The Science Nomad

STEM and its central role in transforming communities is widely known, frequently discussed, and even occasionally supported. For Some STEM is about the 21st century skills needed  to drive innovation, for others it’s a skill set to equip people with the tools to solve problems. Within the context of approaches to education and learning it’s the opportunity to engage with rich and open challenges – that require and support complex problem solving, application of multi-disciplinary knowledge, and allow and value creative and individual strategies. All educators wish to see their specialty represented, and more letters try to climb into the STEM acronym each week. This is only an issue for people who think of STEM as a family of useful disciplines - rather than an approach to supporting higher order thinking. While many STEM educational programs are being developed and delivered to teachers and students, the components that constitute STEM are often not present in a balanced f...

Questacon, Australia's National Science and Technology Centre has for nearly 40 years been bringing hands on enquiry based learning to the millions of people that have come through its exhibitions, and been captivated by its outreach programs. In recent years working with our national science teachers association ( ASTA ) and the Learning Science researchers at the  University of Canberra , we have been refining and confirming the power of our  humble but rich explorations into the areas of Science and natural phenomena. Most recently we have moved to re-activate our initiatives in the areas of mathematics, computational thinking and STEM in its fullest meaning. As we finalise the first phase of our new portable exhibition on mathematical and logical thinking - "Byte Wise", we have been developing teacher development workshops to re-enforce hands on and enquiry based activities within the teaching of mathematics, especially with a focus on the areas o...

Governments around the world extol the need for countries to transition to new economies powered by innovation, and to take advantage of the opportunities that new technologies afford. Schools are expected to play their role in providing a stream of graduates equipped and eager to play an active role in this transition. At the same time, the simplistic equating of global ranking in basic maths and science results as a proxy for innovative capacity  continues to drive educational systems towards narrow curriculum and the drilling in basic testable knowledge. This is too often at the expense of opportunities for genuine integrated learning. Researchers into the science of learning have clear and consistent findings that support  active rich learning as essential, not only as an engagement tool, but as a means of developing critical thinking and problem solving skills and confidence. With a modest effort, but careful design, activities can and have been de...

In  December   2016 I attended a most significant conference in Seoul, hosted by  KOFAC   and supported by many science engagement organisations including the  British Council . Speaking at the conference were some great thinkers and practitioners in the area of science, creativity and innovation from across the globe. Some themes and perspectives emerged during the conference. Upon reflection I felt it might be of value to share some of these, but they might be summed up by the proposition that –The quality of our lives depends on innovation and the informal STEM sector has a critical role in not leaving innovation to chance. We all recognised the importance of innovation to improve and maintain the quality and richness of our lives. Governments, industries and centres of research and development from most countries see innovation as essential to drive economic growth. In an increasingly dynamic and disrupted world, innovation is seen by some ...