Australasian Science 11

44 | APRIL 2016

DIRECTIONS Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering

Thecampaign to getAustralian secondary students interested

in science and technology courses and careers has passed an

extraordinary milestone with some 20% of Australian high

schools now participating in theSTELRprogram driven by

the Academy ofTechnologyand Engineering(ATSE).

The STELR (ScienceandTechnologyEducation Lever-

aging Relevance) Programis aimed at science and maths students

in years6–10. Itis now running in more than 500 schools in all

states and territories, reaching an estimated 50,000 secondary

students and more than 1500 teachers each year.

This isa remarkable achievement, givenSTELRstarted only

9 years ago as anATSE response to the decliningparticipation

inSTEM subjects in schoolsand tertiaryinstitutions With

support from state governments, it was trialled in 30 schools in

2009. Federal government funding enabled it to spread to more
      than 180 schools in 2010.
      The irst STELR offeringwas a renewable energy module,
      tapping into the high level of concern students have about
      global warming and climate change. A sustainable housing
      module is now available and further modules are in develop-
      ment: CarbonDioxide – Friend or Foe;Water for the 21st
      Century; FutureHealth; Car Safety; and Construction Using
      Computer Modelling.
      STELRhas evolved torelect the newAustralian science
      curriculum, and theSTELR modulesaredesigned to be taught
      within the curriculum, making them available to all students in
      the appropriate year levels of each participating school.
      STELRexempliies an inquiry-based teaching approach and
      the development of a coherent learning program in which

various content strands are interwoven. Modules incorporate

contemporary teaching and learning practices, in particular an

inquiry-based learning approach that engages and challenges

students and teachers.

Teachers are supported through an initial professional devel-

opment program and follow-up assistance and their evalua-

tions of the program show that it has a positive effect on students’

participation and engagement in learning science and on their

perception of the relevance of science in their lives.

The primary aim of STELR is to address theproblem

of low participationrates in Australia in science and

maths subjects at the upper secondary school level by

relating these subjects to highly relevant issues affecting

all students. One major reason for these low participation

rates is that students do not perceive and appreciate the

relevance of science in their lives, despite being surrounded

by science and technology.

STELR’s supportingaims are to:

• improve the level of science literacy and understanding
  in the community;


• raise awareness of opportunities in technology-related
  careers;


• prepare students to engage with science ideas and be
  knowledgeable about how science and scientists work;


• increase the number of students choosing science and
  engineering careers to address the shortage of science
  and engineering graduates; and


• improve thequality ofscience classroom teaching practice.
  Its value has been recognised overseas, and it is now being used
  inNew Zealand and inSouth-East Asia.
  Two recent developmentsare helpingSTELR to boost its
  impact.The Inspiring Science &Mathematics Education project
  involves the development of at leastivemultidisciplinary class-
  room modules that use cutting-edge science and engineering
  contexts and the latest educational theory from partner univer-
  sities and other research institutions to excite and engage
  students. PwC has judgedSTELR one of the best STEMinitia-
  tives in Australia and included it among 20 organisations it is
  supporting through an intense acceleration process to achieve
  rapid and effective scale through its PwC 21st Century Minds
  Accelerator Program.
  With this sort of support,STELR is destined to continue to
  changestudent views of the value of science and technology in
  our lives.
  Prof Doreen Thomas FTSE is Head of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Melbourne,
  has a national teaching award for her contribution to engineering education and mentorship
  and is a passionate ambassador for women in science and engineering. She Chairs ATSE’s
  Education Forum.

Australia’s High Schools Are Into STELR

The STELR program now reaches 500 schools, 50,000 students and 1500 teachers each year.

Year 10 science students work on a STELR module.