SCIOS December 2011 by STAWA

Volume 47 Number 4 December 2011

ISSN 0157-6488

SCIOS JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ A SSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

inside this issue: • A shdale Cluster Primary Science Extension Program • Total Eclipse of the Moon • I ntegrating ICT: The use of a discussion board to promote science learning

SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF W E S T E R N AU S T R A L I A

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SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF W E S T E R N AU S T R A L I A

The Science Teachers’ Association SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF W E S T E R N AU S T R A L I A of Western Australia PO Box 7310 Karawara WA 6152 Head Office Resources and Chemistry Precinct Curtin University Building 500 Manning Road Entrance Bentley WA 6102 Warehouse Address Unit 6, 10 Mallard Way, Cannington WA 6107 Contact details Tel +61 (0) 8 9244 1987 Fax +61 (0) 8 9244 2601 Email info@stawa.net

Contents

EDITORIAL 2

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

NEWS

Using Problem Based Learning in Science Education

Ashdale Cluster Primary Science Extension Program

Integrating ICT: The use of a discussion board to

Web www.stawa.net Editor Julie-Anne Smith Perth Zoo Editorial COMMITTEE Frank Dymond Edith Cowan University Rosemary Evans Balga Senior High School Lesley Glass Ballajura Community College

promote science learning

William Shockley – Man with ‘Reverse Charisma’

National Science Week 2011

Total Eclipse of the Moon

Science Talent Search 2011

Science Talent Search 2011 Winners

Suzi Greenway Perth Zoo Jennifer Pearson Edith Cowan University George Przywolnik Curriculum Council Rachel Sheffield Edith Cowan University David Treagust Curtin University Shelley Yeo Curtin University EDITORIAL correspondence Julie-Anne Smith Perth Zoo Published four times a year by STAWA through

a division of Cambridge Media 10 Walters Drive Osborne Park WA 6017 www.cambridgemedia.com.au Graphic Designer Gordon McDade Advertising enquiries to Tel (08) 9244 1987 Fax (08) 9244 2601 Email jude@stawa.net © 2011 The Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia. 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 The Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia. 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 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 or the editorial committee.

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

Perth Zoo’s Global Forest Album: Conservation-focused Social Media Project

Sounds of Science

HEADS UP ON SCIENCE WITH SCIENCE NETWORK WA

Curtin University

Edith Cowan University

Murdoch University

University of Western Australia

STAWA COUNCIL 2011-12

Front cover Lunar Eclipse photo courtesy Fred Espenak; www.MrEclipse.com

Editorial The end of year is fast approaching and it seems like everyone I meet recounts what a challenging and busy year it’s

SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF W E S T E R N AU S T R A L I A

been, and how quickly it has passed. In many ways, I have to agree, but 2011 has also been a very interesting and

Dates for your diary in 2012

rewarding year and so I’m always quick

Primary Science Conference

17 & 18 March 2012

The Novotel Vines Resort

2 Day Residential Conference

Science Talent Search

April to August 2012

Online www.stawa.net

Registration Open

to add this to the conversation as well. As the Editor of SCIOS, I get to hear about a vast range of science initiatives and programs for students across all year levels of

SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF W E S T E R N AU S T R A L I A

schooling as well as in our tertiary institutions. There is no doubt that Western Australian science educators are highly motivated,

CONSTAWA

Dates for your diary in 2012

25 to 27 May 2012

Curtin University, Margaret River very creative and deeply committed to their profession. IPrimary Science Conference

The Novotel Vines Resort

thoroughly enjoy working with the SCIOS editorial committee

CONASTA

th & 18th Conference Residential March 2012 3 Day17 2 Day Residential Conference

8 to 11 July 2012

Talent Search April to August 2012 to produce each issue of our journal and thus promote the greatScience ACT National STA Conference

Online www.stawa.net Registration Open Science Talent Search 2012 th to 27th M ay 2012 CONSTAWA 1 & 19 25September Once again we present an issue that is packed with articles & Scitech Awards Night Curtin STAWA University, Margaret River Judging 3 DDay ay R&esidential Conference and news that provide ideas on how to optimise learning th to 11th July 2012 AGM Date8TBC environments and further develop the skills and knowledge ofCONASTA STAWA September 2012 ACT National STA Conference students so they can achieve their potential. I’m sure you’ll find Physics Day@Adventure something of interest – and with the holidays just around theScience September 2012 Talent Search World 27 September 1st & 19th2012 Physics Adventure World, Bibra Lake Students 10-12 STAWA & S citech Judging D ay Yrs & A wards Night corner you’ll be able to relax with your copy of SCIOS over summer. AGM DateDate BC September 2012 S-Kids Activity Day TBC –TOctober 2012 Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this issue. YouSTAWA Activity Day for Yrs 1–7 ECU, Mount Lawley have certainly helped us achieve our aim of promoting exemplary Physics Day@Adventure World 27th September 2012 science teaching and providing a means of communicationAdventure World, Bibra Lake Physics Students Yrs 11 -‐ 12 30 November 2012 Future Science Conference between teachers, consultants and other science educators. Western S-Kids University Activity of Day Australia Date TBC – October 2012 ECU, M ount L awley Activity Day for Yrs 1 – 7 I would also like to thank the members of the SCIOS editorial ScienceiQ Online Quizzes Rounds 1 & 2 Commence committee, without whom our articles and news would not Future Science Conference 19 & Date TBC – December 2012 26 March 2012 Term 1 includes Years 6 & 8 be sourced, reviewed and shared with the science educationUniversity of Western Australia Term 2 includes Years 5, 7 & 9 11 & 18 June 2012 community. I appreciate your assistance and support, and look T 27 August12012 erm 3 includes Years 5, 6, 7 & 10 ScienceiQ Online Quizzes 20 & Rounds & 2 Commence forward to producing more great issues of SCIOS in 2012. 12 & 19 Term 4 includes Years 5, 6 & 8 & 26th M2012 arch 2012 Term 1 includes Years 6 & 8 19thNovember 18thfor June Term 2* 2includes Years 5, 7 & 9 per quiz. Each Round 11th & Rounds of 12 Questions open one2012 We’re always open to ways of improving our journal so please doTerm 3 includes Years 5, 6, 7 & 10 20th & 27th August 2012 week only* 12th & 19th November 2012 not hesitate to contact us if you have ideas or would like to submitTerm 4 includes Years 5, 6 & 8 www.scienceiq.net * 2 Rounds of 15 Questions per quiz. Each Round open for one week only* an article. www.scienceiq.net science teaching and learning taking place in our state.

Have a safe and happy holiday. Best wishes

Julie-Anne Smith

SCIOS Deadlines for 2012

Issue

Articles and Advertising

March 2012

1 February 2012

June 2012

1 May 2012

September 2012

1 August 2012

December 2012

1 November 2012

THE JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

President’s Report I’d like to begin by thanking everyone for their well wishes and support since my election to President in September. Since then there have been several major activities that STAWA has held that I’ve been involved in. One such event was the annual Science Talent Search competition. We had a wonderful number of entries from across the state, which were of a high standard overall. The Presentation Ceremony for the 53rd Science Talent Search was held on Wednesday 21 September at Scitech Discovery Centre. There were 146 students and their guests in

Finalists for the Premier’s Science Educator of the Year in the Secondary and Primary divisions are: Secondary Mr Heath Dullard from Pinjarra Senior High School is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher committed to ensuring the students in his regional school have similar enrichment opportunities to their metropolitan counterparts. Ms Sonia Hueppauff from Australind Senior High School consistently motivates her students through her deep understanding of middle schooling imperatives which have led to initiatives that have improved the performance of boys in particular by focusing on developing their organisational skills.

Billiton Science Awards. Matilda appeared on Catalyst earlier this

Miss Chantal Simpson from Ashdale Secondary College regularly employs a range of innovative strategies to engage her students, incorporating multiple intelligence activities and digital technologies to extend the depth and breadth of her students’ understanding.

month and is currently appearing in the recent advertisement for

Primary

attendance. The evening opened with a presentation by MatildaJane Oke a PhD Biochemistry Student from The University of Western Australia. Matilda, at the age of 12, was the youngest winner of a Eureka Prize for Science and a finalist in the BHP

the UWA. Matilda shared her journey into a career in science and how events such as STS can open doors to science careers. All finalists were given a certificate according to their award and participation certificates were given for all entries that were submitted. I’d like to thank Julie Weber for coordinating the STS competition very successfully for another year. I also attended a dinner at the Indigenous National Youth Science Forum held during the October school holidays and sponsored by Rio Tinto. I met 23 intelligent and enthusiastic students from across the state who had been nominated to attend by their science teachers. The aim of the forum is to encourage Indigenous students to take up tertiary studies in a science field. The students participated in several recreation events as well as visiting Rio Tinto and all of the universities where they were actively involved in hands-on activities. Edith Cowan University (ECU), the Science Teachers Association of WA (STAWA), and Scitech held the seventh annual Science for Kids (S-Kids) Day on Saturday 15 October at the ECU, Mount Lawley Campus. The purpose of S-Kids Day is to promote science education to primary students by: i. providing a range of engaging hands-on science activities, ii. developing an enthusiasm for science, iii. illustrating the application of science in daily life, and iv. encouraging an interest in science as a career. One hundred and sixty children participated and 25 adults guided them through a variety of activities. I’d like to thank everybody for their participation and enthusiasm on the day, particularly Natalie Birrell and the Primary Science Committee. The S-Kids Day project has continued to motivate primary students and parents, and highlights the importance of scientific literacy within our community. The success of the project is built upon the strength of the partnership between STAWA, ECU and

Mrs Sherryl Crouch from Burrendah Primary School provides a wide range of learning experiences for her students, fostering an interest in science and a curiosity for learning. Activities are hands-on and open-ended, providing an excellent opportunity for all children to achieve their highest potential. Mrs Linda Townend is from Maylands Peninsula Primary School. She uses innovative strategies to engage her students, such as cartoons and puppets, and designed a collection of challenging science investigation activities. Each activity comprises a class set of resources and a teacher resource guide of suggestions on how to build on and develop students’ knowledge and skills across year levels. I wish to congratulate all of these excellent educators for being finalists and eagerly wait to hear who wins the Premier’s award. Future Science will be held on Friday 2 December at UWA. This one-day conference, where science teachers catch up with old friends, meet new friends and learn about cutting edge science has a very exciting and full program. If you have not yet registered please do so as soon as possible or you may not get your first preferences. The move to UWA after four years at Murdoch University allows us to showcase the cutting edge and interesting research that is happening at UWA. I’ve just returned from Adelaide where the Australian Science Teachers’ Association met over the weekend. Sue Doncon and I represent WA on this national council. You can visit ASTA online at <moodle.asta.edu.au/> where you can view the latest webinars and resources by registering and enrolling in the various moodle courses. In conclusion I’d like to thank everyone on the STAWA team for all their hard work and commitment in 2011. I wish all STAWA members a safe and happy festive season and look forward to a year full of activity and innovation in 2012. Bernie Hunneybun STAWA President

Scitech.

