Senator Bridget McKenzie and the Australian Science Teachers Association will launch Science ASSIST, a free national science resource, on November 12th at Parliament House, Canberra.
Science ASSIST directly addresses a gap in the provision of crucial safety and support information for science teachers and school laboratory technicians, which has been recognised by the Office of the Chief Scientist (http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/2012/05/health-of-australian-science-report-2/).
Science ASSIST is an online advisory service for science teachers and laboratory technicians. It includes a library of teaching resources linked to the Australian Curriculum and chemical safety information for school laboratories that has been inaccessible until now. It is the first national resource of it’s kind and it is free to all schools in all jurisdictions.
Science ASSIST provides a new type of resource – Connected Learning Experiences – that are teaching packages combining all necessary elements to maximise student learning through single hands-on practical experiences. It has the potential to cut down hours of research for science teachers looking for engaging Australian Curriculum linked resources.
Science ASSIST also provides state-relevant information to help school laboratory technicians set up their labs and safely use and store chemicals in laboratories.
Until now laboratory technicians have been provided with a list of banned chemicals in their state but little to no information on what chemicals can be used in school and stored in school laboratories. This list is inadequate in supporting teachers and technicians to provide engaging science activities for students in the classroom.
Advisory groups of teachers and laboratory technicians support the resource by updating information and answering questions.
For more information visit http://asta.edu.au/programs/assist
