
IMPACT
Acorns to Oak Trees: Creative approaches to teaching STEM to advance female students
Swinburne University of Technology
In line with the key objectives of The Invergowrie Foundation, the emphasis of this project is to advance the development and education of girls in Victoria, and consequently feed the pipeline of girls into STEM careers and disciplines.
The opportunity to broaden the horizons of girls and make a significant impact on their futures is both necessary and important to individual girls and to our nation’s prosperity. Children begin to aspire to careers in early primary school, and teachers, careers advisors and families are their key influencers, and as such this project is focusing on primary school-aged girls. There is a plethora of existing programs and resources available for primary schools in the STEM sector. However very few are mapped and tailored to the Victorian Curriculum. The overarching goal of this project is to provide primary schools with tailor-made STEM education resources designed to advance girls in Victoria. Backed by thorough research, resources will be designed to upskill teachers, so they are better equipped to deliver STEM education at a primary level. Furthermore, research proves the link between parental and family drivers in career choice. Resources will be developed to raise parental awareness of STEM careers/work enabling families to provide guidance and informed options for their daughters from a young age.