Representation of modern research and development practices in the curriculum

1. Representation of modern research and
development practices in the curriculum
Stuart Palmer
Russell Tytler
Leissa Kelly
#stemconf

2. http://remstep.org.au/

3. What do we mean by ‘reconceptualising’?
Current concerns with STEM, internationally, relate to:
• The need to have more students opting into higher level STEM
subjects and eventually STEM related careers
• The need to have a population more versed in STEM research
and development practices, and more willing to engage with
STEM ideas.
For the Office of the Chief Scientist, a large part of the answer is to
represent scientists and contemporary practices in STEM
schooling.
ReMSTEP involves representing contemporary science and
mathematics research and development practices as central to
what school science and mathematics should focus on.

4. The issue is that science is not
taught as it is actually
practiced: hypothesis,
experimentation, observation,
interpretation and debate.
There are novel ways of
enhancing the classroom
experience of students while
supporting teachers and
bringing practitioners into the
classroom. The best of these
draw on the expertise and
enthusiasm of the
mathematics, engineering and
science community - the active
Practitioners.

5. The outcomes include:
1. Approaches to STEM education and teacher education that link
contemporary practices in the sciences to inquiry-based, problem solving
pedagogies.
2. A cohort of graduate primary and secondary teachers better-equipped to
integrate not just an awareness of contemporary mathematics and science
concepts but aspects of mathematical and scientific practice into their
classroom pedagogy.
3. Innovative pedagogies that represent/ incorporate cutting edge mathematical
and scientific practices
4. New teacher education practices that exemplify meaningful collaboration
between the mathematics and science research communities and educators.

6. ReMSTEP Innovations
1. Contemporary science and mathematics in integrated
science and pre-service units of study.
2. Undergraduate science students engaging with schools.
3. Science specialisms within primary pre-service programs.
4. Specialist Science and Technology Centre collaborations.
5. Opportunities for students to interact with scientists in world
class research environments.
6. Building on existing student expertise in science and
mathematics.
7. Building a recruitment pipeline of high potential mathematics
and science teachers.

7. ReMSTEP Innovations
1. Contemporary science and mathematics in integrated
science and pre-service units of study.
2. Undergraduate science students engaging with schools.
3. Science specialisms within primary pre-service programs.
4. Specialist Science and Technology Centre collaborations.
5. Opportunities for students to interact with scientists in world
class research environments.
6. Building on existing student expertise in science and
mathematics.
7. Building a recruitment pipeline of high potential mathematics
and science teachers.

8. Crossing boundaries between
communities of practice
How can we effectively translate STEM research and
development practices for the school curriculum?
Can we successfully develop models of interaction between
STEM research and development, and pre-service teachers?
The school
community
The STEM
community
SMiS

9. Representation of modern research and
development practices in the curriculum
#stemconf

10. Research AND development
Science AND engineering.
Research AND development.
Theoretical AND practical.
Invention AND innovation.

11. Representation of modern research and
development practices in the curriculum

12. Institute for Frontier Materials
~150 staff – scientists, engineers, technicians & admin.
~150 research students.
World leading materials research and development.
~50/50 split between discovery and applied research projects.

13. Representation of modern research and
development practices in the curriculum

14. We have a plan
1. What are Modern Materials?
Composites, light metals, plastics, nanomaterials
• What are they?
• Why are they important?
• How are they made?
• Where do they come from?
Science and technology in society
Increasingfocus/detail
2. How are Modern Materials developed?
What does IFM do? How does it work?
• What drives materials research and development?
• What sorts of problems do researchers engage with?
• Who does the research and why?
Science and technology organisations
3. Profiling a carbon fibre researcher
Composite materials research: Matt Jennings
• What is Matt’s research project?
• How does he do his research?
• What has he discovered?
• How will his findings be used?
Science as a human endeavour
STEMresearchanddevelopmentpractices:Howare
Science,Technology,EngineeringandMathematics
combined?

