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Nov 04 2015
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In2science reflections: October 2015

By | News

Looking to the future as placements draw to a close

October was always going to be a tough month for our mentors. The looming presence of university exams has been further compounded by placements coming to a close. After 10 weeks of visiting schools, it can be tough to say goodbye. A big thank you from all the team here at In2science to our volunteer mentors who have generously donated their time and energy throughout Semester 2.

Alternative careers Q&A panel

In2science’s alternative career Q&A panel: Claire Farrugia (MC; In2science Coordinator at RMIT University), Maja Divjak (GTAC), Sarah Matthee (Engineers Without Borders), Sally Lowenstein (State Emergency Service), Jonathan Shearer (Scienceworks) and Daryl Holland (University of Melbourne).

Where to now?

Mentoring in a classroom can have a profound impact on university students.

Some mentors know exactly what they are going to do after finishing their studies. Others find a passion for talking about science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and want to find a way to make a career of sharing what they love.

The final In2science professional development session for the semester focused on helping mentors discover what might lie ahead. Hosted by In2science at RMIT University, the ‘alternate careers’ Q&A panel brought together scientific animators, communicators, education officers and journalists to talk about their jobs and how they got there. Mentors were certainly prepared with some cracking questions and engrossing post-panel discussions.

Congratulations to Dr Alan Finkel and Simon McKeon

October was also a big month the In2science Advisory Board, with Patron Dr Alan Finkel AO FTSE being announced as Australia’s next Chief Scientist and Advisory Board Chair Simon McKeon AO appointed as Chancellor of Monash University. Congratulations on your appointments!

Stories from the schools

  • Dominic Carroll_Brunswick

    Dominic spoke to students at Brunswick SC about extra dimensions beyond the three we can see.

    Marson has been mentoring at Glen Eira College this semester, helping year 9 students with their engineering project. Students were challenged to build a 30cm-tall tower using limited resources that could withstand earthquakes while under weight stress. Marson guided the students through the engineering process from brainstorming and research through to design, testing and trialling the structures using an earthquake platform while gradually increasing weight loads.

  • Rebecca brought in some pet spiders for her science class at Roxburgh College to see while discussing digestive systems. Live arachnids certainly inspired the students to ask interesting questions about caring for a unique pet and what they’re fed!
  • Mentor Gemma has been on placement at Werribee Secondary College this semester helping students with practical classes in science and mathematics. Gemma  has been helping students test which shapes sink faster than others and relating these findings to how different fishes have adapted and evolved to minimise drag and resistance in water.
  • Dom has been mentoring students at Brunswick Secondary College this semester. Although Dom’s speciality is in biological sciences, his class was learning astrophysics, so to mix things up a bit Dom brought in demonstrations to challenge the class with the idea that although we can comprehend three dimensions, physicists can use maths to understand that there are many, many more dimensions beyond what we can see with our own eyes.
Oct 30 2015
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Meet an In2science school: Auburn High School

By | Profiles

Kathryn Sobey is no stranger to In2science.

Kathryn Sobey, former In2science mentor and Science Domain Leader at Auburn High School

Kathryn Sobey, former In2science mentor and Science Domain Leader at Auburn High School

As a former In2science mentor – and now the Science Domain Leader at Auburn High School – Kathryn has been a fantastic supporter of the program, experiencing the impact the program can have both as a volunteer mentor and as a teacher.

Kathryn was an In2science mentor at Footscray City College in her second year of university. “It was so formative in cementing my desire to be a teacher,” she said. “It was my first opportunity to see the classroom outside of a student’s perspective”.

As very proactive mentor, Kathryn was keen to make the most of her placement. “My placement teacher let me lead the class one day,” she said. “That was great, and an amazing opportunity that I don’t think I would have experienced anywhere else.”

A love of learning led her to pursue a career in teaching and she hasn’t looked back. “I love the intellectual challenge that being a teacher brings,” Kathryn said. “I can’t think of another profession where I would get the opportunity to practise problem-solving, critical thinking, creative thinking, resilience, leadership and innovation like teachers get to.”

