In this episode
Inette Henn, manager of Learning Futures at Scitech.
In this episode Inette Henn, manager of Learning Futures at Scitech, details Scitech’s inaugural online science excursions for National Science Week. Diving into topics such as how scientists find new planets and what happens when a meteor hits Earth’s surface, the free excursions are designed to help teachers encourage science learning in the classroom. Inette also shares the struggle that teachers face with implementing new technology in the classroom and what professional learning is available through Scitech to support them. Mission: SPACE is delivered by Scitech and funded by the Australian Space Agency.
About Inette Henn
Inette Henn is the manager of Learning Futures at Scitech, Western Australia’s leading science discovery centre.
Before Scitech, she worked for several years as a secondary school maths and science teacher.
Inette also worked as a Professional Learning Consultant at Scitech, working in schools across various regions.
As manager for Learning Futures, she leads Scitech’s professional learning programs, supporting teachers across WA to introduce innovative teaching strategies for science, maths and digital technologies.
Transcript
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Welcome you’re listening to Ed Talks WA, my name is Fiona Bartholomaeus and I’m your host for this episode.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
So National Science Week is looming large. It's an annual celebration of all things science and technology and aims to encourage people of all ages to learn about different science topics.
Students across the state can take part in various activities during the week and this year Scitech is running free online excursions as part of its Mission: Space program.
Featuring guest speakers including space industry professionals, the excursions will help students think about their career aspirations, advancements in the space industry and what it takes to get a human into space.
Joining us to chat about the Mission Space Program and why STEM learning is important to students is Inette Henn, Manager of Learning Futures at Scitech. Thank you so much for joining me.
Inette Henn
Thank you for having me.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
So National Science Week kicks off on August 9th. Can you tell us a little bit about the National Week and why it's important to encourage this celebration of science?
Inette Henn
Yeah, so as you mentioned, National Science Week happens every single year for a week in August, and it really aims to encourage all Australians to engage with science and be inspired by some of the awesome things that are happening in the industry.
So this year is happening from the 9th to the 17th of August, and as you mentioned, there'll be lots and lots of really exciting events and activities that Scitech will be participating in and providing, but lots of other organisations around Australia too.
So lots of reasons to celebrate, I suppose, other than science being really fun and really cool.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Of course.
Inette Henn
Yes. Perhaps a little bit biased opinion on my part.
Realistically, science is actually a great driver for positive change. Amongst many things, advances in science actually help us to innovate the way that we tackle global problems. We improve our health and wellbeing, and we can take better care of the plants and animals that share the planet with us.
So, yeah, I don't know. I feel like there's lots to celebrate this National Science Week.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
And for this week-long celebration, Scitech is running the Mission: Space program. It'll include a Mars Challenger Kit and virtual excursions. Can you tell us a bit more about the program?
Inette Henn
So we've teamed up with the Australian Space Agency. We're very, very lucky to be able to deliver Mission: Space as a free program for schools across Australia this year to take part in.
So we're really trying to hitch the wagon to National Science Week and really inspire students to consider the possibilities of a future in the space industry.
Earlier this year, we actually sent 100 schools a Mars Challenge kit, so this little kit contains a bunch of resources that teachers can run with their kids and it really challenges students to build and test various prototypes of what we call a Mars rover that can safely land, it can survive the landing on the surface of Mars. So we'll see what we get when the challenge actually commences.
But if you have missed out on the Mars Challenge kit, you don't need to worry. We're also running our virtual excursions during the National Science Week celebrations.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
So can you tell us a bit more about those virtual excursions? What sort of topics and lessons will be a part of it?
Inette Henn
So our virtual excursions will be happening from the 11th to the 14th of August, and we'll be running one session each day for 45 minutes, and they'll be live streamed into classrooms all across Australia, each session exploring how advances in all fields of science are actually contributing to a growing space industry here in Australia.
Now, if you know Scitech, you know that our expertise lies in taking really complex science concepts and making them really exciting and accessible to our young audiences and you can expect that same signature Scitech style when it comes to our virtual excursions.
