A visit to the United States by a Canobolas Rural Technology High School teacher has shown the school is ahead of the pack internationally in the teaching of Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM).
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STEM head teacher Matt Scott spent three and a half weeks during late March and April looking at how STEM is taught at the Southern Arkansas University STEM Centre in Magnolia, Arkansas, and High Tech High in Santiago.
Mr Scott was granted a $15,000 scolarship from the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund to find out more about STEM learning and bring new teaching insights back to the school, which is an Australian pioneer in the program.
“When I went over I was hoping to learn all this new stuff about STEM,” Mr Scott said.
“When I was over there it became less about learning new things but validating that, [what they are doing] was what we’ve been doing.”
However, he said one program he learnt about and wants to develop at Canobolas Rural Technology High School was virtual reality.
I think what we are doing here is as good as anything I’ve seen.
- STEM head teacher Matt Scott
He said virtual reality would enable students to see how engineering developments could benefit people in other countries.
As well as seeing how the school was tracking compared to high schools and universities in the USA, Mr Scott was also able to see how it compared at a more global perspective.
“I participated in an international information technology conference in Dallas, Texas, I was able to present what we do here at Canobolas high school, as part of that international showcase,” he said.
“I think what we are doing here is as good as anything I’ve seen.”
Mr Scott said the visit also proved that STEM education works long term.
While there he learnt about the Maths Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program which started in 1970 for low socio-economic students and along with being like STEM, also had proven results.
“To see how they have been able to use the course work to influence the success of students through the STEM areas was inspiring,” Mr Scott said.
“It was an example to look towards, we would like to look back in 30 years time and see students still working and still learning, STEM skills can apply to anything.”