Celebrating Primary Years Science Teachers

There are many teachers of science in Primary Schools, classroom teachers and science specialists. We asked a few primary teachers why they became teachers, what their day typically looks like and any advice they would give.

Andrew Harris, Pilgrim School

What inspired you to become a primary science teacher?

Prior to teaching, I obtained a BSc in Conservation and Park Management, and worked in a range of different habitat assessment and monitoring jobs. Science has always been something I've been very interested in, especially rocks, minerals, beetles, butterflies and birds. At each school I've worked at, if there was already a Science department then I tried to engage them with my classes in as many ways possible, and if there wasn't, then I worked to promote Science in the school and events like Science Week and the Oliphant Science Awards.

At my current school, I have developed a Science display with removable drawers and displays that teachers can take back to their classes based around the Australian Curriculum units. I find children of almost all ages have a real fascination for one or more areas of science as they move through primary and high school, and as teachers we are blessed with the amount of knowledge they come with through what they have picked up from youtube (even if the "Science" is not 100 per cent accurate, it still generates great thinking and discussion. 

What does a typical day at school look like for you?

I recently began teaching science to the whole school as a specialist subject on Fridays. This has been an amazing support from the school and a dream come true, as the Art room doubles as a science laboratory with its own storeroom. The year levels come through in groups, so 5-6s before recess, 1-2s before lunch and 3-4s after lunch, which makes setting up experiments and scheduling learning a lot smoother. I start each lesson with a hook from an interesting youtube clip or a magnified image of something to warm up with and generate discussion, and then proceed into the lesson. We would've had a dedicated field trip this term, but the weather decided to change dramatically into Winter! I call the students Scientists when they are with me, and encourage as much open questioning and idea sharing as possible

Can you tell us about one of your proudest accomplishments or a new program/idea you’re running with your students?

I think the establishment of Science as a dedicated specialist subject is awesome, thanks to the support of leadership at the school in responding to my passion and interest in the topic. Coordinating the Oliphant Science Awards for the first time instead of helping others is really fun, and we're aiming for the Mary Anning Art competition next term for the first time, too. I tried to use one assessment as a SHE task for all of the year levels, and the results where stunning. By asking students to choose an experiment of their preference to do with the topic of heat, they had to then explain in detail what was happening in the experiment, and then finish by imagining a future where the principles of the experiment could be applied to a community-wide or state-wide level to benefit society in some way. One of my favourite responses was from the early years, where a student explained why a candle goes out when a jar is placed over it due to the oxygen being used up by the flame. They proposed that if we discovered a planet where people could live if the poisonous gases were removed by flame, then all we need to do is send a single candle to the planet to terraform it for future colonisation, saving billions of dollars in high tech programs! It's those sorts of ideas that are so exciting to uncover or allow the time and space to emerge. Above all, I find the greatest reward comes when the students start to raise questions around the intersection of science and faith, and the journey they are on in a world where subjectivism is encouraged. As a Christian I can never stop discovering more about the wonders of God and creation through the wonders of scientific endeavour and discovery.

What advice would you give fellow primary science teachers?

Have fun! Science already comes with the expectation of "magic" happening before our eyes, so make the most of feeding that passion. I love the quote that goes something like " when you conduct an experiment, you are really asking the world a question. And the world will always provide an answer, but it may not always be the one you expect, and will usually lead you to ask another question." Be open to going in different directions with plans and enjoy the adventure.

The picture is of an accidental discovery that turned into a great experiment. We had been applying heat to gummy bears, and a student said we should put one in some water to cool it off. For a joke, we dropped it into a bottle of water, which I then completely forgot about for 3 weeks! The result was a hard red gummy bear quadrupled in size and turned completely transparent without changing the colour of the water. It tasted revolting, by the way, but it certainly generated lots of discussion!

Alexandra Fowler, Woomera Area School

What inspired you to become a primary science teacher?

