Monitoring Soil Science Program for Schools in Western Australia.

The Monitoring Soil Science Program for schools in Western Australia introduces soil science to secondary and primary teachers with direct links to the Australian Curriculum. On-line resources are complemented by professional development workshops for teachers. The resources include the “Monitoring Soil Science Manual”, “Soil Life” and “Introduction to Soil Science” packages. Opportunities for student-driven science investigations involving soil are included. The professional development workshops are important for teacher confidence in embedding the soil resources into their teaching programs. The materials are adaptable to all age levels, can be used sequentially from year to year and provide opportunities for student mentoring across year levels. The program has been implemented to various degrees in schools in Western Australia, with the key to successful uptake being the link to the core biological science curriculum. The “Soil Life” resource specifically addresses curriculum statements relating to energy transfer through ecosystems, and soil serves as an alternative context to ‘pond-dipping’ or broadscale field observation. The “Introduction to Soil Science” package enables students to develop scientific inquiry skills throughout the later primary school years and compliments environment resources. The program is designed to include support from local soil scientists who mentor teachers. This further embeds broader soil science knowledge into the school curriculum enabling soil examples to replace some of the traditional science examples used by teachers. The Monitoring Soil Science Program is used at The University of Western Australia’s farm with students visiting from both city and country schools. Digital microscopes and basic equipment for extracting soil fauna are readily available resources for schools and form the basis of this program. The approach attracts students’ attention to soil via living components that are readily accessible, unpredictable and fun, and it enables easy extension to investigations that include pedololgy, chemistry, physics, statistics, plant science and environment.