STEM finds its place on the farm at Winnaleah school

Using the LISTmap at http:// maps.thelist.tas.gov.au/, students correlated their own plans with that of the online information.

Water span, pressure and availability, all had to be considered by the students.

“Irrigation specialist Malcolm Woods at Roberts Irrigation visited the school to speak with the class and walk through the farm to discuss the best course of action and set about making a concrete plan for the school farm which is now being implemented,” Ms Lester said.

Following a segment about virtual fencing seen on ABC-TV’s Landline program, students reviewed the footage and, with their teachers, began exploring how this type of invisible strip fence might be introduced on the school farm.

Particularly relevant was how this new technology in fencing could be used to deter cattle from straying into other areas of the school farm.

In the past two years the teaching staff at the school have emphasised the introduction of a range of STEM subjects, including the introduction of coding, particularly in the middle and high school areas.

The implementation of the Australian technologies curriculum is clearly going to be an important facet of the learning for students at Winnaleah, as in other Tasmanian rural communities where the agriculture industry is becoming increasingly more reliant on digital technologies.