Engage your students with inquiry through science investigations and technology projects supported by CREST.
The CREST program aims to progress the development of an inquiry culture in our education system, particularly in the subject areas of science and technology (incorporating engineering)
The CREST program achieves these aims through three strategies:
Inquiry is an approach to teaching and learning that enables learners to:
Through this approach, learners:
CREST recognises the inquiries of primary and secondary students with nationally recognised CREST Awards. CREST Awards are competency-based and non-competitive. There are six levels of Awards, each of which are defined by the nature of the inquiry.
Through the CREST program, students in Years 3 to 12 can progress from teacher-directed through to open inquiry. This gradual progression enables students’ development of inquiry skills, problem-solving skills, and procedural and conceptual understandings of and about science to the point of independence and innovation.
Focussed student experimenting ©CSIRO, Carl Davies
Focussed student experimenting ©CSIRO, Carl Davies
There are many ways in which you can incorporate the CREST program into your teaching. Different schools have different structures, programs, and students that require different approaches. These are some ideas for incorporating CREST that have been used successfully:
We provide teachers and schools with professional development on CREST and how to implement CREST in your classroom.