You can anticipate to see Zog the alien in costume, lots of quizzes, lots of live demonstrations that really capture the attention of our young audiences. And alongside sort of real-world insights from industry professionals, we'll also be discussing very compelling concept topics like what really happens when a meteor hits the surface of the Earth, how do scientists actually go about finding new planets, and what would happen if you tried to put Saturn in a bathtub, one that I'm very interested to hear about.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
That's not a topic I was expecting you to say.
Inette Henn
Absolutely not. So you'll have to stay tuned if you want to hear the answer, but you can definitely expect to see the same energy that we are bringing here at our Science Discovery Centre through your screens during our virtual excursions.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Another theme is space but it's not just what we normally think of when it comes to space such as astronauts and engineering. Can you tell us about some of the other careers students can do or could do in the future?
Inette Henn
Look I think if I were to sit here and list all of the careers that would be involved in the space industry, we'd be here forever. I think you'll be harder pressed to find a profession or a career path that won't have a place in the space industry.
So, I mean, we know rapid advancements in space industry really mean that there are so many opportunities and they're ever increasing for young people to enter into space-related careers across Australia.
Some of the most interesting that I have come across, some suggestions, are space lawyers.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Yes, I've heard a bit about space lawyers. So cool,
Inette Henn
Yes. So fascinating. Just the concept of needing to have professionals who understand the laws well and truly off planet. So fascinating.
We also have expected a need for intelligent game designers.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Yep.
Inette Henn
So people who can design virtual reality experiences for people who are actually going to be going on these space missions to train them and get them ready to take on the task. And other industries like communications and space marketing and graphic design, all of these who play a vital role in communicating the work that scientists are doing and astronauts are doing in our exploration of space to the people who aren't necessarily working in that industry.
So yeah, I think there's going to be many an opportunity and any job that you go into in the future will find its application in space too.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Just thinking about a space graphic designer or graphic designing for space mission stuff, it makes total sense, but it's not something you really think about.
Inette Henn
Not at all.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Now, the program is aimed at primary school students. Why is it important to encourage this curiosity and way of thinking at such an early age?
Inette Henn
I think your question really highlights that STEM is not a subject area. STEM actually refers to a way of thinking that empowers an individual to indulge their curiosity and seek answers for themselves.
So, if you work in education, you may know that more students are becoming disengaged with science and STEM, and as a result we're facing an attrition in students taking up STEM subjects as they progress through their schooling.
Now, this actually happens a lot earlier than you might think. It's not just starting to happen in high school, this is actually taking place much earlier, around the age of 7 to 10.
So this is when you might start hearing your students say things like, ‘science just isn't for me, or I'm just bad at maths, or I'm never going to get it’. And what this is really a reflection of is this shift in a young person towards not seeing themselves represented in science or being capable of pursuing science is happening in these primary school ages.
So it's vitally important for us to sow those seeds really early so that we can continue fostering those positive attitudes and a stronger sense of self-efficacy in science from a very early age.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
And I love that this excursion is accessible absolutely everywhere. How important is that to the team at Scitech that science can reach across the state and across the whole country and have so many people able to access it?
Inette Henn
So our purpose at Scitech is to get all West Australians engaging in science. So we believe science is for absolutely everybody. And we talk within Scitech a lot about a concept called science capital.
So for those of you who haven't heard of the concept of science capital, I'd like you to think of it like a backpack. So, this backpack is basically filled with lots of experiences and attitudes and values that you collect over the course of your entire life.
Now, if your backpack, your science capital backpack is absolutely stuffed to the brim, you will have things like people in your life that you know, whether that's socially or in your family who work in science. You will actively expose yourself to science content like listening to science podcasts or reading books about science or belonging to a STEM club. You might think of yourself as someone who values science and has a positive attitude towards your participation in science. And you might see yourself as someone who has a strong sense of content knowledge or what we call science literacy.
So if your backpack is stuffed with all of these kinds of experiences, we say that you have high science capital and high science capital as you might realize is not necessarily just connected to a stronger possibility of you pursuing a STEM career at some point in your life but it's also connected to an increased chance of being an active citizen so that is taking part socially within your community actively taking part. Being more confident in the way that you communicate both in professional and social settings with people that you don't know. And overall improved education and employment outcomes.
