STEM EDUCATION SUMMIT

SUMMARY OF KEY THEMES | SYDNEY, 5 NOVEMBER 2015

The STEM Education Summit, held The purpose of the Summit was to have a dynamic and open
discussion about key issues and opportunities for STEM
in Sydney on 5 November 2015, education in Australia, to inform the development of the
national STEM school education strategy.
was hosted by the NSW Minister for
Education, Adrian Piccoli, on behalf The afternoon was split into two sessions. The first session
discussed the types of STEM skills young Australians need
of his Education Council colleagues. to thrive in the 21st century; the second session focused on
how to increase participation and diversity in STEM education.
It was attended by just over 100 The Summit discussion was moderated by ABC Radio
experts, thought leaders and National presenter Natasha Mitchell. Conversation starters
for key themes of the day were: Ian Chubb, Chief Scientist of
STEM professionals from industry, Australia; Alan Finkel, Chancellor of Monash University and
government and education sectors. incoming Chief Scientist; Kate Burleigh, Managing Director,
Intel; Mark Butler, Head Teacher Science, Gosford High
School; Veena Sahajwalla, Director, SMaRT@UNSW; and Sam
Bucolo, Professor of Design and Innovation UTS.

NSW Department of Education | Education Council STEM Education Summit—Summary of Key Themes 1
The Summit covered a great many issues in STEM education.
Set out in this paper are the key themes which emerged from
the conversation that are of particular importance for national “WE’VE CREATED A CULTURE WHERE
strategy development. Over 40% of Summit participants also MANY PEOPLE ARE CONVINCED
submitted further ideas and suggested areas for change online. THAT IT’S QUITE ACCEPTABLE—
IF NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN BE
PROUD OF—TO SAY I WAS NEVER
1. Skills for the 21st century VERY GOOD AT MATHS.”
Business and industry representatives noted that STEM-related
skills are highly valued in the workplace; however, there was 2. Addressing the STEM image
also a general consensus that technical knowledge alone
is not sufficient. Employers highly value employees having
problem needs to be a
strong foundational STEM literacy, strong communication national priority
skills and design thinking skills. These types of skills help to
ensure that people are flexible thinkers, problem-solvers and STEM has an image problem in Australia, especially when it
able to adapt to changing workplace needs. This is particularly comes to girls. Maths and science in particular are seen as
important given many workplaces are expected to be radically domains for ‘geniuses’, ‘geeks’ and ‘nerds’ and ‘not for girls’.
different in the near future, including through automation and Young people are influenced by popular culture stereotypes of
the unpredictable nature of digital and technical disruptions. STEM jobs being male-dominated, or repetitive and socially-
isolating (e.g. lab work or computer tech work) and by media
Students need the basics in problem solving which maths, reports about STEM workplaces being potentially hostile to
physics and chemistry provides. Computational thinking and women. Many young people, especially girls, self-select out
technology literacy helps students acquire the problem-solving of STEM because they don’t identify with these stereotypes,
skills needed to effectively use and interpret large datasets, lack the self-confidence to challenge themselves with STEM
for example. subjects, and are not aware of the many career doorways that
“We need to get the message out to people about STEM can open for them.
the fact that many existing jobs require maths and “If I could only ask industry for the one thing that
technology skills.” they could do for school science, I would ask them
to make the career opportunities crystal clear to
Participants discussed the growing employment opportunities
students, to parents and to career counsellors.”
in many STEM-related fields, particularly digital careers. And,
in addition to this, noted that jobs outside of the traditional A common theme that emerged was the need to raise
STEM occupations are increasingly requiring STEM-related awareness about the opportunities and careers that will be
skills. There is a strong role for both the VET and university available to students by studying maths and science. STEM
sectors to support this skill development. The future of literacy can open up a range of careers beyond the traditional
manufacturing in Australia, for example, is high end, value- STEM occupations. At the same time, there is a need to
added manufacturing which requires more advanced be upfront about the current career prospects for some
technical skills. graduates, for example in the physical sciences. Rethinking
“Many people going into vocational occupations how careers advice was provided to students, and the
weren’t inspired in maths and science in school, important role that science and maths teachers have in this,
they discarded it, stepped away from it… but they was also raised.
need STEM skills.” There’s an important role for parents too: “I can’t tell you how
many times a parent has said, ‘it’s okay Johnny, I was never
Mathematical literacy in particular was identified as a core
good at maths so it doesn’t really matter’.”
capability needed across the community, not just for STEM
university graduates. The role of career mentors and role models for students,
starting in primary school, also came up in Summit
submissions.

