The Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) is releasing a report into international comparisons of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. The report recommends introducing maths as a compulsory subject up to and including Year 12, reintroducing more comprehensive prerequisite requirements for university programs that require knowledge of science and maths and the recruitment of science PhD graduates into teaching.
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The first two comments are from independent experts:
Professor Martin Westwell is Director of the Flinders Centre for Science Education in the 21st Century at Flinders University
“At the core of this report is the need to make science education meaningful to young people – all young people. For too long, science and mathematics education has been a way of funnelling and filtering young people into STEM-related careers. This report shows the way to dismantling the pipeline and, through their teachers, developing young people who think about the world in scientific ways, with creativity, problem-solving, flexibility and critical thinking. Young people who think like this will explore and interpret the world through all of their learning and overcome the false distinctions between science, art and the humanities. Science will become part of who they are.”
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