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Who developed the STELR Project?

The STELR Project is a national secondary school science education initiative of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE). This is an association of professional men and women who are elected as Fellows of the Academy on the basis of their achievement in the application of science, technology and engineering to Australian life.

STELR is the acronym for ‘Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance’.

Why did ATSE develop the STELR Project?

Research shows that many secondary school students view the enabling sciences and mathematics as having no relevance to their lives. The consequence of this perception is that many students drop out of these subjects as soon as possible.

The STELR Project was developed to address the decreasing number of students choosing to further their studies in the enabling sciences and mathematics. It achieves this by focusing on one of the key issues of our time, an issue that most students are very concerned about - that of global warming and climate change – and showing them that science and mathematics are crucial to solving this issue.

The STELR project also aims to:

• Improve the level of science literacy and understanding in the community;

• Raise awareness of opportunities in technology-related careers;

• Prepare students to engage with science ideas and be knowledgeable about the way science and scientists work;

• Increase the number of students choosing science and engineering careers to address the shortage of science and engineering graduates; and

• Improve the quality of science classroom teaching practice.

What does the STELR 2010 Project involve?

The main theme of this secondary science education program for Year 9 or Year 10 students is renewable energy. Students perform many fun hands-on experiments, including student-designed investigations, using solar cells and miniature wind turbines. They have opportunities to solve challenging problems, such as designing their own wind turbines, to develop and share expertise in a particular aspect of one of the energy sources, and to use a variety of technologies. This provides a very meaningful context in which to learn some of the key concepts in the new Australian Science and Mathematics Curricula.

The students also have an opportunity to learn about the huge range of careers available in the renewable energy industry and to ask experts in the field various questions.

What do teachers say?

Teachers involved in the pilot program in their schools have identified many significant benefits arising out of the inquiry-based learning in the STELR program. They included:

• A definite increase in the level of students’ engagement with the material – this included more class discussion and willingness of students to contribute to discussions, as well as increased engagement with practical activities.

• More opportunities to connect what students were learning with current issues in the media and in their daily lives. Students gained insights into how science works in the real world.

• The opportunity for teachers to work as a team, to gain a broader understanding of the applications of science, and to undertake inquiry-based learning on a much larger scale than their time and resources would normally allow.

ATSE STELR Sponsors

The ATSE STELR Project pilot program (2008-9) was made possible through the support of the following bodies:

• Queensland Department of Education and Children’s Services

• South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services

• Tasmanian Department of Education

• Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

• Victorian Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development

• Victorian Catholic Education Office

• Western Australian Department of Education & Training

The ATSE STELR Project gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the following organisations:

• Rio Tinto

• Orica

• Alan & Elizabeth Finkel Foundation

• Aurora Energy

• Hydro Tasmania

• Roaring 40s

• Transend Networks

How to get involved in the ATSE STELR Project

The ATSE STELR Stage 1 Project 2010 has been made possible through the support of the Australian Government.

For enquiries about the project or participation in 2011, please contact:

Peter Pentland

ATSE STELR Project Manager
Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE)
GPO Box 4055
MELBOURNE VIC 3001