Welcome to the Term 1 2025 issue of SCIOS – Secondary
Term 1 is now over half complete and I hope it has been a rewarding start to the 2025 school year
With the growing availability of AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools to both teachers and students, in this issue we publish an article from a teacher who shares his experience of using AI to support his lesson preparation, assessment task development and advice he gives to his students in using AI We hope his insights prove useful to you and we welcome others perspectives on the impact of AI on their teaching
Allan Knight (SCIOS - Secondary Editor)
AI FOR BEGINNERS
Zachary Gomes
Zac has been a science teacher for 10 years, and the Gifted and Talented Enrichment Coordinator at his current College for the last three years He places an equal focus on his students’ developing skills as well as learning the content, recognising that learning how to learn is as important as remembering information Recently, he has been exploring how Artificial Intelligence tools can enhance teaching and learning Outside of the classroom, he enjoys karaoke, open mic comedy and exploring the outdoors
LESSON PLANNING
Useful for beginning teachers, or teachers wanting to improve lesson timing, ChatGPT can generate lesson plans based on the topic and structure you want to deliver Simply put in a prompt for a lesson topic and structure (such as the one below) and the output will suggest a lesson
Lesson Plan prompt:
Background information:
Year Level
Duration
Lesson topic
Learning objectives / success criteria
Structure:
Warm-up: Describe an engaging activity to start the lesson
Direct Instruction: Detail how the new concept will be explained and demonstrated
Guided Practice: Include interactive activities to reinforce learning
Independent Practice: Provide tasks for students to work on individually
Closure: Check for understanding
RESOURCE CREATION
By far my most-used prompts this year centred around creating resources to enhance the learning experience I would use prompts such as “suggest 15 questions for Year 8 students about the circulatory system using Bloom’s Taxonomy ” I would also provide the learning intentions and success criteria as further guiderails for ChatGPT The AI can also suggest answers for its questions
As a side note, you would notice I use the word “suggest” in my prompts That is more for me than the AI The AI tool is just that – a tool It suggests lessons plans, resources, questions, assessment tasks, but it may be wrong, or its outputs maybe too high level or low level So, if I ask for 15 questions, it is because I will curate the 10 most suitable questions for the class
Of course, AI can be useful for differentiation With AI, I have created resources for students on Individual Education Plans, or taken the high-level questions from a Bloom’s Taxonomy prompt for the students in class who need a further challenge I have also used AI to help design activities to develop the skills of creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking
ASSESSMENT DESIGN
One discussion point in the Future Science workshop was how AI can help write assessments When writing test questions, I would use Bloom’s Taxonomy like I would for resource creation, but the prompt is slightly different I ask it to include the suggested marking allocation and a list of command words to use:
“I am writing a test for Year 8 about body systems Suggest 15 questions for Year 8 students about the circulatory system using Bloom’s Taxonomy Include the marking allocation for each question and suggested answers Use command words such as ‘identify’, ‘label’, ‘describe’, ‘explain’, ‘compare and contrast’ ”
I have used it to help me write assessment tasks like projects or investigations, as well as their rubrics
One of the key points raised in the workshop was the emphasis on ensuring that assessment questions align with judging standards (available on the extranet on SCSA’s website) to ensure the assessment is fair and valid for the purpose of grading I especially encourage new teachers, and teachers new to AI, to ask a more experienced teacher to read and provide feedback on any assessment that is written with the help of AI The judging standards can be quite nuanced, and the wording and context of any assessment will change between schools and classes
STREAMLINING ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS
Another highlight was the use of AI for administrative tasks such as report comment writing and risk assessments Writing personalised, meaningful report comments can be timeconsuming, but AI tools can generate suggestions based on student performance data, which teachers can then personalize further I simply fed the report comment template into the ChatGPT, and asked it to provide a comment bank of 50 statements for each line Just be aware of confidentiality obligations and change student names and other identifying information Similarly, AI simplifies risk assessments by identifying potential hazards and suggesting mitigation strategies, saving valuable time for educators
VIRTUAL TUTORING FOR STUDENTS
Beyond supporting teachers, AI serves as a powerful tool for students Of course, students can use it to cheat, knowing it is harder to detect plagiarism A similar concern was raised when I was in primary school when Yahoo entered the world (that was the search engine we used before Google became the household name it is today) Despite the opportunity for plagiarism, the 18 kg computer was not wheeled out of the room and we were not restricted to the 26-book encyclopedia I liken AI of today as the Google of the late 1990s Students will use it, so they must be shown how to use it effectively
Whenever I invite students to show me how they use ChatGPT to answer questions, they immediately sense a trap But after seeing how they use it, it is exactly what I suspected They copy the question into the prompt, and copy the output into the worksheet I ask them to read the output (they had not read it up to this point), and ask if they understand By this point, they are usually honest and will admit, somewhat sheepishly, that they do not This is
not always a lack of ability on their part, or even laziness Occasionally, the output is not even related to the topic, or it is too high level AI is a large language model streamlining sources from all over the internet into one short paragraph If those sources are from medical websites, a Year eight student is not going to understand. Not wanting to be ‘caught’ using AI, they don’t ask for help and leave class believing they didn’t reach the learning intentions This is where I step in Below is what I tell students:
Tell ChatGPT the topic and year level you need For example, circulatory system is part of the Year 8 curriculum, as well as Year 11 Human Biology ATAR and General courses If using digital textbooks or presentations, copy the source material into ChatGPT Then write “using the above as source material, answer the following question ” This time when they read the output, they understand it better If they still don’t understand parts of it, they can write “I understand [these parts] can you explain [this] to me in simpler language?”
