In an era of socio-ecological challenges and uncertain times, it is imperative that student voice is supported to enable student transformative agency and desired positive change in their lives and community. Although international policy, the Australian Curriculum, School Strategic Plans, communities, teachers, and students often advocate for…

It is widely recognised that science explorations is vital in children's lives as they make sense of the world. Now in its fourth edition, Science in Early Childhood provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to science in the early years. Each chapter has been updated to include current research and to address changing priorities in early…

An inquiry approach to learning can have a positive impact on students' attitudes to science and their science literacy skills; two attributes that have been in steady decline internationally. The professional development of teachers in inquiry science is one way to ensure that teachers are equipped with effective strategies to teach science,…

Initial teacher education (ITE) providers prepare graduates to be effective classroom practitioners, but there is little contemporary research capturing what this preparation actually looks like for primary (elementary) science education in Australia. Drawing on a broader study, this paper reports on teacher educators' practices and perspectives…

School lockers are an essential part of secondary school life and students have been using them for decades. It is unlikely the design has changed since they were used by their grandparents. Although lockers have not changed, school definitely has. Are school lockers something that also need to be changed? A design challenge is an open-ended…

This article illustrates an enhancement and lesson-delivery process used to engage classroom students in primary school science lessons. In the enhancement process, university educators and pre-service teachers collaborated with local experts to prepare lessons based in local or regional contexts. Lessons were designed to enable students to think…

Science graduates require critical thinking skills to deal with the complex problems they will face in their 21st century workplaces. Inquiry-based curricula can provide students with the opportunities to develop such critical thinking skills; however, evidence suggests that an inappropriate level of autonomy provided to under prepared students…

Immunological detection of proteins is an essential method to demonstrate to undergraduate biology students, however, is often difficult in resource and time poor student laboratory sessions. This method describes a failsafe method to rapidly and economically demonstrate this technique using biotinylated proteins or biotin itself as targets for…

Children have immense curiosity, a thirst for knowledge and a questioning attitude. They are innate scientists. The challenge for early childhood educators is to fuel this curiosity through the provision of appropriate learning experiences and an engaging environment within early learning centres. This paper presents a detailed case study of how a…

This paper describes the pedagogical impact of real-world experimental projects undertaken as part of an advanced undergraduate fluid mechanics subject at an Australian university. The projects have been organized to complement traditional lectures and introduce students to the challenges of professional design, physical modelling, data collection…

This paper describes research into the use of cognitive tools in the classroom using "Exploring the Nardoo", an information landscape designed to support student investigation. Simulations and support tools which allow multimedia reporting are embedded in the package and are supported by several metacognitive tools for the writing…