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3. Improving diversity and 4. Depth over breadth in
inclusion in STEM the school curriculum
A strong theme interwoven through many of the Many participants noted that school curricula are crowded
conversations was the importance of more diversity and and this can make it difficult for teachers to find the time for
inclusion in STEM. Issues around the gender disparity in STEM students to have a deep engagement with key content and
employment, and the underrepresentation of Aboriginal concepts. This can affect students’ attainment of foundational
people, those from low socioeconomic status backgrounds skills, and also limits the ability for teachers to help students
and regional areas were also raised. Many participants pointed develop deeper critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
out that in order to increase STEM participation in poorly-
“We skate over topics too quickly to give a
engaged and underrepresented groups including girls and
helicopter view, in the interests of covering too
Aboriginal students we need to make STEM more relevant
much. We don’t go deep enough into the topics
to them.
and, when we do, the students think this is
“The girls who give up on STEM-related studies too hard.”
are not doing that because they are not good
at it; achievement and academic ability is How we teach STEM plays a key role in attracting students to
certainly there.” STEM and keeping them engaged. One participant described
a four-stage process for mathematical literacy: to be able
Young people get excited when using STEM to help solve to take a problem, define it; translate it into a mathematical
problems of concern to them and their communities, and context; calculate it; then interpret the answer. However, the
when learning is placed in a context that is relevant and design of maths education and assessments tend to focus
engaging. There is a need to start early, to hone in on the primarily on the third element—calculation—thereby losing
natural curiosity of young children. Participants also noted that sight of the creativity that should underpin mathematical
increasing online capacity is helping outreach to more people learning. The importance of engaging the creative thinking of
in regional areas. students in STEM more broadly was also discussed, along with
the role of the humanities in partnership to STEM.
Some Summit submissions highlighted the benefits of
bilingual and culturally relevant STEM teaching, including for Many people argued that the traditional construct of
Aboriginal students. classrooms and textbooks (“chalk and talk”) needs to be
refreshed. Technology is helping to change teaching and
learning experiences, and this can provide teachers with
new types of tools and resources that are based on relevant,
real world examples to engage students and improve STEM
learning outcomes.

Summit submissions included suggestions for the greater use

of quality online content such as MOOCs (massive open online
courses), and the creation of ‘makerspaces’ in secondary
schools which facilitate project-based learning, collaboration
and design thinking. Submissions also highlighted the need
for teachers and school leaders to deeply value interfaculty
collaboration and integrated learning.

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 5. “Computer science and coding
is mathematics solidified”
Participants spoke about the importance of coding and the
new national technology curriculum as a means of helping
students develop deeper computational skills, use technology
creatively to solve problems, and turning maths “from broccoli
into chocolate” for students. Deep engagement with coding
partnered with a solid foundation in maths and science
helps students to develop higher order logical thinking and
problem-solving skills.

“When students do coding, they are learning

analysis, they are learning rigour, they are learning
persistence, they are learning to deal with failure,
they are learning creativity, and they are learning
the joy of discovery.”

Coding was described as the practical aspect of learning to

think computationally, and it was noted that computational
thinking skills can be incorporated holistically across the
STEM curriculum.

Summit submissions included the suggestion of including

gaming technology, such as the use of achievement ‘digital
badges’, in the curriculum to engage and motivate students.

6. Teachers are the key

There was consensus that teachers are crucial to improving
STEM participation, attainment and aspirations. While it was
acknowledged that there are many high quality teaching
graduates coming into the profession, participants discussed
the need to attract more STEM-qualified and high-performing
students into teaching, and some of the challenges associated
with this.

