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Eureka Prize for Science Teaching
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Holmes à Court - UTS Eureka Prize for Science Teaching is awarded to a secondary school science teacher who has motivated and inspired students to become involved in student-centred investigation and whose work impacts on the science participation and performance of students in their school. Enter here.
2007 Winner
Mason Scholes - The Science Teacher with no Lab
Forty five new species of spiders have been discovered by indigenous students in Arnhem Land as part of an award-winning science program that blends Western science with traditional knowledge.
Teacher Mason Scholes developed the Year 11 and 12 Contemporary Issues and Science program for the Maningrida Community Education Centre in the Northern Territory three years ago and has been awarded the $10,000 Holmes à Court-UTS Eureka Prize for Science Teaching for his innovative effort.
The Maningrida Community Education Centre has no working science lab and the town is cut off by water for five months of the year. Students have no computer access outside school and most have no place to study at home. Most young men miss three months of school in Year 11 for Ceremony. And yet Mason Scholes' teaching has inspired his students to make science part of their culture.
Australian Museum Director, Frank Howarth, says, "Mason's program has opened the door for Indigenous students to engage with science. It has inspired students to study their own environment in a new way. Some are finding jobs as a direct result of these studies."
Recent year 12 graduates have secured university places. Others are employed locally as Maningrida Djelk Rangers Wildlife Officers, where some are investigating the commercial breeding and selling of spiders.
Since Mason Scholes' program began, students have achieved amazing real-life scientific results. In addition to identifying new spider species, students have been involved in successful management of camp dogs and their diseases, collection and incubation of crocodile and turtle eggs, commercial hunting of crocodiles, buffalo disease monitoring and mimosa control.
Scholes says, "The students are engaged, committed and hungry for knowledge because the work they are doing has direct causal relationships with the world they live in." In fact, the science classes have ignited enthusiasm throughout the community.
The program is encouraging students to stay in school, by incorporating traditional knowledge of the land into classroom teaching, and choosing focus areas that fit with the changing needs of the community.
While English is the third or fourth language of most students, it is the school's mandatory language. Scholes' program has also had to incorporate basic numeracy and literacy.
And as for those 45 species of spiders - they are presently being classified by the Queensland Museum.
