SCIOS July 2023 Volume 70

SCIOS

darkness enveloped the landscape and the stars and planets emerged in the mid-day sky

SCIOS: To Know

This journal aims to promote the teaching of science with a focus on classroom practice. It provides a means of communication between teachers, consultants and other science educators. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the various authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia (STAWA), the editorial committee or the publisher.

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Editorial Committee

Allan Knight

Bailey Brown

Dallas Bruce

John Clarke - STAWA

Lyndon Smith

Mady Colquhoun

Editorial Correspondence admin@stawa.net

Graphic Designer

Kattie Muir - Digital Crayon

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© 2023 The Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia (STAWA). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the written permission of STAWA. Unsolicited material is welcomed by the Editor but no responsibility is taken for the return of copy or photographs unless special arrangements are made.

ISSN 0157-6488

CONTENTS

Editorial From the President

Chief Executive’s Report

STS – Meet the New Team

Particle 101: Solar Eclipses

Experiencing A Total Solar Eclipse

ICRAR Experience of a Total Solar Eclipse

CONSTAWA 41 - It’s a Wrap!

First CONSTAWA Experience: Primary

First CONSTAWA Experience: Secondary

Powerful Problem-Solving in Science

POGIL - A Student-Centred Instructional Approach

Inorganic Chemistry IUPAC Recommendations

A Week in the Wild with BushBlitz

What can the Chief Examiner Teach Us?

New Senior School Science Courses

The Primed Project

About the Editor

Allan Knight is one of the science curriculum consultants with School Curriculum and Standards. He has taught science, including senior school chemistry and physics, at high school and been a university chemistry lecturer. He has co-authored a number of senior secondary chemistry textbooks and written teacher resources for senior secondary physics for WA and other Australian states.

EDITORIAL

Allan Knight

Welcome to the second issue of SCIOS for 2023. Schools have reached the mid-point of the school year and hopefully teachers are finding some time over the July school holidays to recreate and re-create in preparation for the next school term.

The April school holiday period saw a significant scientific event occur with much of the world’s attention focussed on Exmouth. I am, of course, referring to the total solar eclipse of April 20. Eclipses form part of the Year 7 Earth and Space Sciences curriculum and we reproduce here an article first published in the Scitech publication Particle that provides a ‘101’ on solar eclipses. Science teacher and now Director of Teaching and Learning at Helena College Maree Baddock and Year 10 student Victoria Baddock share their experiences of being in Exmouth for the total eclipse. As well, the manager of the SPIRIT program, and a researcher from The International Centre for Radio

Astronomy Research (ICRAR) who were at Exmouth share their wonder at being present to experience totality. The SPIRIT initiative allows schools to access the same tools used by researchers and astronomers to observe and collect astronomical data. This totality in WA occurred almost 100 years after another very significant total solar eclipse in the north west of WA. The measurements made at Wallal Downs in 1922 provided support for Einstein’s general theory of relativity. You can listen to David Blair’s (UWA Emeritus Professor of Physics) discussion of the history of this event in the ABC’s Radio National Science Show

Another significant science event (at least in the calendar of STAWA) occurred in WA two days before the solar eclipse – CONSTAWA. Ashleigh Tomasetig, STAWA Early Career Primary Science Scholarship recipient, and Kieran Broadbent, Jeff Cahill Early Career Teacher Award recipient, provide us with their perspectives as firsttime attendees at CONSTAWA, and Mady Colquhoun, Convenor of CONSTAWA 41 gives a snapshot of the activities teachers engaged with during the event and the images of the after-party, otherwise known as the Sundowner. We also celebrate the achievement of preservice teachers by acknowledging the winners of the Curtin University Teacher Awards.

Lucas Black and Shyam Drury, Professional Learning Consultants at Scitech, and science teacher Aneeta Dogra explain the pedagogical approaches Powerful

Problem-Solving in Science and ProcessOriented Guided Inquiry Learning, respectively. These pedagogical approaches can add to a teacher’s ‘tool kit’ of teaching strategies allowing them to choose approaches to best suit the topic and the students in their classes.

Lyndon Smith provides an update on IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) nomenclature, terms and definitions for inorganic and physical chemistry relevant to the teaching of Years 11 and 12 chemistry. An update for organic chemistry will appear in a later issue of SCIOS.

Bek Armishaw, primary science specialist, reflects on participating in Bush Blitz TeachLive. Bek observes that this exciting professional development opportunity allowed her to create “meaningful links for myself and my students regarding the synergies between science, nature, and the classroom”; something I am confident all teachers would like to be able to do for their students.

Julie Weber, a colleague at The School Curriculum and Standards Authority, and I provide information about two new senior school science courses – ATAR Agricultural Science and Technology and General Science in Practice – being offered for beginning in Year 11 in 2024 and in Year 12 in 2025. Jo Tregonning and Nathan Curnow share information about new resources developed under the PRIMED project for Years 7-10 Science (and HASS and Technology). These resources provide a primary industry, including agricultural, context in which to deliver the Years 7-10 Science curriculum.

I hope readers find in this issue something to stimulate them for the upcoming term and that may help them to engage their students in the learning of science.

Allan Knight

Welcome to the July Issue of SCIOS.

This year has seen the continuation of the war in Ukraine affecting so many lives, endless RBA cash rate headlines, and the seemingly ever-increasing irresponsible behaviour of people in society. As such I thought I would bring to our attention a number of recent scientific breakthroughs that have not been in the headlines.

Nuclear fusion has seen recent advances as scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have produced the first fusion reaction that created more energy than was used to start it. This could have enormous implications for future carbon emission free energy production. The James Webb Telescope continues to send data about galaxies to Earth from 13 billion years back in time. A universal flu vaccine is being developed using similar technology that produced the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that will hopefully immunise people against several strains of influenza at once. NASA managed to use its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) to deflect a giant space rock from a collision course with Earth. This technology could protect the planet from asteroids and other space material. I have only mentioned a few great scientific feats, but I can’t complete my list without mentioning Artificial Intelligence or AI.

fROm ThE pRESIDENT

The AI phenomenon has swept across the world with the promise of making lives easier, creating art, automating complex processes, removing bias, increasing labour productivity and taking on mundane activities such as writing student reports! Sounds terrific but not as great as we think according to our keynote speaker at CONSTAWA in April, Julia Powles who is the Director of The University of Western Australia’s Minderoo Tech & Policy Lab and Associate Professor

of Law and Technology at UWA Law School. Julia spoke about the incredibly high costs involved with the creation of the machines that perform these feats, including the enormous volume of water required to keep them cool and functional. She pointed out that AI is emotionless and has no human experience to draw upon when answering questions, creating prose and dealing with actual humans. The AI systems that we are now relying on for so many functions in society have no understanding of ethics and are also not bound by international laws. This is extremely concerning, but the horse has well and truly bolted, as the creators of this technology admit themselves. The loss of human jobs must also be concerning to our society. The problem

Annabel Kanakis

the AI phenomenon has swept across the world with the promise of making lives easier

that teachers are encountering re the possibility of students cheating on essay and report writing is possibly the least of our worries.

On a lighter note, CONSTAWA was held in the April school holidays, and was an enormous success, with exceptional work by Mady Colquhoun and the rest of the CONSTAWA Working Group of Graham Johnson, Sue Doncon, Geoff Quinton and Lance Taylor. Mady once again led her team with true professionalism, with everything well organised and occurring seamlessly on the day with the support of John Clarke and Pamela Getalado. There was an increase of at least 50 delegates compared with 2022, a great achievement that resulted in great opportunities for networking, and there was a tangible “buzz” around the venue on the day.

I would like to thank all the volunteers for their assistance with the preparation months, weeks and on the day before, and for their attendance and help on the day. A special thanks to Lance for providing such a suitable venue, with exceptional assistance from the IT staff there, as well as organising all the signs, rooming, areas for the trades, and taking photos on the day. We were again catered for by the Certificate II Hospitality students who provided a perfect array of very tasty food enjoyed by all. The workshops were very well received and the keynote from Dr Julia Powles was truly eyeopening as I have already mentioned. Professor Lyn Beazley joined us and presented the Jeff Cahill Award to Kieran Broadbent from John Bosco College. The STAWA Early Career Primary Science Scholarship was awarded to Ashleigh Tomastig from Mount Lockyer Primary School.

Science Talent Search will continue to be a key highlight this year, with Anne Poustie volunteering to take over the role of overseeing this major STAWA event. STAWA is very appreciative of the enormous amount of time, effort and expertise that was contributed by Julie Weber for many years to make this such an important event on the STAWA calendar. Now that COVID does not threaten to present constraints we hope that many more students will get involved and that the awards can be well attended later this year. I encourage all teachers

to consider getting their students involved in STS as this is a great opportunity for students of all ages to participate in long term projects, investigations and even photography and film making.

With many changes to senior school curriculum on the horizon, STAWA is working hard to update and develop new resources for teachers and students that match the new syllabi. This has been and continues to be an

immense task, mostly completed by volunteers. The new General Human Biology resources were showcased at CONSTAWA and were very well received. Once we have an exact date for the changeover, teachers will be informed of their availability. Chemistry will follow soon, and work on Physics will commence later this year. The Psychology committee continue to work to provide resources for the new curriculum and I look forward to the 2024 Year 12 course being presented to Psychology teachers in September at the Psychology Convention. This will be an opportunity to develop knowledge and networks to assist in the teaching of this very different course.

CONASTA 70 takes place in Adelaide in July. This is another important science education event, enabling professional networking with like-minded educators and those that support us with resources such as texts and scientific equipment. STAWA will be hosting CONASTA in 2025, and work is continuing to organise this event.

With the support of STAWA, I am currently organising a STEM event for girls from Years 5-9 in the Southwest, with the venue being in Bunbury. The purpose is to enable rural students to participate in a local event that will expose them to the many STEM careers available to them by introducing them to female

STAWA is working hard to update and develop new resources for teachers and students that match the new syllabi

science professionals. They will engage in workshops provided by various institutions and stakeholders in science education. STAWA is keen to encourage girls to participate in STEM related subjects and to pursue their passion into the future. Australia needs as many people involved in STEM to ensure our sustainable and economic future.

The current teacher shortage is affecting us all and many educators are considering their careers. In May the Federal Government provided an online survey for teachers, parents and students to provide feedback about the things we believe to be important for consideration. ASTA is working hard to inform the ministers of the issues being experienced by teachers, especially those who teach STEM subjects, and

possible strategies to retain teachers. The aim is to improve education outcomes and support teachers.

I hope that, despite all of the issues we face, we maintain our passion for science education and continue to instil that passion into our students.

Annabel Kanakis

STAWA pubLICATIONS

Year 11 and 12 ATAR Resources:

• The STAWA Exploring Chemistry, Physics and Human Biology series support the Western Australian Curriculum ATAR Courses.

• Year 11 ATAR Psychology Resources for Teachers (digital)

• Psychological Research, Theorists and Studies to Support Psychology

ATAR – Units 1 and 2

• Human Biology General Course Resources: The STAWA Human Biology General Course Resources will cover both the Year 11 and the Year 12 General Courses.

Member Discount: Members receive a 10% discount on all purchases through STAWA.

ChIEf EXECuTIVE’S REpORT

John Clarke

The first half of 2023 has gone very quickly. Exhausting for many I understand, but hopefully Semester 2 comes with less pressure.

CONSTAWA was a great success. 147 delegates enjoyed an engaging program and access to 20 conference exhibitors. Our very loyal regular exhibitors along with a few new ones this year enjoyed their experience and appreciated the positive contact they had with the attendees. They continue to be impressed with how WA science teachers and technicians at STAWA conferences, embrace and make use of their presence. This makes an exhibitor’s time both enjoyable and productive, encouraging them to continue a relationship with STAWA. A big thank you to:

• The CONSTAWA organising committee for their time and energy and Mady Colquhoun for her leadership.

• Willetton SHS and Lance Taylor for hosting the conference.

• Exhibitors for their support.

• The more than 50 presenters and our keynote speaker Julia Powles for their time and sharing of expertise, whom without there would be no conference.

The Synergy School Solar Challenge, developed in partnership with Synergy, without COVID interruptions, again proved very successful. 2023 included five regional events in Albany, Bunbury, Collie, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie, and two large metro events North at St Mark’s Anglican Community School and South at Lumen Christi College. The Grand Final was hosted by Murdoch University. The events involve student teams of 4. 2023 Stats for each event are provided in the following table:

book Lists

Don’t forget to include STAWA publications on your Years 11 and 12 Science booklists. Note we have new titles to accommodate syllabus changes as well as revisions. Visit the STAWA Shop for details https:// www.stawa.net/

Human Biology*

• ATAR Exploring Human Biology Year 11

• NEW General Human Biology (Spiral bound for easy opening)

• Year 11 General Human Biology Unit 1

Workbook (new syllabus starting 2024)

• Year 11 General Human Biology Unit 2

Workbook (new syllabus starting 2024)

• Year 12 General Human Biology Unit 3 and 4 Workbook (current syllabus continues through 2024)

Chemistry* (Spiral bound for easy opening)

• ATAR Exploring Chemistry Year 11 while stocks last

• NEW ATAR Chemistry replacing Exploring Chemistry Year 11

• Year 11 Chemistry Laboratory Manual and Workbook

• Year 11 Chemistry Questions and Problems Workbook

• ATAR Exploring Chemistry Year 12

Physics* (Spiral bound for easy opening)

• ATAR Exploring Physics Year 11

• ATAR Exploring Physics Year 11

• ATAR Revising Physics Year 12 while stocks last Psychology

• Psychological Research, Theorists and Studies to Support Psychology ATAR – Units 1 and 2

* All publications are available online in digital versions from the larger book sellers, such as Campion and Winc.

Semester 2 Events

We have another busy schedule of events for the remainder of 2023. Those identified so far are listed.

1. STAWA AGm

Thursday 31 August

Details and to register your attendance or apology https://www.stawa.net/about-us/ about_agm/

2. psychology Teachers Convention

Friday, 8 September at the University of Western Australia.

Link to details and to register https://www. stawa.net/eventdetails/18552/psychologyteachers-convention

3. physics Day at Adventure World

Thursday 21 September

https://www.stawa.net/student-activities/ physics-day/

4. Science Talent Search Awards presentation

Monday 23 October at Scitech

https://www.stawa.net/student-activities/ science-talent-search/

5. marine and maritime Teachers forum

Term 4 Week 7, details coming soon

https://www.stawa.net/conferences/marineand-maritime-teachers-forum/

6. future Science

Friday 1 December, ECU Joondalup

Call for presenters: https://stawa.wufoo.com/ forms/stawa-future-science-2023-exhibitorregistration/ membership

STAWA has changed from a rolling membership to a fixed anniversary date, or Calendar year membership. If you have not already joined to do so now you will be charged a pro-rata fee. This will bring you up to date with the new cycles and renewal alerts will occur from December, February to start the new year.

Build your and STAWA’s capacity to advocate on science education issues affecting science teachers with Government and Industry. Membership provides opportunities to develop leadership, curriculum development and presentation skills. STAWA is embarking on several projects this year that require fresh ideas and provide new opportunities for members, including the delivery of online learning to teachers, revision of STAWA resources and the development of new resources. Calls for expressions of interest for some tasks have been made and will continue as opportunities unfold.

Please encourage your peers, particularly early career teachers to take up STAWA membership. Share your thoughts and ideas to help STAWA grow into the future. The strategic plan is under review. To see the existing plan and new plan once developed visit https://www. stawa.net/about-us/constitution-and-strategic-plan/ Have a safe and enjoyable remainder of the Term.

Your Chief Executive Officer, John Clarke

STS – mEET ThE NEW TEAm

Pamela Getalado

The STAWA Science Talent Search (STS) is an annual competition where students from Kindergarten to Year 12 can develop their interests in science. We are delighted to introduce to you the new team for the 2023 Science Talent Search.

Anne has been involved with the STS program for the past 8 years and is “looking forward to witnessing the innovation and creativity central to all student entries”. She hopes that “more schools enter the competition, bringing fresh perspectives, ideas, and experiences in tackling real-world challenges and in answering questions in science that matter to them”.

When asked about what she is excited about when taking over her new role as the STS Coordinator, Anne says that she is looking forward to:

• Promoting the importance of science inquiry skills in schools,

• Building relationships with schools and teachers, and

• Maintaining the integrity of a competition that has been running for over 60 years.

pamela Getalado Marketing & Communications Assistant, Office Manager, STAWA

Annie poustie

Science and Human Biology Teacher, Carmel School. We welcome Anne as our new Science Talent Search Coordinator.

Pamela first worked with the STS team last year. She is responsible for promoting and marketing the STS through in-person conferences and events, plus online avenues (STAWA website, STAWA Facebook page, and email communications).

Pamela will be working to engage more schools and assist those already registered and is also responsible for helping to prepare and organise certificates, trophies, and prizes for the students.

STAWA would also like to say farewell and a HUGE thank you to our outgoing STS Coordinator, Julie Weber (SCSA). Julie has coordinated the event for an amazing 12 years and we sincerely thank her for working tirelessly to ensure that every STS event ran smoothly.

If you have any questions or queries regarding the Science Talent Search, please email your queries through STS@stawa.net

pARTICLE 101: SOLAR ECLIpSES

Thomas Crow

About the Author

Thomas Crow is an Australian freelance science writer. He has a background in professional writing, biochemistry and genetics. He writes for Australian and New Zealand research institutes and publications like Crikey. He’s a horror and gothic fantasy fan. He thinks of himself as a gardener but scores of dead plants beg to differ.

The magnetic fields that influence the behaviour of these gases can cause solar flares and solar winds.

These events can mess up communications equipment and satellites, so it’s valuable to measure the corona to predict when they may occur.

What is a Solar Eclipse?

This article is published here with permission from Scitech. The original article can be accessed here https://particle.scitech.org.au/space/particle-101solar-eclipses/.

Editor’s note: This article was first published on the Scitech website prior to the April 20 solar eclipse hence references the eclipse as an upcoming event.

Parts of Western Australia will be plunged into darkness during a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse on 20 April.

An eclipse is an incredible natural phenomenon to witness (safely!).

It also offers scientists a chance to study the structure and activity of the Sun’s corona – a jacket of super-hot gases that surround the fiery planet.

A solar eclipse occurs due to rotations and orbits between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon. The Earth rotates on a tilted axis of 23.5 degrees. This means some parts of the Earth are closer to the Sun than others.

This difference is why we have time zones, inverted seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres and the illusion of the Sun moving across the sky

While we spin and orbit around the Sun, the Moon orbits around Earth. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the Sun’s light from reaching our planet.

The Earth experiences around four to seven solar eclipses each year. Depending on where you live, you might not experience them all.

The eclipse on 20 April is best viewed from Australia, particularly Ningaloo, near Exmouth, Indonesia and South Asia.

Types of Solar Eclipses

You may be wondering how the Moon can block the Sun when it’s 400 times smaller and roughly 400 times further away.

Well, it’s actually an illusion caused by forced perspective. You can create the same illusion by catching the Sun between your fingers.

Ningaloo, near Exmouth, is the best place to view the 20 April eclipse because it will be beneath the umbra. This makes it one of the only places on Earth to experience a total solar eclipse from 11:28am.

The closer you are to Exmouth, the more ‘total’ the eclipse will appear. However, it’ll only last 58 seconds, so make sure you’re really living in the moment if you want to experience the eclipse.

how to Safely View an Eclipse

It’s not safe to look directly at an eclipse without specialised eye protection

While the Moon might cover most of the Sun, there will still be enough visible light to damage your eyesight.

The 20 April eclipse is a hybrid eclipse. This is a combination of an annular, partial and total eclipse.

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon obscures the Sun during the point in the Moon’s monthly cycle where it’s furthest from the Earth.

A partial eclipse involves the Moon partially covering the Sun from our perspective.

This is what we’ll see from Perth this week between 8am and 12.46pm. The eclipse will reach its peak at 11.20am when the Moon will cover 70% of the Sun. A partial eclipse can last for hours.

In contrast, a total eclipse might last anywhere between 10 seconds and 7.5 minutes. (The next one to last that long won’t happen until 2186.)

The Dark Side of the moon

The umbra is the area of shadow where the Moon completely blocks the Sun for the people below.

The broader shadow – where people can look up to see the Moon partially blocking the Sun – is called the penumbra.

Experts warn against using cameras, binoculars or telescopes to view the eclipse without purpose-built filters. Without the proper filter, these viewing tools will focus the incoming sunlight directly into your eyes and quickly cause damage.

Also, do not use the old eclipse glasses or filters that have been hanging around your house since the last eclipse. There’s no guarantee that they’re still safe.

What if the Weather is Crap?

If the weather isn’t favourable where you are, Scitech is live-streaming the eclipse from Exmouth.

EXpERIENCING A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIpSE

About the Authors

Dr Maree Baddock is Director of Teaching and Learning at Helena College. Maree is still excited by science after many years in education and is considering taking up eclipse chasing as her latest hobby.

Victoria Baddock is currently completing Year 10 at Helena College.

The study of eclipses in terms of the relative positions of the earth, sun and moon are part of the Year 7 Science syllabus. Photographs of stars during eclipses was also used to verify Einstein’s general theory of relativity. It is always easier to bring these to life when there is a local example of this phenomenon. In April this year, a hybrid eclipse occurred, with totality being visible in a very small area around Exmouth in our state’s north. I was fortunate to view this eclipse with my family from a cruise ship that anchored just off Exmouth.

Hybrid eclipses are relatively rare. A hybrid eclipse occurs when it moves from being an annular eclipse (a ‘ring of fire’ being visible around the sun as the moon appears to be slightly smaller than the sun) to a total eclipse, where the moon appears to fully cover the sun, and back to an annular eclipse.

The type of eclipse will depend on where the shadow created by the moon is positioned. A total eclipse is

observed from the umbra or the dark middle part of the shadow. At this point, the sun is completely obscured by the moon, the sky darkens, stars and the sun’s corona become visible. An annular eclipse is observed when viewed in the antumbra, or the part of the shadow just behind the umbra. A hybrid eclipse is primarily due to the curvature of the Earth’s surface (Figure 1). It is not possible to view both parts of the hybrid eclipse due to the speed of the movement of the shadow over the Earth’s surface. A partial eclipse is observed when the viewer is in the penumbra. Perth experienced a partial eclipse.

Figure 1: The relationship between positions of the sun and moon and type of eclipse.

Dr. Maree Baddock & Victoria Baddock

The effect of gravity on light, which formed part of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, was verified by analysing photographs taken of a designated set of stars during a total eclipse and earlier in the year. The first photos were taken by Arthur Eddington and his team in 1919. While his analysis that light did indeed bend was accepted by many in the scientific community, there was concern that the data was insufficient as only a few stars were visible for the analysis. More photographs were taken during the solar eclipse on 21 September, 1922 on Eighty Mile Beach in Western Australia, where totality lasted nearly six minutes. At the time, it was a very difficult place to access (no roads or ports) but the results that were eventually obtained were considered definitive proof of the bending of light by the sun. In researching how to photograph the eclipse, I came across articles on how to replicate this experiment. Interestingly, it is almost impossible to do this with modern digital cameras due to the noise found on the images.

Eclipse chasing

It is estimated that more than 20 000 people gathered in Exmouth to witness the eclipse. We chose to take the eclipse cruise that was run by P & O. Apart from not having to worry about the driving, it was a great opportunity to listen to presentations provided by a range of experts on astronomy, physics and general star gazing. Two of the most impressive presentations were given by a Year 12 student from Canberra on astrophotography. Each night we able to gather on the back deck of the ship to observe the Milky Way without light pollution.

It was fascinating to encounter people who have spent many years chasing eclipses around the world. It wasn’t unusual to speak to someone who had seen more than 15 total eclipses. At least one person had seen 29 of them. For those of us who were about to view our first solar eclipse, we were told that the first words we would speak after seeing it would be ‘when is the next one?’.

the best way to photograph the eclipse. The main recommendation was to spend more time looking rather than trying to take photos as there would be better photographs available taken by experienced photographers.

With that in mind, I still intended to take photos and spent some time before the cruise researching the best way to set up a camera. I eventually landed on taking a crop sensor camera with a 300 mm zoom lens and a solar filter sheet to create a filter for the front of the lens. The shaped solar filter sheet was taped on both sides so that it could be slipped off the front of the camera easily (Figure 2). Just as you should never look directly at the sun without a proper solar filter, a camera should never be pointed at the sun without a solar filter on the front of the lens. The only time the sun can be viewed without an appropriate filter is during a total eclipse. Similarly, for photos, the solar filters are removed during the total eclipse.

Eclipse and solar photography

Several sessions were offered on the cruise on

The colour of the sun as viewed through the camera will depend on the type of filter used. The solar filter sheet set up (Figure 2) generated yellow images of the sun. Other filters will produce white solar images.

Counting down to the eclipse

The ship was anchored by 8.00 am on the morning of 20 April. The engines were shut down to reduce the vibration in the deck. Our older daughter was out early to hold a space for us. As the ship was an older one,

Figure 2: Nikon 7200 camera with 70 – 300 mm lens and Thousand Oaks Solar Filter Sheet

it had more open deck space than the newer ships, meaning everyone was able to find a good spot for viewing. Although there were over 2000 passengers and many crew out on deck, it didn’t feel crowded.

The moon commenced its crossing of the sun around 10.00 am, with the first bite out of the sun becoming visible (Figure 3).

