SEA Lab Symposium

The Monash University Science Education in the Anthropocene Impact Lab (SEA Lab) is inviting secondary science and humanities teachers (years 7-12) from schools across the region for a day of ideas, provocation, and, most importantly, connection. You will also have the opportunity to earn PD hours for AITSL Standards 3, 6 and 7.

This is a kick-off event that will grow a network of educators who keep building with each other long after the event concludes. That’s why we are encouraging schools to send at least two teachers. Ideas are hard to implement and sustain alone, but two (or more!) colleagues carry them back to school together and start building the cross-school and cross-discipline relationships that turn a good day of professional learning into an ongoing movement.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

What becomes possible when we think about the future of science education together? In this interactive keynote, Paula Taylor (ASTA President) and Ruth Wylie (Arizona State University) bring two perspectives and sets of experiences into conversation, using stories from their work with teachers, students, researchers, and communities as starting points for collective exploration. The keynote will be collaborative and will invite participants to help shape the direction of an emergent conversation about the possibilities, rewards, and challenges of working across disciplines, institutions, and communities. Rather than prescribing a path forward, Paula and Ruth will explore what new possibilities might emerge when we work, learn, and imagine the future of science education collectively.

WORKSHOPS

Attendees will attend one of the following four 90-minute cross-disciplinary workshops, each led by expert facilitators. You'll be asked to rank your preference when registering.

Workshop 1. A Guide for Curriculum Development: First Nations Australians' Science (Dr. Connie Cirkony, Monash University) 

Want to showcase First Nations Australians’ sciences in your teaching in ways that are appropriate and meaningful? Join us for a workshop based on: A Guide for Curriculum Development: First Nations Australians’ Science, developed in collaboration with our First Nations project team and advisors. During this workshop, you will explore the guide, review case studies across science- related disciplines, and learn how to embed First Nations perspectives in your own courses. By the end of this workshop, you will have improved confidence and skills in developing culturally relevant and appropriate content and activities in your unit, enriching science
education for all of your students! 

Workshop 2. From Real-World Challenge to Classroom Action: Bringing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) to Life (Dr. Jennifer Payne, STEMPals) 

Antimicrobial resistance is a complex, real-world problem, but where does it fit into an already crowded curriculum? This interactive workshop will show teachers how to turn AMR and other One Health challenges into engaging, curriculum-linked learning experiences using the Launch, Inquire, Act framework. Teachers will experience the framework themselves through a real-world outbreak scenario, explore how AMR connects with existing Australian Curriculum learning, and investigate ways students can move from asking questions to taking meaningful action. Participants will leave with a ready-to-teach AMR inquiry lesson, curriculum mapping, adaptable classroom resources and pathways for connecting students with STEM professionals. 

Workshop 3. Can't Stand the Heat! A Card Based Simulation Derived from Cards Against Humanity (Associate Professor Marg Simmons, Monash Rural Health, and Prof. Sara Tolbert, Monash University) 

This card game was designed in 2025-2026 to get pre-med students thinking about the relationship between health, medical care, and anthropogenic global climate change. The goal is to generate questions and discussion points around the likely health effects of climate change, and how it will affect our approach to medical care in Australia, particularly in rural areas. The card game is open source, portable, transferable, and the card content fully editable! Come play and reflect together on this interactive card game. And then become a part of a team to co-develop a SEA Lab version--creating new decks with content from your discipline--for secondary students in 2027!

Workshop 4. Exploring Bushfire and Ice (Helen Silvestre, Australian Academy of Science)

This hands-on workshop provides teachers with practical strategies and classroom-ready resources to teach climate change in meaningful and engaging ways. Participants will explore 800,000 years of ice core data to uncover how atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has changed over time and compare these historical patterns with today’s unprecedented levels. Using accessible data, teachers will experience how students can investigate evidence, identify patterns, ask questions and build scientifically supported arguments. The workshop then connects this evidence to a distinctly Australian context, exploring the relationship between global warming, changing climate conditions and increasing bushfire risk. Teachers will leave with practical ideas and resources they can take directly into the classroom to help students become confident, critical consumers of climate science.

TEACHMEET SESSION

Bring an idea - half-formed, fully formed, or just a hunch - for a lesson, unit, or project you have tried, or would like to try, in your classroom. Workshop it with other teachers in small groups organised around shared themes.

EVENT DETAILS

Venue: Monash College - 750 Collins St, Docklands (Level 8, Room 803)

Date: Friday, 11 December 2026

Time: 8:30am - 3:30pm