We welcome you to the May discussion held online on 1st May, 4.30pm-6pm.
Discussion 1: Integrated STEM in Initial Teacher Education (ITE): A case in practice – Samantha Bothe. Supervisors: Lihua Xu, Linda Hobbs, Mandy Cooke
Significant variations exist within integrated STEM units in Bachelor of Education (Primary) programs, which can lead to inconsistency in preservice teachers’ knowledge and skills in STEM. In Australia, individual Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers have the discretion of whether integrated STEM is offered in a program. There is a need to understand how an integrated STEM curriculum is designed and implemented in Initial Teacher Education in Australian universities. This presentation aims to investigate the different approaches to integrated STEM curriculum design, examining the conditions that shaped one institution’s approach to the design of the curriculum. The Practice Architectures and Curriculum (PAC) framework, developed based on Practice Architectures Theory and curriculum theories, was used to analyse the qualitative interview data and curriculum documents. Preliminary findings suggest that several conditions influence integrated STEM curriculum design, including the structure of the Australian Curriculum, teacher educator expertise, and the financial viability of the unit. These insights may inform future integrated STEM curriculum design in ITE programs.
Samantha Bothe is a mathematics and science educator who recently became a Graduate Research and Teaching Fellow at Deakin University and is a PhD candidate. Her research examines approaches to integrating STEM in Bachelor of Education (Primary) programs within Australia through teacher educators’ perspectives and curriculum design analysis. Samantha has ten years of experience in primary and secondary education and seventeen years of experience in Initial Teacher Education. She is passionate about translating practical expertise to enable preservice teachers to support all learners effectively.
Discussion 2: Making visible the STEM girl through the GALS program – Linda Hobbs. Co-authors: Lihua Xu, Chris Speldewinde, Krissy Walsh, Janine Meadley, Samantha Bothe, Coral Campbell
Girls As Leaders in STEM (GALS) is an outreach program for girls in Years 5-8 (ages 10-14) from local schools offered by universities in Victoria, Australia, and funded philanthropically by The Invergowrie Foundation. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, this paper explores the STEM learning ecosystem created by GALS, and asks the question, What outcomes arise as a result of the interconnections that are created by GALS? The analysis focuses on interconnections that arise relating to STEM identity, female leadership identity, and being visible. Analysis interrogates how the program raises the visibility of girls and their STEM activities in their communities.
Professor Linda Hobbs’ research interests include teaching out-of-field, STEM education, teacher learning and school change, partnerships in educations, as well as evaluation of education-based initiatives. She has designed, implemented and evaluated professional learning for primary and secondary teachers of science and STEM for over ten years. She currently leads the Girls As Leaders in STEM (GALS) program.
Posted Aug 10, 2026
Online