Explore the lack of female representation in science curricula and the findings of Dr. Catherine Ross on gender bias. Discuss the underrepresentation of women in STEM education and the hosts' shock at the pervasive unconscious bias in the field. Learn about the importance of female role models in STEM education, successful initiatives by a primary school STEM teacher, winners of the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science, and new STEM studies elective. Also, discover the launch of the annual Teacher Reader survey, winners of the Teacher Awards, and a podcast episode on recruitment challenges in education.
High school science curricula in Australia overlook female scientists, with only one woman scientist mentioned out of 145 scientists.
A primary school teacher successfully increases girls' participation in STEM by exposing them to female figures in STEM and using relatable role models.
Deep dives
Gender Bias in High School Science Curricula
A research podcast episode highlights the gender bias present in high school science curricula in Australia. The episode explores how female scientists are overlooked, with only one woman scientist mentioned out of 145 scientists across all states and territories. Marie Curie, despite her significant contributions, is not mentioned at all. The podcast discusses the implications of this bias on students studying these courses and the problem of teaching an inaccurate view of science.
Improving Female Participation in STEM
A Queensland primary school STEM teacher, Megan Hayes, receives recognition for her successful initiatives in increasing girls' participation in STEM. The teacher shares how her connections with feeder high schools and local universities expose students to female figures in STEM. Using age-appropriate pedagogy and focusing on relatable role models, Megan aims to address the waning enthusiasm of girls towards STEM as they progress through primary years.
Winners of the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science
The podcast episode also announces the winners of the 2021 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science, Judas Stutchebury from Queensland and Donna Buckley from Western Australia. Each winner has contributed significantly to teaching and takes home a prize of $50,000. The article explores their work in improving STEM education at their respective schools and the impact they have had at a national level.
Thanks for listening to this episode of Teacher Staffroom, where we catch you up on the latest evidence, insight, and action. How many scientists are mentioned in high school science curricula here in Australia? How many of those do you think are women? These 2 questions kicked off a brilliant podcast we published this month that explored the way that female scientists were overlooked in high school science. We also published an article that explores how one school is improving student outcomes by celebrating female figures in STEM, and share how 2 female science educators were named the latest winners of the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.
Host: Rebecca Vukovic
Sponsor: MacKillop Seasons
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode