Workshop Description

Catholic Education South Australia has partnered with the Centre for Research in Educational and Social Inclusion (CRESI) and with the STEM Girls Academy from the University of South Australia (UniSA) to deliver a special program for girls in Years 7 and 8 who demonstrate an interest in STEM learning, to further explore engineering practices, principles, and pathways.

The program will not only provide students with an authentic STEM experience, but also strengthen the connection between STEM and creativity. By learning how to solve a real-world problem, students are expected to increase their levels of creative confidence in STEM disciplines. Students will be also preparing themselves for the future of work, developing their “Industry 4.0” mindset which includes trusting their own capability to solve problems creatively, persistence when facing adverse situations, openness to take risks, dealing with uncertainty and seeing failure as an opportunity for growth.

Schools are invited to register their expression of interest to have five Year 7 and/or 8 girls to participate in this program. The girls must have a passion for STEM learning and a desire to explore STEM career pathways.

This year, our industry partner is Fleet Space Technology. They will provide the creative challenge as well as offering mentoring and feedback to the students involved. Fleet Space has designed, built, and launched Australia’s only commercial NanoSatellites. With six satellites already in orbit and the next iteration launching in 2023, Fleet Space is building a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites.

Throughout Term 4, students will work collaboratively with their teacher to find possible solutions to the presented challenge. Students will have an opportunity to meet with Fleet Space Engineers online to receive feedback on their ideas and to iterate their final solution.

Research Component

By engaging in this project, schools agree to:

• support the university in collecting data, from students participating in the workshops and those not participating,
• seek parental permission to undertake the surveys and
• provide an opportunity for students to complete the surveys during Term 4.

This data will help inform CESA’s future direction of STEM learning in the middle years of schooling.

Expression of Interest

If you are interested in nominating your school for this project, we kindly request that you complete the expression of interest form. It is important to note that selecting your participating students is not required at this stage. We will be considering the following criteria in the selection of schools:

• Regional Representation: We aim to include one school from each CESA region to ensure broad participation and representation.
• Alignment with UniSA Research Parameters: The school's ICSEA value should align with the research parameters set by the University of South Australia (UniSA). This alignment will contribute to the effectiveness and relevance of the project.
• Response to Questions: Your responses to the provided questions will be taken into consideration during the selection process. Please provide detailed information to help us understand your school's potential contribution.
• Commitment to Attendance: it is expected that the selected schools will demonstrate a strong commitment to attending all project dates with their students. This commitment is essential for the successful implementation of the program.
• Support for Student Engagement: It is crucial that the participating schools are dedicated to supporting their students in actively engaging with the program and completing the assigned tasks at school. This support will maximise the students' learning experience and program outcomes.
• Data Collection Facilitation: The selected schools will be required to facilitate data collection through the administration of pre, mid, and post-program student surveys. This data will contribute to the evaluation and assessment of the project's impact.

Project Dates

Intended Audience: Years 7-10 Teachers of Maths, Science and/or Technologies

Facilitators: Melanie O’Leary - CESA System Coach, Louise Murphy - CESA Advisor and Maria Vieira  – University of South Australia

Workshop Enquiries: melanie.oleary@cesa.catholic.edu.au / louise.murphy@cesa.catholic.edu.au

Registration Enquiries: adeline.mcloughlin@cesa.catholic.edu.au

Deadline for registration: Tuesday 25 July 2023

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CESA Registration Centre Membership is required, to register for this workshop.  If you have changed schools since your last event registration, please update your membership details.

If you are not a member, please CLICK HERE to sign up for membership.