
Annie Termaat, a PhD candidate at Deakin University's Art and Education faculty, shares her journey as a science teacher—from growing up in West Papua and Papua New Guinea to teaching in Turkey, Norway, and Malaysia. She reflects on thechallenges of teaching out-of-field, including behaviour management and working with diverse students, and discusses her experience writing science textbooks and researching metacognition. Annie offers valuable insights for teachers navigating out-of-field roles, highlighting the value of professional associations and staying open to new opportunities.
Links and resources mentioned:
Annie Termaat’s ‘Visualise Your Thesis’ video entry for Deakin University’s competition – she was a finalist in 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y07LpnKK8U
Cognitive Acceleration in Science Education (CASE)Academic article (ResearchGate):https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283231756_Cognitive_acceleration_through_science_education_The_CASE_for_thinking_through_science
Bernstein's Work on Language Codes and Educationhttps://www.vaia.com/en-us/explanations/english/language-and-social-groups/bernstein-elaborated-and-restricted-code
Bloom's Taxonomy -Teaching strategies (University of Arkansas): https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomyCSIRO Educational Resources
CSIRO Resource Library: https://www.csiro.au/en/education/resource-libraryCSIRO Publishing – Teacher Notes: https://www.publish.csiro.au/learning/teachernotes
Australian Academy of Science – Primary Connections
Primary Connections main site: https://primaryconnections.org.au
Australian Academy of Science – Primary Connections update:
https://www.science.org.au/academy-newsletter/australian-academy-science-newsletter-99/new-resources-primary-connections
Interview with Annie by Deakin University
https://redi.deakin.edu.au/news/meet-annie-termaat-redi-phd-candidate/
Some of Annie’s publications:
How can small secondary schools support the implementation ofinterdisciplinary units?
What matters in interdisciplinary unit design – messages fromsmall secondary schools
Teaching Science: Journal of Australian Science Teachers’ Association
https://indd.adobe.com/view/ffeea7dc-dbca-41b5-af11-46cd159ebff9