Mature teachers are going back into the lab to learn new skills - and their enthusiasm is proving infectious, writes Rachel Dugan
As most science teachers across the State prepare for eight weeks free of Petri dishes and Bunsen burners, a brave few are getting ready to don a crisp white coat and go back into the lab.
Some 44 science and maths teachers will do just that this summer as participants in the Science Foundation Ireland Star programme.
Launched in 2004, the Star (Science Teacher Assistant Researcher) initiative gives secondary teachers in relevant subject areas the opportunity to update their lab skills and re-acquaint themselves with some of the world-class research being carried out here.
Science teacher Brian King became involved in stem-cell research at NUI Galway's Remedi Institute while on summer holidays from his teaching post at the Dominican College in Galway. It was a fantastic opportunity for both King and his students.
"I felt it was really important for my students to hear about this cutting-edge research that is happening only two or three miles from their school," he says. Exploding old-fashioned myths about the "dull and boring" sciences is a huge part of the program, according its co-ordinator Tracy Moloney.
"The ultimate aim of this initiative is for the teachers to get back into the classroom in September and influence the kids, to make them aware of the huge amount of career opportunities in science and share the new skills they have acquired," states Moloney.
Through this program, teachers are also able to inject the syllabus with some very up to date new ideas. Until two years ago, the biology syllabus had not been updated since 1983.
Science is updated every five to 10 weeks and this is just not filtering through to the secondary school syllabus," says King. "In the old biology course the whole area of biotechnology was relegated to a footnote chapter at the back of the book. In the new syllabus almost 25 per cent of the course is devoted to this area. Students end up going on to third level education without really knowing what's going on in science."
When King went to Remedi it was only two years after completing his biotechnology degree at NUI Galway, and yet he was stunned at how much things had moved on.
"I was shocked by how much the area had evolved," he says. "I had to retrain myself, as so many of the techniques I had learned were now obsolete."
For teachers who completed their third-level education 20 or 30 years ago the benefits of the program can be immense, but the prospect of returning to the laboratory is correspondingly more daunting.
Suzanne Healy (50), completed her undergraduate degree in the 1970s, but is looking forward to working via the Star programme with researchers at Trinity College Dublin this summer.
"I don't want to go stale," says Healy, who teaches science, biology and maths at St Aidan's Community School in Tallaght, Dublin. "At a mature age, I think it is really great to get back to cutting edge science."
Healy believes science subjects are increasing in popularity, and she attributing this to the inclusion of science on the revised primary school curriculum. Television shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and medical shows like ER, which have made science "cool" again.
Another important element of the Star program is the strong link teachers can forge with the wider science community. Researchers are encouraged to get into the classrooms and give talks to students, while students are often able to make reciprocal visits to the laboratory to see first-hand what the research involves.
Healy hopes that she will be able to act as a kind of "conduit" between ground-level science and her students. King's students have been involved in workshops with Remedi staff before staging their own interactive stand at the Galway Science and Technology Fair. Close relations with their Star program hosts are maintained and fostered to the benefit of the students.
• Second-level teachers interested in next year's STAR programme can find details at www.sfi.ie, or email star@sfi.ie