Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School launched their Innovation Studio on Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Innovation Studio is a learning space that empowers students to face the challenges of the future through experiences inclusive of design, engineering and technology.
Importantly, the studio aims to develop students ability to be agents of change in the future workforce.
Assistant principal Lindsay Burns said the studio goes beyond being a making space for creation, and prompts students to modify and merge design and create original ideas.
“Children from kindergarten to year-six can learn to code, engineer and improve their world using a whole lot of different things from robotics to virtual reality, you name it we’ve got it,” he said.
“It’s a really exciting initiative we have worked on this year and we’re really excited about all the possibilities for our children.
“Yesterday we had a child, it was a very hot day, so she decided to make an electronic fan and she was able to make that within five minutes using our range of products here.”
We keep coming back to the importance of innovation – creating something new, merging two ideas together or improving on something that already exists.
- Lindsay Burns
The Research
Year-12 participation in STEM subjects is declining.
- Over the twenty-year period from 1992 to 2012 there was a fall in participation of 11 per cent for intermediate mathematics, 10 per cent for biology, five per cent for chemistry and seven per cent for physics.
- Enrolments and completions in university STEM courses have remained flat over the period 2001 to 2013.
- Non-STEM, on the other hand, has grown steadily.
In the face of economic challenges and a digital revolution that’s reshaping business and the workforce, Mr Burns believes Ss Peter and Paul is giving students the best opportunities to engage with STEM to enable them to participate in an innovative, productive and sustainable economy.
"Research shows the critical importance of STEM education in primary schools in setting students up for success at High School and avoiding disengagement trends in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects," Mr Burns said.
The Innovation Studio was made possible with the support and sponsorship of Kells Lawyers and Toyworld.
Want more from the Kiama Independent? Try these: