[Music plays and the image shows a slide showing the Australian Government Crest, Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools medallion animated and turning, and the words 2021, Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools, and the name, Mrs Megan Hayes]
[Images move through to show Megan Hayes standing in front of a white board demonstrating a paper helicopter to her students]
Megan Hayes: My name is Megan Hayes. I am the Science Coordinator and STEM Specialist Teacher at Mudgeeraba Creek State School on the beautiful Gold Coast in Queensland.
[Image changes to show Megan talking to the camera and then the image changes to show Megan talking to her students]
I have been teaching at Mudgeeraba Creek State School for just over 20 years and during that time, science has become one of our signature programs.
[Images move through of students writing at a desk, Megan watching a student write on the whiteboard, and the camera zooms in]
Approximately 80% of the new families that come to our school are attracted to Mudgeeraba Creek because of the success of the science program within our school.
[Images move through to show Megan talking to the camera, Megan talking to the students, and then a close view of a plant being held in the hand]
My philosophy for teaching is to find as many ways as possible to connect our students with real world experiences.
[Images move through of Megan talking to two students, a close view of Megan holding a flower with a caterpillar on it, a close view of Megan talking, and then a profile view of Megan talking]
By doing so we can prepare them to be agents of change in the future. We can equip them with the skills they need such as problem solving and collaboration.
[Image changes to show a facing view of Megan talking to the camera]
When my students enter the science classroom, the first thing they see is a huge sign that says “FAIL”.
[Image changes to show the FAIL, First Attempt In Learning, sign on a wall]
That actually stands for First Attempt In Learning.
[Image changes to show a marble being rolled between rows of wooden blocks, and then the camera zooms out, and images move through to show Megan and the students looking at the experiment]
I think that's the beauty of science education, students can fail together, learn together, and then they can work to find solutions together.
[Image changes to show a close view of Megan and a student looking down and laughing, and then the image changes to show Megan talking to the camera]
Building relationships is a passion of mine.
[Images move through of Megan standing next to a screen showing Lisa Harvey Smith, Women in STEM Ambassador, students at the conference, a female presenter, and students at the conference]
And in 2021, I organised and led the Sisters in STEM mini conference, which brought together over 35 young female students to experience careers in science. They had the opportunity of interacting with experts in their field.
[Image changes to show profile view of Megan talking to the camera]
They left the conference very excited about the possibilities of studying science in their future years.
[Images move through to show a facing view of Megan talking, Megan standing next to a whiteboard labelled Chat Room with many notes around the label, and then Megan talking to the camera]
My ambition is that the Sisters in STEM Conference grows every year and becomes an annual event that young female students come to and find their passion for science education.
[Images move through of students in the classroom, Megan talking in front of a whiteboard, and a close view of a caterpillar on a leaf]
It is an honour to be recognized in the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science.
[Images move through to show Megan talking to the camera, Megan looking at bushes in the garden with students, Megan talking to the camera, and students in a classroom testing paper helicopters]
I hope this inspires fellow science educators to continue to do great work within the classroom and to help students find their passion in science.
[Image changes to show a new slide showing the Australian Government Crest, Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools medallion animated and turning, and the words 2021, Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools, and the name, Mrs Megan Hayes]
