- Friday 28 July 2023
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Science exists in all that we do and all that we are, and as teachers we have the joy of igniting that curiosity in the young minds of our next doctors, engineers, tram drivers, content creators, fragrance chemists, chefs, cybersecurity analysts, equine veterinarians … (Gasp!) … You get the picture. There are so many career choices available nowadays and they all include a slice of science.
I remember my own slice of science from many moons ago …
Let’s set the science scene, shall we?
It was a cold afternoon in a quaint town in England; a new girl sat on a small chair around a low table with three boys of the same age and they watched in awe as the teacher guided them through a demonstration involving a rusty nail and neat little pH cards.
This was an experience I would always remember. Why? Was it because of the cool experiment? Possibly. Was it because of the sense of belonging? Likely. Was it because Mr Stinston taught us the real magic of science through his own wonder? Definitely.
A world of wonder
As children, we are naturally inquisitive and explorative—and we can lose this thirst for adventure as we grow up, unless we have those teachers, like Mr Stinston, who encourage hypothesising daily.
One reason why science is integral for primary school kids is that it fosters a thirst for knowledge—this continual learning carries them through to adulthood and provides a sense of purpose and progression. Science enables us to uncover and recover, to discover, and to connect with one another.
Our Production Editor, Steph, says, ‘For me, primary school science sparked a lifelong curiosity about the world around us. It taught me how to ask questions to better understand the inner workings of absolutely anything, big or small. I may have followed words instead of equations beyond school, but I draw on that sense of wonderment every day.’
I felt it apt to ask more of the team members who are working on the new primary school science series, Australian Curriculum Science (Revised Edition 2023), about their science memories, starting with Teacher-Writer Mary-Anne: ‘It is hard to recall exactly what I learned in science as a primary student, but what does stand out in my mind are the hands-on projects. I cannot remember any of the lessons we were taught, but as an adult today, I have a pretty good understanding of circuits thanks to a Year 6 science project where I had to create a functional lighthouse.’
Artist Jasmine recalls, ‘Science was where we had the most enthusiastic teachers! I had a fabulous teacher who brought in books about every type of animal, sparking my interest in drawing all sorts of creatures. He also managed to get us creating our own solar paper paddle boats, rowing in our local creek. Science was the best!’
Artist Jenny is also working on the fresh photography and graphics in our new science series. She says, ‘I recall in Grade 1, we went for a nature walk in the bush right behind the school building (on school land) and encountered a bobtail lizard. I don’t remember much else. I had a tendency to be distracted.’
Maybe Jenny was distracted by the sound of the birds swooping by the window—science. Maybe it was the sight of a butterfly fluttering across her eyeline—more science. Perhaps it was her mind wandering around future possibilities as an artist—science again!
Jenny may not remember much of her primary school lessons in science—but she was experiencing it.
Science is gross!
Just as Newton’s third law states that nature has opposite and equal reactions; our production team members have opposite reactions to science, too.
Our Head of Art, Cliff, remembers science from ‘a while ago’ and shares that, ‘unfortunately nothing comes to mind about science in primary—maybe it was a subject teachers avoided … We built things out of sticks back then … and we burnt things with the magnify glass.’
Cliff then recalls (with glee) a gloriously gross occasion: ‘The teacher brought in a bunch of fleshy, sticky pigs’ eyes, one for each child in the classroom. We held them in our hands and were guided through dissection—cutting the lens out, squeezing out the gel inside the eye and so on. But some kids missed out because they were throwing the eye in the air and catching it. Some got stuck on the ceiling, and when I looked up, these pigs’ eyes were looking back down at me. They stayed up there for days!’
Not one for the squeamish—but science isn’t always pretty. I personally want to know what made the eyeballs so sticky! Which eyeball stayed on the ceiling for the longest time? Did they just suddenly fall? Or did they unpeel gradually? The mind boggles.
Science is a mindset more than it is a subject, so how can we, as educators, ensure we support this continual love for science in the emerging generations?
Like most educators, my science teacher clearly embarked on his career because he wanted to inspire young people. He brought more music into assemblies, and he brought more science into the classroom. He recognised my ability to do advanced maths for my age and had me working on secondary exam books before differentiation was holistically incorporated into every lesson. It’s as if he knew the importance of integrating certain subjects, such as STEM, before these had even been considered, yet alone developed as part of curricula.
I can’t help but think that Mr Stinston could have been better supported with his endeavours to share science with his students. I didn’t make it as a scientist nor mathematician, because I didn’t try, but I am quite certain Mr Stinston would be proud to know that I guide an awesome production team in creating relevant science products that would blow his brain—in a good way.
Final thoughts …
And my conclusion in not-so-scientific terms is that science is about doing stuff and figuring stuff out, and that’s what the R.I.C. team have focused on for the new Australian Curriculum Science revision series. Yes, the books map to V9.0 of the Australian Curriculum. Yes, they tick the boxes and provide the relevant resources, and yes, we pour passion into every element … but more importantly, this series encourages doing and discovery for primary school children that will last a lifetime and not fizzle out by Year 5.
Our Writer of the revised Science series says:
‘I honestly have no standout memory of doing science in primary school. I'm not sure if that is because I went to school in the dark ages and there was an uninspired attempt at teaching science. I have only one vague memory of a guest teacher getting us to design and test a parachute. I thought that was the greatest thing ever, like I was in-charge of something and was allowed to think creatively, and actually use my hands to make it come to life.’ Michele, Teacher-Writer.
Let’s do science to teach science.
Download our science freebie, and encourage your classroom to experience the joy of science.
Thank you for reading,
Jordan Martin
Editor-in-Chief
