This article describes a program that was developed to introduce senior high school students in Melbourne, Australia to the technique of X-ray crystallography within the context of chemistry research. Students had an opportunity for original experimentation, performing reactions and attempting to grow crystals of reaction products in a school…

Science centers provide an engaging way for young learners to explore related concepts. The hands-on nature of each exercise secures the stimulation necessary to maintain focused attention. In this article, the authors describe a multi-day 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) lesson on nocturnal and diurnal animals with science…

The demand for improving student interest in science has increased efforts toward teaching Einstein's theory of general relativity in schools. Research has already shown that teaching Einsteinian gravity at the secondary level is feasible, however, appropriate resources must be readily available for science teachers to make Einsteinian gravity…

Common objects are made of materials that have obvious physical features which, although readily observable, may be overlooked by children. Helping young children to notice characteristic features -- scientifically referred to as properties -- equips them to discern common and distinct (diagnostic) features. Once children begin to recognise…

Embedding learning abroad as part of the curriculum has become popular in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US and European countries. In Australia, the government has actively promoted and committed to funding students' learning abroad in the Indo-Pacific region which is considered to be strategic to the nation's prosperity and public…

The forest school approach to nature learning has gathered momentum in the UK and across parts of Europe including Scandinavia for well over 50 years. In other contexts that include Canada, China, New Zealand and Australia, nature-based early childhood education and care settings, influenced by European forest school approaches, are in a rapid…

This paper examines the affordances of physical objects (e.g. apparatus, models, manipulatives) as they were used by teachers and students to make meaning in coordination with their speech and gestures. Despite the pervasive use of physical objects as material and tactile resources in hands-on investigations or demonstrations, there have been few…

Laboratory classes are a cornerstone of physiology education, enabling students to develop essential knowledge and skills. Recent moves toward utilizing blended options to support face-to-face classes with online materials are beneficial, but using solely online classes may not produce similar learning gains. During 2020, the global pandemic meant…

This article illustrates a learning sequence from the Interdisciplinary Mathematics and Science (IMS) Learning project, connecting science and mathematics learning in the primary school. Exploring light and its properties involved a series of investigations conducted in Grades 4 and 5 across three classes in two schools in regional Victoria. The…

The physics that underpins modern technology is based on Einstein's theories of relativity and quantum mechanics. Most school students complete their compulsory science education without being taught any of these Einsteinian concepts. Only those who take a specialised physics course have the opportunity to learn modern physics. In 2011, the first…

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…

Facing calls for greater emphasis on STEM education in primary school classrooms, teachers may be anxious because of limited exposure to STEM in their own education. The Australian Curriculum: Technologies is new and many teachers are not familiar with its content. Hence both in-service and pre-service teachers (PSTs) require preparation. This…

At the University of South Australia (UniSA), Biochemistry is a second year undergraduate course. The student cohort is diverse, with students enrolled in courses with a laboratory focus, such as Laboratory Medicine, Medical Science, Nutrition and Food Science and Pharmaceutical Science. The course is taught in a traditional manner, with weekly…

The main objective of this study is to evaluate students' perceptions regarding different methods of assessment and which teaching/learning methodologies may be the most effective in a Fluid Transport System course. The impact of the changes in the assessment methodology in the final students' grades and attendance at theoretical classes is also…

Microorganisms (microbes) play essential roles in our lives, although the general media usually focuses on their negative or pathological aspects. Here we describe a collaborative approach between teachers and academics to teach primary school students about microbes in an engaging and diverse way. We introduced microbes, such as bacteria and…