Work in progress — Introducing modern Optics and Photonics Engineering in the elementary classroom: An Australian perspective

This paper describes preliminary results in the development and implementation of a new inquiry- and standards-based optics unit for a grade 3/4 composite class at an elementary school in Hobart, the capital city of the state of Tasmania, Australia. This new unit is being developed in close cooperation between an experienced elementary classroom teacher and an engineering lecturer who is actively involved in a number of K-12 collaborative partnerships that seek to excite students about their learning experiences in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. As part of the 2010 delivery of the new optics unit, the research team has explored elementary students´ perceptions of science, scientists and technology by using the Draw-a-Scientist-Test (DAST). Later this year, the Draw-an-Engineer-Test (DAET) will also be administered. The conference presentation will include the results of applying the DAST before and after the delivery of the new optics unit. It will also describe the hands-on activities and teaching resources developed through this partnership, and provide a reflective account on how such a partnership provided students with rewarding learning experiences in modern Optics and Photonics Engineering. The work to be presented at the conference will not only appeal to those with an interest in how some key central ideas in Optics/Photonics Engineering can be introduced at mid-elementary level but to anyone who is interested in productively engaging with schools and teachers with a focus on the STEM fields.