I honestly never wanted to be a teacher. The thing is I love sharing my knowledge and learning new things. Growing up I believed that the reason my mum made me do my homework and not fake sickies was because she was a teacher and knew the tricks. It wasn’t until much later in life I realised she understood the tricks and hand good morals, especially around education. I did animal science and wanted to be vet. After seeing the workload of veterinary students, I quickly changed my mind. Instead I got really excited about an Education Officer job I applied for. I was a good candidate but did not win the position. The person who got the position had a teaching degree. So, I followed that path. I still didn’t want to be in the classroom but during my student teaching I enjoyed getting to know the students. I’m trained as a high school teacher but for the past 9.5 years I’ve been at Woomera. We are a small remote school with only 2-3 teachers and over my time here we have never had more than 20 students. The only way for everyone to get NIT is by teaching all years. For the past year and a half, we have been largely a primary school (preschool to year 4) with only 1 high school student.

I love being the science teacher, exploring the world with kids at all levels. Its amazing how much we cover in a lesson. Being so small and being in a mixed aged class we are able to cover a lot of concept and delve into ideas. I love how the junior years have such open concepts and when working with older students you can explore topics much more deeply.

What does a typical day at school look like for you?

We have been really building on wellbeing and agency at Woomera. Our mornings start with provocations time. This session (30mins to 1hour depending on the day) is when students are arriving and settling in for the day. It allows us to check in with all students as well as do some one-on-one or small group work if needed and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays this also includes breakfast club. It also means students are not missing core learning if they are running late. We then split into Literacy and Numeracy. I am the Numeracy teacher we have they Foundation-year 1s in one group and the year 2-4s in the other. On Pre-school days they work with the Foundation students and the year 1s are a group by themselves. Then its recess. After recess until home time the class is generally all together and we mostly team teach. I take Science and Technologies, and team teach Learning to Learn and Nature Education.

Can you tell us about one of your proudest accomplishments or a new program/idea you’re running with your students?

This year we have been running Provocations in the morning with our students. This is a time when students are provided with various options around the classroom and can choose what learning they do. As part of this I have created a number of different provocations. My two favourites that the kids are really enjoying are The Science Lab and Pokémon Badges.

The Pokémon badges is a set of work the students have to complete to earn their Kanto Pokémon badges. Each badge is a different Pokémon themed task covering topics including persuasive writing, habitats, mapping, maths, STEM skills and problem solving.

The Science Lab is a space outside where we have a large collection of mostly plastic lab equipment and various ‘chemicals’. Our ‘chemicals’ include Vinegar, Alka seltzer/Berocca tablets, Bicarbonate soda, Sugar, Flour, Corn flour, Ant-acid tablets, Chalk/chalk powder, Food colouring, Dish liquid, Vegetable Oil and Citric acid.  Students are able to mix and match mixtures and create their own experiments. We ask questions like:

• What happens when you mix A and B?
• How could you record your findings?
• What do you notice is different between A & B?
• Does solid A act differently when you mix it with other liquids?
• What do you notice?
• What do you think will happen when…?
• What words could you use to describe what you see?

In warmer weather I would love to add options for experiments like sink and float and marble boats as well as microscopes and light/sound practicals. Our biggest challenge is the temperature in the mornings.  The students are also learning how to wash/clean different lab equipment and wear lab safety gear. I bought white shirts to act as lab coats and when I could find them actual or costume lab coats from second hand shops.

What advice would you give fellow primary science teachers?

First and foremost, enjoy what you do! If you become bored or stressed change it. I love following teachable moments, we will stop a lesson and I will chase the wasp around the room for 5 minutes, then we will study and identify the wasp species before I release it. Keep jars or little tanks around to catch the creatures, teach kids we can’t keep them but we can look and remind them of safety concerns (stings, bites, disease).

Secondly have a collection. This collection can be anything your interested in that can be studied. For me my passion in animals so my collection includes things like bones, bone replicas, dead insects, random animal books, identification books (cost a fortune – second hand shops are god sends), picture books (wonderful wasps is great), and feathers. This is when craft jars are really useful.

And finally, focus on the achievement standards over the content descriptors. The descriptors are great for working out what you can teach but the achievement standards are what they have to show. Ecosystems can be as small as microorganisms, or as old as dinosaurs. Heat can be explored through little ovens or why we need hats and water at play times. Push and pull can be in the playground with swings and slides or in a lab with marbles and cars.