Having In2science mentors visit Auburn High School has had an influence on both students and teaching staff alike. “We have loved having mentors in our classrooms to promote thinking about the deeper ideas of science and the world around us,” Kathryn said. “Teachers learn a lot when they are able to talk about what they do. It’s great to have the opportunity to do this with a mentor, someone who has fresh ideas and a fresh perspective. It can be both clarifying and gratifying to share your craft with someone else.”

Kathryn Sobey talking with studentsAuburn High School has hosted In2science mentors throughout 2015, with six mentors from Swinburne University of Technology visiting the school over two semesters. It is a relatively new school, having opened in 2014, and currently has around 300 students. The school has a culturally-diverse student population and run bilingual classes in French and Chinese.

“We are very proud of the diversity we enjoy within our school,” Kathryn said. “I love walking down the corridors to the tune of staff and student chatter in Chinese, French, Vietnamese, Hindi and Amharic.”

The cultural diversity at Auburn High School has led to some unique opportunities for mentoring. “It has been wonderful to host some Chinese-speaking In2Science mentors who have been able to step in and assist in this highly specialised role,” Kathryn said. “The mentors were able to go through the content at a slower pace with the students, which has been a huge benefit.”

Sep 29 2015
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In2science reflections: September 2015

By | News

Growing minds, communicating science and mid-placement check-ins

September has been a busy month for In2science, with placements in full swing, mid-placement training and professional development sessions for mentors. Join us as we reflect on the month that was.

Emily and Lauren from Teach for Australia

Emily and Lauren from Teach for Australia

Developing our mentors

Once an In2science mentor starts their placement, their training and development doesn’t stop.

In late August, Emily and Lauren from Teach for Australia ran a professional development session about how to encourage students in maths and science. Covering positive framing, growth vs fixed mindset and behaviour management, Emily and Lauren gave our mentors some great tips for maximising their impact in the classroom.

September saw two bouts of training, starting with mid-placement training at each of the partner universities. This allowed mentors to come together, share experiences and discover how they navigate similar challenges during their placements. In late September, science communicator Jason Major ran our second professional development session, guiding mentors through methods on engaging students in controversial science topics and finding links between science and society.

Stories from the schools

Jason Major presenting our second professional development session on science communication.

Jason Major presenting our second professional development session on science communication.

In2science coordinators have been busy visiting placements in the final weeks of term 3, with many visits continuing into term 4. Mentors are helping out with some really interesting activities and sharing their experiences in science and maths with many students. Here’s a snapshot of what our mentors are getting up to.

  • Mentor Zi Kuan helped year 9 students at Mount Alexander College to dissect sheep brains during a general science class. The students were fascinated with the small size of these brains and questioned whether the areas primarily responsible for the language processing in humans (Wernicke’s area and Broca’s area) were also present in sheep. Zi Kuan was a great help in the class, both with the set-up and dissection of the brains, but also in getting the students to think about things in a different way. It was fantastic to see the students easily recall the different areas of the brain and describe their function.
  • Rachael has been mentoring in an all-boys year 8 general science class at Maribyrnong Secondary College. For the end of term 3, Rachael showed the students how to make their own fossils. The boys relished the hands on activity and weren’t afraid to get a bit messy with the Plaster of Paris! Rachael presented in a clear and engaging way, helped the students create their fossils and discussed questions on fossils ranging from ferns to dinosaurs.
  • Mentor Nathan has been working with an accelerated learning year 8 science class at Reservoir High School, guiding students on their journey to research, design and execute their own experiments for a science fair. Nathan’s probing questions have helped students think deeply about their chosen science topic, encouraging them to think deeply about the quality of their source information and how robust their experiments will be. We are excited to see the results at their science fair in term 4!
  • Science and accounting student Jen has been assisting a year 9 maths class at Roxburgh College. Working primarily with a group of female students in the class, Jen has encouraged and supported these students as they apply mathematics to finance problems, such as interest rates, discounts and profit margins. Jen’s passion for maths is certainly rubbing off!