Science teaching Israeli-style
24 August 2009
Warwick State High's Stuart Watt back in Queensland following his Israeli study trip with Chinchilla State High's Bradley Hubbard.
Two Darling Downs science teachers recently joined educators from Brazil, the US and Israel for a series of workshops and lectures at a leading research university in Israel.
Chinchilla State High School's Bradley Hubbard and Warwick State High School's Stuart Watt were the first Australians to receive a Sheila Schwartz Family International Leading Science Teachers' Award.
The awards, valued at $4,900 each, allowed the Queensland teachers to travel to Israel to take part in a two-week international forum at the Davidson Institute of Science Education.
The teachers recently returned from their travels - the first trip overseas for both men - full of praise for the event.
'I had been telling my Year 9 class about looking for opportunities and grabbing them because they don't stick around, and this was a good example of that,' Mr Watt said.
The Warwick teacher said he was surprised at how similar the education systems, and the challenges they face, were in Israel and Australia.
'It was really interesting how similar a lot of the things we talk about in our staff rooms are with the things Israeli teachers talk about,' he said.
Chinchilla's Mr Hubbard said a key focus of the forum was a 'learning skills for science' workshop, which was held every day.
'It's a British initiative about trying to improve students' scientific literacy skills,' he said.
'It was about increasing a student's scientific literacy, but it would also be a good preparation for the core skills test.'
The Queensland teachers also undertook a number of practical exercises, including working alongside a research scientist.
Scientific expedition ... Chinchilla State High's Bradley Hubbard horseback in Jarash, Jordan as part of an overseas study trip with Warwick State High's Stuart Watt.
'We also did one or two lectures each day that were related to general educational theories,' Mr Hubbard said.
'One was about the brain, how it develops, how memory works and how you can use that in the classroom.'
Since returning to Australia, Mr Hubbard said he incorporated elements of this research into his teaching, restructuring his lessons to aid students' retention.
Mr Watt said he valued some of the fun science activities that were conducted during the forum.
'They have a meaning in terms of the science, but they're interesting enough to get kids engaged,' he said.
'In Israel they're particularly aimed at students who have turned off science and maybe school as well, but they're equally applicable in our schools.'
The Davidson Institute is part of the Weismann Institute of Science, a leading research university based in Rehovot, Israel.
The award was organised through the Southern Queensland SCIPP (Science Centre of Innovation and Professional Practice) based at Toowoomba State High, through partnerships established by Professor Bruce Waldrip of Monash University (formerly of University of Southern Queensland).
Mr Watt and Mr Hubbard will make a presentation about their trip at the Regional Science Technology Forum in Toowoomba on October 19.
For information on the forum and award, contact Southern Qld SCIPP director Kay Lembo on email klemb1@eq.edu.au or phone 4637 1360.
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