How can we connect STEM teaching to students’ local environment?

In this episode, we speak with award-winning primary school teacher Judith Stutchbury about how place-based learning can bring STEM to life. We explore her school’s involvement in the Reef Guardian Schools program and the Mon Repos Turtle Centre, the benefits of cluster teaching for regional schools and her book Hatch Saves the Reef.

Biography: Judith Stutchbury is an award-winning primary school teacher, author and leader in science education. She is a passionate advocate for conservation and draws on the nearby Mon Repos turtle rookery in Queensland as a foundation for student learning, integrating marine, environmental and biological sciences across the curriculum.

She is also the author of the children’s book Hatch Saves the Reef and in 2023 received the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools, recognising her outstanding contributions to science education.

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How can we better engage regional girls in STEM learning?

In this episode, we’re joined by Sarah Chapman, founder of STEM Changemakers and a leading advocate for equity in STEM education. With over two decades of experience in secondary teaching, Sarah reflects on the unique challenges faced by teachers and students in rural and remote communities, with a particular focus on how these barriers impact girls.

We explore how initiatives like STEM Changemakers are creating new opportunities for regional girls, and what meaningful inclusion in STEM really looks like.

Sarah Chapman is the founder of STEM Changemakers and the Townsville STEM Hub, initiatives that empower underrepresented regional Australian girls and communities in STEM. With over twenty years’ experience as a secondary science educator and science head of department, she also serves as co‑chair of Women in STEMM Australia and a board member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Sarah’s work has earned numerous honours, including the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools and a Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award Fellowship.

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How can school leaders make a real difference in the quality of their school’s STEM learning?

Professor Kim Beswick joins us to talk about what strong STEM leadership looks like, and the role principals can play building a strong STEM learning culture in the school community. Kim also highlights the barriers schools often encounter, particularly in rural and disadvantaged communities, the influence of teacher expectations on student outcomes, and shares examples of how effective leadership can lift STEM engagement across a whole school.

Links:

Principals as STEM Leaders (PASL)

PASL case studies

About Professor Kim Beswick

Professor Kim Beswick is a leading Australian education researcher with a focus on mathematics education and equity in schools. She was a secondary school maths teacher for 13 years, working in rural and regional schools. Her research explores the role that school leadership plays in STEM education, and how teachers’ beliefs can shape classroom practice, especially in disadvantaged communities.

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