  The physics that underpins modern technology is based on Einstein's theories
of relativity and quantum mechanics. However, most school students complete
their compulsory science education without being taught any of these
Einsteinian concepts. Only those who take a specialised physics course have the
opportunity to learn modern physics. In 2011, the first study of a modern
physics teaching intervention with an Australian upper primary (aged 10--11)
class was conducted. The initial intervention was the first step of the
Einstein-First collaboration towards challenging the current paradigm of
Newtonian teaching in schools. The authors found that modern physics concepts
could be taught to these students. In 2020, 11 participants of the initial
study (out of a total of 26) were contacted for a follow-up questionnaire and
interview to investigate the long-term impact. The results of the follow-up
indicate that the intervention maintained a positive impression on
participants. The models and analogies used during the six-week intervention
were highly memorable. The participants indicated that they found the
intervention to be beneficial to their future learning. Even close to ten years
after the intervention, the participants remembered several key concepts (such
as curved space-time). The long-term follow-up indicates that Einsteinian
physics can be taught at the upper primary level and be recalled several years
later.
