#theSTEMproblem is a collaborative project funded by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grant. For the duration of the project, staff from Monash University and the University of Queensland will work alongside staff and teachers from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) and Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) schools.

A major component of the project is the organisation and facilitation of five professional learning (PL) workshops to assist teachers in developing their knowledge, capacity and confidence to design and implement problem-based learning (PBL) approaches in STEM education.

The first PL workshop was conducted with a group of 27 teachers from seven BCE schools in face-to-face format on the 8th of September, 2021. During this workshop, Queensland-based facilitators provided support to teachers on the ground, and Victorian-based facilitators provided support in a virtual format. Throughout the day, conceptions of PBL and STEM education were unpacked, and emerging themes were drawn from the discussions.

Staff who attended the first PL workshop found the experiences to be insightful, and are keen to continue engaging in the project. This was articulated by one of the facilitators, Dr Charlotte Pezaro, Senior Education Officer, Mathematics, Learning and Pedagogy, BCE, who said:

Brisbane Catholic Education is really fortunate to be participating in [this] ARC Linkage project helping to develop and design future models of practice for how STEM is taught in the middle-school. Taking a problem-based learning approach helps students to develop a deeper connection and understanding of the subjects and may ultimately plant a seed for them to work in STEM sectors as a professional.

Throughout the project, teachers will develop and implement an action plan for using a PBL approach to STEM education within their individual school context. They will receive continual support throughout the project through school visits, and through participating in the remaining four PL workshops.

More information on the participating BCE schools can be found here.