LODGERS Magazine Issue 1

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FULL STEM AHEAD Every Tuesday morning at Berwick Lodge Primary School, a select group of students from Grade 4, 5 and 6 participate in a weekly STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) extension learning class with the school’s resident STEM educator George Spiridis, the school’s Leading ICT Teacher Michele Tan and the School’s Digital Technologies Teacher Rob Kelly. Every week, the students come to the lessons bursting with enthusiasm, excitement and a willing attitude to learn. Part of the success of the STEM program has been the influx of girls wanting to learn about STEM. Berwick Lodge prides itself on offering safe, inclusive learnings spaces for all students, but it has been particularly interesting to observe more and more girls wanting to participate in the program. Misha from Grade 4 is one of those students. She enjoys learning new concepts and coding strategies to further her understanding of how the world works around her. “I like to learn new and interesting things and I really enjoy STEM. I am very curious about it. It is like learning a new language…” The students started in Term 1 by learning how to use a Picaxe micro-controller (which uses the programming language BASIC). This was used a stepping stone to Arduino (another programmable micro-controller which uses C/C++ programming language). The Arduino is used to physically control lights, motors and sensors to perform various functions. As Misha rightly postulates learning to program is like learning a new language. Few other primary school students in Australia are learning to use such complex hardware and software, but the students at Berwick Lodge are diving in the deep end. It’s universally agreed that in the next few decades employability will depend heavily on STEM related skills. Therefore, teaching STEM skills to students at an early age can have a positive impact on their future employability. As Jeb from Grade 4 explains… “It’s easier to soak in new information when you’re young. The more you know when you’re younger, the more you can understand in the future. STEM is in nearly everything we do and the more we know about it the better…” Beyond these STEM extension learning classes, the rest of the tеасhеrѕ at Berwick Lodge are treating thе adoption оf STEM as раrt оf their weekly lesson рlаnnіng as standard. Tеасhеrѕ wоrkіng tоgеthеr hаvе tremendous роtеntіаl tо reform еduсаtіоn and improve student engagement. From 3D printing and micro-controllers to Lego robotics and Scratch, a world of engaging STEM activities await those wanting to engage their students. STEM educator George Spiridis (with over 26 years of experience in education and a lifetime of experience in engineering) said… “The students have the opportunity to experience the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics through STEM. We hope they will gain some level of knowledge and skill to help them understand the interactions and interconnectivity of these STEM disciplines. We hope they are then able to apply the knowledge and skills they have learnt to further studies. The confirmation of the success of this STEM program came in the form of a comment made to me by one of our students from her astounded uncle (a university lecturer) who was amazed that his niece - in primary school - was understanding universitystandard STEM related projects.”
GEORGE SPIRIDIS Our very own STEM educator George Spiridis takes a break between lessons…
Page 1 and 2: BERWICK LODGE PRIMARY SCHOOL LODGER
Page 3 and 4: LODGERS Spotlight What have our LOD
Page 5: INQUIRY: WORLD EXPO Around the worl
Page 10 and 11: Eye Of The Beholder
Page 12 and 13: FUNNY PHOTOS…
Page 14: Berwick Lodge Primary School Websit

LODGERS Magazine Issue 1

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