Problem solving to future proof our students!

Dwellingup, Pinjarra and Rockingham school teachers are learning new ways to incorporate digital technologies into the classroom through a year-long professional learning program.

Delivered by Scitech, the Alcoa Foundation Champions of Digital Technologies program supports teachers in developing their skills and confidence to introduce essential digital technologies learning across all subject areas, leading to enhanced student understanding and engagement.

“It is becoming increasingly important for teachers to enable students to think outside the box and solve problems using digital technologies,” Scitech Professional Learning Consultant and Program Coordinator Lucas Black said.

“Today’s teachers are having to prepare students for a future workforce that is undefined in comparison to the past, due to the rapid evolution of modern technologies. There is significant evidence that suggests we need to equip students with the capacity to think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, collaborate with others to make them ‘future proof’.”

“To meet this need, the program challenges and upskills teachers to modify traditional approaches to education, such as transmission models of ‘I teach, and you learn’ to models and strategies that require greater engagement, autonomy and problem solving from the students.

The 2025 program was recently launched at the Scitech Discovery Centre with a workshop that allowed teachers to connect with their colleagues and engage in a practice lesson with themselves as the students.

Throughout the year, workshops, coaching rounds, and resources provided by the program support eight teachers across four schools to deliver curriculum-based learning specific to their school and classroom contexts.

This is the third year Scitech has delivered the Alcoa Foundation Champions of Digital Technologies program, which achieved great results in 2023 and 2024 with all participants reporting increased confidence in teaching the content and an increase in their students’ engagement and capacity in digital technologies.

“We saw students coming up with ideas the teachers hadn’t thought of and that’s when we know as educators we’ve done our job,” Lucas said. “It was incredible to see the growth of both teachers and students across the year and I’m excited to see that with our 2025 cohort.”

Alcoa Foundation Champions of Digital Technologies is part of Scitech’s commitment to support teachers to develop their skills and confidence to transform teaching practices and future-proof students with the essential skills that will prepare them for jobs of tomorrow.