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

News

Using Problem Based Learning in Science Education Dr Coral Pepper, Edith Cowan University – South West Campus Introduction During Semester 2 2010, 49 second year pre-service teachers enrolled in a Science Education unit at Edith Cowan University (ECU), South West Campus, were introduced to Problem Based Learning (PBL). Students were unfamiliar with this teaching and learning strategy which is used to engage students in deep learning and is useful to align university courses with the reallife professional work students are expected to undertake on graduation (Biggs, 2003). Problem Based Learning is described as ‘problem first learning’ (Spencer & Jordan, 1999) because the problem defines the learning. Problems are written to represent authentic tasks which students may work in small groups to resolve.

Management System so it was the learning and teaching strategy that differed from previous occasions. Students were asked to develop an appropriate Science Investigation from within the Energy and Change Strand of the Curriculum Framework for a class of Year seven students. In small groups of four people they were required to submit a package of information describing and supporting an investigation of a researchable question. A ‘hands on’ approach was required in addition to a ten minute oral presentation about the information they obtained from investigating their research question. Students were also aware that peer assessment formed a component of their final assignment grade. Three weeks of tutorial time was set aside for the student groups to complete the assignment and I facilitated each of the sessions similarly. From the outset groups were encouraged to discuss group protocols to minimise the possibility of dysfunctional groups developing. Supporting materials were available electronically via ECU BlackBoard and I provided additional material during tutorials as appropriate. Students appreciated the need to locate documents and other materials specific to their investigation for themselves. To complete the research I sought answers to the following questions:

ECU South West Campus. Photo courtesy Dr Coral Pepper.

My interest in PBL strengthened when employed at another university to implement the strategy in first year university classes across a science faculty (Pepper, 2010). On that campus the original target cohort was first year science students, and because interest in the strategy was widespread the initiative was extended across selected second and third year cohorts. On arrival at ECU I sought South West Faculty funding to trial PBL among second year education students. I wanted to know generally, whether these pre-service education students would benefit from experiencing this inquiry based teaching and learning strategy and specifically, whether completing a PBL task would assist the students to gain confidence in their ability to teach science. Another goal was to assist pre-service teachers’ understanding of the changes required to shift their own focus from ‘what the teacher is teaching to what the students are learning’. Because the thirteen week semester was divided into two teaching blocks of nine and four weeks I delivered a weekly lecture and a weekly two-hour tutorial during the first nine weeks of Semester 2. After the mid semester break I introduced PBL to the students, followed by information about their final assignment, during their weekly lecture. The assignment was designed to address the same learning outcomes as specified in the Course 4

To what extent does a Problem Based Learning experience increase second year pre-service teachers’ perception of their confidence to teach Science Investigations? their proficiency with inquiry skills? their positive attitude toward teaching Science?

Data collection and analysis of results Two questionnaires were developed after modifying a template (Hackling, 2007) and administered to all students enrolled in the Science Education unit for pre and post intervention comparison. The first was administered to 49 students during the lecture prior to introducing the PBL assignment task and the second was administered to 47 students on completion of the oral presentations and peer assessment. The questionnaires were designed to determine the perceived levels of student confidence, inquiry process skills and attitudes towards teaching science before and after the PBL task. Three questions (12, 13

Students working on PBL task. Photo courtesy Dr Coral Pepper.

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News and 14) provided this information. Questions 12 and 13 were constructed with six sub questions and Question 14 comprised eight sub questions. A five point Likert scale was used to record these responses. Questions 12 and13 asked students to rate their confidence in teaching science from various aspects of ‘Working Scientifically’. Question 14 asked students to indicate their agreement or otherwise with eight attitudinal statements also on a five point Likert scale. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences tool (SPSS) was used to analyse the data gathered (Field, 2000). In addition, seven semi-structured interviews with students chosen at random from those prepared to be interviewed were conducted. Narrative accounts were then crafted from these interviews. Questionnaires The majority of students, whether on full time or part time study loads, were female and in their third or fourth semester of study. The largest age group represented was between 17 and 22 years of age, followed by those between 30 and 39 years. One student had experienced a PBL task previously. Descriptive statistics were obtained using the SPSS tool. Student responses to Questions 12, 13 and 14 are summarised in the tables below. Question 12 required students to rate their confidence in ‘Working Scientifically’ from aspects of designing and planning investigations (for example; using a constructivist model to plan in science, planning to engage students in science, recognising and developing a fair test in science investigations). Differences between student responses for the two questionnaires were small with the range, mean and standard deviation all increasing between the initial and the final ones. Percentage scores either on or below the median dropped from 59.2% to 38.3%. Question 13 required students to rate their confidence in ‘Working Scientifically’ from aspects of facilitating student discussion, developing concepts and assessing student learning. Differences between student responses to this series of questions remained small with the mean and percentage of scores on or below the median increasing between questionnaires. The scores on or below the median rose from 53.1% to 80% and the standard deviation decreased from 3.88 to 3.08. Question 14 sought student attitudes to both teaching science and improving their own investigation skills. Five sub questions Table 1. Descriptive statistics compiled from initial questionnaire.

were written positively and three were written negatively. Little change is revealed when these responses are combined. After examining the positively and negatively framed questions separately, there is an increase in range, mean, standard deviation and median between the initial and final questionnaire for the positive attitudinal questions. The range and standard deviation rose between initial and final questionnaires for the negatively framed questions and the mean and median dropped. Narrative accounts Seven narrative accounts of 350 to 500 words were crafted from the seven semi structured interviews and each interviewee approved the use of the narrative describing their own interview. Pseudonyms were used to identify the narratives and each has a title. Generally students described their pathway to pre-service teaching, their responses to experiencing the PBL teaching and learning strategy and their perceptions about the usefulness of PBL in their own future classes. The following positive narrative is offered as an exemplar.

No longer the worst subject I completed my Tertiary Entrance Exams at a regional High School and then enrolled in Primary Education at another campus of Edith Cowan University (ECU). My first year of study was successful and I moved out of home to begin my second year at ECU on the Bunbury Campus. I was not a big fan of science as a school student. I thought it the worst subject in school because I was outshone by others in my classes and lacked confidence. As a music student in school I missed many classes and these were often science. This Primary Science unit is my first taste of science since leaving high school. I found that completing the first assignment in this unit helped prepare me for the Problem Based Learning (PBL) investigation later in the semester. Rather than ‘re-invent the wheel’ to complete the PBL assignment my group of four people compared our earlier individual assignments to choose the one most appropriate to develop into an investigation. I was delighted when mine was chosen by the group as the one to work with. It provided a boost to my confidence. My role in the investigation was to organise the others. I did this by making phone calls, arranging meeting times, driving to campus and writing our plan of approach. One of the group members and I house share and another lives close by so we constantly chatted

Question

Range

Mean

Median

% on or below median

12 13 14 14+ 14-

12-30 12-30 26-39 15-24 6-15

22.31 21.88 32.98 20.43 12.55

3.55 3.88 3.45 2.38 1.93

23 21 33 20.5 13

59.2 53.1 53.1 58 65.3

Table 2. Descriptive statistics compiled from final questionnaire.

Question

Range

Mean

Median

% on or below median

12 13 14 14+ 14-

9-30 18-30 23-40 11-25 3-15

23.68 22.83 32.02 20.66 11.36

3.96 3.08 3.96 2.75 3.04

24 24 33 21 12

38.3 80 53.2 61.7 63.8

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

News about our work. Our conversations at home and over lunch breaks often involved questions like ‘What do you think about this idea?’, ‘Does this explain what we did next?’, and ‘How can I write this better?’ There were many highlights to completing the investigation, including spending university time with friends, learning new things about science, how others’ brains work and spending time outside in the sunshine. We also faced several challenges. One group member was scheduled in another laboratory session and was often unable to meet with us. Sometimes when we arranged a time to suit her she called in at short notice and cancelled. It meant that she was often out of the loop and I had to prod her to contribute. Our writing skills are also varied and I found it difficult pointing out errors to friends but I knew they needed to make the corrections or I would be left to rewrite the report. Despite these challenges we decided to share the investigation marks equally when we were assessed. I enjoyed PBL as it provided an opportunity to follow a different tangent, to discuss issues with others to learn and share. Developing inquiry skills, working in groups and following optional paths are beneficial to primary students and university students alike. I will use PBL with my own students and will be careful to monitor group work. I will structure the task for junior primary students and use class time when everyone is expected to attend school. I will allow more flexibility and freedom for upper primary students. In this narrative the student describes her shift from perceiving science as the worst subject, across to engaging in and enjoying a science investigation. She describes her pleasure in chatting with friends about the assignment outside of class and her role in organising group members. Other narratives were not as ‘glowing’ about the PBL exercise as this one, though all but one participant saw the possible benefits and appreciated the ‘hands on’ experience while completing the Science Investigation assignment. Students reported on both the highlights and the challenges they faced while completing the PBL task and these are summarised below. Highlights • working in groups (shared responsibility for decisions, flexibility to shape Science Investigation task, brainstorming at own pace, hearing how others think, shared workload) • presenting to peers (sharing information for future classes, hearing other peoples interpretations of task, instant group feedback) • planning investigation (seeing own progress, find out information for ourselves, opportunity to do something different, gain confidence in ideas) • using PBL (useful in areas other than science, developing own inquiry skills) • organising time (class time to complete PBL activity) Challenges • planning the investigation (having to choose which direction to take, floundering initially, deciding on which Science Investigation) • working in groups (variation in skills level within the group, difficulties in meeting out of class time, merging different ideas, one person taking over) • using PBL (didn’t feel like learning, didn’t understand why this approach was introduced, didn’t like self evaluation) • presenting to peers (felt too many, too fancy, not enough time) 6

Discussion Student responses to Question 12 suggest that despite an increase in the response range and standard deviation, the mean score for the cohort has also increased. This may be interpreted as a small increase in confidence in ‘Working Scientifically’ to teach science among the student group. Student responses to Question 13 indicate that despite an increase in the mean score, both the range of responses and the standard deviation have decreased. At first glance this also suggests a small increase in student confidence. Initial concern about the dramatic rise in the percentage of scores either on or below the median dissipated when closer examination revealed that the median score rose and that 40% of students selected the central OK option on the Likert scale. This also indicates that students generally rated their confidence slightly higher in the final questionnaire. Completing the second survey was the final task for students prior to semester break so responses may have been rushed. Responses to the attitudinal questions are interesting as it appears that overall student attitudes declined. However after separating the positively and negatively framed questions the picture is clearer. Both the mean and median scores increased slightly among the positive questions to suggest positive attitudes have increased while the mean and median scores both decreased for the negative questions to suggest that negative attitudes have decreased. While not all students rated their confidence in teaching Science Investigations or skills proficiency as improving after the PBL experience, most appreciated the opportunity of hands on exposure to the teaching and learning strategy. As evident in earlier studies (Dolmans et al., 2005; Pepper, 2010), student responses indicate that working in groups emerged both as a highlight and a challenge during PBL tasks. While some students enjoyed sharing responsibility, sharing the workload, the flexibility to work with friends and hearing how others arrive at decisions while completing the Science Investigation, there are others who resented the different skill levels among group members, the unwillingness of some to listen to others and the difficulties of meeting out of class time. Similarly, while some students appreciated the opportunity to describe their work in planning and conducting a Science Investigation to others and gained confidence in doing so, others were uncomfortable, felt pressured and lost confidence in their own abilities when comparisons were made. In the main, students welcomed exposure to a different teaching and learning strategy and conversations about the Science Investigation assignment were generally positive. On reflection I consider introducing Problem Based Learning to this group of pre-service teachers well worthwhile and wish to express my appreciation to the students for their willingness to provide feedback on the Science Investigation.

References Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for quality learning at university. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press. Dolmans, D.H., De Grave, S., Wolfhagen, E.D. and van der Vleuten, C.P. (2005). Problem-based learning: Future challenges for educational practice and research. Medical Education, 39(7), 732-741 Field, A. (2000). Discovering statistics using SPSS. London: Sage Publications. Hackling, M. (2007). Draft questionnaire for Australian Academy of Science: Science by doing pilot project. Pepper, C. (2010). There’s a lot of learning going on but NOT much teaching!’: student perceptions of Problem-Based Learning in science, Higher Education Research & Development, 29(6), 693-707. Spencer, J.A. and Jordan, R.K.(1999). Learner centred approaches in medical education, British Medical Journal, 318, 1280-1283.

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News

Ashdale Cluster Primary Science Extension Program Nicola Hill, Ashdale Primary School The Ashdale Cluster is a collective of schools focused on developing 21st century scientists. Across the cluster, science programs are designed to equip our students with the skills to probe and explore problems, to find and critically evaluate information, to work productively as a member of a team and to

• Through utilising other technology resources and developing team skills and team jobs. • Assessment practices are an integral part of teaching and learning.

all key skills for success in the global community.

Reasons for the Ashdale Cluster Primary Science Extension Program

As a cluster, we aim to enhance the science learning of our

The aim of the program is to ‘broaden individual students’ skills,

students through the Primary Science Extension Program. For

knowledge and conceptual understandings in the science

this program Year 5 students are selected on their interest and

learning area via a differentiated curriculum’. As part of the

academic performance in science. The weekly program runs

Ashdale Cluster, the Primary Science Extension Program is set up

for eight sessions. It is held at Ashdale Secondary College with

for students to be supported and challenged to develop deeper

students taught by secondary science teachers in the science

levels of thinking in the science learning area. The program

laboratories. Eight students are chosen from each of the three

provides the opportunity for students to work in a science

primary schools with the focus on selection alternating between

laboratory to further extend their scientific literacy by conducting

academic achievement and interest in science. This allows a

investigations, engaging in hands-on and practical learning

range of students to access and utilise the program.

experiences and connecting their learning with the community

effectively communicate research findings to others. These are

and practice beyond the classroom. The learning environment in which the program takes place promotes independence and collaboration.

Students from the Ashdale Cluster Primary Science Extension Program working in an Ashdale Secondary College science laboratory. Photo courtesy Rick Firns.

Aim of the Primary Science Extension Program

The students are engaged in hands-on learning experiences. Photo courtesy Rick Firns.

The Ashdale Cluster Primary Science Extension Program aims to

Primary Science Extension Program Activities

promote the following pedagogy principles in science:

Through the Primary Science Extension Program students are

• Students are supported and challenged to develop deep levels of thinking. • Science is linked with students’ lives, perspectives and interests. • Students’ scientific literacy is developed. • Learning connects with communities and practice beyond the classroom. • The learning environment promotes independence and collaboration.

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

involved in the following activities: • Observing safety and rules in a laboratory situation – by wearing safety goggles, observing chemical reactions and demonstrating laboratory safety while using Bunsen burners. • Lighting and using a Bunsen burner when conducting experiments – students needed to gain a Bunsen burner licence by showing the skills of connecting it to the bayonette, using matches and safe procedure for lighting. • Using science laboratory equipment, such as beakers, tripods, electronic scales, thermometers, dissecting kits and 7

News retort stands to conduct experiments. The students carried

fun and science-y. It encourages me to go and do science at

out a dissection of a fish to learn dissection techniques and

high school.” Gaige

identify parts of fish anatomy. • Testing a simple hypothesis and conducting repeated trials to

“It was really fun and also educational; dissecting the fish was quite disgusting but also really fun. I liked making the egg craft

test its validity. • Working as an engineer to design a package to protect an egg

and I am really pleased I got to be part of the program.” Brooklyn

from a six metre fall. • Recreating the flow of electricity through a circuit when using specialised circuitry equipment. Students followed instructions to make circuits that lit up bulbs and made sounds. The activity was extended to designing their own

“I really liked doing the science program because I got to use equipment that I would have had to wait until Year 8 to use, but I got use it in Year 5. I really liked the science program, I’m glad I got to go!” Daniel

circuits and reviewing their effectiveness.

The students learning fish dissection techniques. Photo courtesy Rick Firns.

Positive Results

Benefits of the Primary Science Extension Program • To improve student achievement and performance in the science learning area through a safe and supportive learning environment. • To broaden individual students’ skills, knowledge and conceptual understandings via a differentiated curriculum.

learning

experiences

conducted

science

laboratories with students conducting investigations.

2011, with positive responses from staff across the Ashdale Cluster. It has been a popular program as the students receive an opportunity to become familiar with the Secondary College and the use of science laboratories and equipment. There has been a noticeable increase in the interest and engagement in science turn, this has created an optimistic attitude towards science. The Ashdale Cluster Primary Science Extension Program will continue in 2012 and will be reviewed to improve its effectiveness and

Student Responses to the Primary Science Extension Program “It was very fun and educational and I got to use new equipment and learnt cool stuff.”

The Primary Science Extension Program has been a success in

amongst the students that have attended the program and, in

• Development of collaborative partnerships. • Practical

The students learning fish dissection techniques. Photo courtesy Rick Firns.

benefits for staff and students involved. Enquiries about the program are welcome and can be directed to Rick Firns Principal Ashdale Primary School.

Caitlyn

“Science at the high school was a good experience for me, it was fun. I liked dissecting the fish the most. It was awesome!” Varisha “I learnt how to compare things such as measuring temperature with thermometers. I liked using the Bunsen burners for activities. I would like to thank Miss Simpson for all her hard work!”

Cody

“Going to the Secondary College for science was really fun and we got to learn lots of new things about all different elements of science. Using the science lab in the high school was really

Collaborative learning and team skills are an integral part of the Ashdale Cluster Primary Science Extension Program. Photo courtesy Rick Firns.

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News

Integrating ICT: The use of a discussion board to promote science learning Jodie Rybicki, Carey Baptist College As technology continues to become more integrated into

There are a great deal more responses on this forum, ranging

education, the way in which information is presented to students

from sharing information to clarifying answers to practice exam

is beginning to change to fit with new ideas about the practice

questions. Upon first glace, it appears to be teenagers simply

of teaching. There is the belief that teaching is the imparting of

having a conversation, or posting YouTube videos, however, if

knowledge, and learning is about acquiring knowledge (Mentis

closely examined we can start to see some learning.

2008). As teachers, we could reconsider our understanding of learning as we are seeing a shift from instructivism and constructivism to a newer idea of connectivism. This continuum is an adaptation and challenges the previous conception of knowledge as objective entities that need to be transferred to the learner by an ‘expert’ teacher (Mentis 2008).

As students look to seek clarity about their responses, other students jump in with the necessary knowledge. In figure 2, we see the first student asks a question, and that student jumps back in with a question to clarify their understanding. We see a similar format in a class discussion, but in this conversation there are several eager students either actively seeking or providing

This newer style of learning can be demonstrated through the

knowledge with no input from the teacher. In this way, a dynamic

use of a discussion board on which students can post questions

learning community is starting to develop where students are

and answer each other, each response cognitively building on the

becoming more responsible for their own learning.

next, leading to a greater knowledge across a class. In my year 12 biology class, I initiated a discussion board for students to engage in an online community. There was an original forum on Facebook, which was a private group, but there are significant security concerns and no ability for the teacher to moderate. Therefore on the second attempt, this community was introduced using the SEQTA Suite, a teaching/learning management software package. This provides an area where students can log in and converse in a moderated, safe and secure area. As the administrator, I provide access only to the students in my class.

As technology and its place in the classroom increases, we can move away from Bloom’s taxonomy, which for the earlier, concrete domains is largely about teachers imparting knowledge, and students as receivers, and move towards a continuum of learning. Soller (2001) poses a new framework for collaborative learning using information and communication technology. This framework looks at ways to encourage collaborative learning amongst students, which is a valuable skill for anyone. This emerging pedagogy shows that students can be engaged in a range of tasks to help them to learn new content but in a range of ways through a digital setting. The figure shows some of the questions that students may be asking to demonstrate their understanding of a topic, and this is particularly prevalent in the use of a discussion board. Understanding student’s online interaction is important, as this interaction influences their perception of their online learning (Song & McNary, 2011). Students are motivated by online interactions, and are therefore more likely to contribute to the discussions and thus motivate others in an online setting than in a classroom setting (Song & McNary, 2011). This builds collaborative learning amongst students (Song & McNary, 2011) improving students’ understandings

and

therefore

their

educational outcomes. Combine Bloom’s taxonomy with Soller’s taxonomy and we find that we are teaching Figure 1: An example of a student post about a useful video.

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

students how to learn and communicate at 9

News Figure 2: The original forum.

the same time. Having students type the phrase “Let me explain this way” and then use higher order skills is not a conversation that could take place in a traditional classroom setting. The use of a discussion board allows students to demonstrate knowledge to not only the teacher, but also to each other, while at the same time offering the very valuable opportunity to teach each other. Students could be made aware of Soller’s taxonomy and phrases and asked to try and use them, prompting even higher order conversations. My thanks to Kathleen Lacey and Grant Grosser for their support and assistance.

References Mentis, M. (2008). Navigating the e-Learning Terrain : Aligning Technology , Pedagogy and Context. Electronic Journal of eLearning, 6(3), 217 - 226.

Soller, A. (2001). Supporting Social Interaction in an Intelligent Collaborative Learning System. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 12(1), 40-62.

Song, L. & McNary, S.W. (2011). Understanding Students’ Online Interaction: Analysis of Discussion Board Postings. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 10(1), 1-14.

Figure 3: The Collaborative Learning Conversation Skill Taxonomy (taken from Soller, 2001, p7).