So every time someone engages with an organisation like Scitech, we're actually adding to that science capital backpack and in turn, we're providing opportunities for people to experience all the positive outcomes that comes with that.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
It's interesting to hear you saying there about even just in your professional life or in your personal life, those skills are so important can be applicable.
Inette Henn
Absolutely.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Now, just going back to the excursions, I heard that there'll be some special guests joining throughout. Can you give us any hints of who people, the kids might get to see or hear from?
Inette Henn
Other than the very popular, I imagine will be, Zog the Alien. We cannot drop names as of yet, but I can assure you that we are working hard on ensuring that we have some very exciting names to share with you when the time is right. And I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed with who we get to speak to.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Well, now I'm wishing that I was back in the classroom so I could jump. Well, I might sneak on and have a listen.
Inette Henn
You are welcome to. You're very welcome to.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
So how can teachers get involved with the excursions and sign their classes up?
Inette Henn
It's very easy. All you have to do is go to the Scitech website and you can search Mission: Space where you'll find lots of information about the virtual excursions. It'll take you through each session that's happening on every day of National Science Week. And all you have to do is register your details in the form on the webpage.
Once you've put your details in, we'll be in contact with you to share more information about how to get involved on the day. But it's pretty straightforward so registrations don't close up until right before Science Week. So get your registrations in what you can.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Fantastic. Now, we've spoken a bit about STEM within the classroom. And we have actually seen a bit of a growth in our schools promoting STEM, STEM clubs, a lot kids doing robotics and things like that. A lot of new tech is being developed. It can be hard for teachers to keep on top of it all, but they don't really need to be an expert in everything, right? I know you're quite passionate in this area and helping them grow their confidence.
Inette Henn
Yeah, I think teachers feel so much pressure to know absolutely everything. I mean, things change so rapidly, I mean, in the tech space alone.
And a teacher can spend a whole bunch of time, you know, familiarising themselves with this latest piece of tech and then five minutes later, it's out the door and there's something new. And so I think there's a real hesitancy to expose students to learning experiences when the teacher themselves don't necessarily understand the full picture or feel confident enough to answer the curly questions that might come their way and as a result, they end up just leaving it out.
And I think in our work here at Scitech, one thing I've come to know or realise and really see play out is that the teachers are feeling this way, but this sentiment is also reflected in the way that our students work.
So sadly, they themselves are so afraid of not knowing something or making a mistake or trying something and quote unquote failing at it, that when they actually are exposed to these STEM learning activities, they become completely paralysed by the feeling and end up resorting to disengagement.
So one thing that I like to do in our work with Scitech when we're working with new teachers or a group of students is I actually like to start my very first lesson with them with an activity that almost a little bit sets them up for failure, knowingly. Not because I want them to suffer, but because I actually want to put them through an experience that normalizes failing and gets them comfortable with taking a risk and realizing that it's actually not a bad thing. It's going to take you a step closer towards getting the solution to your problem.
So an example of this is, you know, about a year ago, I was working with a Year 3 classroom and we were talking about tech in health, and we were talking amongst many other things about the accuracy of a step counter.
So I gave them a really rudimentary step counter and I put it in front of them and I said, ‘look, okay, we wear them on our wrists all the time, right, in our smartwatches. Is this really the best place to wear your step counter?’
And we took them out onto the oval and we got them to investigate and we set out about 20-meter space where they could walk from one to the other. And I said, ‘you're going to meet me, you and a friend are going to meet me at the end of this 20-meter length and I'm going to ask you to count your steps while you go. So hold your step counter in your hand as if you're wearing it on your wrist and meet me at the end’.
And they'd march on over, they'd get to the end and I'd say, ‘right, how many steps did you count?’
And they would proudly profess, ‘73 steps’ and I'd say, ‘awesome can you tell me what your step counter says?’
And they would look down at their step counter. They'd sheepishly look at each other. And some of them would wide-eyed look at me and say things like, ‘oh, I've done this wrong’ or,’ oh no, it's not 73. It's definitely not 73’. And rather than actually attributing it to the way that they did the activity, all I simply said to them was, ‘oh, that didn't work out maybe you should go and try it again?’.
