As Australia works to secure the future of its STEM sector, schools and universities are also doubling down on trying to boost students’ interest to take up careers in the field and ensure a steady supply of STEM teachers in classrooms.
While concerns about teacher shortages and the looming STEM skills gap persist, Flinders University is nipping the issue in the bud with a University-STEM Industry Engagement program for pre-service secondary science teachers.
The University’s ‘Bridging the Gap: Connecting science education with the real world’ creates a platform to help develop pre-service STEM teachers by giving them the opportunity to also experience real-life science applications through industry placements. This in turn helps pre-service teachers become more classroom-ready.
In 2019, more than 50 student teachers embarked upon three short industry placements before they started their final teaching practicum. The university expects more student teachers to undergo industry placements for this year.
A trickle-down effect
Dr Carol Aldous, Bridging the Gap project lead and a senior lecturer at the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, said the program not only deepened student teachers’ connection between theory and application, but also improved their capacity to innovate their learning and teaching approaches.
This, she said, has led to student teachers becoming a better influence to their future students.
Models used for the University’s Bridging the Gap review found that those who participated in the program have directly and positively influenced secondary students’ perception of STEM.
The report also noted that student attitudes towards a subject serve as a large predictor of future career intentions.
This was assessed by focus group interviews and questionnaires the University administered to the participating pre-service teachers before and after their industry visits.
“This is proving to be timely as South Australia diversifies into “new and emerging industries,” David Pisoni, the state’s Innovation and Skills Minister, said.
Master of Teaching (secondary) student Johanna Kemplay-Hill, who had gone on-site with SIMEC Mining as part of the program before her graduation, said the industry exposure helped give her a deper understanding of the types of industries she will prepare her students for.
“In schools, the STEM …acronym describes various student subjects but experiencing industry through SIMEC Mining allowed for me to form my own definition: ‘The collaboration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths to solve applied problems’,” Kemplay-Hill said.
Christina Pappas, another recent graduate who also went on-site with SIMEC Mining, also pointed out how the experience gave insights on how theory is put into practice in a certain industry.
“It not only opened my eyes to how science applies across the spectrum, but will help to inform my future pupils about career options and to even pursue a career in mining or other STEM area,” Pappas said.