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ng Discovery & Learni

News

William Shockley – Man with ‘Reverse Charisma’ Frank Dymond

The recent death of Steve Jobs, co-founder of AppleTM , was

secret from the two and blocked them from further work on the

covered in a number of media outlets. Many, including The

transistor, Brattain refused to work with him and was assigned to

Australian newspaper on Friday 7 October, credited him with

another group. Bardeen left to work on superconductivity at the

“transforming Silicon Valley”. However, a more interesting story

University of Illinois – for which he received a second Nobel Prize,

concerns the origin of Silicon Valley, home to many of the world’s

the only person ever to receive two in physics.

largest technology corporations. The credit for the location of these enterprises could well be attributed to the actions of one man, William Shockley, but not because of his entrepreneurial skills; rather it was due to his personality or lack of it! This man would seem to illustrate that science is a very human endeavour but that some behaviours lead to unexpected outcomes.

their newly founded Semiconductor Laboratory in California, in 1955, he tried to lure several of his former colleagues from Bell Labs to join. Not one of them would do so (“William Shockley”, n.d.). He then turned to the universities to attract the brightest of graduates to work with him. Within twelve months, eight of

The story begins with the attempt to make a working transistor.

these bright graduates became increasingly dissatisfied with

Until the 1950’s, amplification in electronic circuits could only

Shockley’s dictatorial managerial style. In a videoed interview,

be achieved by thermionic valves. These were bulky, had slow

members of the ‘Traitorous Eight’, as they became known,

response times and gave off lots of heat, which meant they were

described how he became secretive about his work – even

inefficient. The first digital computer, ENIAC, using these valves

though they were part of his research team. One incident, which

weighed over thirty tonnes, consumed 200 kilowatts of electrical

became the last straw for the group, involved an office worker

power and had 18,000 valves, which continually burnt out (“The

who cut her hand on a sharp point protruding from a doorframe.

Integrated Circuit”, n.d.). It was not a reliable piece of apparatus!

Shockley, on hearing this, was convinced that it was an act of

There were several research laboratories trying to develop a solidstate equivalent of the triode valve to solve the deficiencies of these vacuum tubes – just as the diode had replaced the vacuum tube diode. One such laboratory was the Bell Laboratories in New Jersey. A Solid State Physics Group was formed under the leadership of William Shockley. Others in the group included John Bardeen and Walter Brattain. Shockley, together with Bardeen and Brattain were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956. However, by then Shockley had fallen out with his two co-workers. Part of the reason for this was that Bell Labs had not included Shockley’s name on the patent application, using only Brattain and Bardeen in the application. They chose to do this partly because Bardeen and Brattain had succeeded without Shockley’s help. More importantly, Shockley’s idea had been

When Shockley joined Beckman Instruments as Director of

sabotage directed at him (Addison, 2009). He then hired a private detective to investigate the event and wanted his staff to take lie detector tests! However, in 1957, The ‘Traitorous Eight’ all resigned because of Shockley’s increasingly domineering style of management. In May, these eight had gone to Arnold Beckman to explain that they could not work with Shockley as their manager any longer (Silicon Valley Watcher, n.d.). Although Beckman promised to appoint another manager with Shockley as director, he later changed his mind and effectively told them to take it or leave it. They left and Silicon Valley commenced. It has been estimated that some 400 companies can trace their origins to the ‘Traitorous Eight’ (Silicon Valley Watcher, n.d.). And this could be attributed to Shockley because he had been so unpleasant to a group of highly motivated and intelligent scientists.

anticipated in a previous patent application, yet Shockley did not

Several of the ‘Traitorous Eight’ formed Fairchild Semiconductor

acknowledge this. Shockley’s name was not on any of the four

but two others helped to form the nucleus of Silicon Valley. They

patents for which Bell Labs applied. Shockley was understandably

were Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore who created Intel. Robert

furious and tried to have the other two names replaced by his

Noyce is credited with being the co-inventor of the integrated

(“John Bardeen”, n.d.). Finally, after Shockley continued to work in

circuit. However, it was Jack Kilby who received the Nobel Prize

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News for its invention even though Noyce accepted that they had both

was just 5 years old, neatly catalogued by his parents on a card.

independently solved the problem. Why Kilby was the only one to

That Shurkin found shopping lists as well did not surprise him.

receive the prize is another story.

Perhaps Shockley’s eccentric behaviour was patterned on that of

So, who was this man who was so unpleasant that he turned

his parents.

many able people away and caused his biographer, Joel Shurkin,

Later, Shockley became obsessed with eugenics and in what

to describe him as having ‘reverse charisma’?

he saw as the decline in the general intelligence of the nation’s

William Shockley was born in London on 13 February 1910 to American parents but was raised in Palo Alto, California. His father, who spoke eight languages, was a mining engineer while his mother graduated from Stanford University and was to become the first female United States Deputy Mining Surveyor. His upbringing though, was very unusual. He did not attend school until Year 8, having been taught by his parents until then. His parents showed other odd aspects of behaviour, which included never staying longer than a few months in the same flat when they were in London. It is possible that this closeted upbringing was in part responsible for William’s lack of social skills. However, it may well have been because he was so highly intelligent and didn’t suffer fools gladly! In 1932 William Shockley was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree at the Californian Institute of Technology, Cal Tech. His PhD was gained from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1936. Shortly after graduating he began research work at Bell Labs and within a few years had published several fundamental papers on solid-state physics as well as gained his first patent on electronic multipliers. His work at Bell Labs was briefly interrupted by his involvement in the war effort. It was during

population. In particular he was concerned that people from the lower socio-economic groups were having more children than those from the higher socio-economic population. He equated this with fewer bright children being born and, in addition, noted that there were more black Americans in the former group. Finally, he pointed out that the black population scored some 15 points lower on intelligence tests than did the general white population. (It is questionable just what these tests did measure.) If that wasn’t enough to get him into trouble he then publically advocated paid voluntary sterilisation of individuals with IQs below 100. The media immediately equated his views with those of the Nazis of the Second World War, which was unfair since he was apparently not anti-Semitic, but the idea was still not palatable to most Americans. But he did believe that, without some form of population control, humanity was in danger of evolving backwards in intelligence – a process he called reverse evolution or devolution. Probably in an attempt to counteract this, Shockley donated his sperm to the sperm bank, Repository for Germinal Choice, one of three Nobel Prize winners to do so – but the only one to publically state he was one.

this period that he advised the US government on the possible

William Shockley so alienated himself from the scientific world

casualties that would occur if the US army were to invade Japan.

and his family that, when he died of prostate cancer in 1989,

The data he provided were an influencing factor in deciding to

his wife did not hold a memorial service – possibly because she

drop the bomb on Hiroshima (“William Shockley”, n.d).

thought no one would attend. Indeed his children only learnt of

In 1933, while he was still a student, Shockley married his first wife, Iowen Bailey, with whom he had a daughter. He divorced

his death through the media. It was a sad end for an undoubtedly gifted man, but one with ‘reverse charisma’.

Iowen in 1954 but remarried in 1955. His second wife, Emmy

References

Lanning, was a psychiatric nursing teacher and, according to

Addison, C. The Traitorous Eight Look Back [Video]. www.siliconbeat. com/2009/05/09the-traitorous-eight-look-back/

Joel Shurkin, she remained loyal to him even when he became involved in eugenics (Shurkin, J. 2006, p.252). It may be that her experience in psychiatrics helped her to cope with William! Certainly his behaviour and philosophies tended to be unusual to say the least. Shurkin described how, as a biographer, when he found the

In Conversation, (2006) Joel Shurkin, biographer of William Shockley [Transcript]. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/inconversation/stories/2006/1678241.htm Nobelprize.org. (n.d.) The Integrated Circuit: The History of the Integrated Circuit. Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://nobelprize.org/educational/ physics/integrated_circuit/history/ Nobelprize.org. (n.d.) The Nobel Prize in Physics 1972 Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://nobelprize.org//nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1972/ bardeen-bio.html

archived material stored by William Shockley he was both alarmed

Shurkin, J. (2006). Broken Genius: The Rise and Fall of William Shockley, Creator of the Electronic Age. London: Macmillan.

and delighted. Delighted because there was so much stored but

Silicon Valley Watcher, (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://s. tt/13xCs

alarmed because what had been saved was overwhelming. These included a splinter taken from young William’s cheek when he

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

William Shockley. (n.d) Retrieved October 18, 2011, from Wikipedia:htp// en.wikipedia.org/wiki,William_Shockley

News

National Science Week 2011 Lauren Clarke, National Science Week STAWA Representative National Science Week 2011 was celebrated around Australia during the week of 13-21 August. There were more than 1,000 events spread across every state and territory, as well as fascinating scientists giving talks all over the country on a national tour. National Science Week encourages everyone to participate in an array of inspiring activities, as we celebrate science and innovation in Australia. To help Australian schools celebrate National Science Week, the Australian Science Teachers’ Association (ASTA), with administrative assistance from the Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia (STAWA), provided funding for schoolinitiated National Science Week projects in schools. A total of $8,000 was made available to all schools in WA in the form of small grants to conduct science activities or events. Many schools applied for the National Science Week Schools Grant, but only a few could be selected. Although it was the International Year of Chemistry, a range of topics and ideas were on offer that had both school and community involvement. Liz Tuckey from Cue Primary School invited Sandstone Primary School (some 242 km away) to help paint some tyres and make them into a potato patch to add to their already established vegetable garden. No doubt this addition will not only be used in future science investigations, but also to serve chips!

Al-Hidayah Islamic School celebrated National Science Week by holding their first science exhibition. Each class had to perform a series of science experiments to an audience, explain the concept and answer questions. The students made scientific posters and explanations to go with the experiments. Al-Hidayah also invited

Aranmore Catholic Primary School had a range of exciting activities on offer. On Tuesday morning they created a giant iceberg on the grass. Students were asked to predict what they thought would happen to the iceberg and how long it would last. They were amazed to see the ice still there when they went

Bentley Primary School students to participate in the morning,

home for the day. Students raced to school the next morning to

with each class seeing and doing all the experiments in various

see if it was still there – and it was! The rest of the week saw

classes. To finish their day, they invited the community to attend

them participate in a Science Fair at which the entire school had

in the afternoon.

the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities that were

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News designed to explore the world of science. Every student had the opportunity to make UV bracelets, physilli slime, oobleck, lava lamps, bubbles and amazing detergent. Science Week was great! They all had a fabulous week, even if some of them went home a bit grubby. Madeley Primary School reacted to chemistry for National Science Week. Students designed a range of fun and simple chemistry-based activities to demonstrate and share with the younger classes –such as Dancing Sultanas, Pop Rockets and Chromatography. The students that came to take part all had fun and learnt a lot, and were able to see, touch, smell, hear and taste the activities. Students from Pre-Primary to Year Seven took part in a Science Quiz and A-Z competition during National Science Week. There were over 400 entries from across the school in these competitions. It was wonderful to see so many students so excited about science. Each year there have been more and more entries and there are some brilliant budding scientists at Madeley Primary School. Science staff dressed up as mad scientists and hosted a Brain Break Morning Tea with the staff of Ashdale Secondary College to launch the start of National Science Week. With eyeball cakes, ecosystem jelly, “blood” test tubes and periodic table cupcakes the staff were treated to a science-based morning tea like no other!

throughout the week: Name That Tune competition which involved students naming the science-based songs played each morning and a Science Scavenger Hunt where students had to find 20 clues hidden throughout the school during the week with science questions they had to answer. Science Fairs, fun investigations and laboratory-style activities, helicopter landings, astronomy nights and more fizzing, bubbling, explosive reactions all made up a very successful National Science Week 2011. Congratulations to all schools (listed below) who received grants. 2011 National Science Week Grants STAWA WA Seed Grant Schools 2011 Jurien Bay District High School School Grant 2011 Al-Hidayah Islamic School Aranmore Catholic Primary School Ashdale Secondary College Bullsbrook District High School Bunbury Cathedral Grammar Primary School Cooloongup Primary School Cue Primary School Greenwood Senior High School John Curtin College of the Arts Madeley Primary School Padbury Primary School Peter Moyes Anglican Community School

The science staff hosted a whole school National Science Week Expo in the Ashdale Secondary College Performing Arts Theatre on Friday 19 August. The students rotated in their classes

Sacred Heart College Woodvale Secondary College

through a range of games, got zapped by the Van de Graaf,

Thanks for your support and assistance Delese Brewster of ASTA,

looked at microscopic creatures through microscopes, mixed

Carrie from STAWA and Mark Merritt (former representative).

chemicals to identify acids and bases in foods and dug for fossils

Your help in the organisation of the National Science Week grants

in archaeological digs. They also had two great competitions

for Western Australia is truly appreciated.