The prominences and Bailey’s beads were visible for a moment before the corona becomes visible. As the image shows, the prominences were a deep pink colour (Figure 5).

As 11.30 am approached and the moon had almost covered the sun, service on the ship was suspended to allow as many crew members as possible to also view the eclipse.

The corona, or outer atmosphere of the sun is only visible to the eye during a total eclipse (Figure 6).

As the last sliver of sun disappeared (Figure 4), there was a roar from the crowd as the prominences and then the corona became visible. It was at this point that glasses were whipped off (as well as the filters on cameras).

This last photo (Figure 7), which was captured from a video of the eclipse shows how bright most of the sky was, even during totality. As a very short eclipse, the umbra was narrow. To the left of the corona, it is possible to make out Jupiter faintly. A longer eclipse with a larger shadow would create a much darker environment and more stars would be visible. As the shadow was narrow it was possible to observe it racing across the water towards the ship.

Figure 5: Prominences appearing as pink flares

Figure 6: Corona

Figure 3: Moon commences covering the sun

Figure 4: Last sliver of sun requiring filters for viewing

Totality lasted for only slightly less than a minute, but it was awe inspiring. Being able to view parts of the sun that we can’t normally see and to do it without glasses was an amazing experience.

Victoria’s perspective

Victoria, my younger daughter, is currently in Year 10. She has provided a couple of paragraphs on her impressions of the eclipse.

Once the eclipse first began, it was very difficult to see any difference in the sun, or where the moon was coming from, until after about 15 or so minutes when you were able to see a very small chunk of the sun missing while looking through the eclipse glasses. It ended up taking quite a long time, with some people leaving to do other things while waiting for the solar eclipse to get closer to totality. When the Sun was almost half covered, you could start to feel a difference in temperature and light, with it becoming slightly cooler and dimmer as the moon began to cover the sun. Reaching closer to totality, the sky began to dim much faster, though the shadows became rather sharp and distinct.

When the moon finally completely covered the sun, it was a very quick difference, with the sky darkening to the point it appeared that the sun had set an hour or so prior. The sun was no longer visible through the eclipse glasses except for maybe a slight ring around the moon. Looking without it, the sun was replaced with a pure black circle, surrounded by a ring of white light that stretched out a little bit, somewhat reminding me of depictions of black holes. Many pictures that I

saw after did not show just how far out the white ring stretched.

Despite how long it took for the eclipse to reach totality, it only lasted about a minute, though it was fully worth the wait to see such a rare and spectacular view.

In conclusion

As totality slipped away, our first words were indeed, ‘when is the next one?’. For Australia, the next total eclipse will be 22 July 2028. This eclipse will run from just out of Kununurra, all the way across the country to Sydney with totality expected to last between five and seven minutes. We are already planning.

References

1. Map of eclipse path for April 2023. Accessed 5 June, 2023 https://www.timeanddate.com/ eclipse/map/2023-april-20

2. Thousands in awe as solar eclipse hits totality over the skies of northern Western Australia. Accessed 5 June 2023. https://www.abc. net.au/news/2023-04-20/total-solar-eclipsevisitors-seek-best-view-totality-exmouthwa/102242192

3. Accessed 10 June 2023 File:Eclipses solares. en.png - Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Eclipses_solares.en.png

4. Eddington Experiment. Accessed 30 May 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddington_ experiment

5. Robins, John L History of the Department of Physics at UWA, Issue 9, p 1 - 9 https:// www.physics.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_ file/0014/621122/PhysHist9.pdf#:~:text=In%20 1922%20an%20expedition%20was%20 undertaken%20to%20obtain,to%20test%20 Einstein%E2%80%99s%20newly%20 proposed%20Theory%20of%20Relativity.

6. All of the photographs were taken by the Authors.

Figure 7: Image of eclipse without zoom

ICRAR EXpERIENCE Of A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIpSE

Robin Cook & Paul Luckas

The Exmouth 2023 total solar eclipse was a breathtaking celestial event that captivated both locals and tourists from all around the world alike. On the morning of April 20th, the small coastal town of Exmouth found itself in a seemingly unlikely and unique position to witness the path of totality, where the Moon completely obscured the Sun for just shy of a minute. With hours remaining, crowds already gathered along the long stretches of coastline, donning their heavily filtered eclipse glasses and preparing telescopes and cameras to capture the phenomenon.

As totality approached, the buzz among the thousands of huddled spectators amplified, and then, with a sudden brilliance, the Sun was completely blocked, revealing the otherworldly corona. A twilight-esque darkness enveloped the landscape and the stars and planets emerged in the mid-day sky. Even Mercury — a planet rarely viewable due to its close proximity to the Sun — had an appearance.

For myself as a first-time eclipse viewer, it’s safe to say it was simultaneously the shortest and longest 57 seconds I had ever experienced. Short for the years of anticipation unfolding in the blink of an eye but long from how moved I was by the experience. The sensation of a total solar eclipse sits somewhere between exhilaration and trepidation as that blazing ball of plasma in the sky, which has risen and fallen with unfaltering regularity every single day of my waking life, vanished.

Robin Cook Astrophysicist

International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Research Associate

A group of astronomy outreach volunteers organised by AstroTourism Western Australia were granted access to the premier eclipse viewing site south of Exmouth on April 20. Together with the many thousands of local and international visitors, all were fortunate enough to witness just under a full minute of totality under clear blue skies.

First contact was just after 10am. This phase of the eclipse was gradual and predictable, requiring solar eye protection to view, and with camera lenses and telescope optics similarly protected. As the Moon slowly made its way across the face of the Sun, the surrounding landscape changed from bright sunlight to the subdued tones of dusk.

The moment of totality exhibited a sudden and explosive change. With the blinding light of the Sun now gone, a large and imposing black disk— a hole in the sky— dominated the view. Around this disk a translucent stream of coronal plasma dissipated in all directions. Several prominences were clearly visible erupting from the edge, and Jupiter and Venus were now also visible nearby.

The eclipse ended abruptly with a stunning “diamond ring” effect accompanied by applause and cheers from the thousands in attendance.

Evening post-eclipse events provided a time to share the memory of that experience with others and reflect on that magical moment of totality.

Witnessing a total solar eclipse is a profound experience, and is doubtless the motivating factor for the many thousands of ‘eclipse chasers’ in Exmouth on April 20.

paul Luckas SPIRIT Program Manager

CONSTAWA 41 – IT’S A WRAp!

Long, long ago, in a school (not too) far away - there met 150 keen primary and secondary teachers of science to learn, share, network and generally have some fun during the holidays. This is their story…

As with all these gatherings there was lots of coffee and chatting, making new acquaintances, and renewing old ones. We were ecstatic with the number of firsttime attendees and equally delighted to see some intrepid teachers had attended over 20 times. Now that’s commitment! We also welcomed some preservice teachers which is fantastic. Our enthusiastic Patron – Professor Lyn Beazley – attended and was delighted to chat with many teachers. Her support with all our activities is appreciated and she attends events whenever her incredibly busy schedule allows her too. There were some 50 workshops on offer – most delivered by passionate teachers willing to share their own experiences and successes (plus their failures!) The conference was at Willetton Senior High School for the second year using their excellent science facilities. Many thanks to WSHS and Lance Taylor for supporting STAWA again.

So, what happens at CONSTAWA?

We began with a Keynote related to the current National Science Week Theme.

With the current controversy and questions about AI, we were treated to a thought-provoking exposé on

the behind-the-scenes issues of programs like those able to create written documents in 0.7 seconds! Not actually about why and how we and our students should be learning to use them but more about are they ethical? Do they use appropriately trained and supported workforces? And – interestingly - how much water is used in running the enormous electrical systems they require? Dr Julia Powles, Director of the Minderoo Tech and Policy Lab at UWA, presented so many ideas to consider that we all headed for morning tea with our minds challenged to think beyond the ‘visible face’ of these programs. We are well aware that these programs are here to stay but if we are aware of some of the issues behind them we can make mindful choices about if/how/when to use them.

Mady Colquhoun

STAWA updates and STAWA Teacher Awards were also presented at the introduction session. You can read about Ashleigh and Kieran’s experiences of CONSTAWA in this issue of SCIOS. Congratulations to both these teachers for their awards.

Morning tea and lunch was catered for by the WSHS Catering Group as part of their requirements to develop and deliver menus for large groups. They did a marvellous job – particularly as there were only 7 students catering for 180 people (teachers, trades representatives and volunteers). As someone said –‘The warm slices at morning tea were like a hug!’ The students were exhausted but exhilarated at the end of the long day and we congratulate them for their hard work.

Morning tea and lunch are an opportunity to check out the latest offerings from the trades displays and chat to the representatives about their products and services. We appreciate their ongoing support at CONSTAWA and often also at Future Science.

Two workshops sessions were held, then lunch and another 2 sessions after lunch until the all-important sundowner! Here there is not only a chance to wind down and catch up for a final chat and a drink but there is the annual ‘giving of the prizes’ – where lucky teachers’ names are randomly drawn to receive gifts from STAWA and trades representatives. There is always a bit of fun and a few groans when prizes go to someone else – but everyone has an equal chance as long as they attend the sundowner!

As the twin suns set on Tatooine… the last weary teachers wended their way out of Willetton – looking for the balloons marking the pathway (by then they have all popped) and the STAWA volunteers packed up the last of the gear and headed home. We left Lance wandering around the school checking all the doors and gates were locked as CONSTAWA 41 ended. What a day of energy and good spirits – we thank everyone who helped set up on the Monday, delivered workshops, attended, and volunteered.

If you have ever run a school excursion – multiply the work required by 10 to get a conference like this up and running. The feedback was excellent (thank you!) and the few constructive comments will be attended to. Be warned – we will be starting to plan CONSTAWA 42 later this year so think ahead about how you might participate – present a workshop, volunteer to help, or even just attend and encourage other teachers to attend. The overwhelming number of teachers are happy with it being in the school holidays so we will continue with this.

Who is the CONSTAWA Working Group?

Set up this year for the first time we were:

• Lance Taylor (WSHS Liaison and Presenter Coordinator)

• Sue Doncon (Primary Teacher Representative)

• Graham Johnson (Secondary Teacher Representative)

• Geoff Quinton (Trades Liaison)

• Mady Colquhoun (Convenor)

We were of course totally supported by John Clarke (STAWA CEO) and Pamela Getalado (STAWA Marketing & Communications Assistant).

If you are interested in being part of the CONSTAWA Working Group – please email admin@stawa.net and we will be in touch. CONSTAWA 42 will be held next year BUT the following year (2025), CONSTAWA will take a break while STAWA hosts the Australian Science Teachers’ Association Conference (CONASTA). We only have a chance to host this amazing conference in rotation every 8 years so jump in and deliver a presentation, assist with organising or even just attend. It runs for a few days, and it will be amazing!

fIRST CONSTAWA EXpERIENCE: pRImARY

Ashleigh Tomasetig

About the Author

I am a first-year graduate, completing my Master of Teaching (ECE) at Curtin University mid-2022. I started teaching pre-primary and year one science in term 1, 2023 at Mount Lockyer Primary School (MLPS). MLPS is located in Albany and has just over 600 students. I was born in Albany and completed my Bachelor of Science (Restoration Ecology) at the UWA Albany campus in 2010.

Ashleigh was awarded the STAWA Early Career Primary Science Scholarship 2023.

topics that are ever-increasingly more relevant in today’s education system and the world.

When I first saw CONSTAWA online, I spoke with two of my science colleagues who had not heard of it or STAWA. I saw CONSTAWA as an opportunity to network with likeminded teachers and was drawn to the options of selecting workshops that fit with my professional development, interests and exposure to

There were a couple of standout experiences, however the whole day was greatly beneficial, relevant, engaging, and enjoyable. The keynote speaker spoke about the impact of AI which was eye-opening and thoughtprovoking. The information she shared with us was relevant to all teachers, not just the science specialists. I shared an overview with my school community at MLPS to try and provoke reflection on such an important topic. I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing powerful problem solving with the hands-on workshop run by Scitech. I finished the workshop thinking about how I can apply this technique to junior primary. With limited writing abilities, I am researching ways to capture thoughts and knowledge effectively and efficiently whilst stepping back from the traditional authoritarian role of leading learning.

The third standout was the six classroom management strategies for a science classroom. As a new graduate my behaviour management skills are still developing, and it has been a steep learning curve to date. I came out of this workshop with refreshed ideas on already known strategies and a handful of new strategies to implement plus resources to access while I develop in this area. I have already noticed the confidence I’ve gained when teaching my lessons and the positive impact it is having on my students and their learning.

