How many female scientists are mentioned in high school science curricula here in Australia? This question kicks off today’s Teacher Staffroom podcast that highlights some of the key articles, podcasts and infographics we’ve published this month that celebrate women and girls in STEM.

How many scientists are mentioned in high school science curricula in Australia and how many are women? After discovering that Marie Curie was absent from the radioactivity section of a state Physics syllabus, astrophysicist Dr Kathryn Ross set out to explore if the contributions of other women were being overlooked. She joins us on this episode to share the shocking findings.

Many educators are engaging in leadership practice as part of their day-to-day work. In this episode of Teacher Staffroom, we’re going to bring you a range of stories we’ve published recently on the topic of leadership.

School Assembly is the podcast that explores what it takes to build a new school from the ground up. We’re following principal Jo Camozzato and her team at Bemin Secondary College, in the Melbourne suburb of Truganina, which opens its doors at the start of the 2024 school year. In this episode, we’re talking about planning.

New research from the United States involving mathematics teacher teams in 4 schools – across a period of 4 years – investigated specific strategies that support a collaborative approach to coaching in schools that are under significant pressure to improve. Find out more in today’s article.

So far in a 3-part series on teacher planning, educational leader Michael Rosenbrock has looked at how teachers can pro-actively plan to tackle student misconceptions in STEM and support them to build and use their vocabulary in science and mathematics. In this final article, he explores how teachers can best plan to make effective use of manipulatives and representations to help students build understanding.

In this episode I’m joined by Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report Director Manos Antoninis to discuss the 6 key messages in the major international study Technology in Education: A tool on whose terms?, including what governments, systems and schools should be thinking about when planning to bring technology into the classroom.

‘Teacher knowledge of misconceptions and explicitly planning to uncover and address them is vital for supporting student learning growth.’ Educational leader Michael Rosenbrock looks at how teachers can pro-actively plan to tackle student misconceptions in STEM, and steps though an example from the forces and motion topic in physics.

‘The result of unresolved concerns could well lead to an unwillingness to use immersive technology with students. Yet, often, the barriers are surmountable.’ Dr Susan O’Donnell and Adrian Rayner, from the VR Learning & Design Hub, look at teacher’s prior concerns and some of the solutions.

‘My experience as a teacher and researcher in Japan has allowed me to observe and study classrooms in depth. The first thing that caught my attention was the use of chalkboards.’ Dr Shirley Tan shares how the traditional Japanese technique of bansho board writing can enhance teaching and learning in your own classroom.