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF W E S T E R N AU S T R A L I A

National Science Week 2011

SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF W E S T E R N AU S T R A L I A

THE JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

News

Total Eclipse of the Moon Donna Vanzetti, Gingin Observatory For natural phenomenon’s, you don’t get more remarkable or

The total eclipse will end at 10.57pm and comes out of partial

spectacular then a total lunar eclipse and this rare event will be

eclipse at 1.30am.

happening on 10 December with Australia being one of the best locations to view it.

Throughout history, eclipses have been associated with myths and legends. The changing colour of the Moon to menacing

For a total eclipse to occur, we need the Sun, Earth and Moon to

shades of blood-red, caused early peoples to fear dark omens as

be closely aligned in their orbits, with the Earth in the middle. As

they believed the Moon was being consumed by angry gods or

the Earth passes in front of the Sun’s light, the Earth’s shadow

dark spirits.

is cast onto the Moon. The Moon also has to be at its full moon phase.

According to legend, Christopher Columbus used this fear when he and his crew were stranded without supplies on the coast of

A partial eclipse means that the Earth’s shadow only covers a

Jamaica in 1504. He told the native leaders if they did not help, he

portion of the Moon therefore the alignment is not so close and

would make the Moon disappear the following night.

is not quite as spectacular.

Columbus knew that a total eclipse of the Moon would occur on

This year’s total eclipse will begin at 7.34pm Western Standard

29 February 1504. The warning, of course, came true, prompting

Time. The Moon will be in partial shadow for almost three hours

the terrified people to beg Columbus to restore the Moon.

and at 10.32pm will be in full shadow or ‘totality’. Totality will last for half an hour and it is at this time, we will witness yet another phenomenon.

Mother Nature always astounds me with the ever-changing environment that we live in. There is always an amazing new creation to see, from a simple rainbow, spectacular storm-cloud

To add to the magic of an eclipse, the Moon can turn a red coppery

formations or the slow transformation of the bright full Moon into

colour, although this eclipse will not favour much of a colour

a slowly darkening, coppery ball, hanging mysteriously in space.

change. As the Moon passes into the full shadow of the Earth, called the umbra, the Sun’s light bends around the edge of the

Why not take the time to look up and enjoy the wonder of nature!

Earth and this light is reflected onto the Moon. As the light travels

To view these objects and enjoy a magical evening, visit the Gingin

through the Earth’s atmosphere it gets scattered or filtered and

Observatory. Bookings can be made at www.ginginobservatory.

loses most of the blue-coloured light, meaning that the light that

com.

reaches the lunar surface is predominantly red in colour. This same effect creates our sunsets.

Full Lunar Eclipse. Photo courtesy Fred Espenak; www.MrEclipse.com

Lunar Eclipse. Diagram courtesy timeanddate.com

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News

Science Talent Search 2011 Julie Weber, Science Talent Search Chair The Presentation Ceremony for the 53rd Science Talent Search

secondary students. The overall winner and runner-up of the

was held on Wednesday 21 September 2011 at Scitech Discovery

BHP Billiton Science Awards is given the opportunity to compete

Centre. There were 146 students and their guests in attendance.

at the International Science and Engineering Fair in the United

The evening opened with a presentation by Matilda-Jane Oke

States of Amercia.

a PhD Biochemistry student from The University of Western Australia who spoke about how being the youngest winner (aged12) of a Eureka Prize for Science led her on to biochemistry research at UWA. A video of Matilda’s presentation is available on the STAWA website.

Each year STAWA nominates a teacher for the BHP Billiton Science Teacher Award. The nominee for 2012 is Malcolm Johnson from Mazenod College. Each state nominee is invited to Melbourne in early February to network with other state nominees and attend the BHP Billiton Awards ceremony. The winner of the BHP Billiton Science Teacher Award is invited to accompany the student winners to the International Science and Engineering Fair in the USA.

The evening opened with a presentation by Matilda-Jane Oke. Photo courtesy STAWA

This year 890 students participated in the Science Talent Search, completing over 500 entries of which 292 were submitted for final judging. These entries were received from 35 schools, including 10 regional schools. This year funding was made available from the Department of Commerce to enable STAWA to promote STS

Malcolm Johnson was nominated for the BHP Billiton Science Teacher Award. Photo courtesy STAWA

in regional schools and coordinate regional judging.

This year all secondary entries in the Inventions category were

Each year an overall primary and secondary student and school

entered into the WA Innovator of the Year Schools Competition.

winner is selected from entries received. Congratulations to these winners. Primary student: Jessica Low (Year 6 – Holy Spirit Catholic School) Secondary students: Robert Peacock and Narani Santhirakumaran (Year 12 – Shenton College) Primary School: Lesmurdie Primary School Secondary School: Shenton College

Changes were made this year to the Science Communication category with the introduction of Science Videos and a category theme. Entries in the 2011 Science Communication category were required to be based on the National Science Week theme ‘React to Chemistry’. The theme for 2012 is ‘Energy Evolution’. I would like to congratulate all students who participated in this year’s completion and their teachers for support and encouraging them. A special thank you goes to the judges of the competition.

All place getters in the Research Investigation category (Years

STAWA looks forward to your participation again next year.

3-12) have been entered into the 2012 BHP Billiton Science

Information about the 2012 STS competition is now available

Awards. These awards are sponsored by BHP Billiton and CSIRO,

on the STAWA website, and booklets will arrive in schools in

and endorsed by ASTA. The BHP Billiton Science Awards present

February. So if you didn’t participate in STS in 2011 keep an eye

a considerable number of significant cash prizes to primary and

out for information about the 2012 competition.

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

News

Science Talent Search 2011 Winners Category 1: Research Investigation Kindegarten 1st Wil Ross Lesmurdie PS Poster Investigation: How to Pop Corn 1st Kadan Sumner Lesmurdie PS Poster Investigation: How to Make a Volcano Pre-primary 1st Keegan Grose Lesmurdie PS Poster Investigation: Rainbow Explosion Year 2 1st Lachlan Tapley Lesmurdie PS Poster Investigation: Magic Milk Year 3 1st Sam Nicholas Richmond PS How Colour can Change Temperature 2nd Matthew Sofield Richmond PS Foils Aint Foils 3rd Matilda Sayer Richmond PS Potato Chips Year 4 1st Lachlan Van Ballegooyen Westdale Home School Battery Busters 2nd Hannah Rubie Woodlands PS Coin Cleaning Year 5-6 Jessica Low Holy Spirit Catholic School 1st Shampoo and Conditioner the Extra Dollar 2nd Natalie Luderman Lesmurdie PS Which material does charcoal smudge best on? 3rd

Year 7 1st 2nd Year 8 1st

Jemma Roberts, Emily Hunt, Ashley Rowlands Lesmurdie PS Cheesernaters Jane Pankhurst Sawyers Valley PS Vitamin C in Oranges Samuel Addison Sawyers Valley PS The Cone of Silence Taylor Lloyd Mercedes College How different solutions preserve cut flowers

Year 9-10 1st Thomas Gambuti Shenton College Messina the Saline Saviour 2nd Cody Emery, Ryan Forsyth, Brandon Cavallaro Willetton SHS Braking Distance of a Bicycle as a Function of Brake Pad Area Year 11-12 Robert Peacock, Narani Santhirakumaran 1st Shenton College The effect of osmotic pressure on the rate and efficiency of a home made osmosis water purifier 2nd Ashkan Moradi Zaniani Shenton College Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Michelle Lim Shenton College Colour Conducive to Memory Category 2: Science Communication Science Posters Pre-primary 1st Emma Browne-Cooper Woodlands PS Fireworks Year 1 1st Jack Tapley Lesmurdie PS Secret Spy Writing 2nd Carlson Fawkes Armadale PS Composting 3rd Beth Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Gorman Armadale PS Changing Water Year 2 1st Ella Friedlos Armadale PS Baking a Cake 2nd Finn Mohan Armadale PS Liquids and Gases with Transport 3rd Kade Burnside Kalgoorlie PS Save Energy and Our Planet Science Videos Year 5 1st Liam Martin Armadale PS Pop Goes the Volcano! Year 6 1st Keshvin Singh Brookman PS The Meltdown - Save the Planet Year 7 1st Ziwei Mao, Ethan Edwards, Caine Wilson South Kalgoorlie PS Why the sea is salty Year 8 1st Amy Beer, Amy James Leeming SHS Modelling Diffusion and Osmosis Year10 1st Chloe Kuser, Annabelle Keenan, Bryce Hellmrich St Norbert College Chemistry Experiment Two Category 3: Inventions Year 5-6 1st Timothy Fletcher Lake Joondalup Baptist College Invaders - card game 2nd Leah Addison Sawyers Valley PS Shoe box Year 7-8 1st Joanna Michael Woodlands PS Handy Board 2nd Isobelle Purbrick Mercedes College A flexible filter funnel Year 9-10 1st Nicholas Morris , Cahill Horn Willetton SHS Solar HWS 4 Caravan 2nd Noor-Ul-Ain Sultana, Vanessa (Pey Wen) Lee Willetton SHS Winter Warm-Up 3rd

Thank you to our 2011 sponsors

THE JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE TEACHERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

K-12 Science Competition

Science learning through creative project work

Cash prizes to be won from $20 up to $1000 19 Sept 2012 th 54 STS Presentation Ceremony

December 2011 STS 2012 information available on website

1 Sept 2012 Final judging day

February 2012 Booklet mailed to members & schools

5 Mar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 17 Aug 2012 Online registration

24 Aug 2012 Entries must be received by STAWA

11 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 19 Aug 2012 National Science Week

Categories for entry: Research Investigations Science Communication Inventions To enter go to:

News

Perth Zoo’s Global Forest Album: Conservation-focused Social Media Project Wayne Walters, Education Coordinator, Perth Zoo The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests with the aim of raising awareness of sustainable management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests. Perth Zoo identified its support of this declaration through the development and implementation of community events and projects. The initiation of Perth Zoo’s Global Forest Album in January 2011 was one of these projects. The Global Forest Album provides a visual mechanism to create a positive connection with nature. This project gives the global community an opportunity to submit a photo of their favourite tree or forest environment and identify the reasons why they are important to them. It also provides an insight into the range of trees that are unique to different parts of the world and why they are valued. By using this form of social media, we have stimulated online discussions about forests and the wildlife and people who inhabit these fragile environments. In addition to receiving submissions from conservation-minded people, this project has engaged members of the community who may not normally participate in science or conservation initiatives. This Old Oak is situated in Knighton, Powys, UK. Knighton is a small border town on the Welsh. It is possible when walking in this area to cross to and fro from one side of the border to the other...but this tree is definitely on the Welsh side! Photo courtesy Davis Kennett.

