Following field trips to the Powerhouse Museum and Questacon and the realisation that many students could simply not make these trips, I decided to create an inquiry based learning inspired space at school dubbed the WPGH Exploratorium.
Utilising advice I had received from my colleagues, mentors at the Australian National University, Questacon (including Questacon’s founder) and the University of Technology Sydney I established a space filled with scientific equipment, both new and old representing all the different disciplines of science. Cross KLA and STEM opportunities are inherent in its design to allow for maximum participation by all students and faculties.Displays and interactives include a fire vortex, physics-based marble run, storm jar, wave machine, light board with a selection of x-rays and MRIs, optics bench, room-length solar system, air track and air table, giant earth model and a selection of biological models. Temporary displays have included lasers, mirrors and projectors.
We used a range of connections to resource the Exploratorium. The University of Technology Sydney provided support to obtain some desired items of equipment and some teachers also donated their own items. We hope the Exploratorium will soon have a simulation computer, thermotrophic panels and an ever-expanding selection of interactive displays.
When I initially introduced my students to the the Exploratorium I had been taking students into the space in a very controlled way for specific reasons to do specific things. However an opportunity presented itself and I finally just opened the doors and let them loose. It was the most engaged I’ve ever seen them. There was laughter, lots of noise with banging tuning forks, drums with sand on them, air pumps going, bubbles being blown, the ripple tank rattling and pucks bouncing around on the air table. I spent my time bouncing around the room answering questions about each one, showing students how to use the equipment (and repairing items from over zealous use).
The shear number of light bulb moments and ‘oh wow!’ moments made my day and I was thrilled and exhausted by the end. We finished off our session with Bruno Mars on the Rubens tube. Throughout the lesson I was able to link each and every activity to some part of the science syllabus and students were learning at their own pace with activities that were of interest to them.
I realised quickly I could not do this it every lesson as they will get bored so would need to swap out some equipment for next time. This type of learning, although based on inquiry learning principles opened up pathways of curiosity that would eventually lead to project based and problem based learning.
The Exploratorium has become a communal resource with opportunities for local primary schools and other high schools in the area to come and make use of the learning space in an attempt to create stronger educational links with our community. Some other schools have now taken on the idea and are doing it at their schools. I have also adopted the idea of a ‘mobile Exploratorium’ allowing us to pack it up and bring it back out again for different audiences.I want the Wiley Park Girls High School students, parents, friends and community members and students from other schools to “come and play and explore”.
Want to know more? Email lisa.aitken@uts.edu.au