tracking turtle movements
Students explore ways to model, interpret, represent and present data in this lesson, using real scientific data.
Image: Vitamin/Pixabay
Years 3–4
How can an AI recognise what it sees?Use this lesson to introduce Artificial Intelligence concepts integrated with the science of animal classification. Explore how a ‘smart’ computer sees using a combination of a camera as its ‘eyes’ and computer vision to understand and predict what it is seeing.
Years 5–6 and 7–8
Turtles: exploring data in turtle population dynamics
This lesson looks at modelling data related to the number of eggs a female turtle lays in her lifetime, using real scientific data. Students explore ways to model, interpret, represent and present data, creating an infographic to raise awareness about turtle conservation.
Is there a place for Artificial Intelligence in the school library?
What comes to mind when you hear the term ‘Artificial Intelligence’ or AI? In the Connections article Is there a place for AI in the school library?, Martin Richards explores Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, and shares freely available resources, tools and applications that students can use to explore AI.
Image: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay
ELLA combines language learning and science
Image: Olivia Petkofski, St Anthony’s School, Qld
Students at St Anthony’s School learnt the Japanese words for fruits using ELLA App 4: The Polyglots at the Zoo. They explored the colours, shapes and textures of various fruits and then cut the fruit up and used it for printing. Once the prints were dry, their teacher Olivia laminated them, creating 'healthy eating placemats' that the students could use during mealtimes at home. It was a great way to reinforce language and science concepts and share the experience at home!
New in Scootle this month
Scootle has added 50 resources to support learning in the classroom and at home. These resources cover a wide variety of learning areas including Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics and more. Other resources include explorations of ancient civilisations for History, Australian Parliament fact sheets and explainers for Civics and Citizenship.
Image: © The State of Queensland (Queensland Museum) 2010-2018. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 AU
Upcoming webinars
Student Wellbeing Hub webinar
Image: Thomas Ward/pexels
24 Aug, 2020 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm AEST
The Student Wellbeing Hub's upcoming webinar explores relationships and sexuality education for students with disability, revealing practical teaching strategies that work.
Digital Technologies Hub webinar
20 Aug 2020 4:00 pm – 4:45 pm AEST
Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria hosts ‘Unlocking the Digital Technologies Hub’, to help teachers make the most of the Digital Technologies Hub. Register to learn more about the largest online portal and resource library supporting the Australian Digital Technologies curriculum.
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