Free the Bears Fund Inc, Cambodia Wellington Zoo Trust, New Zealand According to the United Nations, the importance of the world’s forests is clear: • Forests cover 31% of total land area. • Forests are home to 80% of our terrestrial biodiversity. • Forests are home to 300 million people around the world. • The livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people depend on forests. 0% of forests are used for production of wood and non• 3 wood products.

This is Ben hugging an ancient jarrah tree called “Mother” in Arcadia forest, near Bunbury, Western Australia. Sadly Mother might become one of the trees that is cleared in this special forest. Photo courtesy of Peter Murphy.

Who has been submitting photos? Perth Zoo staff, volunteers and members Visitors to Perth Zoo website, Facebook friends Schools from within WA and interstate Ledge Point Coastcare Tenkile Conservation Alliance, Papua New Guinea Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust, Zambia Bukit Tigapuluh Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Project, Sumatra Silvery Gibbon Project 22

But what have people told us through the Global Forest Project Album? As a conservation agency, Perth Zoo supports the preservation of habitats both in Australia and abroad, and the conservation of unique species who call these areas home. However, it is important to realise that people value trees for many other reasons beyond those with a conservation focus. It is essential for us to recognise these reasons as many of them can be used as ‘a hook’ to turn the attention of non-conservation minded people towards conserving these places. At the time of writing, the Global Forest Album displayed 115 images of locations from 17 countries around the world. After examining the descriptions posted with each of the images it becomes quite apparent that there are a number of reasons why people value the world’s forests. These have been grouped into

THE JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

News Figure 1: Percentage grouping of images in the Global Forest Project Album.

This is the famous “Tree In a Rock” Porongurup National Park near Mount Barker Western Australia. The granite from which Porongurup Range is formed is more than 1,400 million years old and has been exposed by the slow weathering of the softer rocks surrounding the range. The Giant Karri trees create a home for over 1,000 species of flowering plants and 78 species of birds, from majestic, soaring wedgetail eagles to the electric blue splendid fairy wrens. Photo courtesy of Andrew Kenworthy.

three key areas: ecological, social and economic. These three areas are intertwined with our understanding of sustainability and are also often referred to as the ‘Triple Bottom Line’. On examining the number of images that were grouped as ecological, social and economic, it was found that 50% were ecological and 41% were social, which is not a large difference between the two categories.

The Moonah Tree in Yaapeet Primary School’s garden is fun to climb and has really good lookouts. You can lay sticks along its branches and make shelters. We hide, rest, and play in and under it. Our Moonah (Melaleuca lanceolata, or Black TeaTree) gives us pleasure! Photo courtesy Yaapeet Primary School, north west Victoria.

This indicates that promoting conservation initiatives should not rely solely on the ecological or conservation value. We should also consider the other reasons why people may want to engage with the natural environment, for example for cultural or historical reasons, a breathtaking holiday experience or perhaps simply a favourite place for the family to reconnect. To view Perth Zoo’s Global Forest Photo Album and find out how to add photos to the album: Visit <www.perthzoo.wa.gov.au/whats-on/2011-internationalyear-of-forests/>. Click on photo album.

Our Melaleuca argentea is important because it gives our animals homes, it keeps the river bank together, it is good for bush food, it is good for shelter, we use it in our daily life, it shows us how high the river gets, and it is beautiful. Written and compiled by the Katherine Junior Rangers 2011, Northern Territory. Photo courtesy Clare Pearce.

Table 1: Grouping reasons why people value forests as indicated by descriptions accompanying images.

Ecological

Social

Economic

Homes for animals Food source for animals Unique vegetation Prevent/control soil erosion Environmental research Revegetation projects Clean air

Beauty/aesthetics Cultural/historical significance Special family place Works of art Landmarks Issues of political contention Recreation Wonder of nature/spiritual connection Environmental/conservation education Provides shade Place to relax

Use of local resources Employment Food source Tourism Alternative crops Forestry

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

News

Sounds of Science Elaine Lewis, Katherine Gaschk and Jennifer Pearson

“I enjoyed everything”…at the science fair (Participant)

A Sound of Science Innovative Model

Introduction

Planning, implementation and evaluation of A Sound of Science

Community science fairs at the Canning River Eco Education

science fairs. Each year improvements are made to this proven,

Centre provide a feast for the senses. The first fair, in 2009, focused on A Taste of Science (Pearson & Lewis, 2009), followed by A Dance of Science in 2010 (Lewis & Pearson, 2011) and ‘sound’ this year.

was built on the experience and outcomes of the two previous innovative model. Prior to the event, children were invited to design art works related to the fair theme. Over fifty entries were received. The winning entry, by a 12 year old student, was featured on the fair

A Sound of Science was a five-hour science fair held on Sunday

banner. This competition helped to promote the event as well as

21 August during National Science Week (NSWk). The event

focus learning and creativity on the fair theme.

engaged the general public in learning about different aspects of ‘sound’. The planning, implementation and evaluation of the fair was achieved through a successful partnership between Canning River Eco Education Centre (CREEC), NSWk, the Australian Association for Environmental Education – WA Chapter (AAEEWA), City of Canning, South East Regional Centre for Urban Landcare (SERCUL), Swan River Trust and Great Gardens. AAEE-WA was awarded a 2011 NSWk grant to conduct A Sound of Science. This funding was supplemented by funds and inkind support from the other major partners. Numerous smaller sponsors also supported the event.

Project Purpose Project aims aligned with national Powering Ideas and Inspiring Australia objectives, which emphasized the critical need to build a strong relationship between science and society, supported by effective communication about science and its benefits (Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, 2009, 2010). The overarching aim of the science fair was to showcase modern science and Indigenous knowledge in an innovative, holistic context. This incorporated: • Providing an opportunity for the general public, especially youth, to participate in an event that showcased science, technology and innovation; highlighting modern science’s explorations and concerns as interesting, challenging, important, and of direct relevance to daily life, the well being of society and environmental sustainability.

2011 fair banner featuring the winning artwork. Photo courtesy Elaine Lewis.

The fair commenced with ‘welcome to country’ by a local Indigenous elder. This was followed by numerous performances that invited community participation, such as the seagull dance

• Promoting science careers.

with the Wadumbah Dance Group and the Rhythm Fix drumming

• Fostering awareness of Indigenous knowledge.

workshop.

• Fostering partnerships between the community, education/

There were many opportunities for participants to engage in a

research organisations, local and state government, business

wide range of hands-on interactive experiences. These included:

and industry.

animals encounters; exploration of microscopic biological

THE JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

News specimens; physics experiments; bush crafts; clay creations;

you are on the right wavelength” and explained that different

traditional Indigenous storytelling and rock art to pass on science

fish sounds are used to discover more about fish ecology.

knowledge.

Outcomes Three key outcomes of A Sound of Science may be identified: Enhancement of the innovative science fair model showcasing improved awareness of Indigenous knowledge. Whole systems thinking especially relating to waste, biodiversity and water. Growth in community partnerships effectively working to foster science. A Sound of Science developed from the innovative fair model first implemented in 2009 for conducting engaging science events. This model integrates modern and Indigenous science knowledge and technology.

1. Innovative Model Integrates Indigenous Science Knowledge Improved

community

awareness

Indigenous

science

knowledge and technology was achieved through the variety of Indigenous stories and activities provided. For example,

Sounding out about human hearing. Photo courtesy Elaine Lewis.

participants made bush ‘glue’ to attach a model axe head to

Many displays were featured at the fair. University and TAFE course information was available, while organisations such as Birds Australia, the Ear Science Institute Australia, and local conservation groups presented information on topics ranging from bush fire management to frogs of the Perth region. To complement the activities and displays there were formal talks. Scitech’s science careers presentation, Beyond the Beaker, was very popular with over 120 participants. Eco Education Officer, Leonard Thorn, engaged his audience through stories and activities that showcased Indigenous science and technology. A Research Fellow from Curtin University’s Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Miles Parsons, talked about “eavesdropping on fish”. Miles said “The ocean is never silent if

Rock art and clay creations. Photo courtesy Elaine Lewis.

Table 1. Results from Participant Feedback Form

Number of

A Sound of Science

A Taste of Science

A Dance of Science

2009

2010

2011

N = 42

N = 26

N = 36

Responses ~300

~1000

~1200

Did you enjoy the

Definitely 64%

Definitely 92%

Definitely 78%

event?

Yes 36 %

Yes 8%

Yes:19%

Activities most

Wide range 36%

Wide range 38%

Live animals 27%

enjoyed?

Indigenous 19%

Live animals 27%

Indigen. dancing 10%

Activities least

Nothing 71%

Nothing 85%

Nothing 81%

enjoyed?

Rainy weather 12%

Finished too early 4%

Crowds 6%

attendees

Attend event again?

Definitely: 57%

Definitely: 85%

Definitely: 78%

Yes: 41%

Yes: 15%

Yes: 22%

Attend NSWk event

No: 70%

No: 69%

No: 53%

before?

Yes: 30%

Yes: 31%

Yes: 47%

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

News wood. Links between traditional and modern technologies were

Twenty six attendees were interviewed during the fair.

discussed.

summary, the survey found:

Evaluation of the fair is undertaken every year to determine what

• The relationship between climate change and waste

worked or needed improving. Various types of evaluation were

management was recognised;

utilised, from the NSWk feedback form to photographic evidence

• Confusion about differences between Keep Australia

and anecdotal feedback. Table 1 presents key statistics from

Beautiful and Fair signage; and

attendees who completed the feedback form. These results may

• Confusion about waste separation behaviours in different

be compared with findings from previous fairs.

parts of Perth.

2. Innovative Model Demonstrates Whole Systems Thinking

The main recommendations were:

The Australian National Action Plan for Education for

• More and different forms of signage required; and

Sustainability (Department of the Environment Water Heritage

• Conduct a Wastewise stall to promote waste education.

and the Arts, 2009) outlined seven principles: transformation and change, education for all and life long learning, systems thinking,

The results of the survey will inform the planning phase of the

envisioning a better future, critical thinking and reflection,

next fair.

participation and partnerships for change. These principles were

At the end of the fair all waste was weighed. Tables 2 presents

embedded into fair planning, implementation and assessment,

waste results for the last three fairs. Waste management

utilizing a whole systems thinking approach.

strategies were clearly effective given increasing attendance; however, further interventions are required to achieve zero

Wastewise Actions

landfill.

