STEM into industry – brokering relationships between schools and local industry

While STEM is not a key learning area, schools are encouraged and given some direction on how to approach the teaching of STEM by national and state education policies (ACARA 2016; Education Council 2015) and online resources (ACARA n.d.), with both disciplinary and inter-disciplinary approaches being encouraged. [...]a common approach to implementing STEM education is for teachers to align aspects of the curriculum to industry-based problems, with some schools working with problems derived from local industry and businesses as the basis for activities. According to Tytler and Corrigan (2018), the benefits of such collaborations are “not only deepened knowledge, but also enhanced perceptions of the nature of STEM as a way of thinking and acting, the role of STEM practices, the potential for engagement with ideas and appreciation of the human nature of the STEM enterprise” (p. 181). In this paper, we focus on this brokering role, and present an Industry Engagement Model for Schools generated during the brokerage of school-industry links in one teacher professional development project. Project context, purpose and aims The Successful Students - STEM program (STEM Program) was a medium-scale professional development program funded by the Victorian State Government in Australia, and developed and implemented by a team of academics from Deakin University.