CONSTAWA was all that I imagined and more, from check in, to the keynote speaker, workshops, the trade stalls, shared meal breaks with like-minded teachers which were all fantastic opportunities for networking and the fantastic STAWA team who were incredibly supportive throughout the day. Their hard work is the reason CONSTAWA was such a successful and beneficial day for all science teachers, near and far.

fIRST CONSTAWA EXpERIENCE: SECONDARY

About the Author

Kieran Broadbent is an Early Career Science teacher at St John Bosco College. Kieran was the recipient of the CONSTAWA Jeff Cahill Early Career Teacher Award.

My First CONSTAWA experience was very eventful and informative in terms of what I could take from the experience and day. Having been to other STAWA events I had somewhat of an idea as to how it was going to run and what to expect.

Firstly, it was a great opportunity to be recognised for the 2023 Jeff Cahill Early Career Teacher Award, an award which I am still surprised at receiving. However, it is nice to be recognised for the work and dedication I am putting into teaching and the support I give my students.

The first part of the day was a seminar on AI and how we think about the future by Assoc. Prof Julia Powles. It was very interesting and looking at the applications of AI and the legalities behind its use. For me these types of professional development days are about what I can take from it and apply within the classroom. When the information on AI’s water consumption was explained, I was able to switch my teacher lightbulb on and note it down as our current Year 7’s are about to learn the Water Cycle and so I am now able to apply this in a classroom context for my students.

The rest of the day is about taking in information from a different perspective from other teachers who are practicing it in their classroom or have done in the past. As an early career teacher, I think these types of events are extremely useful in broadening your knowledge and skills that you can apply in the classroom. If I was to talk to other ECT’s my advice for the day would be to choose seminars/classes in the program that interest you. What I have found beneficial in my first couple of years is “cherry-picking” from events like CONSTAWA and other teachers so that you can trial it in your own classroom and see what works for you. Understanding that it is ok if something doesn’t work in the classroom and taking the time during these events to ask for tips from other teachers and professionals regarding the tools you can use to help support your teaching.

What I found useful with the CONSTAWA event from the workshops that I chose was how I could apply them within my own lessons as well as the sharing of resources, which every teacher knows is so invaluable in their teaching and adding to their own library of resources. I would definitely recommend attending a CONSTAWA for any ECT as well as those looking to refresh or learn new skills to put into practice within the classroom. Definitely looking forward to the next CONSTAWA.

Kieran Broadbent

pOWERfuL pRObLEm-SOLVING IN SCIENCE

About the Authors

Shyam Drury is a Professional Learning Consultant at Scitech. He developed the highly successful Lighthouse Maths program, training teachers in a Powerful ProblemSolving approach to teaching mathematics. He worked previously as a high school mathematics teacher and is currently studying a PhD in mathematics education at the University of Notre Dame Australia.

Lucas Black brings his 15 years of experience with him to Scitech Professional Learning. In his last 3 years with Scitech Lucas has worked with teachers in many schools across WA to enhance the pedagogical delivery of Science, Maths and Digital Technologies.

to discovery, problem-solving serves as the key to unlocking its profound mysteries and shaping the future of human knowledge.

In this article, we discuss an approach we have been using to implement problem-solving focussed lessons, and how this can be applied in the context of a primary science classroom. Our approach is based on the Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Task-Based Discussions in Science outlined by Cartier et al. (2013). We will outline the use of these five practices through an example lesson, as well as addressing some additional considerations.

problem-solving tasks and lesson goals

In the dynamic realm of science, problem-solving takes centre stage as a vital skillset. The science classroom provides a unique platform for students to engage in a captivating journey of exploration and inquiry. Whether deciphering complex equations, analysing intricate data sets, or unravelling the mysteries of the natural world, problem-solving lies at the heart of scientific endeavours. It empowers students to think critically, apply their knowledge, and develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges. By honing their problemsolving abilities, students not only enhance their scientific proficiency but also cultivate a broader set of skills that are invaluable in navigating the complexities of an ever-evolving world. As science opens the door

The first step in fostering authentic problem-solving is selecting the right task and matching it to an appropriate lesson goal. The task should aim to be accessible to all students, based on prior knowledge, but provide challenge through requiring the students to make decisions. Successful completion of the task must be centred on specific scientific concepts, providing the basis for a discussion the teacher can facilitate to make the concepts explicit and deepen understanding. Here we provide an example task that could be used while teaching to the Year 3 content descriptors Science Inquiry Skills: Planning and Conducting and Physical Science: Heat can be produced in many ways and can move from one object to another:

Shyam Drury & Lucas Black

Which material conducts heat best?

materials supplied:

• metal spoon

• wooden spoon

• plastic spoon

Equipment: One per group:

• Digital thermometer with probe

• Stopwatch

• Bowl for boiling water.

practise 1: Anticipation

Anticipation is how the teacher prepares for the problem-solving lesson. The teacher needs to thoroughly consider the task and identify:

Instructions:

• Determine which of the materials is the best heat conductor.

• Work out how you will use the equipment provided to measure how well materials conduct heat. To make comparisons you will need to conduct multiple tests. Consider what you will change, measure, and keep the same for fair testing.

• Record important data that can be used as evidence. Compare the data from each of the tests to prove which material is the best heat conductor.

• Provide justification that you have used a fair test. We understand that suitable safety precautions must be taken and discussed with students in a task involving heat. We have not addressed these directly, as we assume teachers to be competent to address these and choose to keep the content of this article focused on the less obvious information being presented.

For this task, our lesson goal understandings are:

1. Correct conclusions about which material conducts best can only be made when a fair test is conducted.

2. A fair test needs to keep all elements the same other than the one you are deliberately changing. (In technical terms, a fair test needs to control for all independent variables other than the one being tested.)

Ideas around the best way to display data clearly and convincingly to prove a conclusion are also suitable goals for this task, but it is important to limit the number of goals so that they can be addressed adequately, with focus. Which goal to focus on is an important decision the teacher must make based on prior assessment of student’s understanding and judgements about what concepts to focus on next. We have chosen the above goals for the purpose of illustration.

• Expected and appropriate strategies for solving the task, and how to move through each of the steps.

• Likely mistakes pupils might make, and how to correct them.

• Levels of efficiency and accuracy in task completion, and how to move from lower ones to higher ones.

• How to support or extend students as required.

It can be very helpful, if opportunity permits, to complete the task and/or to discuss the task with colleagues to help in identifying these features. A main appropriate strategy we have identified for determining the best heat conductor is:

1. Measure the temperature of one end of the material. Record value.

2. Place the other end of the material on the hot plate for a fixed period (e.g., 5-10 minutes). (Using tongs and appropriate safety equipment under supervision).

3. Measure the temperature of the material at the opposite end. Record value.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each material.

5. Determine the change in temperature of each material by calculating the difference between the starting and finishing temperatures for each.

6. Identify the best heat conductor as the material whose temperature changed the most.

Along with identifying the likely mistakes and inefficiencies, it is important to prepare prompts to get students back on track, progressing with the task. We recommend, in most cases, teachers use questions to prompt thinking rather than statements. This is because teachers should aim to provide expert guidance to student thinking without taking away all the opportunities for students to do the thinking themselves. Here is a list of some possible mistakes we have predicted for the students along with prompts:

Student mistake: Teacher prompt:

Measure the temperature of the material close to the heat source.

Only measure temperature once per material.

Conductivity is how well a material transfers heat. What do you need to change to make sure you are measuring the heat transferred through the material?

How will you know how much the material heated up if you don’t know how hot it was at first?

Use inconsistent intervals. Can we make a fair comparison between one material that had five minutes to heat up and another that had ten minutes? Why not? What do you need to change about what you are doing?

Do not record measurements systematically.

Do not know how to interpret data and relate it to the question to make a conclusion.

How will you make sure you have the data you need to make comparisons and come to a conclusion? How will you know later which values were for which recording?

Refer students back to initial question. What are you trying to figure out? How can you work out the change in temperature for each material? Would a high change or low change be a sign of good heat conductivity?

When the teacher anticipates student solutions, errors, and misconceptions as deeply as they can, they are able to prepare good prompts, thereby reducing how much improvisation is required during the lesson. This will make the teacher more efficient and effective in supporting students through the task. We have only demonstrated anticipation and preparation of prompts for mistakes, but the more the teacher can think through all the various features listed above the more effective they will be. For example, a teacher can prepare prompts for how to help students move forward in the main strategy when they get stuck at key steps.

Enabling and extending prompts

It is helpful to prepare simpler and more complex versions of the task, to provide for differentiation. Groups or students who are unable to engage with the main task can be given an enabling prompt, and students who complete the task early can be given an extending prompt. This idea is drawn from the work of Sullivan et al. (2015) who developed it for use in supporting the use of challenging tasks in mathematics. Enabling prompts should simplify the main task by reducing steps, complexity, or number of decisions in the task. Completion of the enabling prompt ideally allow students to complete the main task.

Extending prompts should connect to the idea in the main task but extend it, potentially incorporating some related concepts. Some enabling prompts for this task might be:

• Choose a spoon, measure the temperature of the handle. Place the spoon in the bowl (handle out) of hot water for 10 minutes, then measure temperature of the handle again. Use these two temperatures to figure out how much the material heated up.

• Do this for another spoon. Compare how much this material heated up. Work out which one is a better heat conductor.

While some extending prompts might be:

• How could you represent your findings using a graph to make it easier to interpret?

• How could you find out how well the material holds heat?

practices 2, 3 & 4: monitoring, Selecting and Sequencing

Anticipating all happens before the lesson. The lesson itself begins with a launch which should be a clear and concise description of the task, allowing students to get started. Often, in these powerful problem-solving sessions, students will work in groups so they can support and learn from each other. Having students in groups also makes it easier for the teacher to monitor the activity of the whole class and get around to all students for support. Monitoring is the process of observing the activity of the class and visiting groups to check on progress and provide prompts as necessary. The teacher should be careful to only provide just enough support to move student thinking forward to the next step, and then leave them to continue working it out for themselves. Some groups and students may not need any prompting. The teacher also makes notes during this time, on which groups have used which strategies (and/or encountered which mistakes) in preparation for a whole class discussion. The teacher will then select a few groups (usually 2-3) to present their findings at the end of the groupwork to use as a basis for a discussion targeting the lesson goals. The teacher can prepare the groups by letting them know they will be

called upon and what they will be asked to share. The teacher will carefully determine the order in which the groups present during the whole class discussion to clearly lead students through the core ideas in a way that logically build upon each other. For example, in this lesson, a teacher might choose the following three groups in order:

1. Group 1: Initially measured temperature close to the heat source but corrected their error with prompting from the teacher. They can clearly articulate the meaning of conductivity and why measuring away from the heat source is necessary.

2. Group 2: Group made errors in fair testing but corrected them and can explain reasoning.

3. Group 3: Produced a clear and sound argument with well displayed data.

practice 5: Connecting

In the fifth practice, Connecting, the teacher makes connections between different student presentations, and connects what is being presented with the learning goal. The teacher uses well-crafted questions and statements to make the central concepts explicit and understandable for the class. The teacher should prepare some key questions before the lesson based on their anticipations and understanding of the concepts, then weave these into a discussion built on student presentations. The discussion might go something like this:

Group1 Teacher asks group to describe to the class the change they made in where they measured the temperature and why that was important.

Group explains. Teacher and class discuss.

Key question: Why was it important to measure the temperature at the opposite end from the heat source?

Group 2 Teacher asks group to explain their process for solving the problem and what changes they needed to make. Group explains. Teacher and class discuss.

Key questions: Why did the time between measurements need to be the same for each test? Why did we need to measure the temperature before heating? What did you need to do when recording data to make it usable?

Group 3 Teacher asks group to take class through their whole solution.

Group explains. Teacher and class discuss.

Teacher stops presentation at key points when they have demonstrated correct practices. At each point teacher can ask class to discuss/explain why they did it that way and why it was important. (Connecting to issues addressed in previous presentations.)

Key question: How does the data prove that the metal spoon is the best conductor?

Considerations and conclusion

In selecting and implementing a problem-solving lesson like the one described here, there are many factors to consider. The teacher needs to take into account how much the students know, how much experience they have with challenging unstructured problems, as well as the classroom culture. In terms of classroom culture, time and effort needs to be spent to build a space where students feel safe to take risks and make mistakes, and safe to share these with each other. The classroom culture needs to be one in which students feel they are all working together to develop their understanding, without judgement, shame or competition.

Importantly, cognitive load theory explains that students have finite limits to working memory (Sweller, 2011), that is, there is only so much a person can hold in their mind at once. If a student lacks the fundamental understandings necessary that allow them to use their cognitive capacity to focus on problem-solving, they can be overwhelmed stuck in unproductive frustration. This means that ideally students need to have mastered all the prerequisite understandings (e.g., understanding of heat conductivity, what makes a fair test etc.) to be able to have enough free working memory to deal with the decisions they need to make in applying this knowledge in the context of this problem. In practice, there is no way to guarantee all students have achieved mastery of the necessary concepts before implementing a challenging problem, so teachers should aim for the majority of students to have achieved mastery and have enabling prompts ready to reduce the cognitive demand for those who have not.

