Australia at the crossroads: A review of school science practical work

Gillian Kidman

doi:10.12973/eurasia.2012.815a

Abstract

In Australia we are at a crossroads in science education. We have come from a long history of adopting international curricula, through to blending international and Australian developed materials, to the present which is a thoroughly unique Australian curriculum in science. This paper documents Australia’s journey over the past 200 years, as we prepare for the implementation of our first truly Australian National Curriculum. One of the unique aspects of this curriculum is the emphasis on practical work and inquiry-based learning. This paper identifies seven forms of practical work currently used in Australian schools and the purposes aligned with each form by 138 pre-service and experienced in-service teachers. The paper explores the question ‘What does the impending national curriculum, with its emphasis on practical inquiry mean to the teachers now - are they ready?’ The study suggests that practical work in Australian schools is multifaceted, and the teacher-aligned purposes are dependent not only upon the age of the student, but also on the type of practical work being undertaken. It was found that most teachers are not ready to teach using inquiry-based pedagogy and cite lack of content knowledge, behaviour management, lack of physical resources and availability of classroom space as key issues which will hinder their implementation of the inquiry component of Australia’s pending curriculum in science.

Highlights

Received 13 March 2011; accepted 29 November 2011 In Australia we are at a crossroads in science education
This paper identifies seven forms of practical work currently used in Australian schools and the purposes aligned with each form by 138 pre-service and experienced in-service teachers
It was found that Australian education has always been guided by international curricula, but currently we are at a crossroads – we are about to embark on the teaching of our first Australian curriculum in science, mathematics, English and history

Summary

Introduction

In Australia we are at a crossroads in science education. We have come from a long history of adopting international curricula, through to blending international and Australian developed materials, to the present which is a thoroughly unique Australian curriculum in science. There is scant documentation of the development of science education in Australia until following the Second World War. One can assume we continued to follow the British system (as we did with most things) with an emphasis on physics and chemistry, followed by biology geology. One can assume we continued to follow the British system (as we did with most things) with an emphasis on physics and chemistry, followed by biology geology It was not until 1945 that the general science movement including practical work, reached Australia. Practical work has been in Australian science curriculum documents for many decades It has a history of being poorly implemented. To improve student engagement as well as teacher knowledge and pedagogical skills, Australia as invested large amounts of funding on science initiatives, the latest of which is the development and recent implementation of a national curriculum

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Conclusion