And it was almost like for some of these students, it was the first time that they had ever considered that they could just give it another go, try something different and see how it goes.
So by the end of that lesson, we had some very, very creative solutions to our problem and we realized that perhaps the most accurate place that you could wear your step counter is in fact in your sock or shoved between your 2 front teeth.
So giving them this opportunity to experience, you know, what they would perceive as failure or getting it wrong and really normalizing it as part of the process was the sort of sticking point to modelling for the teachers that you don't have to be the expert you actually just have to put it back on the kids and giving them the opportunity to feel that is what really gets that sort of creative energy and engagement flowing when you're doing these kinds of lessons.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
And I know Scitech has professional learning for teachers as well, the digital technologies. Can you tell us a bit more about that and what's involved?
Inette Henn
Yeah, we have a number of professional learning programs for teachers that we're running currently. They are all intended to support teachers implementing mathematics, digital technologies and science curriculum and the real focus is kind of a bit two-pronged. We look at boosting student engagement and achievement in these subject areas and we also focus a lot on building teachers' confidence to facilitate the development of problem-solving in these topic areas. I think it's one of those things that can be really hard to teach and without the sort of mentorship and framework that we provide, it can be really difficult to master on your own.
So an example of one of these programs we run is our Real World Digital Technologies program where we show teachers that you don't have to be the tech expert. Really, you're the expert teacher, right? You're the one who's got the education down packed and you know what it takes to get your students to learn a new concept.
You don't need to be the tech master, you just need to know where to point your students in the right direction when they give you that curly question that you don't know how to answer and model that process along with them saying, ‘I don't know what the answer is maybe you can suggest something we can do to figure it out together.’
So a lot of this is actually, you know, in order to achieve these outcomes of building teacher confidence and demonstrating this to teachers, we talk a lot about integrating digital technologies into subject areas that they're already really confident with teaching. So things like English and maths. And we encourage them to use the technology that we provide as a tool to actually diversify the way that they teach these things.
So for example, you know, in the English curriculum, we teach kids to write procedural texts.
So one problem that we've posed before in these contexts is how do you actually communicate a procedure or how can you use technology to communicate a procedure to a friend that doesn't speak English? If they're not speaking English, how do they follow the steps along with you?
And so what you see is students actually using very simple tech to use animations to describe processes that kind of overcome language barriers or even for those students in their classroom who don't necessarily use language to communicate.
So there's been lots of really awesome outcomes and lots of teachers who've really seen the benefit of kind of pulling digitech into their classroom, even when they're a little bit hesitant and reluctant at first to sort of take the risk, but the kids take the reins and they're the ones that really lead it. We really just encourage teachers to remember that they're the ones in the classroom who are the expert educators.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Do you find sometimes that teachers can struggle with the idea that they don't need to be the coding expert or an expert in another STEM field?
Inette Henn
Absolutely. So there are a lot of teachers that, you know, really struggle or are even a bit scared, as we've mentioned before, to have a go because of feeling like it's really high stakes if I can't deliver this lesson.
And it's a really fair feeling, I feel like there's lots to sort of justify at the moment, particularly avoiding these kinds of lessons because it's so challenging.
But I think it's important to also recognize that the feelings that you're having about, you know, running these kinds of lessons are the exact feelings that your students have when they're wrestling with, you know, particularly challenging concepts that you're putting in front of them. And so I think just in the same way we tell students, you know, practice makes perfect, right? You've got to do it a bunch of times before you really nail it and you get it going the way that you want to get it going. We apply the same, you know, sentiment to when we're helping teachers.
You have to do it a few times and you have to stumble through it a few times before you actually feel like you're getting it.
So you've got to take the risk, you've got to sit with the discomfort and you have to give yourself permission to deliver a lesson or an activity that isn't perfect. And eventually, over time, you'll find it gets easier and easier.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
So what are some handy tips for teachers wanting to encourage STEM learning in the classroom and through day-to-day activities?
Inette Henn
I could probably talk all day about the millions of things that you could do. And I think it's really hard at the moment. I think teachers, you know, already do so much and so, you know, the last thing that I would ever recommend is do more. In fact, what I would recommend is do less.
