For teachers
Teacher professional learning
SISP is delivered in partnership with Academies of STEM Excellence in regional NSW. An initiative of the Cessnock High School Learning Community, the Academies of STEM Excellence is now active in a number of NSW locations and were established to:
Improve STEM expert knowledge in the Cessnock learning community
Engage teachers in future-focused learning and teaching practices, and;
Help teachers engage and inspire a passion for STEM in their students.
Through the Academies of STEM, an extensive program of teacher professional development is available each year. Teachers have access to a range of discipline-specific sessions that include:
Google for Education STEM Professional Development
Jaguar Primary School Challenge (Re-Engineering Australia)
SISP Challenge Days and SMART Discovery Days (The University of Newcastle)
STEM Entrepreneurship Education (Tech Girls Movement)
STARLab Mars Rover Program
Digital Technologies
iSTEM curriculum development
STEM Equipment Lending Library
Regional NSW future-focused learning conference
The Regional NSW Future Focused Learning Conference is staged annually as part of the SISP program. It provides teachers with an intensive, hands-on learning experience focused on curriculum, pedagogy and skills development. It provides delegates with practical knowledge and insights to assist them with the development and implementation of their own future-focused learning initiatives. It provides an opportunity for the stimulation of thinking and discussion about the importance of STEM education.
Programs for solving real-world problems
Contemporary, stimulating curriculum is key to student engagement. SISP offers a program of industry-specific, scenario-based workshop lessons designed to expose students to in-class, team-based projects that are focused on solving 'real' problems often posed by partner industries.
Students are mentored by STEM teachers; through incursions, have direct access to industry representatives who make their industries 'real' during incursions; and undertake excursions to industry locations to see first-hand how the STEM skills learnt in the classroom apply in the workplace.
These programs build on the iSTEM curriculum model developed by RDA Hunter's ME Program and the NSW Department of Education.