15. We have a plan
Driving Questions:
 What are modern materials?
 What are composites?
 Where are composites used?
 How prevalent are composites in modern technologies?
 What are the particular advantages related to the use of composites (eg strength for weight, moldability, etc.)?
Outcomes/Concepts: Potential Resources:
 Students explore and identify a range of
modern materials and their use in
everyday products
 A short video intro from IFM?
 Web-quest – to allow students to explore and identify a range of modern materials and their use in
everyday products
 A version of Stuart’s writing on modern materials – perhaps converted to point form with illustrations.
 Students identify material requirements for
a range of products
 A simple mix and match online game?
 Students identify and describe important
properties of modern materials
 An interactive and collaborative timeline for students where students identify composites in various
common objects
 a series of short clips providing background information on properties of modern materials
 Activity to identify material properties needed for different modern structures and the role of different
materials (use phone casings, sports gear, etc?)
 A materials search – using everyday materials that students are asked to identify a)what material
(plastic, metal, wood?) and b)what properties are required.
 For the plastics students might make some informal properties exploration such as ‘does it float?’ or
hardness, or flexibility.
 An activity illustrating how some materials are made? E.g. extrusion, moulding …

16. Researcher videos
Dr Mandy De Souza Mr Matt Jennings
Dr Ben Allardyce Dr Maryam Naebe

17. Dr Mandy De Souza, Research Fellow
How did the main question behind your research come about?

18. Find out about composite materials
What are they?
Why are they so useful?
How are they made?
Why are car/aero makers so interested in them?
Why do carbon fibre composites look like a chessboard?

19. Broader societal issues
Take a visit to a research institute like IFM.
What’s the difference between science and engineering?
Who benefits from new ideas, processes and products?
Who decides what R&D is done?
What does R&D cost?
How is R&D funded?
Gender issues in STEM.

20. Mr Matt Jennings, PhD Candidate
Do you rely on the assistance/contributions of other staff in your
work?

21. Modern R&D is less like this …

22. … and more like this.

23. Modelling a composite sandwich beam

24. Qualitative interpretation

25. Quantitative interpretation
The ASELL experiment directs students to characterise the
deflection of the plain beam under varying loads.
Then challenges students to ‘improve’ the performance of
the beam as a composite.

26. Other activities are being designed/trialled

27. Representation of modern research and
development practices in the curriculum

28. Links to the curriculum
VCSSU103 - Change to an object’s motion is caused by unbalanced forces acting on the object; Earth’s gravity
pulls objects towards the centre of Earth.
VCSSU096 - The properties of the different states of matter can be explained in terms of the motion and
arrangement of particles.
VCSSU090 - Science and technology contribute to finding solutions to a range of contemporary issues; these
solutions may impact on other areas of society and involve ethical considerations.
VCSIS107 - Identify questions, problems and claims that can be investigated scientifically and make predictions
based on scientific knowledge.
VCSIS108 - Collaboratively and individually plan and conduct a range of investigation types, including fieldwork
and experiments, ensuring safety and ethical guidelines are followed.
VCSIS109 - In fair tests, measure and control variables, and select equipment to collect data with accuracy
appropriate to the task.
VCSIS110 - Construct and use a range of representations including graphs, keys and models to record and
summarise data from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, and to represent and analyse
patterns and relationships.
VCSIS112 - Reflect on the method used to investigate a question or solve a problem, including evaluating the
quality of the data collected, and identify improvements to the method.
VCSIS113 - Communicate ideas, findings and solutions to problems including identifying impacts and limitations
of conclusions and using appropriate scientific language and representations.

29. (some) Issues encountered
Scientists, engineers and research students are busy.
Many possible interesting/exciting experiments are really too
dangerous, expensive or inconvenient for school settings.
Explicit links to the crowded and traditional curriculum can be
difficult to find.
In some cases, more than a qualitative treatment or
explanation of cutting edge research is difficult.
Getting researchers to be able to represent their work in a
form suitable for students can be difficult.

30. Thank you for your time