The sequence of the five practices builds in concert to allow for intentional teaching and learning practices in the classroom. When incorporated into a lesson

effectively a teacher can provide students with a rich problem-solving opportunity that facilitates student-led exploration, discovery, and discussion of curriculum content. This approach to learning can be very exciting for students and allows a connective learning process that students enjoy because it incorporates explicit practices with student autonomy and decision-making processes. Additionally, teachers skilled in collecting qualitative and anecdotal assessment evidence will find that the process provides ample opportunity to understand their students as learners. While all these reasons are beneficial to the classroom, perhaps the real benefit to implementing the five practices in a science classroom is the opportunity for students to ask questions, test and try new things, make and reflect on observations, and communicate their findings with others as scientists.

References

1. Cartier, J. L., Smith, M. S., Stein, M. K., & Ross, D. K. (2013). 5 practices for orchestrating productive task-based discussions in science. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

2. Sullivan, P., Askew, M., Cheeseman, J., Clarke, D., Mornane, A., Roche, A., & Walker, N. (2015). Supporting teachers in structuring mathematics lessons involving challenging tasks. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 18, 123-140.

3. Sweller, J. (2011). Cognitive load theory. In Psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 55, pp. 37-76). Elsevier.

pOGIL – A STuDENT-CENTRED INSTRuCTIONAL AppROACh

About the Author

Dr Aneeta Dogra is a science teacher and has a particular interest in student-centred pedagogies and how they affect students’ knowledge and skills. As part of her work, she conducted an action research study to explore POGIL’s adaptability within the Australian Curriculum for upper secondary chemistry and lower secondary science classrooms to address specific science inquiry skills and to demonstrate its crosscultural utility.

on a learning cycle model. During this process, the teacher serves as a facilitator rather than the source of the information.

Research basis

Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is a pedagogical approach that has grown in popularity in 21st century classrooms, as it offers an active and student-centred learning environment. Initially, POGIL was developed by Chemistry educators in the late 1990s. Since then, it has been successfully used in other disciplines as well. This article explores POGIL and its adaptability in the Australian curriculum for secondary classrooms to address science inquiry skills and its cross-cultural transferability. It is based on my research which was undertaken with Year 8 and Year 11 Chemistry classes.

POGIL can be defined as a hybrid of three learning theories: constructivism, active learning and inquirybased learning (Moog et al., 2009). In a POGIL learning environment, students work in small self-managed teams on specially designed POGIL activities based

Educational research provides educators with important information about new ways of teaching and learning. Research indicates that ‘teaching by telling’ does not work for many students. Every student learns differently, and educators should use a range of strategies to cater to the needs of diverse students. Social interaction plays an important role in students learning process and students learn best when they actively construct their own knowledge.

Many studies have found that POGIL serves as an effective active learning tool which enhances students conceptual understanding as well as develop essential process skills such as critical and analytical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and communication. More importantly, POGIL process skills and Australian curriculum general capabilities align with one another.

Dual purpose of pOGIL and its place in the Australian curriculum

Content knowledge and process skills are two key elements of education. Both are equally important as they supplement each other. These process skills are essential in the 21st century and this is highlighted by the 2008 Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals

Dr Aneeta Dogra

for Young Australians. The new Australian curriculum has a much stronger focus on these skills. Keeping this in view, general capabilities were incorporated in the Australian curriculum to equip Australian students with the knowledge and skills which will enable them to live and work successfully. Teachers are expected to teach general capabilities to the extent that they are incorporated within each learning area. There are seven general capabilities namely, Literacy, Numeracy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social, Ethical Understanding and Intercultural Understanding.

Similarly, POGIL also provides students an opportunity to master the content knowledge as well as develop essential process skills such as communication, teamwork, information processing, critical and analytical thinking, problem-solving and self-assessment.

Both the Australian curriculum (general capabilities) and POGIL process skills compliment each other and have some common skills. POGIL is an effective studentcentred strategy which can be easily incorporated into the lessons. Teachers can also teach both content and process skills simultaneously without compromising time.

be in the form of diagrams, graphs, data, or a small prose. Students use the model to answer a series of critical thinking questions to explore and develop an understanding of the concept or relationships. This is followed by some problems which involve application of the conceptual knowledge gained to new learning situations.

An extract from a pOGIL workshet

Why? Solids, liquid and gases are made up of very small particles. To understand why solids, liquids and gases behave differently, scientists developed a theory called particle theory of matter. It is also called kinetic theory of matter. The word “kinetic” comes from Greek and means movement or motion.

Success criteria

model 1-kinetic theory

Learning Cycle Model

Characteristics of pOGIL activities

The POGIL activities are modelled around a learning cycle approach which consist of three phases: exploration, concept introduction, and application. The POGIL worksheets begin with a model which can

• Comprehending diagrams and written information.

• Understand kinetic theory of matter.

• Understand more about states of matter.

• Applying theory to everyday situations.

Here are three pictures showing a microscopic view of a solid, liquid and gas.

Note: each circle represents a particle.

Key questions Look at the picture of a solid, liquid and gas in Model 1. What do you notice about the arrangement of particles in solids?

pOGIL in action

In a POGIL classroom, teachers are not the source of information, but they act as facilitators and guide students to invent concepts and reach conclusions. Students are grouped into heterogenous teams of three or four students, with each student given a role of either Manager, Presenter, Recorder, or a Reflector. Many researchers believe that allocating roles for students fosters a sense of positive interdependence and accountability in team settings, especially in the high school environment. Teachers can rotate team roles regularly so that every student gets an opportunity to develop a range of skills.

Students work collaboratively on POGIL worksheets which are modelled around a learning cycle approach consisting of three parts: the model (exploration phase), the critical thinking questions (concept introduction phase) and problems (application phase).

To implement POGIL effectively in their classrooms, the teacher must consider the social dynamics when forming groups to enhance positive interdependence. Teachers are encouraged to talk to students about the importance of group work and group norms. They should establish a clear set of rules and expectations for each group member to follow before starting POGIL sessions.

Conclusion

I had a positive experience implementing POGIL in my Year 8 and Year 11 Chemistry classes. It was an insightful experience as I could improve my teaching and learning style while enhancing my students’ learning experiences. Of course, like any other teaching strategy, you need to prepare your students for the new learning environment for successful implementation. My students held positive views about POGIL learning and considered POGIL to be a preferred learning environment compared to the traditional teachercentered pedagogy. It was found that POGIL not only increased their conceptual understanding, but also helped in the development of process skills such as collaboration, communication, problem solving and critical thinking. I would encourage teachers to trial this student-centered pedagogy in their classes, as they can easily incorporate POGIL into their courses to address their students’ curriculum needs.

References

1. ACARA. (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians https://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/ development-of-australian-curriculum

2. ACARA. (2016). Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Retrieved 5th January, from https://www. australiancurriculum.edu.au/

3. Blake, B., & Pope, T. (2008). Developmental Psychology: Incorporating Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s Theories in Classroo0020ms. Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives in Education. 1. (Suppl. 1), S59-67.

4. Ghaith, G. M. (2002). The relationship between cooperative learning, perception of social support, and academic achievement. System, 30(3), 263-273. https://doi.org/http://doi. org/10.1016/S0346-251X(02)00014-3

5. Moog, R. S., Creegan, F. J., Hanson, D. M., Spencer, J. N., Straumanis, A., Bunce, D. M., & Wolfskill, T. (2009). POGIL-Process Oriented Guided Inquiry. In N. J. Pienta, M. M. Cooper, & T. J. Greenbowe (Eds.), Chemists’ Guide to Effective Teaching (Vol. II, pp. 90-99). Prentice Hall.

6. Johnson, R. T., & Johnson, D. W. (1986). Cooperative learning in the science classroom. Science and children, 24, 31-32.

7. Piaget. (1972). Psychology and epistemology: towards a theory of knowledge. Harmondsworth : Penguin.

8. POGIL. (2012). POGIL Project. Retrieved 13/01/2019, from https://www.thesaurus.com/ browse/supported

9. Rillero, P. (1998). Process skills and content knowledge. Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas, 35(3)

10. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard university press.

INORGANIC ChEmISTRY IupAC RECOmmENDATIONS

Lyndon

Smith

The times are a changin’

The chemistry language is a changin’

It’s no longer what I learned at Uni.

It has come to my attention that over the last 25 years, IUPAC has made various changes to their recommendations which have not been incorporated into the West Australian syllabus, nor our textbooks.

In a previous time, this might not have been an issue, however, I find my students are seeking information on the Internet, and what we’re teaching and the information that Wikipedia, IUPAC and the Royal Chemical Society offers as answers, differs from our teaching.

I’ve collected the recent IUPAC recommendations (the most recent 25 years), and summarised them here. I would encourage teachers and examiners to consider that there could be alternative answers to questions, and the use of words like “hydron” instead of “proton” should be mutually acceptable until we can change the syllabus and update the textbooks to “hydron”.

I’m eager to avoid the conflict that a teacher faces when a student says, “I looked this up on Wikipedia, and you’re wrong.”

Syllabus references affected by these changes

Year 11 Chemistry 2023

Unit 1 – Chemical fundamentals: structure, properties, and reactions.

Chemical reactions: reactants, products, and energy change

Science Understanding:

• the mole is a precisely defined quantity of matter equal to Avogadro’s number of particles

• the mole concept relates mass, moles, and molar mass and, with the Law of Conservation of Mass; can be used to calculate the masses of reactants and products in a chemical reaction

Unit 2 – Molecular interactions and reactions

Intermolecular forces and gases

Science Understanding:

• the mole concept can be used to calculate the mass of substances and volume of gases (at standard temperature and pressure) involved in a chemical reaction

Year 12 Chemistry 2023

Unit 3 – Acids and bases

Science as a Human Endeavour

Subsequently, the Brønsted-Lowry model describes acid-base behaviour in terms of proton donors and proton acceptors. This approach includes a wider

range of substances and can be more broadly applied.

IupAC Recommendations

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) communicates its recommendations via the Blue Book, the Red Book, the Green Book, and the Gold Book with reference to their monthly journal. Most of the following changes are at least 25 years old.

IUPAC have issued updated versions of the Red Book (Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry) and the Blue Book (Organic Nomenclature) along with a version of the Gold Book (Compendium of Chemical Terminology) and the Green Book (Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry). There are significant changes that will affect chemistry teaching in secondary schools.

• Blue Book: https://iupac.org/what-we-do/ books/bluebook/

• Gold Book: https://goldbook.iupac.org/

• Green Book: https://iupac.org/what-we-do/ books/greenbook/

• Red Book: https://iupac.org/what-we-do/ books/redbook/

PAC = “Pure and Applied Chemistry” is the official monthly journal of IUPAC.

blue book: Nomenclature

New IupAC names to recognise and use Table 2.1 Systematic names of mononuclear parent hydrides of the elements in Groups 13,14,15,16, and 17 with normal bonding numbers.

(all systematic names, except for carbane, are preselected names; see P-12.2; for the retained name methane, see P-21.1.1.2)

Group 13 Group 14 Group 15 Group 16 Group 17

TℓH3 thallane PbH4 plumbane BiH3 bismuthane PoH2 polane AtH astane

* Note that methane is the preferred IUPAC name.

The Red book

Do not use proton in the context of “acids donate protons” – they donate hydrons.- 1988 IR-3.3.2 Isotopes of hydrogen

“Hydrogen is an exception to the rule in Section IR3.3.1 in that the three isotopes 1H, 2H and 3H can have the alternative names protium, deuterium and tritium, respectively. The symbols D and T may be used for deuterium and tritium but 2H and 3H are preferred because D and T can disturb the alphabetical ordering in formulae (see Section IR-4.5). These names give rise to the names, proton, deuteron, and triton for the cations 1H+, 2H+, and 3H+, respectively. Because the name proton is often used in contradictory senses, i.e., for isotopically pure 1H+ ions on the one hand, and for the naturally occurring undifferentiated isotope mixture on the other, it is recommended that the undifferentiated mixture be designated generally by the name hydron, derived from hydrogen.”

[Hydrogen ion is not suitable because that could be H–= “halide”. The proton theory of acids (1923) predated the discovery of deuterium (1930).]

The Red Book–Page 48 – paragraph IR-3.3.2

hydron

General name for the ion H+ either in natural abundance or where it is not desired to distinguish between the isotopes, as opposed to proton for 1H+, deuteron for 2H+ and triton for 3H+

Sources:

• PAC, 1988, 60, 1115 (Names for hydrogen atoms, ions, and groups, and for reactions involving them (Recommendations 1988)) on page 1116

• PAC, 1994, 66, (Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC

Recommendations 1994)) on page 1123

• Red Book, p. 103 – see below

hydronation rather than protonation or protonated

Attachment of the ion H+ either in natural abundance or where it is not desired to distinguish between the isotopes.

base – A new definition

A chemical species or molecular entity having an available pair of electrons capable of forming a covalent bond with a hydron (proton) (see Brønsted base) or with the vacant orbital of some other species.

