In 2018 we began our Educator for an Hour initiative, taking designers into the classroom to experience what it was like to teach, learn, and to see how the physical space enabled or constrained these experiences. In 2019, we evolved this initiative and in collaboration with Marshall Day Acoustics created The Solais Sandpit Acoustic Program, a four-week program for Year 7 and 8 students to explore acoustics, pedagogy, and space through the lens of maths and design. This was a two-way learning experience where both designers and acousticians, as well as students and their teachers, gained insight into the relationship between pedagogy and space, and how the physical and acoustic environment can support great learning experiences.
In 2023, we adapted the Solais Acoustic Program to a single 80-minute workshop as part of the It Takes a Spark! STEM Conference in both Queensland and Victoria. This conference uniquely brings together teachers and students to learn together. These STEM outreach experiences were presented at the Acoustics 2023 Sydney conference as part of the 185th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, and published in Volume 52, Issue 1 of POMA (Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics).
POMA Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, Volume 52, issue 1 (4 December 2023)
What does learning sound like? A STEM outreach experience
Author: Dr Fiona Young, Matthew Ottley (Marshall Day Acoustics)