There were differing views about entry standards for teaching

qualifications, but broad agreement that pathways into the
profession need to support people with a passion and talent
for teaching. There was also discussion about the potential
benefits of greater involvement by STEM content experts in
pre-service teacher education courses.

“We need high standards for entry and pathways

for people who could be good teachers but don’t
get there for all sorts of reasons that are not
necessarily within their control.”

A strong theme was the importance of teachers, particularly

in the primary years, having the confidence and content
knowledge in STEM. Teachers need to be supported with time
and resources, access to effective content-based professional
development and opportunities to experience real world STEM
environments.

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 “We’re asking a huge number of things from
teachers, and what they don’t have—more than
8. Strategic coordination
anything else—is the time to be all of the things of partnerships
that we’re asking of them.”
The importance of partnerships between schools, industry
Summit submissions highlighted the range of existing and universities was a strong theme of the day. Many
teaching resources available, but also noted that some are not participants noted the great number of partnerships and
evidence-based or linked to the new national curriculum. One program in existence around Australia. Schools can feel
submission suggested greater use of apps that allow teachers overwhelmed and uninformed about which are the most
to track and share professional effective available partnerships for their students.
learning experiences.
“As a Head Teacher of Science, I get in a
week probably 50 emails or phone calls about
challenges, competitions, summer schools etc and
7. Role of universities in supporting there is no coordination. I am swamped. There is
better school STEM outcomes nowhere I can go to find out what is available; so
what teachers in schools tend to do is stick with
Participants spoke about the importance of schools being the ones they’ve always known.”
seen as part of a broader education ecosystem, and the
need for more seamless transition between the ‘steps’ in the There was a view that many partnership programs are focused
education pipeline (preschool, primary school, high school and on encouraging students to choose STEM at university, but
post-school education). Education sectors need to work few target primary or junior secondary students or science
in partnership to improve STEM education outcomes. and maths teachers. Regional and low SES schools can also
struggle to engage with these partnerships.
There was discussion in particular about the influence of the
higher education sector on young people’s choices around Industry sees the education system as fragmented and
STEM, including subject choices in high school. disconnected and this can make forming partnerships
frustrating and difficult to scale up. There was strong
Participants discussed some of the apparent perverse agreement about the need for government brokerage
outcomes of the competitive ATAR entry system, which can and strategic co-ordination of these partnerships.
drive students away from studying more challenging subjects
in Year 12 even where it would directly benefit their post- A more strategic approach would help to increase and target
school study and career aspirations. Acknowledgement was industry investment in partnerships with schools, reduce
given to the wide range of subject choices now available to duplication and help to identify gaps where additional effort
students and the complexity of the evidence about what can be targeted. More effort and attention is needed to
drives students’ subject choices. measuring the impact of these initiatives and replicating
what works.
Participants debated the potential benefits (and drawbacks)
of universities returning to setting subject pre-requisites “The problem in Australia is we are frightened of
as a way of increasing secondary students’ participation in scale so we would rather have 200 programs than
more challenging STEM subjects. Discussion also considered five big ones that would make a difference to
the responsibilities of universities in the demand-driven thousands of people.”
funding system, including communicating more directly to
Summit submissions noted that successful international
students the impact of being academically underprepared (by
models of collaboration, such as school clusters and hubs
lacking the requisite level of assumed subject knowledge) on
formed with tertiary education providers and industry,
students’ likelihood of finishing their STEM degree. The need
could inform the development of new and more effective
for universities to ensure that the output of their courses is
partnership approaches in Australia.
meeting industry needs was also discussed.

Some Summit submissions suggested consideration of

alternative rewards for studying challenging STEM subjects The STEM Education Summit was a dynamic and
in senior secondary, such as ATAR bonus points, and idea-rich discussion. The Summit discussions
a greater role for work experience placements for raised a great many ideas and proposed a
STEM-related graduates. number of solutions, which will inform the
national STEM education strategy development.

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