Welcome to Lyndale Secondary College's STEM program
Lyndale Secondary College’s STEM program is currently in it's design phase and changes are happening as students, teachers and parents help shape a program that meets the needs of our diverse learning community. We confidently believe that high expectations empower students to be responsible for their own behaviour and learning. Our college has an enrolment of approximately 1000 students and our students enjoy the benefits and opportunities that flow from a large size school. With a new STEM building project approaching completion (estimated completion end of June, 2018), we are proactively shaping our curriculum and pedagogy to meet the demands of 21st century learners and take full advantage of our new facilities. As a student-centred school that uses evidence as a base for its decision making, we are committed to the professional learning of our staff. Participation in the DET STEM catalyst program through Deakin University has assisted us to focus on 21st century curriculum design. Our STEM captains are actively involved in decision making processes and shaping the school's STEM vision. We are very excited about the development enthusiasm and leadership already being demonstrated by our first cohort of students participating in the STEM leadership program in year 7 and we are currently seeking expressions of interest for next year's cohort. Please explore this site to discover the exciting STEM experiences and learning opportunities available to our wonderful students at Lyndale Secondary College |
The video below gives a snapshot of some of the exciting STEM learning opportunities and experiences available to our students
What is STEM?
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. The jobs of the future will be very different from those we currently have, employees will be expected to hold a set of skills which will allow them to constantly adapt and change to face new challenges and problems. Technology changes at an increasing pace and in many cases, is highly disruptive to the status quo. The most successful employees will be expected to be great leaders, strong communicators, highly adaptive to change, problem solvers, creative and critical thinkers and life-long learners. As these changes take place there is a great blurring of traditional disciplines and a synergy of skills and thinking. Traditional fields such as ‘Chemistry’ or ‘Biology’ become less defined when entering the workforce; instead jobs require a composite knowledge across a much greater sphere of science, incorporate mathematical skills such as problem solving, reasoning and algorithmic thinking. Technological advances require understanding of current digital technologies and an ability to change and keep up to date with the rapid development and advancements that occur. The mediums in which we work will also blur as new materials and technologies are discovered. Skills in the design process, innovative thinking and an ability to work and adapt to these new materials, often in an abstract or digital medium, will be the most highly desired.
Teacher Professional Development
Our STEM vision for the school involves us designing and delivering interdisciplinary, student-centred learning opportunities based around authentic real-life situations where students are challenged to design solutions to problems, to work collaboratively and to effectively communicate their solutions and thinking to others. This style of pedagogical approach is highly complex and requires a great deal of skill, time and effort on the part of the teaching staff. We are dedicated to supporting and up-skilling our teachers to effectively design STEM learning opportunities through targetted professional development, collaboration and time to plan, practice and experiment.
The video below is a short time-lapse video from our recent Dandenong Wetlands Field Investigation
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. The jobs of the future will be very different from those we currently have, employees will be expected to hold a set of skills which will allow them to constantly adapt and change to face new challenges and problems. Technology changes at an increasing pace and in many cases, is highly disruptive to the status quo. The most successful employees will be expected to be great leaders, strong communicators, highly adaptive to change, problem solvers, creative and critical thinkers and life-long learners. As these changes take place there is a great blurring of traditional disciplines and a synergy of skills and thinking. Traditional fields such as ‘Chemistry’ or ‘Biology’ become less defined when entering the workforce; instead jobs require a composite knowledge across a much greater sphere of science, incorporate mathematical skills such as problem solving, reasoning and algorithmic thinking. Technological advances require understanding of current digital technologies and an ability to change and keep up to date with the rapid development and advancements that occur. The mediums in which we work will also blur as new materials and technologies are discovered. Skills in the design process, innovative thinking and an ability to work and adapt to these new materials, often in an abstract or digital medium, will be the most highly desired.
Teacher Professional Development
Our STEM vision for the school involves us designing and delivering interdisciplinary, student-centred learning opportunities based around authentic real-life situations where students are challenged to design solutions to problems, to work collaboratively and to effectively communicate their solutions and thinking to others. This style of pedagogical approach is highly complex and requires a great deal of skill, time and effort on the part of the teaching staff. We are dedicated to supporting and up-skilling our teachers to effectively design STEM learning opportunities through targetted professional development, collaboration and time to plan, practice and experiment.
The video below is a short time-lapse video from our recent Dandenong Wetlands Field Investigation