ACT educator Ms Paula Taylor, winner of the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Primary Science Teaching, is transforming classrooms through hands-on, data-driven STEM learning that empowers teachers and students alike.
When Ms Paula Taylor arrived in Australia from Vancouver 15 years ago, she brought with her not only a strong background in science and education, but a passion for making scientific thinking accessible and relevant to every learner. That approach has now earned her one of the nation’s highest honours in science education – the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science (Primary).
For Ms Taylor, a senior member of the Academy of Future Skills within the ACT Education Directorate, the award recognises more than her individual expertise. It highlights a system-wide model of STEM education that is equitable, evidence-based, and deeply rooted in teacher development.
“It’s about empowering teachers so that every classroom becomes a place where students can think, act and communicate like scientists,” she says.
From medicine to mentoring
Before turning to education, Ms Taylor trained in medicine in Canada.
“That’s really where I became a scientist,” she says. “I started to think like a scientist and act like a scientist – and that’s when I began communicating science, presenting research, and realising how powerful science education could be.”
After completing a degree in education, followed by a master’s in special education, she spent two decades teaching science to students in Years 7–12 across Canada. When she later settled in Canberra, she continued to blend those disciplines – science, pedagogy, and accessibility – into her leadership practice.
Ms Taylor also served as President of the Science Educators Association of the ACT, where she helped advise on the development of a purpose-built STEM centre. When the ACT Education Directorate established what would become the Academy of Future Skills, Ms Taylor was a natural fit to lead it.
At the time, the Directorate envisioned a central facility where students would come to participate in STEM programs but it wanted something more ambitious – and more sustainable.
“We wanted best practice happening in teachers’ own schools, in their workplaces, with their children,” she says. “So the service delivery model changed. Instead of students coming to us, we went to them.”
The Academy designed a teacher development program that could build capacity directly within schools. By mentoring, coaching and co-teaching with classroom teachers, Ms Taylor ensured STEM learning could flourish long after her visits.
“If I can upskill or work with teachers and empower them in their practice, they will have the biggest impact on all those kids,” she says.
Today, she describes each ACT public school she works with as a client.
“I hear what they want to learn, and I help embed curriculum ideas in a way that’s meaningful for their context.”
Science that matters to every student
Ms Taylor’s approach is grounded in two guiding principles: make science relevant and make it accessible. Drawing on her special-education background, she designs programs that meet students at their level while engaging them with authentic, purposeful learning.
“It has to matter to them,” she says. “When I plan a lesson, I always ask myself – what’s important to a 10-year-old? What’s going to hook them?”
When schools express uncertainty about teaching certain concepts – for example, chemical reactions – she reframes the topic through a child’s everyday experience.
“They might think chemistry only happens in industry,” she explains. “But I remind them that chemical reactions happen every time we put food in our mouth.”
To demonstrate this kind of inquiry-based, problem-solving approach, Ms Taylor often uses what she calls case studies – multidisciplinary projects that weave together science, mathematics, literacy and digital technologies. One of her most popular examples is a Year 5 activity built around a mock crime scene, complete with a mannequin named Beaker from The Muppets.
“Beaker is found lying on the lab floor with white powders scattered everywhere,” she says. “The students become forensic investigators trying to identify the substances.”
Using a combination of scientific equipment and data analysis, students test 14 mystery powders to determine which are reversible or irreversible chemical changes.
“They’re collecting data, producing graphs, seeing patterns – learning how numbers tell a story,” Ms Taylor explains. “They’re doing sophisticated science, but they don’t want to stop because they’re solving a mystery.”
The program’s success is measured not just in student engagement but in teacher confidence. Many of the teachers who first observed Ms Taylor’s workshops now borrow the materials independently through the Academy’s lending library.
“That’s the win,” she says. “The win is when teachers no longer need me beside them – they’ve gained the confidence to deliver it themselves.”
Sustaining a culture of curiosity
The Academy of Future Skills has grown well beyond its original five-year plan. Now in its eighth year, the initiative employs a multidisciplinary team of STEM specialists who collaborate with schools across Canberra.
“When I visit schools, I often bring colleagues who have expertise in other subject areas,” she says. “Together, we can design something really robust and curriculum-aligned that might run for a whole term or even a semester.”
One recent example began with a simple request from a primary school whose Year 6 teachers wanted to emphasise healthy eating. Instead of delivering a one-off lesson, Ms Taylor’s team co-designed an integrated unit that wove together digital technologies, chemistry and biology.
“The students were programming their own sensors to measure their rate of walking,” she explained. “We did all the chemistry through food – looking at which substances burn more calories – and explored biology through how living things have needs. It just went on and on.”
That kind of interdisciplinary thinking, she says, is helping teachers see that science is not a stand-alone subject confined to a single lesson each week.
“It’s something students feel compelled to do all the time. In some schools, it’s even taking priority – and teachers are overlaying it with reading and writing because it gives everything a purpose.”
Ms Taylor’s focus on data, measurement and real-world application ensures that even the youngest learners develop numeracy alongside curiosity.
“Kids as young as kindergarten are demonstrating through facts and figures that what they’re thinking about is entrenched in numbers,” she says. “Whether they’re building a sustainable home for the fourth little pig or investigating a mystery substance, it’s always data-driven.”
Connecting classrooms with industry
A key part of Ms Taylor’s work involves building partnerships between education and industry to ensure classroom activities reflect current and emerging fields.
“I want the science we do to mimic what’s happening in the real world,” she says.
While facilities such as Questacon provide valuable professional learning, she emphasises the importance of engaging directly with sectors driving innovation.
“Last year my industry focus was all about quantum – it was the year of quantum,” she says. “Before that, we highlighted the space sector from an ACT perspective. There’s so much happening in those two areas alone that I can run workshops connecting students with real jobs and real growth.”
She’s also extending the academy’s reach through partnerships with local universities, helping to prepare the next generation of teachers.
The impact of the Academy of Future Skills is visible across the territory. From early childhood to college, schools are reporting stronger engagement in science and teachers are noting that they are increasingly confident in designing and delivering integrated STEM programs. For Ms Taylor, that’s the true measure of success.
“Our data shows there’s a genuine need in the system,” she says. “The fact that the academy keeps growing after eight years tells us it’s working.”
Recognition and reflection
Ms Taylor describes the Prime Minister’s Prize as a humbling experience – one that acknowledges both her personal commitment and the collective effort of teachers across the ACT.
“It’s not just my award,” she says. “It represents the amazing teachers who open their doors, who invite me into their classrooms, and who take risks with their practice.”
Even amid the celebrations, her schedule remains full. The week after receiving the prize, she was back preparing for the annual ACT Science Fair, which saw more than 600 students from all sectors submit projects.
“It’s part of my job to lead that charge,” she says. “It’s busy, but it’s a wonderful problem to have.”
Asked what continues to motivate her after so many years in science education, Ms Taylor doesn’t hesitate.
“It’s when you see students take ownership of their learning – when they realise they can be the scientist in the room,” she says.
And, true to form, she insists that the most meaningful learning moments don’t come from her demonstrations but from what students discover themselves.
“I tell them, ‘I haven’t solved this problem before. I really need to hear from you what you’re learning.’ And they step up. They lead the inquiry, they do the cognitive heavy lifting – and they just own it.”