Source:

• PAC, 1994, 66, 1077 (Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1994)) on page 1088 PAC, 1990, 62, 2167 (Glossary of atmospheric chemistry terms (Recommendations 1990)) on page 2176

brönsted Acid – A new definition

A molecular entity capable of donating a hydron (proton) to a base, (i.e. a ‘hydron donor’) or the corresponding chemical species. For example: H2O, H3O+, CH3CO2H, H2SO4, HSO4 , HCℓ, CH3OH, NH3

Sources:

• PAC, 1994, 66, 1077 (Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC

• Recommendations 1994)) on page 1091

The Gold book language changes to accept Autoprotolysis

A term describing the acid base equivalent of disproportionation.

Autoprotolysis A term to use.

Proton transfer reaction (now hydron transfer reaction) between two identical amphoteric molecules (usually of a solvent), one acting as a Brönsted acid and the other as a Brönsted base.

Example: H2O + H2O H3O+ + OH–

Sources:

• PAC, 1994, 66, 1077 (Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC

• Recommendations 1994)) on page 1087

Autoprotolysis Constant A term to use.

The product of the activities (or, more approximately, concentrations) of the species produced as the result of autoprotolysis. For solvents in which no other ionization processes are significant the term is synonymous with ‘ionic product’. The autoprotolysis constant for water, is equal to the product of activities:

Example: The autoprotolysis constant for water, Kw, is equal to the product of the relative activities of the hydronium and hydroxide ions at equilibrium in pure water.

K w = a(H3O+)a(OH–) = 1.0 × 10–14 at 25 °C and 1 standard atmosphere.

Note: Since the relative activity a(H2O) of water at equilibrium is imperceptibly different from unity (with mole fraction as the activity scale and pure un-ionized water as the standard state), the denominator in the expression for the thermodynamic equilibrium constant Kw° for autoprotolysis has a value very close to 1.

Sources:

• PAC, 1994, 66, 1077 (Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC

• Recommendations 1994)) on page 1087

Clarification of aquation and hydration – 1994

Aquation not hydration

A term to use.

The incorporation of one or more integral molecules of water into another species with or without displacement of one or more other atoms or groups.

For example, the incorporation of water into the inner ligand sphere of an inorganic complex is an aquation reaction.

Example: The incorporation of water into the inner ligand sphere of an inorganic complex. Aℓ(H2O)63+(aq)

Sources:

• PAC, 1994, 66, 1077 (Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC

• Recommendations 1994)) on page 1086

hydration Addition of water or of the elements of water (i.e., H and OH) to a molecular entity or to a chemical species.

Example: hydration of ethene: CH2=CH2 + H2O CH3CH2OH

Note: In contrast to aquation, hydration, as in the incorporation of waters of crystallisation into a protein or in the formation of a layer of water on a nonpolar surface, does not necessarily require bond formation.

Source:

• PAC, 1994, 66, 1077 (Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1994)) on page 1122

The Gold book Stop using “dispersion force” instead use “London force” – 1994

London forces

Previously were called “dispersion forces”. Attractive forces between molecules due to their mutual polarizability.

Note: London forces are the principal components of the forces between nonpolar molecules.

“London Force” has replaced the term “dispersion force” “ – named for Fritz Wolfgang London (March 7, 1900 – March 30, 1954) was a German physicist and professor at Duke University.

Source:

• PAC, 1994, 66, 1077. (Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1994)) on page 1136

• Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry

• Third Edition Page 92

3.7 Non-SI units accepted for use with the SI

The following units are not part of the SI, but it is recognized by the General Conference on Weights and Measures that they will continue to be used in appropriate contexts. SI prefixes may be attached to some of these units, such as millilitre, mL; megaelectronvolt, MeV; kilotonne, kt. A more extensive list of non-SI units, with conversion factors to the corresponding SI units, is given in Chapter 7, p. 129.

The Green book

Continue to use litre (not dm3) and atomic & molecular masses use the unit dalton (Da) or amu (u)

We usually write “the molar mass of methane is 16.031” and we should say “16.031 Da” or “16.031 u”.

Sources:

• The Green Book – INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PURE AND APPLIED CHEMISTRY

• Physical and Biophysical Chemistry Division

For example, an atom of helium-4 has a mass of 4.0026 Da. This is an intrinsic property of the isotope and all helium-4 atoms have the same mass. Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), C9H8O4, has an average mass of approximately 180.157 Da. However, there are no acetylsalicylic acid molecules with this mass. The two most common masses of individual acetylsalicylic acid molecules are 180.0423 Da, having the most common isotopes, and 181.0456 Da, in which one carbon is carbon-13.

The mole

The General Conference on Weights and Measures at the 2018 meeting, decided to set exact numerical values, when expressed in SI. They defined the mole as 6.02214076 × 1023 for the International System of Units (SI) effective from May 20, 2019. The kilogram, ampere, and kelvin were also redefined at this meeting.

The mole, symbol mol, is the SI unit of amount of substance. One mole contains exactly 6.022 140 76 × 1023 elementary entities. This number is the fixed numerical value of the Avogadro constant, NA, when

expressed in the unit mol–1 and is called the Avogadro number.

The amount of substance, symbol n, of a system is a measure of the number of specified elementary entities. An elementary entity may be an atom, a molecule, an ion, an electron, any other particle, or specified group of particles. Its symbol is “mol”.

The mole is no longer defined as the amount of substance of a system which contains as many elementary entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon 12; a definition of the mole in force since 1971.

The mole is a base unit of the Système International d’Unités.

Reference

1. Proceedings of the 26th CGPM (2018), 2019, p472

A WEEK IN ThE WILD WITh buShbLITz

Bek Armishaw

About the Author

I am the science specialist at Aspiri Primary School. I was among the successful applicants to attend the Kepa Kurl (Esperance) 2023 Bush Blitz TeachLive with four outstanding teaching colleagues.

Bush Blitz TeachLive was a fantastic experience for the educators and our respective learning communities. As a graduate teacher, science specialist, and passionate sustainability advocate, I created meaningful links for myself and my students regarding the synergies between science, nature, and the classroom.

The professional network of scientists and specialist teachers I have made from attending Bush Blitz TeachLive has been invaluable. The Wudjari people shared cultural knowledge that has helped me incorporate more Aboriginal perspectives into my science lessons.

Annie and Juanika Dab, from Dabungool Cultural Experiences, taught us about the bush tucker native to Hellfire Bay. We saw Banksias with flowers that bloom underground and then break through to the surface. The Chiddick, the bright orange blossom with a sweet honey flavour at the tip, inspired the name ‘Hellfire’ Bay. The Wudjari people use the leaves from the Melaleuca tree to make a sweet tea that helps with headaches. Annie showed us how the leaves and pods from the Red Eye Wattle can soap up and can be used in watering holes to make fish easier to catch.

A standout for me was the temporary science laboratory and the opportunity to meet the scientists and see their collected specimens. Scientific equipment was everywhere plus specimens and a room filled with provoking conversations. Ryan Ellis, a herpetologist, showed us a beautiful Southern Blind snake with the exact colouring of an earthworm, followed by a legless lizard they had collected that morning. Behind

us were tanks with different fish and yabbies waiting to be processed. I couldn’t wait to share this with my students and answer their questions!

We were up at 5am to head to Lucky Bay, home to various fish species. Dr Michael Hammer, from the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, led the team down to the bay to collect some samples. We had Ana Hara and Jenelle Ritchie from the Western Australian Museum working with us as we cast out the net, walked it through the water, and checked the seagrass for various fish species. We found many species, including flounder, magpie perch, flathead, long-nose weedy whiting, pipe fish, flute fish, crested weed fish and hardy heads. The most exciting fish we found was the earspot snakeblenny, Ophiclinops hutchinsi, as it is only found at Lucky Bay.

The next day I returned to Hell Fire Bay with Entomologist Dr Nik and Arachnologist Jeremy Wilson from the Western Australian Museum. The botanists had marked out a new survey site the day before and the team hoped to find a variety of insects and spiders from the new location. Nik showed me how to catch bugs from plants using a net, stick, pooter and collection container. I went off, hitting as many plants as possible and found several different species of bugs and spiders. I have sourced some materials for my students to make their pooters that they can test in our school gardens. My favourite find was the trapdoor spider Jeremy dug up from the side of the path. It was over 80 cm underground and was huge! The students have loved watching the video of the team collecting it and Jeremy explaining why he returned her to the survey site.

The fish team wanted to net one of the bays closer to Esperance for additional specimens. We collected many of the fish from our first outing in addition to a tongue sole. Michael transferred the best fish into small tanks so that we could share them with my students via a live video call from the bay. Michael showed the students each fish and shared some fun facts about them. The video call was a highlight of the trip, and

it was so lovely to see the students excited, engaged and asking lots of questions. With many fish having interesting physical and behavioural adaptations to help them survive, I have added photos of them to my lessons in Biological Science.

I recommend both primary and secondary science teachers apply for the next Bush Blitz opportunity to gain practical fieldwork experience and meet scientists who can enrich their lessons.

Applications are advertised via the ASTA (Australian Science Teachers Association) website and STAWA, so keep an eye out. Bush Blitz TeachLive is a fully funded field experience and a hands-on professional learning opportunity not to be missed!

WhAT CAN ThE ChIEf EXAmINER TEACh uS?

Each year in May after the ATAR examinations are complete and the candidates have their results, the School Curriculum and Standards Authority publishes a report on its website on each of the ATAR examinations. As part of the report the Chief Examiner offers advice gleaned from studying the examination scripts.

These comments might be applicable to any teacher and any student of an ATAR course so might be relevant to Years 10, 11 and 12 studies in that subject. Over the next few issues of SCIOS we will include a brief summary of some of the past few years’ advice for a number of ATAR courses. In this issue we provide a summary for Human Biology.

human biology

Human Biology was the fourth most popular ATAR course in 2022 in Western Australia.

Teachers: Designing a Teaching Course

Teachers are reminded that textbooks are not the syllabus. Supplementary teaching is necessary and learning with other references and resource materials beyond the textbook is essential.

Teachers are reminded that there is a list of required mathematical skills in the syllabus document. While basic mathematical and graphing skills have traditionally been well taught, there are many more mathematical skills included in the list. The question this year on percentage change proved to be challenging for a large number of candidates. Give students ample practise at applying all required mathematical skills in a scientific method context.

Teachers should ensure adequate coverage of these syllabus points in their lessons and assessments.

Teaching examination technique should be a key part of the teaching and learning completed throughout the year in the classroom. Candidates need to have ample time to practise constructing responses, particularly

to extended response style questions. Teachers should be modelling how to break a question down to identify what is being asked and how candidates should go about it. An area to consider is for example, if candidates are asked to describe or explain then that style of question will generally be worth at least three marks. Candidates therefore need to be able to provide at least three components to their descriptions and explanations. Again, this should be modelled and reinforced throughout the year during classroom teaching and, in the assessments, candidates are completing at school.

Candidates need to be given ample practice at decoding extended answer questions as part of their schoolbased assessment program. They need substantial practice in breaking down a question and identifying what the question requires. Examination technique should be modelled and reinforced throughout the year during classroom lessons and assessments.

There were several specific syllabus points that were not answered well. These include:

• graphing and mathematical skills.

• treatment of Parkinson’s disease with cell replacement therapy,

• specificity of the immunity provided by vaccinations,

• causes of the changes to allele frequencies in gene pools,

• alpha and beta thalassemia,

• differences between hominin skulls

• trends in tool culture.

• application of the knowledge of index fossils to explain a scenario

• role of bacterial enzymes in DNA sequencing

• role of transgenic organisms in recombinant DNA technology

• application of the knowledge of blood glucose regulation to explain a scenario

• random genetic drift links between bipedalism, cranial capacity

Candidates: The Examination – classroom preparation

You should expect a comprehensive coverage of the syllabus content in the examination. Although the same syllabus points may appear in recent examinations, questions will be structured in new and different contexts.

Candidates require a detailed knowledge of all syllabus points and the ability to apply this to new and different contexts. Simple recall and rote learning of facts are not enough for candidates to gain full marks in the examination. Candidates must be able to think critically and apply their knowledge to unique scenarios.

Candidates: The Examination – preparing responses - strategies

You must read questions carefully to ensure you understand the meaning of verbs used in the question. You need to know the difference between a question requiring you to ‘name’ or ‘identify’ compared to one requiring you to ‘describe’ or ‘explain’. Refer to the Glossary of key words used in the formulation of questions, which is available online through the course page.

Candidates need to focus on interpreting the question and providing a concise answer, rather than simply writing down all they have learnt on the topic. Stating key terminology or memorised facts will often not answer the entire question. Instead, candidates need to engage higher-order thinking skills and apply their knowledge.