This combination of feeding source material and asking for further explanation did not even occur to many students It was like showing them how to use an elevator to reach the second floor – it took them to another level
Students can also use it as a revision aide Doing the same steps of feeding the source material, they can ask ChatGPT to generate revision questions with answers, quizzes, flashcards, and summaries
Of course, after showing them all of these different ways of using ChatGPT beyond copying, pasting, and getting out of doing work, I must tell them that “with great power comes great responsibility ” Are they aware of how much they are now outsourcing to AI? They are at school to learn how to learn, not just to learn how to use AI
AI continues to evolve, and teacher resource websites are adapting and marketing their new AI tools In this environment, teachers can face a paradox of choice and decision fatigue, especially when subscriptions are involved It may all seem overwhelming and the task of learning this new skill can often be put in the ‘later’ box of our minds
I hope demonstrating the possibilities of the minimalist ChatGPT can invite more teachers to use their time exploring how this tool of the future can provide benefits now
ROYAL SOCIETY OF WA’S COLLABORATION WITH STAWA
Leon Harris
The Royal Society of WA is an organisation that promotes Western Australian science, and has done so since 1914 Recently it has focussed more effort on secondary school science, and has reached out to science teachers via STAWA If your students have participated in the ScienceIQ contest recently, then you have benefited from their support If you haven’t, the 2025 round will open in Term 2, and is highly recommended as a way to extend and engage your classes in a fun, slightly competitive contest with students across the state
A very real gift for science teachers is the absolutely magnificent conferences that RSWA run These can be attended without cost by RSWA members, or for a few hundred dollars for non-members Membership costs $50 per year, and brings a range of benefits, such as free attendance to two conferences per year, fully catered As a science teacher I love these conferences personally – they are usually focused around a theme and are multidisciplinary The last three conferences have been on Perth as a megadiverse city: from the Indian Ocean to Perth Hills, "Future WA" - science & research leading WA to future industries & tech, and Decarbonising the WA economy
It is quite exciting to see what local scientists are doing quietly behind the scenes Some of the big eye openers I have had is to learn that my family’s farm is in the middle of an ancient grain culture, that Perth has alarmingly low tree cover and how this affects the livability of the city, and the vast number of trees affected by polyphagous shot hole borer and its intricate symbiosis with fungi that make it deadly
If you have a passion for science, and want a local context, consider going to a RSWA conference For me, RSWA fills the hole that the demise of “The Web of Life” textbook left when it was discontinued, but with earth sciences, physics and astronomy thrown in
For more information, see www.rswa.org.au or watch for announcements on Catalist, STAWAs email list
This year, ConASTA will be hosted by the Science Teachers' Association of Western Australian (STAWA) and will be held at the Pan Pacific Perth from Monday 7 to Thursday 10 July 2025.
✅ Engage with world-class keynotes & workshops
✅ Network with leading educators & researchers
✅ Exclusive member rates for international delegates
Don’t miss out register now and secure your spot!
Plants worth dyeing for: Backyard chemistry for natural dyers
Helen Coleman,
PhD Candidate, Curtin University
Abstract:
As public awareness of the environmental cost of global fast fashion increases, there is growing consumer support for sustainable, renewable and biodegradable alternatives to synthetic dyes. Embracing this change, Australian artists and textile designers are exploring natural colourants from our biodiverse flora - but developing new lightfast, washfast colours that meet the demands of today’s consumers is a huge challenge – and chemistry can help!
Using basic equipment and nontoxic mordants, Helen will show you how to test a variety of plants for their dye potential and explain why some botanical pigments are better than others for long-lasting colour. She will take you into the exciting world of dyeing with tannin, an abundant component of our local plants and share her research into natural dyes from Corymbia calophylla kino, commonly known as Marri gum
This presentation shows the potential of natural dyes to be part of a sustainable Australian fashion industry, with a takeaway invitation to consider making room for science in the art studio!
