Events

This second event in the Building Reform Series of Panel Discussions explores the critical impact of procurement in the building industry.

Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion and Q & A with key building industry stakeholders.

In the discourse surrounding building reform, procurement stands as the proverbial elephant in the room.

Often managed by decision makers and government—its impact is profound and wide-ranging. This panel discusses the critical implications of procurement, focussing on its impact on the pressing need to enhance the quality of our cities. In the process we reinforce issues of confidence in the building industry— as described in reports like the Shergold Weir—aimed to ensure control over liveability and the challenges of climate change.

Despite multiple efforts to address issues of the balance between time, cost, and quality in construction, completed projects do not provide reassurance that we have things under control. This panel focuses on the tension between short-term value management and the imperative to create long-term resilient, accessible environments.

Proudly supported by the Association of Consulting Architects.

Light refreshments will be served following the panel discussion.

The Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change is thrilled to invite you to an enlightening talk on critical thinking in education, presented by leading scholar and advocate for evidence-based reasoning, Melanie Trecek-King.

Teach skills, not facts! 

General-education science classes are often our last chance to empower students with the science literacy skills necessary to navigate today’s world. But what is science literacy? Memorising facts and following recipe-like labs? Or understanding the process of science?

This presentation explores a novel course designed to teach the essential skills of critical thinking, information literacy, and science literacy. By emphasising the process of science over content, and providing students with a structured toolkit (FLOATER), students learn how to evaluate evidence for claims. Directly including pseudoscience (e.g., astrology, homeopathy, Bigfoot) and science denial (e.g., climate change, evolution, GMOs) increases engagement, addresses common misconceptions, and teaches students how to recognise the characteristics of good science. Finally, activities in which students create misinformation inoculates them against the real thing.

Attendees will learn how to teach the skills of critical thinking, information literacy, and science literacy by providing their students with a structured toolkit to evaluate claims (FLOATER), including pseudoscience in their classroom, and having their students create misinformation.

We hope you can join us for this informative and thought-provoking presentation. Please register to secure your spot.