Being wastewise was an important component of the innovative model, as waste management is a critical issue for science and

Biodiversity and Waterwise Actions

society. Numerous strategies were adopted to minimize waste at

Biodiversity and waterwise initiatives at the fair reflect enactment

the fair. Feedback forms were printed on the back of the program

of whole systems thinking in relation to the National Action Plan.

so that only one page was used. Keep Australia Beautiful bins

Biodiversity issues were addressed when participants visited the

were supplied for the event. Additional bin labelling and reminder

various animal encounters and ‘forest room’. The Great Gardens

signs were provided. Tea and coffee mugs were washed instead

presenter, Chris Ferriara discussed waterwise behaviours in

of using disposable cups. Bulk meat and bread were purchased

his gardening workshop and fair attendees received plant

for the BBQ. Eco Faerie Cara, ‘Welcome’ desk and ‘bin monitor’

give-aways suitable for our changing climate and soils around

volunteers encouraged patrons to be wastewise. A survey was

Perth. On the day, participants also had the opportunity to bring

also conducted to determine participants’ understandings about

together biodiversity and waterwise understandings by planting

waste.

native reeds and sedges along the Canning River. This planting

The waste survey consisted of twelve questions, for example:

action reflected commitment to the National Action Plan which

• Did you know the Science Fair is a Wastewise event?

recognises sustainability is not just about providing information, but also equipping people with the skills and motivation to

• What does a Wastewise event mean to you?

actively work towards a sustainable future.

• Do you have any suggestions on how we can improve it?

Critical Thinking and Reflection

Interviewees were also invited to respond to statements, such

The organising team attended a debrief session following the

as:

fair. This included evaluation of the event in terms of the National

• Recycling helps to reduce impact of climate change.

Action Plan. Likewise, volunteers and presenters had the opportunity to critically reflect on the fair at their debrief/‘thank

• Rules for what goes in your household bins are the same for everyone in the Perth Metropolitan region.

you’ afternoon tea. Table 3 shows the results of these sessions,

Table 2. Waste Outcomes at CREEC Science Fairs . Year

Number of Attendees

Compostable

Recyclable

Landfill

2009

~ 300

2.8

4.3

2.8

2010

~ 1000

11.6

3.9

1.0

2011

~ 1200

6.8

4.8

3.6

THE JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

News Table 3. Results of Assessments in terms of the National Action Plan for EfS Principles of Education for

Starting

Establishing

Achieving

Excelling

Sustainability Transformation &

4 4

1 6

Systems thinking

4 6

1 8

Envisioning a better

1 9

4 1

1 5

3 5

1 4

4 10

4 13

change Education for all & life long learning

future Critical thinking &

reflection Participation Partnerships for change

Key: Organising Team (BOLD GREY TYPE) N=5; highlighted principle identified for 2012 action Volunteers/Presenter (BOLD type) N=15; participants did not respond to all items; highlighted principle identified for 2012 action. which are being employed to guide the planning process for the 2012 fair. Information on the development and application of this assessment is available from the authors.

3. Innovative Model Facilitated Enhanced Partnerships The third main outcome of the science fair was enhanced partnerships – of existing partnerships and the establishment of new partnerships for the promotion of science. Partnerships not only deepened between the main organising bodies – NSWk, AAEE-WA, City of Canning, CREEC and SERCUL – but with many other groups as well, such as Perth Mint, Bush Rangers WA, Birds

Katherine Gaschk (Waste Consultant) Jennifer Pearson (AAEE-WA Convenor) and to our many volunteers, presenters and fair patrons.

References Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts. (2009). Living sustainably: The Australian government’s national action plan for education for sustainability. Canberra: DEWHA. Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (2009). Powering Ideas: An Innovation Agenda for the 21st Century. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from http://www.innovation.gov.au/Innovation/Policy/Documents/PoweringIdeas. pdf

Australia and the Canning River Regional Park Volunteers.

Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (2010). Inspiring Australia: A

Conclusion

national strategy for engaging with the sciences. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from

A Sound of Science was highly effective in promoting science to all

http://www.innovation.gov.au/Science/InspiringAustralia/Documents/ InspiringAustraliaReport.pdf

age groups in the community. As one feedback survey respondent stated, “It was all very good. A good range of activities”. Evidence obtained indicated the model for incorporating modern and Indigenous science knowledge was successful. Findings also

Lewis, E. & Pearson, J. (2011). Dancing with Science. SCIOS: The Journal of the Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia, 47(2), 5-7. Pearson, J. & Lewis, E. (2009). A taste of science. SCIOS: The Journal of the Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia, 45(4), 4-6.

revealed enthusiastic engagement in science activities and enhanced community partnerships for the promotion of science. In conclusion, A Sound of Science provided engaging handson activities together with opportunities for environmental action. This resulted in a rich and enjoyable learning experience that enhanced science appreciation and understandings, while addressing national science and sustainability goals in a whole systems thinking context. Special thanks to the ‘A Sound of Science’ team members Hayley Bullimore and Kirsty Rowland (CREEC) Amy Krupa (SERCUL)

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

Heads up on Science with ScienceNetwork WA

plants and animals.” Professor Lamont said the discoveries opened the way for new

Groundbreaking discovery in plant adaptations to fire

ideas on the role of fire in shaping many features of plants and animals once they emerged from the rainforests into the typical

Research by a team of Curtin University plant biologists shows

harsh Australian environment we know today.

Australian plants have been exposed to fire for 40 million years

“Our research helps us to understand how the plants got to have

longer than previously thought.

the traits that they show today. But it does not mean that all spe-

Led by Banksia expert, Emeritus Professor Byron Lamont, of

cies can cope with frequent fire,” he said.

Curtin’s Department of Environment and Agriculture, the findings

“Research is still required to understand the optimal fire regime

reveal Banksias have evolved in the presence of fire for 61 million years, and have developed many adaptations to cope as a result. Professor Lamont said the significance of the findings

for conservation of different species. This can be critical for threatened species but there are many success stories of rare species re-appearing and flourishing after fire, supporting a gen-

contradicted recent claims that fire had only existed in the

eral adaptation to fire in the Australian flora.”

Australian landscape for 15-20 million years. Previously, it was

Professor Lamont said with projected climate change outcomes,

thought that the 50-100 million-year-old Australian flora was only adapted to drought and poor soil conditions.

some regions of Australia would become more fire-prone and others less.

“Fossil records indicate that Banksias have been in Australia for at

“Only an understanding of the optimal fire requirements of indi-

least 60 million years. By tracing back the evolutionary history of

vidual species will assist the most suitable fire management as

Banksia, as revealed by our genetic studies and fossil pollen and

conditions change,” he said.

cone ages, we discovered that Banksias probably had the ability to retain their seeds in their cones since the very origin of the genus 61 million years ago,” Professor Lamont said. “We examined features of Banksias that have long been considered examples of adaptations to fire, such as their ability to resprout after fire, the retention of seeds in woody cones that are released after fire, and the fact that many species hang onto to their dead flowers. “If the plant dies from drought it does not release its seeds – they just rot in the cone. Therefore, a fire is essential to melt the resin that keeps the woody fruits closed, in order to release the seeds onto the post-fire seed bed that is now ideal for germination. “Putting these findings together, we concluded that Banksias must have evolved in the presence of fire right from the time it departed from its rainforest ancestors.” Professor Lamont said the study also revealed for the first time that many species of Banksia retained their dead leaves indefinitely, helping to provide the necessary heat for fruit opening, with ash providing nutrients for the new seedlings. “These discoveries mean that biologists must now take seriously the possibility that fire has had a profound effect on the direction of evolution in Australia for more than 60 million years,” he said. “It is just as important as drought and strong seasonality, high air temperatures and poor soils as limiting factors in the evolution of 28

THE JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Heads up on Science with ScienceNetwork WA Professor Lamont was made a Member of the Order of Australia in

to help the communities we work with. We hope that Jacinth’s

2010 and has studied the fire ecology of Banksias for more than

research will give us a clearer idea of the impacts of FIFO

30 years, making them the best understood plant group in Aus-

employment and enable us to provide guidance to parents to

tralia. This study was done in conjunction with two other Curtin

address issues that may arise with their adolescent children,”

researchers, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Dr Tianhua He and Visiting

Associate Professor Waters said.

Fellow, Dr Katherine Downes. Professor Lamont’s study was funded by Curtin’s Office of Research & Development and the Australian Research Council, with support from the Department of Environment and Conservation and Kings Park Botanic Gardens. The results were recently published in the international plant

Initial results of Ms Watson’s study have found: • 73.5% of adolescents are sad when the FIFO parent returns to work; • 43.1% felt nervous or anxious when the FIFO parent returns to work;

science journal New Phytologist.

• 45.6% worry about the FIFO parent’s safety at work;

Contacts:

• 54.1% do not talk about their experience of the FIFO lifestyle

Professor Byron Lamont, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University Tel: (08) 9266 7784 Email: b.lamont@curtin.edu.au Andrea Barnard, Public Relations, Curtin University Tel: (08) 9266 4241 Email: andrea.barnard@curtin.edu.au

with their friends; • 42.7% state it is more difficult to talk about things that may be ‘bothering’ to the FIFO parent when the parent is at work; and • 86.8% communicate with their FIFO parent (when the parent is at work). The telephone is the most frequent means of communication for the FIFO parent and adolescent, with email (84.3%) SMS (34.5%) and Facebook (25.8%) also used. Families interested in participating in the study are invited to email Ms Watson. Families will need to complete a confidential survey.

Fly-in fly-out study

No participants will be identified in the results of the study. The

Edith Cowan University researchers are investigating the effect

study has ethics approval from the Research Ethics Office at ECU.

that a parent’s fly-in fly-out (FIFO) employment has on the health and wellbeing of their adolescent children in what is an

Prescription drug use study

Australian-first study. PhD student Jacinth Watson, from ECU’s Child Health Promotion Research Centre (CHPRC), is seeking families with adolescents aged from 12 to 17 for the study. She would like to hear from both families with a FIFO parent and those without. Ms Watson said the FIFO work roster, common in the resources and construction sectors, was a relatively recent phenomenon in Western Australia and there was no research on how the regular absences of a parent affected their adolescent’s capacity to be resilient. “We want to know if adolescents who live in FIFO families adapt to the absence of the parent and become more self-reliant, develop higher levels of self esteem and have increased capacity to be resilient,” she said. “Or is the absence of the parent a disruptive effect on the

Edith Cowan University researchers found that nearly one in five

adolescent, making it more difficult for them to cope with other

respondents used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes

challenges in their life?”

in the past 12 months. Photo courtesy Edith Cowan University.

CHPRC Director, Associate Professor Stacey Waters, said existing

Edith Cowan University researchers from the School of Law and

research from the US, UK, Canada and Australia suggested that

Justice have designed and helped implement a national study

FIFO work patterns create unique challenges for families.

examining the use of prescription drugs among police detainees.

“The CHPRC’s focus is to use our research to develop resources

The survey found that nearly one in five respondents used

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

Heads up on Science with ScienceNetwork WA prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in the past 12

The team pieced together an individuals’ entire DNA code (or

months, suggesting that the misuse of legal drugs is a growing

genome) from a hair sample donated by a West Australian

concern in Australia.

Aboriginal man around a hundred years ago. By sequencing

The study is part of the Australian Institute of Criminology’s (AIC’s) ongoing Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program.

the genome, the researchers demonstrate that Aboriginal Australians descend directly from an early human expansion into Asia that took place some 70,000 years ago, at least 24,000 years

The program operates quarterly, with researchers around

before the population movements that gave rise to present-day

Australia surveying those detained by police to collect

Europeans and Asians.

demographic, substance use history and criminal justice-related information. The

ECU

watch

The results imply that modern day Aboriginal Australians are in fact the direct descendents of the first people who arrived in

team

collected

house

but

data

from

analysed

the

East

national

Perth data.

Following an approach by the WA Police, the ECU team collaborated with the AIC to develop additional questions on the use of prescription drugs.

Australia as early as 50,000 years ago. The study derived from a lock of hair donated to a British anthropologist by an Aboriginal man from the Goldfields region of Western Australia in the early 20th century. One hundred years later, researchers have isolated DNA from this same hair, using

After surveying 986 people in sites across Australia, results of

it to explore the genetics of the first Australians and to provide

the survey showed:

insights into how humans first dispersed across the globe.

• benzodiazepines were the most common prescription drug

The genome, shown to have no genetic input from modern European Australians, reveals that the ancestors of the Aboriginal

type used; • females were more likely than males to have taken prescription drugs for non-medical purposes;

the person’s usual doctor or pharmacy;

derive their income from welfare and consider themselves drug dependent; and

included the relief of anxiety and insomnia (41%), getting high (30%), managing withdrawal (16%), curiosity (8%) and pain relief (5%). Justice Scholar,

Australians as the population with the longest association with the land on which they live today. The history of Aboriginal Australians plays a key role in

• the most common reasons for taking prescription drugs

Research

migrated into Asia before finally reaching Australia about 50,000 years ago. In showing this, the study establishes Aboriginal

• prescription drug users were more likely to be unemployed,

some 64-75,000 years ago. Aboriginal Australians therefore descend directly from the earliest modern explorers, people who

• most pharmaceuticals were sourced from friends or family, or

School

man separated from the ancestors of other human populations

and Mrs

Law Natalie

Teaching

and

Gately,

said:

“Prescription drug use continues to be of interest with the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey indicating that prescription drug use for non-medical purposes had significantly increased in the period between 2007 and 2010, and that increase had been observed in both males and females. “Furthermore, the deaths of Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Brittany Murphy and more recently Amy Winehouse have all been linked with pharmaceuticals.”

understanding the dispersal of the first humans to leave Africa. Archaeological evidence establishes modern human presence in Australia about 50,000 years ago, but this study re-writes the story of their journey there. Previously, the most widely accepted theory was that all modern humans derive from a single out-of Africa migration wave into Europe, Asia, and Australia. In that model, the first Australians would have branched off from an Asian population, already separated from the ancestors of Europeans. However, this study shows that when ancestral Aboriginal Australians begun their private journey, the ancestors of Asians and Europeans had not yet differentiated from each other. Senior author Professor Eske Willerslev from the University of Copenhagen said Aboriginal Australians effectively descended from the first human explorers. “While the ancestors of Europeans and Asians were sitting somewhere in Africa or the Middle East, yet to explore their world further, the ancestors of Aboriginal Australians spread rapidly; the first modern humans traversing unknown territory in Asia

New Indigenous genome study rewrites the history books An international team of scientists, including researchers from Murdoch University, have just published findings that re-interpret the history of our species. 30

and finally crossing the sea into Australia,” Professor Willerslev said. “It was a truly amazing journey that must have demanded exceptional survival skills and bravery.” Murdoch University’s ancient DNA expert Dr Michael Bunce

THE JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Heads up on Science with ScienceNetwork WA and hair analysis expert Silvana Tridico both contributed to the project. “It really is remarkable the recent advances in technology that now enable us to convert an old lock of hair into a complete genome – the information encoded in the DNA can tell us a lot about how humans explored the globe,” Dr Bunce said. “The great news is that there is so much more we can discover both from this sample, and if more research is undertaken; watch this space!” According to Ms Tridico, the sample not only yielded information on the donor’s ancestry, but also his own personal history. “I’m used to looking at human hair in forensic case work so it was a refreshing change to look down the microscope at a culturally significant historical sample, where I was able to see features like ochre still attached to the hair shafts and weathering from the harsh outback conditions,” Ms Tridico said. This research was undertaken with the full endorsement of the Goldfields Land and Sea Council, the organisation that represents the Aboriginal traditional owners for the region. The study has wide implications for understanding of how our human ancestors

Australia’s Ambassador to the US, Kim Beazley (1973). UWA Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Robson, said Ms Paterson was an excellent representative for the University and Western Australia. “The University of Western Australia is proud to play a role in promoting the Rhodes Scholarship by encouraging the pursuit of excellence among our students,” Professor Robson said. “Our many Rhodes Scholars have progressed from their scholarship to become leaders in many fields of endeavour from politics to science, from the arts to medicine and law.” Ms Paterson of Nedlands said she had a great passion for medical research because it strives to treat and cure diseases such as polio, malaria and HIV. “My passion began in high school while studying Biology, Physics and Chemistry. I decided I could use my love for science to learn to make a difference to the world.” Ms Paterson, a UWA Fogarty Foundation Regional Scholarship winner, completed her Bachelor of Science with Honours majoring in Genetics and Biochemistry at UWA. Last year, she won the JA Wood Memorial Prize and Faculty of Life and Physical

moved across the globe.

Sciences Medal.

So far the only ancient human genomes have been obtained from

Contacts:

hair preserved under frozen conditions. The researchers have

Rachel Paterson

now shown that hair preserved in much less ideal conditions can

(+61 4) 1904 4056

be used for genome sequencing without risk of modern human

Janine MacDonald

contamination that is typical in ancient bones and teeth.

(+61 4) 3263 7716

Through analysis of museum collections, and in collaboration with descendent groups, researchers can now study the genetic history of many indigenous populations worldwide, even where groups have recently moved around or intermingled. Contact Jaymes Brown Media & Communications Coordinator, Murdoch University jaymes.brown@murdoch.edu.au (08) 9360 2474

Can you contribute? Yes of course you can. So can lab technicians and students… your Year 7 or Year 8 class could write a half page article with a photo that we would love to publish. Here’s how. We are keen to increase the number and variety of types of articles published in SCIOS. So if the answer is YES to any of the following questions, we want to hear from you. •

ave you recently conducted a new experiment that H worked really well?

•

I s there a great demonstration that always gets your students’ attention?

•

Have you tried a new teaching technique that was fun?

•

o you have some helpful hints for new teachers (and D not-so-new ones)?

•

re there some safety hints and tips that you’d like to A pass on?

•

ave you used computers or some other technology H really effectively?

Rachel Paterson (23) attended Bunbury Cathedral Grammar

•

What successes have your students had in science?

School and will study Infection, Immunology and Translational

•

re your students involved in a science project outside A the school?

•

r is there anything else science-related you would like to O share with others?

UWA Rhodes Scholar hopes to save lives A medical researcher from The University of Western Australia who aims to eradicate killer diseases such as HIV has been named WA’s 2012 Rhodes Scholar.

Medicine at Britain’s prestigious Oxford University. Her win underscores UWA’s status as a leading Australian research university with 47 WA Rhodes Scholars in the past 50 years, including former Prime Minister Bob Hawke (1953) and

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 2011

Email your contributions to admin@stawa.net

STAWA Council

STAWA Council 2011-12 Chief Executive Officer

Treasurer

CONSTAWA Convenor

John Clarke

Colleen Bakker

Jodie Rybicki

john@stawa.net

colleen@bookkeep.com.au

jodie@carey.wa.edu.au

President

Chair Science Talent Search

Electronic Communications

Bernadine Hunneybun

Julie Weber

Mark Lehmann

bhunneybun1@bigpond.com

julie.weber@det.wa.edu.au

mlehmann@mac.com

Immediate Past President

Editor SCIOS

Professional Development

Sue Doncon

Julie-Anne Smith

Bob Fitzpatrick

susan.doncon@det.wa.edu.au

smith_12@bigpond.com

robert.fitzpatrick@uwa.edu.au

Vice President

Student Activities

Publications/Curriculum

Geoff Lewis

Warwick Mathews

Dr Benjamin Toohey

lewis.geoff@mazenod.wa.edu.au

warwickmat@gmail.com

btoohey7005@gmail.com

Secretary

Chair Primary Science Committee

Stuart Argus

Natalie Birrell

sargus1@iinet.net.au

Natalie.Birrell@det.wa.edu.au

The Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia

Warehouse Address

Chief Executive Officer

PO Box 7310 Karawara WA 6152

Unit 6, 10 Mallard Way

John Clarke

Cannington WA 6107

E-mail: john@stawa.net

Head Office Resources and Chemistry Precinct

Contact details

Curtin University Building 500

Tel +61 (0) 8 9244 1987

Manning Road Entrance

Fax +61 (0) 8 9244 2601

Bentley WA 6102

Email info@stawa.net Web www.stawa.net

THE JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Professional Learning

Government of Western Australia Department of Commerce Department of Education

2012 STAWA PRIMARY SCIENCE CONFERENCE Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th of March 2012 NOVOTEL VINES RESORT Come along and indulge your mind and senses and enjoy a stimulating weekend of Science in the relaxing surroundings of the Novotel Vines Resort The theme for the 2012 STAWA Primary Science Conference is: OUR SMALL WORLD Science, Sustainability and the Australian Curriculum The weekend will begin with a cooperative activity trail on Saturday followed by three workshops over the course of the day. During the evening participants with have the opportunity to network and socialise at the conference dinner. Sunday program will start with an engaging Keynote Address followed by a workshop session. A plenary session for all participants will then conclude the program each day. Participants have the opportunity to select from a wide range of stimulating and engaging hands on workshop sessions catering for many year levels (K-7). The whole weekend is run to a carefully planned timetable with appropriate breaks for informal discussions and social activities.

Registration

STAWA Member

Non-member

(includes shared accommodation Saturday night and conference dinner)

$395

$452

Saturday only

$160

$182

Sunday only

$105

$120

Pre-service Teacher

Full weekend

At members price

(Meals and entertainment inclusive) Please Note: This event is subsidised for STAWA members. Many trade displays to explore

Online registrations available early 2012

For further information see:

www.stawa.net Limited places available so be quick!

Australian Curriculum Focus