Regional South Australian students have participated in the STEMfooty program for the first time this year, with the support of the Federal Government.
STEMfooty educators travelled to the Riverland and Mid North this year with the help of the Federal Government’s Maker Projects - Community STEM Engagement 2020 grant opportunity.
After completing most of the program with their school teachers, students from Whyalla High School, Loxton Primary and Renmark North Primary School took their learning out onto the footy field, using customised sling shots and protractors to explore how angles affect trajectory and kicking distance.
STEMfooty manager Katie Gloede it was important to extend the program to regional students.
“Sport is at the heart of country communities, so combining sport and STEM creates a great opportunity for real life learning at these schools,” Gloede said.
“Distance means they often don’t have access to programs like this, especially visits, so it has been amazing to get out here and see how much they are enjoying the activities and how much they are learning."
Gloede said the Maker Projects grant has allowed the program to dramatically increase the number of students in the program and hopefully more students pursuing STEM careers.
“More than 3,500 students have participated in the program this year – that is double from last year.
“Not only do we consistently see an increase in the student’s knowledge of Maths and Science principles after finishing the program, but they are also more interested in studying STEM subjects into the future.
"Through the program, students become confident to apply science and Maths in a sport context and begin to identify all the different ways STEM plays a role in other aspects of their lives.”
STEMfooty is a collaborative 10-week in-school program for Year 7 students which combines classroom work with hand-on application to increase the understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths in a real-life setting.
The program, which is linked to the ACARA curriculum, is held on a term basis and the resources and curriculum is supplied by the program for schools to use. There is no cost to participate.
There are still limited places for schools to participate in the program in 2022.
Interested schools are encouraged to register their interest by contacting stemfooty@afc.com.au
STEMfooty is proudly delivered by the Adelaide Crows Foundation <https://www.afc.com.au/community>
