We look forward to welcoming you to the September discussion on Tuesday, 8th September, 1pm-2.30pm. Join the online discussion here.
Discussion 1: A Methodological Approach to STEM Education – Brendan Jacobs, The University of New England
STEM education is often a contested space as many STEM educators are reluctant to move outside of their disciplinary perspectives. Provisional Multimodal Research was developed to address this situation based on the constructionist idea that learning can be embodied in an artefact. The artefact which Brendan will demonstrate is the website for The SILO Project (www.silo.edu.au). This is a longitudinal study investigating how Bruner’s Spiral Curriculum can be used in K-6 classrooms to introduce concepts across the various STEM disciplines. The two aims of the project are to develop 28 integrated STEM units and to articulate a scope and sequence for primary STEM education. The presentation will conclude with a proposal for a definition of transdisciplinary STEM, namely, that transdisciplinary STEM is simply looking at each topic on its own terms.
Bio
Associate Professor Brendan Jacobs began his career in education as a primary school teacher working for 17 years in Australia and the United States. Since entering academia, Brendan has written journal articles about conceptual consolidation and two books namely, Explanatory animations in the classroom: Student-authored animations as digital pedagogy (Springer) and Digital scholarship in education: Multimodality as window into learning (Routledge). The latter articulated a qualitative research methodology known as Provisional Multimodal Research (PMR). PMR uses professional judgement and version control to document improvements in digital artefacts. Brendan is Head of Department, STEM Education, at The University of New England.
Discussion 2: Beyond Dichotomies in Science Education: Theory, Policy, and Practice – Helen Georgiou, The University of Wollongong
Science education in Australia is in a period of significant policy reform, one that has disrupted decades of established practice. Explicit teaching strategies, grounded in cognitive science, are increasingly positioned as the default mode of instruction, with inquiry-based approaches reframed as appropriate only sparingly, and only once mastery has been established. For the first time, these approaches will be mandated and audited nationally. Education has always swung between polarised positions, but the current moment is particularly extreme. This talk argues that replicating the binary isn’t productive. Drawing on Cognitive Load Theory and Legitimation Code Theory, a sociological framework I work with in my own research, I map where policy currently sits, acknowledge what’s valuable in the reforms, and make the case for theoretical pluralism, where explicit teaching and inquiry, cognitive and sociological frameworks, each have a place.
Bio
Helen Georgiou is an Associate Professor in Science Education at the University of Wollongong. Her research spans various areas and uses a range of approaches, one being the conceptual framework known as Legitimation Code Theory. Currently, she is leading two major projects: one examining student writing in high school science and another exploring STEM learning in a Makerspace for teachers and preservice teachers.
Posted Aug 28, 2026