Date:
Wednesday 19 March 2025
Time:
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Venue:
Wilsmore Lecture Theatre, UWA
Cost:
Free (registration essential)
Registration: https://www stickytickets com au/UVOUS
Date: Wednesday 9 April 2025
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Venue: 500 1101 - Exhibition Space, Resources and Chemistry Precinct, Building 500, Curtin University
Cost: Free (registration essential)
Registration: https://www stickytickets com au/L2O76
Date: Time:
Friday 9 May 2025
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Venue:
32 101 Lecture Theatre, Joondalup Campus, ECU
Cost:
Free (registration essential)
Registration:
https://www stickytickets com au/4MPAS
Enquiries: Nathan Curnow (nathan curnow@education wa edu au) School visits can be arranged in Term 2
The Bayliss Youth Lecture is organised by the Chemical Education Group of the Western Australian Branch of the RACI This group was formally constituted in 1980 and aims to foster a close and continuing interaction among students, teachers and practicing chemists - both industrial and academic - with the objective of developing interest in and an understanding of the full ramifications of chemical science
Generously supported by:
Developed by the Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia (STAWA), ScienceIQ is proudly supported by the Royal Society of Western Australia (RSWA)
ScienceIQ is an online science quiz for school teams of four students
Teams have one hour to complete up to 12 science questions and problems in two separate rounds of competition Each round is a week apart and teachers choose the days and time to do each quiz To win, students will need to finish in the shortest time with the most questions correct
Participation certificates, first, second and third place prizes, and other great stuff Register via the
TERM 2
Years 5 & 7
Round 1 starts on the week of Monday, 19 May 2025
Round 2 starts on the week of Monday, 26 May 2025
TERM 3
Years 6 & 9
Round 1 starts on the week of Monday, 11 August 2025
Round 2 starts on the week of Monday, 18 August 2025
TERM 4
Year 8
Round 1 starts on the week of Monday, 3 November 2025
Round 2 starts on the week of Monday, 10 November 2025
Log-in details and instructions to access the practice quiz will be sent to the teachers of the registered schools prior to the competition date
Promoting creative project work in Science since 1958
The Science Talent Search is a wonderful opportunity for students from Kindergarten to Year 12 to develop their interests in Science through a competition with a range of categories to suite a wide variety of abilities and interests.
It also provides students with an opportunity to expand their scientific literacy, by showing interest and understanding in the world around them and engaging in discussions about Science.
ENTRY CATEGORIES
1.
Science Investigation
An investigation is an attempt to find in a scientific way, the answer to an original question
CASH PRIZES
2
Engineering
Engineering is the application of Science, Mathematics, and Technology to invent new products or modify existing products that benefit society
3.
Scientific Communication
Communication is important in the Scientific community to inform the public and other scientists about science ideas In the Science Talent Search, Scientific Communication category entries can take the form of:
Science Poster (Years K-2 Only)
Science Video (Years K-12)
Science Photography (Years K-12)
ALL ENTRIES WILL BE RECEIVING A CERTIFICATE.
PRIMARYCATEGORY
Early Childhood (Years K-2), Middle Primary (Years 3-4), and Upper Primary (Years 5-6) will be receiving up to 10 prizes across all categories
SECONDARYCATEGORY
Junior (Years 7-8), Intermediate (Years 9-10), and Senior (Years 11-12) will be receiving 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in each category.
Each year one (1) Primary and one (1) Secondary student are named the STAWA Young Scientist Award. STAWAYOUNGSCIENTISTAWARD
OTHERPRIZES
Other prizes of encouragement may also be awarded each year
Promoting creative project work in Science since 1958
SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH THEME FOR 2025
The theme for Science Communication - Posters is Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language (2025 National Science Week theme) or alternatively, students can do a poster based on any Physical Science theme.
Only entries based on one of these themes will be judged.
SCHOOL REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!
Register your school for this year’s competition and further information will be sent to you by mid-July 2025.
School registrations close on Thursday, 3 July 2025.
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Here are just some of the benefits and opportunities for STAWA Members Please check our website for details, and to find out what else STAWA does - PLUS what STAWA can offer you! (www stawa net)
SERVICES AND SUPPORT Resources
A range of resources for both Primary and Secondary teachers is available on the website Look for the Resources Tab There are resources available to members and non-members Members can also share resources through the STAWA website You can download resources directly from the website or request to upload resources by contacting the Office (admin@stawa net)
Catalist (Secondary teachers)
Catalist is an email communications list which reaches over 800 Science Educators and is used to share information, ask questions, and discuss current issues To subscribe to Catalist, look under the Teachers Tab on the website
Australian Science Teachers’ Association (ASTA) Affiliation
Full fee-paying members enjoy the benefits of affiliated membership to the national association This includes access to ASTA’s online journal, Teaching Science, and the Chrysalis online learning community
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:
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 many 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 STAWA Life Membership is considered on its individual merits Nominations, accompanied by relevant supportive evidence, must be submitted to the President of STAWA Life Membership, if awarded, is bestowed at the AGM Please refer to the specific details on the STAWA website
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
Science Talent Search
Physics Day
Synergy Schools Solar Challenge
MEMBERSHIP QUERIES
If you have any queries with regards to your 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
3.
Photographs and other images (e g diagrams) should be sent as separate files
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 a 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
