Unfortunately, all positions on this expedition have been filled.
Please check back soon for other upcoming expeditions during 2022.
Rungulla National Park, Queensland
Thursday 5th May – Thursday 12th May, 2022
Due to the remote location of the site, participants will need to allocate an extra day’s travel either side of the dates.
8 days (6 school days)
5 Queensland teachers, teaching between years 4 to 12, including the following:
To apply you will need to:
This is a fully funded professional development opportunity with all costs associated with travel, food, accommodation and teacher replacement included
PLEASE READ the information below carefully.
Then click on the ‘Apply Now’ button at the base of this page to go straight to the application form.
Good luck!!
Unfortunately, all positions on this expedition have been filled.
Please check back soon for other upcoming expeditions during 2022.
Bush Blitz is a national partnership between the Australian Government, BHP and Earthwatch Australia that aims to discover, document and describe the unique flora and fauna of Australia. It is the world’s first continent-scale biodiversity survey providing the knowledge needed to help protect Australia’s biodiversity. www.bushblitz.org.au.
Bush Blitz TeachLive is an exciting and unique professional learning opportunity for teachers to participate as research assistants alongside leading scientists on Bush Blitz expeditions. They learn hands on scientific research skills while helping to document plants and animals and potentially discover new species.
While in the field teachers share the experience with their students through virtual lessons (crossing live to their class via video calls and other online tools) and regular blog posts on Bush Blitz TeachLive website (https://www.earthwatch.org.au/Blogs/teacher-blog).
The interactive nature of the Bush Blitz TeachLive program is an engaging way for teachers to improve their web-based teaching skills, learn current scientific research techniques, work in a team with world-class scientists and other teachers and learn more about unique Australian environments.
Watch the videos below to see the experiences of the teachers who participated in Bush Blitz TeachLive in the ACT in 2018 and Little Desert in 2019.
The Bush Blitz TeachLive program seeks to:
Educate teachers and students about Australia’s biodiversity and the importance of conservation.
Inspire students to pursue further studies in STEM and geography subjects by exposing them to real and exciting scientific research in an Australian context and building their core skills and knowledge in science and biodiversity conservation.
Inspire and build confidence of teachers to be scientific role models for their students.
Increase the quality of STEM/geography teaching through building teachers’ scientific knowledge and research skills, and providing them with a transformational experience that motivates them to pass on this knowledge and skill to their students.
Encourage teachers to share their Bush Blitz TeachLive experience with their schools and wider communities, through implementing biodiversity and conservation projects or activities.
The Bush Blitz TeachLive team are looking for a committed but diverse range of teachers to assist scientists on the 2022 Bush Blitz TeachLive expedition. All primary and secondary teachers based in Queensland, who are passionate about teaching STEM and geography are encouraged to apply.
Bush Blitz TeachLive provides the opportunity to broaden teacher knowledge and experiences beyond the classroom. You do not need to be STEM or geography trained nor an experienced teacher, you just need to be passionate and keen to share your experiences with your school community. We particularly encourage teachers who might benefit from participation. These could include early career teachers, teachers with limited experience in teaching the STEM disciplines, experienced teachers who are keen to improve their fieldwork skills in order to instruct their students and/or teachers that want to actively demonstrate to their students the biodiversity of Australian ecosystems.
To be eligible you must be an Australian teacher currently based in Queensland.
Selection will be based on:
See below “How to apply” for further details about the application requirements.
The final selection of teacher participants is at the discretion of the selection panel, which includes representatives from Bush Blitz, Earthwatch Australia and ASTA.
Support from Principal (please refer your school Principal to this section)
The applicant must:
A member of the Bush Blitz TeachLive selection committee will contact, by email then phone, the Principal of each shortlisted applicant. The purpose of this contact is to find out how the school will support the applicant to achieve the objectives of the program and more specifically what support will be provided leading up to and during the Bush Blitz survey and how the applicant will be supported to share the outcomes of the Bush Blitz Teach Live survey with the school and school community.
Please note: All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the selection process in mid-March 2022. Due to the short time period between the application period closing and the expedition itself, successful applicants must commit to responding promptly to all requests regarding travel and training requirements.
Due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 globally and Australian border arrangements, Bush Blitz has a number of controls in place:
A fully-funded place on the 2022 Bush Blitz TeachLive survey includes:
This program will require a dedicated commitment by teachers. Successful applicants are expected to commit to the following.
Pre-survey commitments
During-survey commitments
Post-survey commitments
This will form the main component of the application. We feel it is a chance to let your real passion shine through! In addition, Bush Blitz TeachLive is centred on the use of technology to communicate to your students from a remote location. Therefore, a video application ensures that you are familiar with use of relevant technologies. We encourage all interested teachers to just have a go! Your video will only be viewed internally. In this video, you must include:
Suggestions for those unfamiliar with video editing: Use smart phones for filming, and edit your video using free video- editing apps. For desktop devices, iMovie and Microsoft Video Editor are software which are often already available on Mac and PC computers.
The application form is in three parts.
Part C – three selection criteria questions, listed below (max 200 words each)
In order to help you prepare before you go online, here are the three selection criteria questions:
If you have any questions or queries about the application process please contact the ASTA Projects Officer at projectofficer@asta.edu.au
If you have any questions or queries about the expedition and TeachLive component please contact Sandra McCullough, Earthwatch Bush Blitz and TeachLive Program Manager, at smccullough@earthwatch.org.au.
APPLICATIONS FOR THIS EXPEDITION HAVE CLOSED. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR NEW EXPEDITIONS.
Contact Us
Phone : (02) 6282 9377
Email : asta@asta.edu.au
Post :
Australian Science Teachers Association
P.O. Box 334
Deakin West, ACT 2600
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