New publications

The number of Australians studying science in years 11 and 12 has fallen significantly since the 1990s and is continuing to drop, according to this report from the Australian Academy of Science. The Status and Quality of Year 11 and 12 Science in Australian Schools found that since 1991 the percentage of year 11 and 12 students enrolled in science subjects has fallen dramatically. The study also highlights the decline in Australian students' science and maths literacy, when compared internationally. The study authors interviewed and surveyed students, teachers and community members to determine attitudes towards science and science education. Almost one-third of non-science students agree that science is important to Australia's future but few see science as relevant in their own everyday lives. Recommendations from the report include a reduction in the amount of content within science subjects, support for science education programs that interest students in years 7 to year 10, provision of more professional learning opportunities for senior science teachers and development of a suite of digital curriculum resources for the new Australian Curriculum. Adapted from AAS media statement. The full report is available online.

An unpopular image, perceptions of irrelevancy to everyday life and some uninspiring teaching are causing students to question the purpose of science and mathematics in the classroom, with less than half of those sampled totally agreeing that science is central to maintaining Australia's way of life. This Universities Australia report describes evidence that Australian students lack an appreciation of the relevance and role of science in their lives and communities, and are not sufficiently aware of the rewarding career opportunities it offers. According to the report, students are often disillusioned with science and math, and many teachers show a lack of enthusiasm for the content of courses. Science and maths, in both schools and universities, are often seen as being taught in an outdated and impractical manner, not befitting the hands-on nature of much scientific discovery and work. Adapted from Universities Australia media statement, which links to the full report and a summary of key findings. The study involved a literature review, focus groups, and a questionnaire sent to first year students in STEM and non-STEM courses at 13 participating universities.

This literature review was commissioned by the Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney to provide context for the research project of the same title. The project seeks to examine whether the regime of high stakes testing throughout the school years is in the best interests of the students. The research aims to identify what the impacts of high stakes testing such as NAPLAN are on school students and their families, not only in terms of curriculum and learning but also with regard to students' health and wellbeing. What emerges consistently in the international research are serious concerns regarding the impact of high stakes testing on student health and wellbeing, learning, teaching and curriculum. Although much of the literature is focused on the USA and Britain, the consistency of these findings raises legitimate questions and deep concern regarding the Australian experience. Adapted from publisher's description.

Available in print and digital edition, Assessment Strategies for the Inquiry Classroom suggests ways to apply inquiry learning and formative assessment to support students' academic achievement. The book aims to stimulate teacher practice, address the need for variety in the classroom, offer multimodal approaches to learning, cater for students' individual learning differences, and facilitate higher-order thinking. The author describes phases of the inquiry process and five key assessment processes. Adapted from publisher's description.

The book is a guide to using the web effectively in order to enhance learning and teaching in schools. After considering the knowledge and skills needed by teachers and teacher librarians, it focuses on using Web 2.0 tools to create learning resources for students. Topics include learning and teaching in today's schools; finding and using information on the web; evaluating websites; Web 2.0 and schools; information literacy; improving student use of the web; developing learning websites for student use, and the next phase of ICT in schools. Adapted from publisher's description.

As science and technology advance, ethical issues increasingly are brought to the fore both for scientists and technologists but also for the general public. Science and technology education also reflects this shift, and has expanded what it means to learn science and technology. A greater emphasis is being placed on society's general scientific and technological literacy and this includes an understanding of socio-scientific issues including ethical decision making. The nine chapters of the book cover the role of ethics in school science and case studies of the implementation of ethics in science classes. See publisher's description.