The most thorough and complete responses in the Extended answer section of the paper are produced by those who complete a plan. Take time to plan your response and ensure all parts of the question are addressed.

Candidates: The Examination – writing the responses - strategies

You are encouraged to attempt every question. You should always try to put something down as an answer, even if it is an educated guess. A non-attempted question means no marks can be achieved.

You are encouraged to present annotated diagrams, charts, or tables to construct responses to questions in the Short and Extended answer sections. This technique is particularly important in the Extended answer section to help you write clear and precise answers and ensure that markers can easily follow and award marks for responses.

Always write your best answer first. When questions state a numerical value of responses required then that number of responses will be marked. For example, if you are asked to provide two reasons in your answer and you provide three, the first two responses are considered by the markers to address the question and marked accordingly.

Candidates are reminded that no marks are available for restating information in their response from the question. Read the questions thoroughly and ensure the response covers the required question.

NEW SENIOR SChOOL SCIENCE COuRSES

Julie Weber & Allan Knight

About the Authors

Julie Weber taught in metropolitan and regional schools in Western Australia for more than 30 years before moving to the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (WA) in 2018 in the role of Principal Consultant for Human Biology and Integrated Science, and Learning Area contact for 7-10 Science.

Allan Knight is the current editor of the SCIOS Magazine. See the Editor article for more information.

schools to access an agricultural production system, such as a farm, to be successfully delivered.)

• cater for rural students but also provide courses accessible to all schools

• provide greater clarity about the breadth and depth to which syllabus content needs to be taught – a key piece of feedback received from teachers of the current agricultural courses

• help provide students a pathway to tertiary studies in agriculture.

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority has approved two new Senior School Science courses –ATAR Agricultural Science and Technology (AST) and General Science in Practice (SIP) – for implementation in 2024 (Year 11) and 2025 (Year 12).

ATAR Agricultural Science and Technology

This new course (together with ATAR Agribusiness) replace the two existing Agricultural courses – Animal Production Systems (APS) and Plant Production Systems (PPS).

The aim of developing the new ATAR agricultural courses was to

• create courses with appeal not only to the agricultural colleges and schools currently teaching ATAR APS and PPS but also to a wider range of schools (The course does not require

Agriculture for the production of food and fibre is the world’s biggest industry and is one of the most exciting as it embraces science and technology in response to the need to supply product to an estimated 50 per cent more people by 2050.

The AST ATAR course enables students to develop knowledge and skills related to the sustainable use of resources for a wide variety of agricultural production systems, explore ways that people manage natural resources, such as plants, animals, soil and water, to meet global societal needs, and explore how new developments in science and technology can increase productivity, efficiency and sustainability whilst responding to evolving domestic and global demands.

unit content

units 1 and 2 (Year 11)

In Unit 1, students learn about approaches to agriculture in Australia over time as well as comparing intensive farming systems with extensive farming systems. They learn about resource conservation and management in food and natural fibre production systems, and about plant structures and functions. Genetics and the inheritance of traits from one generation of organisms to the next, and a variety of agricultural plant reproduction techniques and their advantages and disadvantages are also covered in Unit 1.

In Unit 2, students learn about animal anatomy and physiology. They learn about the variety of pest and disease causing organisms in food and fibre production systems, the importance of understanding their life cycle in order to control them, the impact of resistance to pesticides and biosecurity measures used to reduce their risk. As well, they learn about the variety of pest management options available through integrated pest management, and about some pests and diseases common to agricultural plants and animals and their control to maintain animal welfare, health and productivity. Students also learn about the application of technology in maintaining and improving productivity in food and fibre production systems.

units 3 and 4 (Year 12)

Unit 3 covers the challenges associated with food and fibre security and opportunities for developments and improvements that can be used to address the issues of food security. Students also learn about the challenges to food and fibre production caused by climate change and strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change. As well, they learn about influences of plant processes, plant hormones and environmental factors on plant growth and development, and the important role of the growth medium in healthy plant growth and development. They also learn about the breeding aims in food and fibre production systems, genetic techniques used in breeding new plant varieties, the role of hormones in reproduction and behaviour, artificial animal breeding techniques and the factors that influence animal breeding decisions.

In Unit 4, students learn about animal digestion and the changing nutritional needs of animals during different development stages. They learn about the impact on plant health and on animal health of a regionally relevant pest or disease. As well, they learn about strategies used in integrated pest management (IPM) programs, and develop IPM programs for a plant pest or disease or an animal pest or disease. They also evaluate existing and emerging technologies in food and fibre production systems and learn about constraints to the adoption of technology.

The Years 11 and 12 syllabuses for this new course are available on the School Curriculum and Standards website here

General Science in practice

General Science in Practice (SIP) is a new course that will replace the General Integrated Science course (ISC).

General Science in Practice is grounded in the belief that science is a practical activity providing students with transferable skills focusing on capabilities and skills with a real-world context. The course;

• seeks to develop science understanding through science inquiry enabling students to investigate science issues in the context of the world around them

• encourages student collaboration and cooperation with each other and the wider community

• encourages students to be questioning, reflective and critical thinkers about scientific issues, enabling them to make informed decisions about questions that directly affect their lives and the lives of others

unit content

The Science in Practice course develops student learning through four main content areas: Scientific Method, Workplace Health and Safety, Scientific Literacy and Science Understanding. These content areas should be taught in an integrated way.

Content is specified for Scientific Method, Workplace

Health and Safety and Scientific Literacy. The content for Science Understanding is context specific.

Scientific Method

The scientific method involves asking questions about the natural and technological world, preparing a plan to collect, process and interpret data; making conclusions; evaluating the procedures and findings; and communicating findings.

Workplace Health and Safety

Knowledge of safety rules and safe working procedures is important to reduce the risk of potential of incidents and injuries when participating in science activities.

Scientific Literacy

Informed participation in society requires knowledge of the relevant science concepts, skills and practice, consideration of ethical implications of science and technological research, and making evidence-based arguments.

Science Understanding

Science understanding is evident when a person selects and integrates appropriate science concepts, models and theories to explain and predict phenomena, and applies these to unfamiliar situations.

The Science Understanding content in each unit develops students’ understanding of the key concepts, models and theories that underpin the context being studied.

units

The syllabus is divided into two units, each of one semester duration. Each unit should integrate at least two of the science disciplines – Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science and Physics, with a minimum of three different science disciplines integrated into the pair of units.

long as the context specific content being covered is different and the cognitive complexity of the syllabus content has increased.

Schools may choose from the list of Authority-approved units or develop their own units. A list of Authorityapproved units will be published on the Science in Practice course page and resources for these units provided via the Extranet. The list will continue to be updated as new units become available.

To ensure the units are being taught at the appropriate standard for the course, only Authority-approved units can be delivered. Schools developing their own units or modifying approved units will need to seek approval from the Authority via the published on the Science in Practice course page.

Each unit could be taught in different contexts or one context could be taught over the year. Contexts covered in Year 11 may be studied again in Year 12 as

About the Authors

Jo Tregonning (Science Teacher/AEP Coordinator, Pinjarra Senior High School). Jo has a background in fisheries research, botany and environmental management prior to becoming a Science teacher nine years ago. She is a Teacher Leader in the PRIMED project for the Department of Education and an enthusiastic advocate of student-driven project-based learning.

Nathan Curnow (Director – Science, John Curtin College of the Arts). Nathan has been teaching for 18 years and is the Director of Science at John Curtin College of the Arts, a role he has held since 2019. He is a Teacher Leader in the PRIMED project for the Department of Education, has been the coordinator for a Teacher Development School – Science and is also a former President of the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA).

ThE pRImED pROJECT

Jo Tregonning & Nathan Curnow

with the content at a deeper level and are more likely to remember what you taught.

A recently released teacher-student resource package “PRIMED” aims to encourage us to connect our students with local primary industries in our communities within Western Australia. PRIMED also seeks to engage students to improve their understanding of the diverse career opportunities in these sectors. It is a collaborative initiative between the Department of Education, the Department of Training and Workforce Development and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

Resources are aligned with the Western Australian curriculum for students in Years 7–10 for HASS, Science and Technologies across all education regions of WA. The PRIMED project is not an add-on to our already burgeoning curriculum requirements, but a shift in the context in which we are teaching our learning objectives and concepts.

Making learning meaningful to our students and engaging them in activities that connect to their realworld experiences and applications is always at the forefront of a teacher’s mind. If students can see connections to themselves, their experiences and contexts, they are much more likely to see a reason to learn what you are offering. If it matters to them, then you have your lesson hook and students will engage

Why primary Industries are so important to our future prosperity.

According to the Primary Industries Plan 2020–2024 (DPIRD, 2020), primary industries in our State contribute more than $10 billion to our State economy annually, account for approximately 12% of our State workforce (161, 600 jobs) and directly support more

than 39,300 jobs in farming, fisheries and forestry with another 19,100 related jobs in food and beverage manufacturing.

A parliamentary inquiry into strengthening and safeguarding Australia’s food security finished in Canberra on 29 March 2023, hearing from dozens of organisations on issues facing food production, farming costs, supply chain distribution, environmental challenges (droughts, floods, disease, feral animals) and the threat of climate change (Cole, 2023). To continue the supply of nutritious food, and for everyone to have access to this food geographically and economically, will require multidisciplinary innovation into the future.

Agricultural education matters for secondary school students in order to attract and develop the future agricultural workforce, ensure consumers are accurately informed about the products they consume, enable digital transformation of the agricultural industry and promote our reputation as a producer of sustainable products (Cosby et. al., 2022). Production environments and consumer demands are also dynamic and continue to evolve, meaning that primary industries need to recruit individuals who are engaged and possess many of the skills highly prized for future workforces.

What are the pRImED resources for students and teachers of science?

The PRIMED resources include teacher workbooks with structured sequential lesson plans, online links, student worksheets, activity resources, PowerPoint presentations and videos using WA examples. The resources are written to cover a term of learning per year group. They provide different case studies and suggestions to link to the local context in which you are teaching. There are many hands-on activities and experiments and even suggested answers and instructions to support teachers using these resources in their classrooms.

at: https://primaryconnections.org.au/resourcesand-pedagogies/pedagogies/5e-model-frameworkguided-inquiry

how can they be used?

Flexibility is key here. Teachers have already been using the PRIMED resources in their entirety with the suggested year group, using selected lessons and activities that fit with their context and student interests, using lessons across different year levels, and/or using the resources in different Science learning contexts such as General Integrated Science and General Plant Production Systems.

The PRIMED resources are also a great opportunity to embed cross-curriculum priorities into curriculum delivery and to embed the General capabilities in your teaching and learning in both explicit and implicit ways. For example, the case study of the black soldier fly larvae as converters of farm waste that can be turned into a commercial fish food in aquaculture gives students opportunities to look at innovative and sustainable food production for industry and the importance of critical and creative thinking in changing more traditional practices. Students can also explore sustainability, ethical understanding and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture, and the thousands of years of scientific understanding of our native flora, as they look at bush tucker and sustainable food practices and the ethics of working to limit food waste in supply chains amongst other topics across the PRIMED resources in Years 7–10.

The PRIMED resources are based on the 5-E Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate). This model is adapted from Primary Connections –linking science with literacy which is available

These resources have also taken the Sustainable Development Goals into account, which are available here: https://sdgs.un.org/goals. This makes the PRIMED packages a fantastic opportunity for teachers to make meaningful links to a number of these goals through primary industries in our Western Australian context. Students can explore some of the goals adopted by the United Nation member states as part of a call to action for a better world in these primary industry contexts, but can also see how they could be part of the solution now and into the future.

Structure of the resource packages

Year 7 - Soils – the basis of food production

This series of activities challenges students to engage with the WA Science Curriculum by becoming soil scientists. Through investigating soil health, chemistry and as dynamic ecosystems teaming with life, students are able to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of the biological and physical world and how humans interact with it to sustainably produce our essential food and natural fibres.

Year 8 - Life under cover – applying knowledge of cells and systems in food and fibre production

This series of activities focuses on comparisons of human cells and organ systems with those of other living organisms commonly used in the WA primary industries for food and fibre production e.g. the seafood industry by dissecting fish and squid; researching and experimenting using case studies such as black soldier flies.

Year 9 - Ecosystems and balance – producing, protecting and conserving

Focusing on balanced and sustainable ecosystems in WA food and fibre production primary industries. Examples include fire adaptations, energy flow in different ecosystems, factors affecting photosynthesis, ecosystem management (Phytophthora dieback, rumen microbes, dung beetles).

Year 10 – WA primary producers – solving the big issues

Students engage in learning about “Wicked Problems” facing WA agriculture, and current innovators aiming to solve some of our issues using genetic engineering, GMOs, biosecurity, machinery and technology examples.

how do I access the pRImED resources?

