The teachers helping students thrive in a changing world

By  Holly Stemm 19 October 2026 6 min read

What better way for primary students to learn about solar energy and engineering than building and racing a solar powered car?

This is the kind of fun class activity that draws young people into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), and one of the reasons Burrendah Primary School teacher, Bek Knight was a finalist in the STEM Educator of the Year (Schools) category of the WA Premier’s Science Awards 2026.

Bek is one of more than 5000 teachers who use CSIRO Education programs every year to connect with experts, build their STEM capability and use our free education resource library. As Australia celebrates World Teachers Day, we’re turning the spotlight on a few of our amazing educators who go above and beyond to help students build confidence in STEM. 

Bek Knight: Going the extra mile with real-world engineering

Leading a solar car challenge wasn't something Bek expected to add to her teaching role, but when she partnered with retired electronics engineer, Ward Darcey through STEM Professionals in Schools, they created opportunities for students to learn, problem-solve and think like engineers.

“Students are incredibly capable when given opportunities to tackle real-world problems with support,” said Bek.

For the Synergy Schools Solar Car Challenge, a team of Year 6 students, the Burrendah Bullets, explored solar energy in class then designed, built and raced their own solar-powered model cars against teams from across Western Australia. It gave them the chance to apply their learning in a real-world, high-energy setting. Their hard work paid off when they won the grand final earlier this year.

“It was incredibly rewarding watching students grow in confidence as they tested ideas, analysed performance data, refined their designs and independently troubleshot problems on competition day. Seeing their resilience and teamwork throughout the process was a real highlight,” said Bek.

Having an engineer supporting the class happened through STEM Professionals in Schools, which connects teachers with volunteers with STEM industry expertise. Ward is a 12-year veteran of the program. Bek says having him involved helped her feel supported while coming to grips with the complexities of the challenge, which she took on for the first time this year.

“His calm problem-solving approach and willingness to work alongside both the students and me created an environment where we could all learn together,” Bek said.

“[His] engineering knowledge complements my understanding of our students and how they learn. Having that expertise and support helps me to create meaningful, inclusive learning experiences where students can draw on their different strengths and see a place for themselves in STEM.”

Tom Bilney: Helping students grow “up” with farms of the future

South Australian primary teacher Tom Bilney knew things were changing for his once rural town and its children when a fast-food chain opened up down the road.

“That was all that kids could talk about. That's all they wanted. Strathalbyn is no longer a small community and kids' backyards are getting smaller,” he said.

He wanted to ensure his students have the skills to adapt to their changing world, including understanding and future-proofing their food supply.

“Less than 5 per cent of Australia is suitable for producing crops. We talked about if we can't spread out, how can we grow stuff in a small space? So, we're growing up.”

They created a ‘Future Living Lab’: an indoor, vertical garden that includes crops that the students researched then voted for. It includes berries, greens, herbs and bush tucker varieties. Tom hadn’t even heard of some local plants that were included. The students have gone as far as consulting nursery experts in their community.

Tom chose the lab equipment as part of the custom resource pack he received as a 2026 CSIRO Adult Future Shaper. The program recognises adults who help Year 5-10s from underrepresented groups in STEM, such as rural students, to build their confidence and capability.

The impact of the lab has been significant. In a time where packaged and imported foods are more commonplace, it’s given the students more awareness of where their food comes from and an appreciation for the value, science and innovation behind locally grown produce.

“We've got some students at school who'd never peeled a potato. Since they've been able to get hands on, it's been really good. Because they've got ownership of their plant, the kids are becoming experts in that species. They are even coming in during break times to check them,” Tom said.

He has been ‘hiding the vegetables’ of STEM learning, literally amongst the vegetables. Students, including those who have found traditional learning challenging, have been more engaged with these practical activities and are building key skills like curiosity, problem solving and resourcefulness.

Tom intends to roll out the Future Living Lab across three other primary campuses so that more regional students can also learn to grow solutions for their changing world.

Harriet Morley: Connecting STEM learning with culture and Country

So many educators that the CSIRO Education and Outreach team work with support their students in countless ways yet still walk the talk by being lifelong learners themselves.

Teachers work hard to stay up to date as science and technology continues to advance, but it’s just as important that we do not lose scientific knowledges that have held true for thousands of years.

One teacher who is working on this front is Harriet Morley, an Aboriginal Education Project Coordinator and specialist music teacher at Baynton West Primary School in Karratha, on Ngarluma Country in Western Australia.

Harriet has been helping her school build on its Aboriginal education initiatives to create a sustainable program for their students.

For teachers in regional and remote communities, professional learning can be an opportunity to build vital connections. Through the Living STEM program, Harriet and other teachers from across the Pilbara have been able to connect with each other, strengthen their relationships with Community and build confidence in using Two-way Science. This powerful approach combines local cultural knowledges, western science and the science curriculum, and has been shown to increase student engagement and attendance.

This year’s Living STEM Community of Practice Conference provided another opportunity for educators to learn alongside peers facing similar opportunities and challenges.

Bringing together teachers and local knowledge holders, the event strengthened a community of educators committed to sharing what they have learned and creating culturally responsive learning experiences for their students in the Pilbara. Participants learned about the landscape, bush medicines, rock art, Indigenous seasonal knowledges and traditional foods directly from local Indigenous knowledge holders, which builds their connection to Country.

For Harriet, the opportunity to learn on Country from local experts had the greatest impact.

"We gained insight into traditional foraging and product creation methods, understanding of ingredients such as local fauna, wattle and spinifex and were given the opportunity to eat it with traditional stew," said Harriet.

"[Having] a local knowledge holder to engage with us is priceless. That's the best thing for some of us, to be able to experience it ourselves and understand what's out there," shared Harriet.

STEM Professionals in Schools is supported by the Australian Government Department of Education and delivered by CSIRO.

Adult Future Shapers is powered by CSIRO and BHP Foundation.

Living STEM is supported by Chevron.