How do we connect what students learn in the classroom with what STEM looks like in the real world?

We explore the CSIRO’s STEM Professionals in Schools program with Martin Jellinek, unpacking how the program helps bridge the gap between classroom teaching and STEM industry practice. We discuss the program’s structure, the flexible supports available to schools, and the powerful role that STEM role models can play in engaging students in STEM pathways. Martin also highlights the rich possibilities that co-designing with industry experts can offer, particularly for teachers working out of field.

We’re then joined by primary school teacher Sarah Todd, who shares her experience bringing STEM professionals into her school and how these partnerships have strengthened her own teaching. We look at the impact of student-led STEM projects, as she tells us about how her students’ bandicoot-monitoring project led to real change in their local community.

Links:

https://www.csiro.au/en/education/Programs/STEM-Professionals-in-Schools-Program

About Martin Jellinek 

Martin Jellinek is an experienced STEM educator and curriculum leader who now works with CSIRO’s STEM Professionals in Schools program. He draws on his extensive background in teaching and STEM leadership to help build meaningful partnerships between Australian educators and industry professionals.

About Sarah Todd

Sarah Todd is a primary school teacher and science specialist from a South Australian public school and a longtime participant in the STEM Professionals in Schools program. She takes a hands-on, inquiry-driven approach to environmental education, with a particular passion for biodiversity projects and connecting students with the natural world. A 2025 SASTA Honour Award recipient and winner of the 2023 SASTA Outstanding Contribution to the Teaching of Science Award, Sarah is recognised for inspiring authentic STEM learning that empowers students to make real change in their local community.

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What is transdisciplinary STEM learning and how do we make it work in an Australian classroom? 

ACARA curriculum specialist Melanie Hughes unpacks the Australian Curriculum STEM Connections resource and explores how it supports teachers to bring real-world STEM learning into the classroom and the curriculum. We look at the purpose behind the Curriculum connections, the growing need to teach concepts that sit beyond traditional subject boundaries, and how context-rich STEM learning can both lift student engagement and strengthen learning outcomes. 

Links: 

https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/stem-connections 

About Melanie Hughes: 

Melanie Hughes is a curriculum specialist at ACARA, where she leads the Australian Curriculum: Technologies and the General Capability: Digital Literacy. She has extensive experience across primary and secondary education in both the public and independent sectors and has contributed to major technologies focused cross-sector projects in education. Her professional areas of interest span STEM and STEAM, AI, immersive VR/AR, game-based learning, circular design and media literacy. 

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How do we create a STEM classroom that supports all learners?

We speak with Dr Matthew Harrison about the challenges neurodivergent students can encounter in STEM learning environments, and the practical, achievable adjustments teachers can make to build more neuro-affirming classrooms.

Matthew also shares insights from the Next Level Collaboration project, showing how cooperative video games can build social confidence for neurodivergent students while also strengthening confidence and connection in STEM classrooms.

About Associate Professor Matthew Harrison

Associate Professor Matthew Harrison is a teacher and researcher whose work focuses on neurodiversity, inclusion, and how digital technology can help students learn and connect. He has taught in Australia, South Korea and the UK, and now leads Autism Intervention teaching at the University of Melbourne. Matthew’s love of gaming inspired his PhD research on how cooperative video games can build social skills and led him to co-found Next Level Collaboration.

Related links:

https://nextlevelcollaboration.com/

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