Merlin Crossley & Chris Tidell join Chief Scientist at education symposium
Published on the 27 Jun 2013
Dean of UNSW Science Professor Merlin Crossley and the School’s Dr Chris Tisdell were in Canberra yesterday for a debate about science and maths education, led by Chief Scientist Ian Chubb.
This month, academic and research online news site The Conversation commissioned a series of articles on the state of maths and science education in Australia. Professor Crossley and Dr Tisdell’s submissions were hand-picked by the editors to appear on the site, and they were invited to present ideas to Professor Chubb at a public symposium.
They joined a panel of academics to discuss why literacy in science and maths is central to tackling Australia's current and future challenges, and what strategies could reverse the decline in our understanding of key science and maths principles.
The session was streamed live via The Conversation, and was facilitated by ABC Catalyst presenter Graham Phillips. People joined in the discussion via Facebook and Twitter.
In Dr Tisdell’s piece for The Conversation, “To multiply maths students, take away classrooms and add online courses”, he examines the benefits of online learning.
Professor Crossley’s article, “Boosting the status of science teaching: what can we do?” argues that how we treat science teachers is crucial.
A video of the symposium is available via The Conversation.