So we've just spent a little bit of time talking about, you know, not feeling like you have to be the expert, outsource it. Outsource the experts. So organisations like Scitech, we have whole teams of people who are dedicated to developing school-based resources that are curriculum aligned and that are intended for your students to sort of develop these skills that we've been talking about.
So organisations like Scitech are a great place to start looking for ways to put these learning experiences in front of your kids if you're not feeling super confident. So Scitech, number one, come and check it out. There's plenty of resources there.
There's so many other platforms that you can make the most of. Platforms like the Digital Technologies Hub and activity platforms like Resolve.
But the other thing that I would suggest as well is really find a reputable sort of STEM provider that has a newsletter, either a monthly or weekly newsletter, and they will cross-promote programs that are happening at the time and activities that are happening all the time in Western Australia.
So, you know, pick and choose a few that you really like and stay in touch with what's going on in your local community to make the most of the opportunities that are out there.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
You mentioned some fantastic resources that are available through Scitech and other places staff can go. Are those resources available for both metro and regional staff and students?
Inette Henn
Yes so some of them are available for both. We do tour throughout Western Australia. So top to tail, we make our way once every 3 years to every remote and regional primary school. But on top of that if you're looking for something to kind of satisfy in between, I would highly recommend our DIY kits, which basically contain teaching content for an entire term's worth of science.
For any year group between the ages of Year 1 to Year 6. And so if you're looking for just a bit of a refresher on how to do science in a fun and engaging way, and you kind of want to get the Scitech spin on it in your classroom, the DIY kits are available to everyone.
So definitely no limitation on how far and wide you are. I know that we've sent DIY kits out to schools that maybe have access to the internet once a month to organise the kit arrive, and it always lands there and makes its way back. So definitely worth checking out our DIY kits, as well as lots of other opportunities that we promote through our social.
So again, I would suggest that you stay in touch and engaged with what we're doing and our communication channels and there's plenty of opportunities there.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
And I feel like that's very much what Scitech is about, not only encouraging that curiosity in science learning, but also helping bridging that gap between metro and regional schools and making sure there's the same opportunities for everyone.
Inette Henn
Yeah, absolutely. Hopefully, our virtual excursions do exactly the same thing.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
And before I let you go, is there anything else you'd like to share with our teachers and staff who are listening?
Inette Henn
I'd like to just remind your listeners that taking the pressure off actually really helps. Seek joy in the experience of learning alongside your students. There's absolutely no harm in putting an activity in front of them that you go on the journey with them. And don't be afraid to indulge your own, you know, fun and curiosity, even if it's not linked to your curriculum.
It's that fun and engaging activity that you put in front of your kids that really sparks that initial interest. That means when you do put the content in front of them, they're already engaged, they're already interested, and they're already ready to learn.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
Inette, thank you so much for joining me on Ed Talks today and having a chat about not only the Mission Space program, but also all the wonderful things about STEM and science and Scitech.
Inette Henn
Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.
Fiona Bartholomaeus
This podcast has been recorded on Whadjuk Noongar land. We pay respect to the traditional owners and to their elders, past, present and future.
Notes
Learn more about the Mission: SPACE Virtual Excursions.
Read about National Science Week.
Access Scitech's Educator Programs.
Access Scitech's Professional Learning for Educators.
Apply for the DIY Science Kits.
Subscribe to the Enews.
Virtual excursion guests
- Katherine Benell-Pegg - Australian Astronaut, Australian Space Agency
- Georgia Dallimore - Space Communicator, Australian Space Discovery Centre
- Catherine Grace - Director Civil Space Policy, Australian Space Agency
- Aniket Jagtap - Senior Trailblazer System Engineer, Australian Space Agency
- Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger - Retired Astronaut, NASA
- Stephen Moggach - Space Crystallography Lead, UWA School of Molecular Sciences
- Nat Shearer - Space Systems Engineer, Australian Space Agency
- Lauren Springer - Space Technology Officer, Australian Space Agency
- Frazer Thorpe - Education and Engagement Manager, Plants For Space
- Sze Wai (Anna) Tse - Research Associate, Plants For Space
- Angie Waszewski - PhD student researching solar storms, The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)