The PRIMED resources can be accessed on the WA Department of Education website: https://myresources. education.wa.edu.au/programs/primed-overview.

Here you will find the overview of the program and its resources, as well as resources for both teachers and students in Science (as well as HASS and Technologies).

For those teachers in non-government schools, some resources on this website may require a user login to enable full access, but this can be done by registering with your work e-mail address.

References

1. Cole, Hamish (2023) Food security facing growing threats, farmers tell Australian parliamentary inquiry. ABC Rural, Wednesday 29 March 2023. https://www.abc.net.au/news/ rural/2023-03-29/food-security-facing-threatsfrom-climate-change-farmers-say/102158222 [Accessed June 20, 2023]

2. Cosby, A, Manning, J, Fogarty, E, Snowden, A, McCosker, A, McDonald, N, Lancaster, L, O’Dea, M. (2022). ‘Ag Knowledge in Schools. What do Australian primary and secondary students know about Agriculture?’, CQ University Australia.

3. DPIRD (2020) Primary Industries Plan 2020 – 2024. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. https:// www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/ primary-industries-plan-2020-2024 [Accessed June 20, 2023]

4. Primary Connections (n.d.) The 5E model: a framework for guided inquiry. Australian Academy of Science. https:// primaryconnections.org.au/resources-andpedagogies/pedagogies/5e-model-frameworkguided-inquiry [Accessed June 20, 2023]

5. United Nations. (n.d.). The 17 goals | sustainable development. United Nations. https://sdgs.un.org/goals [Accessed June 20, 2023]

TALK LIKE A SCIENTIST

Students need to learn the language of science which can be very challenging for primary students. It helps if they can break down science words into their derivatives, to recognise and understand why scientists use such specific language. Talk like a Scientist is a way of incorporating a bit more SHE into your teaching!

In this issue, we will look at some light words you may come across in the primary curriculum.

phOTO is a Greek word for ‘light’.

There are many science terms which use photo as a prefix, denoting a strong connection to or use of light energy. Here are just a few. Maybe your students can add to this list in your classroom – there are so many photo- words!

photosynthesis

synthesis (Greek and Latin) = put together/combine

Photosynthesis is when plants (and some other organisms) use light energy from the sun to combine water and carbon dioxide to make carbohydrates, while releasing oxygen as a by-product. This word was first used in Germany in the late 1800s. Without this process we would not exist.

photograph

graph (Greek and Latin) = to draw

A photograph is like drawing with light. This term was first used in the 1830s by Sir John Herschel.

phototroph

troph (Greek) = nourishment

An organism (mainly plants) that uses light as a source of energy for metabolism.

Metabolism is the set of chemical processes which keep an organism alive.

photoelectric

elektron (Greek) = amber (when amber was rubbed, it developed an electrical charge which enabled it to pick up feathers and other items)

This term was introduced in the late 1800s. Electrons can be released from metals when light is shone on them. When the electrons move, electricity is produced. Solar panels use this effect to make electricity.

More photo words – photocopy, photon, photovoltaic, phototoxic, photochromic, photoscope.

Mady Colquhoun

OuR fIRST pRImARY SCIENCE LAbORATORY VISIT

Mady Colquhoun

The STAWA Primary Science Committee WAS excited to hold an Open Lab afternoon at Beldon Primary School on Monday 29th May. This opportunity WAS kindly offered by Lizzy Lane – thank you!

Please see the following photos of this inspirational primary science lab. Keep an eye out on Facebook and email for our next Open Lab or Coffee Catch-up - we are aiming to run them each term. Please join us or even volunteer to host eager teachers at your own lab for an informal networking session.

TEAChER AWARDS AT CuRTIN uNIVERSITY

Pamela Getalado

The Curtin University Teacher Awards were held at The Bankwest Lecture Theatre at Curtin University on Thursday, 25 May 2023 and recognise the excellent achievement of teachers across a variety of subject areas.

STAWA would like to congratulate the pre-service Science teachers who have received the following awards:

• Susan Marsden – 2023 STAWA Pre-Service Teacher Award for Early Childhood Science

• Brooke Moro – 2023 STAWA Pre-Service Teacher Award for Primary Science

• Christina Lau and Jennifer Cvetkovski were recipients of the 2023 STAWA Pre-Service Teacher Award for Secondary Science.

Again, we extend our congratulations to the award recipients, and we wish them all the best in their science teaching journey.

Christina Lau – 2023 STAWA Pre-Service Teacher Award for Secondary Science

Brooke Moro – 2023 STAWA Pre-Service Teacher Award for Primary Science

bOOK REVIEW: ECLIpSE ChASERS

book Title: Eclipse Chasers

Authors: Nick Lomb and Toner Stevenson

Nick and Toner have produced a work which shares their passion for both science and science history. While the book provides an in-depth discussion of the science of total solar eclipses, and how best to observe and enjoy them safely, it is essentially a fascinating series of stories of the people who chased those fleeting “mad minutes” of totality on the Australian continent.

The stories begin with Australian Aboriginal astronomers, who have carefully observed the skies for thousands of years. I was intrigued and surprised to learn that early studies showed that they were able to predict the occurrences of eclipses with incredible accuracy.

Historical records, beginning with the Sydney eclipse of 1857 and through to 2012, tell the stories of the trials, disappointments and triumphs of the people chasing the dream of observing total solar eclipses and making new discoveries. Their stories are made more real with photographs (some very old) of the chasers and their equipment. The early challenges were immense and often involved travelling large distances with tonnes of equipment to remote areas, such as by camel into the middle of the Simpson desert. Many arduous journeys ended with the disappointment of clouds and even rain.

My favourite story was of the eclipse of 1922, observed in five locations across Australia, the most well-known being Wallal Downs in northern WA. In this remote, hot, fly-infested, and dusty location, photographs were taken and developed, using glass plates, each weighing 3 kilograms. The expedition included a party of experienced female eclipse observers, including Elizabeth Campbell who photographed the corona during totality. Alexander Ross from UWA recorded the path of the moon’s shadow during the partial phase. (How many readers have sat in the Ross Lecture Theatre?) The contributions of the Nyangumarta people were immense, providing local knowledge, physical help and care, and practical help such as providing the means for dust suppression. These were all vital to the success of the venture. The result was the confirmation of Einstein’s General theory of relativity.

The importance of science education was emphasised in the disappointing experience of the 1976 Melbourne eclipse. Due to the lack of authorities approving filters, scare messages regarding potential loss of sight were given rather than advice on how to safely observe the eclipse. As a result, two million Melbournians stayed indoors and missed the chance to see the event of a lifetime.

The chapter on how to prepare for and plan an eclipse adventure was very instructive and reminded me of a mistake I made in Ceduna at the 2002 eclipse: take

Lance Taylor

time to enjoy the experience, don’t get stuck behind a camera!

Recently, many people experienced the Exmouth eclipse, and Australia is now looking forward to three more in 2028, 2030 and 2037, involving many populated regions. Take the best advice given in this book: if you can get into the path of totality, GO! MOVE! Don’t miss out like those who did in 1976.

Review by Lance Taylor Head of Science Willetton Senior High School

bOOK REVIEW: ROCKS, fOSSILS AND fORmATIONS

book Title: Rocks, Fossils and Formations –Discoveries through time

Author: Thomas Woolrych

publisher: CSIRO Publishing, 2023

This is a great book to provide primary teachers with strong and detailed background information predominantly for Years 4 and 6 Earth and Space Sciences. The beginning section about how planets are formed is also a really useful resource for the Year 5 curriculum.

The information is presented in timeline order from the creation of the solar system to present day. It uses a time travel narrative linking the chapters, so it reads like a journey through time if read from cover to cover. For classroom use, the subheadings and text boxes are clearly laid out, so it is very easy to find the information you need.

The book is colourful, and the information is generally easy to read. However, there is a lot of text on most pages so primary students would need clear and careful direction if using the book as a reference.

The online teaching notes are well developed with the science discussion questions section indicating which pages to read and the related questions to ask.

This is very useful, supporting teachers who do not have a strong background in this topic. There are some science activities in the teachers notes, looking at convection, fossils, and the rock cycle. There is also a popcorn maths activity which looks engaging.

Rocks, Fossils and Formations is a valuable resource for primary teachers looking to support their own understanding in the Earth and Space Sciences curriculum.

Reviewed by Taneal Thompson Primary Science Specialist

Brookman Primary School

Bateman Primary School

Taneal Thompson

STAWA mEmbERShIp

Here are some benefits for STAWA Members. Please check our website for details, and to see what else STAWA does - PLUS what STAWA can offer you! (www.stawa.net).

SERVICES AND SuppORT

Resources for Primary and Secondary teachers are available to members and non-members on the website (see Resources tab). You can download resources from the website and members can request to upload resources by contacting the Office (admin@stawa.net).

Catalist: An email communications list for Secondary teachers; used to share information, ask questions, and discuss current issues. To subscribe see the Teachers Tab on the website.

Australian Science Teachers’ Association (ASTA)

Affiliation: Full fee-paying members receive affiliated membership to the national association. This includes access to ASTA’s online journal, Teaching Science, and the Chrysalis online learning community.

pubLICATIONS

STAWA Members receive:

• SCIOS (STAWA online journal)

• STAWA SPARKs! (Primary Science Committee online publication)

• Teaching Science (ASTA journal),

• Spotlight on STAWA (e-newsletter)

• Information about Science activities for students and teachers

• Professional Development & Conference programs

mEmbER DISCOuNTS

Members receive discounts for STAWA Professional Development Workshops, a range of services and attractions, STAWA texts and resources, plus attendance at STAWA Conferences and events, including:

• CONSTAWA (WA Science Educators Conference)

• Future Science (WA Science Educators Conference)

• Psychology Teachers Convention

• Marine and Maritime Teachers Convention

• CONASTA (Australian Science Educators Conference, ASTA)

pROfESSIONAL RECOGNITION

STAWA recognition of teacher achievement and service through annual awards:

• de Laeter medal

• Jeff Cahill Early Career Teacher Award

Support for primary Science teachers is given through the STAWA Early Career primary Science Scholarship

OppORTuNITIES

• Teaching employment opportunities, curriculum review and development, government policy input, science equipment advice and professional development.

• An independent voice through STAWA’s representatives on education bodies and committees.

WELCOmE pACK

New members receive a Welcome Pack containing a Members USB, Pen, and Notepad.

STAWA LIfE mEmbERShIp

Each nomination for Life Membership is considered on its merits. Nominations, with supporting evidence, are submitted to the STAWA President, and if awarded, bestowed at the AGM. See the STAWA website for details.

STuDENT OppORTuNITIES

• Science Talent Search

• Physics Day

• Synergy Schools Solar Challenge

mEmbERShIp QuERIES

For queries about membership, please email us at admin@stawa.net.

hOW TO CONTRIbuTE

CAN YOu CONTRIbuTE TO SCIOS?

YES, of course you can. Contributions from teachers, laboratory technicians, students, academics and industry are all welcome.

We are keen to increase the number and variety of types of articles published in the SCIOS. So, if the answer is YES to any of the following questions, please consider submitting an article to the editor.

• Have you recently conducted an experiment (investigation or hands-on activity) that worked well?

• Is there a great demonstration that always gets your students’ attention?

• Have you tried a new teaching technique that really engaged your students?

• Do you have some helpful hints for new (and not-so-new) teachers?

• Are there some safety hints and tips that you would like to pass on?

• Are you using some new technology that has improved the effectiveness of your students’ learning?

• Are your students involved in a science project outside of school?

• Have you recently attended a useful/interesting professional development activity?

Email your contributions to admin@stawa.net

GuIDELINES fOR AuThORS

These notes are a brief guide to contributors who should also refer to recent issues of the journal for guidance with style.

Longer articles - should not normally exceed 3000 words plus figures, tables and any references. Please use headings and sub-headings to give your article structure.

Shorter articles - We also welcome shorter articles of approximately 500-1000 words plus figures, tables and any references. Again, use of headings and subheadings may assist to give your article structure.

Send the following to the editor

1. Please send your document as a word file with photographs and other images embedded where you need them to be.

2. Photographs and other images (e.g. diagrams) should be sent as separate files.

3. Photographs often increase the clarity and interest level of your work. Send your photographs as .tiff or highest quality .jpeg files with a resolution of at least 300 dot per inch (dpi). Note to teachers: a signed parent permission slip must be obtained for any photographs of students to be included in SCIOS.

4. Copyright for any part of your contribution that is copyright of third party needs to be obtained in writing (email acceptable).

Copyright No other publisher should have published your manuscript, nor should you submit for publication elsewhere. If SCIOS publishes your manuscript then your text and graphics will become copyright of STAWA. STAWA will, however, agree to your use of the contents of your paper for most reasonable non-commercial purposes.

Contact John Clarke, STAWA email john@stawa.net