About Teachlive | Earthwatch Australia

TeachLive Expeditions

What is TeachLive?

TeachLive is a fully-funded educational and professional development program that places Australian primary and secondary teachers as research assistants on Earthwatch programs.

Primary, secondary and specialist school teachers work as research assistants on Earthwatch expeditions, helping scientists with vital data collection, while communicating their experience live back to their students in the classroom via the Teachers Blog and video calling. Students take a virtual scientific expedition with their teacher, providing inspiration, motivation and an opportunity to view their teachers as science role models.

Objectives of the program

Educate teachers and students about Australia’s biodiversity and the importance of conservation
Inspire students to pursue further studies in STEM subjects
Inspire and build confidence of teachers to be scientific role models for their students
Increase the quality of teaching
Encourage teachers to implement biodiversity and conservation projects

Current TeachLive opportunities

TeachLive: Bush Blitz

Applications for this expedition are now open

Bush Blitz TeachLive is a FULLY FUNDED Professional Development opportunity. Successful applicants will have a unique opportunity to assist scientists to document plants and animals, and discover new species, as part of the world’s first continent-wide biodiversity survey. The teachers will also share their experiences with their students through blogs on our website.

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Explore past expeditions

TeachLive: Protecting Wetlands for the Future

In this unique Professional Development opportunity you will be working as a research assistant, helping to protect mangroves and our Great Barrier Reef by collecting data in valuable mangrove ecosystems, as they face increasing pressure from human impacts. You will inspire your students in STEM and geography, by teaching them “live” from the field through blogs uploaded to our website and opportunities to video call your class from the field.

Find out more

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Teacher Blog

TeachLive enables school teachers to work as research assistants on Earthwatch expeditions, helping scientists with vital research and data collection, while communicating their experience live back to their students in the classroom via this blog.

Read the Teacher Blog

Past Attendees

Lynette Hillier wins Curtin University School of Education Teaching Excellence Award

Lynette participated in our 2022 West Kimberley’s BushBlitz TeachLive. As a passionate educator, she has created innovative and engaging biology programs for students based on local environmental issues. The Blue Swimmer Crab Monitoring program monitors the health and population of crab stocks in Bunbury. Investigating biodiversity, methods to reduce mosquito populations and rehabilitation are the focus of the Mallokup Wetlands project.

You can read about Lynette’s Bush Blitz TeachLive experience here:

Curtin University School of Education Teaching Excellence Award

TeachLive Impact

TeachLive History

2004
Pilot program begins with Victorian teachers

2005
Seven teachers from WA join the Earthwatch expedition Echidnas & Goannas of Kangaroo Island.

2007
Teachers from WA teach back to class about whale sharks from Ningaloo Reef. Supported by Woodside Energy.

2009
Victorian teacher educates live from the Wildlife of Brazil’s Pantanal expedition. Supported by Victoria Electricity.

2010
Victorian teacher educates live from our Project Manta expedition in Queensland. Supported by Lumo Energy.

2011
Five Victorian teachers joined scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to help support climate change research in Eastern China’s steamy Zhejiang Province, supported by the Victorian State Government. Fifteen Victorian teachers joined scientists from Edith Cowan University to help protect the native animals of Charles Darwin Reserve in the Western Australian outback.

2013
TeachLive began an exciting new phase of the program with the launch of Bush Blitz TeachLive. Bush Blitz is Australia's largest nature discovery project to document the plants and animals in properties across Australia, and five teachers had the amazing opportunity to join the Henbury Station Bush Blitz expedition in the remote Northern Territory outback, where they assisted 15 scientists to discover new species of insects and spiders, as well as healthy populations of desert fish.

2015
The Victorian Department of Education and Training provided funding for six Victorian teachers per year over three years to participate in Earthwatch's Snorkelling Australia's Underwater Meadows expedition.

2017
Six teachers from across NSW travelled to St Bees Island off the coast of Queensland in the Whitsunday chain of islands, hiking with researchers across the rugged island to better understand how climate change is impacting the wildlife and landscape.

Get involved

You can get involved through our many projects aimed at conserving key areas and furthering research.

TEACHLIVE

Protecting Wetlands for the Future

Apply now for our unique professional development opportunity. You will be working as a research assistant, helping to protect mangroves and our Great Barrier Reef by collecting data in valuable mangrove ecosystems, as they face increasing pressure from human impacts.

Apply Now

CONTACT US

Contact us for more information

What more information on our TeachLive program? Contact us today for further details!