Banksia Secondary College

Science Faculty 1997

Staff

Stephanie Bouhalis	Yr 11 Psychology, Yr 12 Biology
Tom De Graaff	Yr 9 Science, Yr 10 Science, Horticulture, Physical Science
Jack Doyle	Yr 7 Science
Gerry Fogarty	Yr 12 Physics
Fiona Kyrkou	Yr 8 Science, Yr10 Science
Kevin O'Leary	Yr 7 Science, Yr 11 Biology
Hari Nicolau	Yr 12 Psychology
Kim Parker	Yr 7 Science
Craig Thomas	Laboratory Technician
David Wain	Yr 8 Science, Yr 11 Chemistry, Physics, Yr 12 Chemistry

VCE

VCE Science results in 1997 have been uplifting:
Cycle 1 CATs (Exam)1A, 3B's and Cycle 2 CATs (Internal) 4A's, 3B's.

Year 12 Biology students attended the Melbourne Zoo Conservation Conference for the second consecutive year. Workshops were conducted by environmental groups, indigenous people, experts in endangered species etc. Some theatrical role-plays involving approximately 150 people were most enjoyable and very incisive.

The Anaesthesia Unit at the Austin Hospital again hosted three of our senior Biology class to observe surgical procedures first hand as part of Anaesthesia Day. Maryanne Dib, Rashid Nur, and Bianca Tyrrell spoke enthusiastically ( and in great detail!) of their experience. They observed heart-lung and brain surgery.

Unit 1 Psychology students attended Bellfield Primary School to examine the development of play and of learning in young children. This involved observation of and interraction with Prep. and Year1 students. Full reports were provided to the Bellfield staff. Our students were most enthusiastic and very positive about this experience.

The increasing numbers of students selecting science subjects for 1998 is encouraging. We have very good numbers choosing Year11 &12 science subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Psychology. Our students are feeling the need to select science, maths and technology in this changing society.

Biology Camp

The Annual Year 11 Biology Camp, was again successful. The students spent two days and one night in blissful bushland surveying the plants and animals of Strath Creek, near Broadford. VCE Work Requirements were completed and the students gained first-hand experience of the Australian bush. The night excursion was popular as always, searching for the owls, wombats and possums that frequent the region at night.

Science in the Community ...

VCE Chemistry students were the only State Secondary College to produce AND man their own display at the ANZAAS Junior Science and Technology Expo in Ivanhoe early in the Year. They demonstrated some experiments for nearly 2000 primary school kids over two days. Farhia Ahmed, Shoko Akune, Abulwali Algadi, Nathan Carlisle, Lisa Frenette, Nathan Groves and Fahima Mohamud were excellent in the demonstration of their experiments with the young children. David Baker, Chief Executive Officer of the organising committee was most complimentary of the students' skills and dedication.

And through the World Wide Web ...

A number of classes have become involved in global experiments through the internet.

Streamwatch is a collaborative effort by many parts of the community to monitor water quality in our waterways. Year 8 students regularly check on the Darebin Creek upstream and downstream of the Bell Street drain, a major input into the creek. The analysis includes pollution, animal and plant life and water activity, all recorded on the Streamwatch internet site.

A month-long environmental science experiment has just concluded in which junior school students collected rainwater and tested its acidity (pH). This was part of the sixth Students Watching Over Our Planet Earth (SWOOPE) acid rain study. Banksia students joined students from over 200 other schools from as far afield as Belgium, Canada, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the USA to complete this task.

Year 10 Electives

The Science Faculty has revised its Year 10 elective offerings for 1998, retaining Horticulture and amalgamating Physical Science and Biology into a Science Extension course.

This year's Horticulture students benefited from the activity and reaped the rewards of various vegetables and flower cuttings to eat and to plant at home. An end-of-semester tropical fruit taste-test sorted out the more adventurous eaters from the rest!

Topical Science

The middle school have constantly been updated on news items and have been involved in producing Science-related newspaper collages displayed in G9 and G10. Science pervades so many aspects of our life that the question "What's that got to do with science?" was constantly asked (and answered!) during these productions!

Science Talent Search

Whilst the numbers involved this year were much lower (due to the exercise being voluntary), two young people acquitted themselves well in the Working Models section of the 42nd Science Talent Search.

Mark Schieman and Brendan Groves of Year 8 each received a cash prize of $50 for a light-sensing robot that drives along a special track following two strips of light. Good Luck at the next stage this month, boys!

Year Sevens at the Zoo

The Year 7 Science course included a daytrip to the Melbourne Zoo where the students participated in an Animal Allsorts activity. Some touched a lizard, snake and a tortoise! Now that's "hands-on" science!

The Education Centre at the zoo conducts special lessons based on the needs of the visiting school.

Primary Schools Love Science!

Each of the visiting Primary Schools requested science as part of their Banksia experience. Students performed tasks involving magnets, air pressure acids and bases, and optical illusions which are designed to complement their science course at Level 4 of the CSF.

David Wain proved exceptionally versatile when discovering that his visiting students had already completed the tasks planned! He improvised an exciting and educational series of demonstrations which kept our visitors enthralled!

Laboratory Technician

The Science Faculty has continued to provide a wide range of practical lessons in its curriculum although the availability of the Laboratory Technician was reduced to 0.5.

Craig Thomas has maintained an organised and efficient laboratory store, providing staff with the most co-operative support. Craig maintains a chemical store of over 400 different substances, all with particular safety requirements and storage needs. The hundreds (literally!) of different types of equipment items often need rejuvenation and/or repair and Craig is responsible for this aspect of our Faculty.

New Resources

In keeping with a need to advance technically in our subject areas and to provide the best demonstration devices, the Faculty is currently purchasing a Flexcam video camera unit which sends images of books, people even microscope slides onto a television screen. These images can be taped for future use.

Various classes are involved in the monitoring of water and air samples for environmental reasons. Special probes and sensors are being purchased for use with the Maths Faculty's graphics calculators so that measurements of acidity, temperature etc can be continuously monitored and progressively graphed on location.

Curriculum & Standards Framework (CSF)

The Science Faculty has audited its Year 7 to 10 courses and has completed the year on-line with the CSF. We are required to indicate to the DSE the CSF level being delivered to each student at the end of this year.

The purchase of new teacher references, which are aligned to the CSF, will facilitate the delivery of an appropriate and interesting range of courses in 1998.

Professional Development

Jack Doyle attended an inservice activity demonstrating the use of a variety of sensors which collect a steady stream of readings from the air or water being tested, logging the data onto computers, and then presenting the information collated graphically.

Stephanie Bouhalis, Tom De Graaff, Fiona Kyrkou and Kim Parker took advantage of Banksia's own expertise by completing a series of inservices (presented by Banksia staff) on the use of the internet in classroom activities.

Stephanie Bouhalis attended a week-long Year 12 Biology Teachers' DNA Unit 4 course in January. Mid-year, she also attended a STAV (Science Teachers Association of Victoria) Biology Teachers' Conference.

1998

1998 is shaping up to be a fascinating year given:

increased interest in VCE science subjects,

new technology entering the classroom,

global classroom activities increasing and/or continuing on the internet and

home study programmes supplemented with new work from new resources purchased this year.

Tom De Graaff
Science Faculty Co-ordinator

Curriculum Areas