STEM at CDSHS
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Careers in STEM fields are growing at twice the rate of other industries. The Queensland Government has prioritised teaching and learning of STEM in state schools to develop both STEM specialists and informed workers, users and consumers who have the curiosity and imagination to be part of the broader STEM economy. At Cleveland DSHS, students have opportunities to engage with STEM through curricular and extracurricular activities.
In Years 7 and 8, all students study Science & Technology, which integrates the Australian Curriculum Science, Design Technologies and Digital Technologies learning areas in contextualised units. Tasks include scientific investigations and projects involving engineering processes and modelling, algorithms and programming and robotics.
In Year 9, students can select from a range of Elective subjects, which enhance their STEM skills and can lead to specialised study in Science, Technology and/or Engineering fields in years 10-12. Electives include:
- ICT – design, create, manage and evaluate sustainable and innovative digital solutions to meet and redefine current and future needs. Learning in ICTs involves a range of problem solving and thinking skills that students can apply not only to this subject but also to a range of educational and career opportunities. Students develop their knowledge and skills by engaging through robotics, programming, game development and the Internet of Things (IoT).
- Design – practical application of the design thinking, drawing skills and prototyping skills required to develop creative ideas in response to human needs, wants and opportunities.
- Industrial Graphics – drawing skills used by manufacturing industries when transforming raw materials into products wanted by society.
- Technology Wood or Metal – industry practices and production processes required to create, maintain and repair products in the furnishing, building and construction or engineering manufacturing industries.
- STEM – collaboration through problem based learning and complex reasoning to foster critical and creative thinking. Each unit has a theme or project to incorporate deep learning strategies to help students cultivate 21st century skills relevant to recent technological advances including robotics and mathematical modelling.
There are also many opportunities to embrace STEM beyond the curriculum. Our school actively contributes to local and regional STEM projects, and new opportunities for our students are always arising. Some of the extracurricular programs we are currently involved in include:
- Ambassador programs
- STEM club
- STEM recreational sport options in which students work in teams or individually to respond to a range of STEM-themed challenges
- Tech Squad – IT support group
- Competitions
- Aurecon Bridge building
- Science and Engineering Challenge
- National Science week activities including an annual Trivia Night
- Innovate Redlands City STEM Competition
- STEAMathlon
- Robotics competitions (e.g. Lego First League, Robocup Junior)
- Workshops, conferences and industry events
- The Australian Mathematics Competition is an Australia-wide competition open to students from years 3 to 12 and is one of the largest in the world. It aims to create, encourage and sustain interest in the study of mathematics. It was established in 1978 and currently has approximately 600,000 participants, making it the world's largest mathematics competition.