School Curriculum Authority Awards

Allan Blagaich

Glenda Leslie has a long and valued history of supporting the work of the Curriculum Council, and in more recent years, the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority).

Beginning her teaching career in 1976, Glenda had a successful and varied career as a high school teacher. For many years, Glenda has unselfishly provided support for teachers of Science in various roles, particularly in the Biological Sciences. She has worked diligently with teachers to make their courses hands-on, engaging and relevant.

For over 30 years, Glenda has been actively involved in shaping the syllabuses of a number of Science courses, particularly Biology and Human Biology, through her membership on syllabus committees, course advisory committees, curriculum advisory committees and examination panels. Her dedication and support has been evident by her valuable contribution as Human Biology Course Advisory Committee Chair from 2007–2019 and member of Human Biology, Integrated Science and 7–10 Science Curriculum Advisory Committees.

Practical work is now an important component of all Science courses and contributes to the assessment of these courses; however, this was not always the case. Glenda’s work as part of a working party to investigate the assessment of practical work in Biology was important to this transition.

Glenda’s service to the Science teacher community was recognised by the Science Teachers’ Association of

WA in 2010 with the awarding of life membership. Over the years she has volunteered on Science Teachers’ Association of WA (STAWA) committees, STAWA Council and as President of STAWA.

Glenda retired from her role as an AISWA Science Consultant at the end of 2020; however, she will be continuing to support teachers of Science for a long time to come. We thank her for her long serving dedication to science education and valuable contribution to the work of the Authority.

John Anderton is an outstanding educator who has had a significant and valuable influence on Science education in Western Australia, particularly in relation to Chemistry. John is a life member of both the Science Teachers’ Association of WA (STAWA) and the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) and he has successfully shepherded many of the changes in the Science curriculum today.

John was on the joint syllabus committees for both Chemistry and Physical Science with the Secondary Education Authority and the Curriculum Council for a number of years. John’s influence has been broad and the Authority has been fortunate to have John, in the capacity of the Chief Executive Officer’s representative, scrutinise the WACE and ATAR course examinations in Chemistry and Physics since 2011. Fortunately, while John has indicated this can be an onerous task, his dedication and commitment are shown as he continues to contribute to the process. Students are at the core of all John’s work, as he has their best interests at heart when checking for an examination that is fair, valid and equitable.

We thank John for his valuable contribution and dedication to the Authority and Science education.