SASTA E-news |

Conferences and PL for teachers at all levels and support for SACE Stage 2 students – but be quick! Plus more teaching tools and opportunities!

CONASTA 70
Organising Group

CONASTA, the conference of the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA), is coming to Adelaide in July 2021 – and SASTA wants your help!

SASTA is seeking expressions of interest from members interested in helping our Conference Organising Group (COG), either as a group member or as a conference co-convenor.

Primary Connections at the Early Career Teachers Conference

SASTA is excited to announce that Primary Connections are presenting a STEM in action! workshop at this year’s Early Career Teachers Conference on 11 October.

Come along to experience easy to implement, hands-on science activities and gather teaching resources for your toolkit that support STEM learning. The workshop samples activities across Reception to Year 6 and includes examples from new Primary Connections units released in 2018.

See below for more information about the conference.

Social media post of the month

Chief Scientist says obsession with ATAR is leading students astray

Oliphant Science Awards

The judges worked hard to get through the many entries in this year's competition, and those winning entries were displayed at the Open Day, perused by a good steady crowd throughout the afternoon who also enjoyed the live shows and hands-on activities.

Prize-winners in this years' competition will be contacted and invited to attend the Awards Ceremony which will be held on 20 September.

TERM 3 PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Stage 2 Marking and Moderation Workshops

An opportunity for teachers to discuss assessment and the application of the performance standards to samples of work, as well as to have invaluable professional input with their own student samples. An opportunity to readjust marking standards prior to final moderation.

HURRY– bookings close TODAY for the Stage 2 Psychology Marking & Moderation Workshop to be held this Friday 6 September.

Places are still available for the Stage 2 Physics Marking & Moderation Workshop on Friday 13 September (bookings close 9 September).

MORE INFORMATION

Conferences

2019 Early Career Teachers Conference
11 October, Immanuel College

The Early Career Teachers Conference is aimed at teachers in their first five years of teaching science/STEM or those who are new to a specialist science or STEM role.
This is an opportunity for early career and pre-service teachers to engage in interactive learning activities that will deepen your understanding of the science content and will give you the skills and resources to engage your students in learning.

The PROGRAM IS NOW AVAILABLE (200 KB PDF) and includes specialised hands-on workshops for both primary and secondary teachers.

Please circulate this information to colleagues who might be interested in this conference.

2019 STEM Conference (Years 6–11)
29 November, Adelaide Botanic High School

The conference is currently seeking presentations that address a range of the content and pedagogies of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics, Science, Design & Technology and ICT.
Presentations should be 60 minutes long and actively involve participants in the professional learning through a practical and investigative approach.
Sessions that relate to real-world examples of contemporary STEM are encouraged.
Proposals are due 27 September.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

SUPPORTING STAGE 2 STUDENTS

Exam Prep Seminars

Get in quick! Last chance for students to register for these exam prep seminars – bookings close 3 September!

Stage 2 Physics, Saturday 7 September
Stage 2 Psychology, Saturday 7 September
Stage 2 Chemistry, Saturday 14 September

All seminars will be held at the University of Adelaide.

$15 per person. Teachers attending with class groups are free.

Bookings at www.sasta.asn.au/student_activities/exam_prep_seminars

HURRY – BOOK NOW

Stage 2 Trial Exams
Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Psychology & Nutrition

The SASTA SACE Stage 2 Trial Exams are a 'must have' resource, developed by leading teachers. This resource will familiarise teachers and students with the SACE Stage 2 exam format and teachers will be able to use the resource as a stand-alone assessment tool or to develop exam preparation skills.

Copies can only be ordered by emailing Rebecca at office@sasta.asn.au

ORDER NOW

2019 Study Guides

Stocks have nearly run out! Physics has now sold out. Order your Study Guides quickly while stocks last!

ORDER COPIES NOW

EVENTS & NEWS IN THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY

STEM X Academy

The STEM X Academy is a five-day residential teacher professional learning program open to Australian teachers across all sectors and levels of experience. Held in Canberra from 5–10 January 2020, STEM X Academy is run in partnership with the Australian Science Teachers Association, Questacon and CSIRO. The main focus of the program is the development of hands-on, enquiry-based lessons and activities using available materials, and adapting activities using methods to suit your classroom.

Applications close 12 September. Go to https://stemx.edu.au

ANSTO Teacher Professional Development Day

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is holding a free professional development day for teachers looking at syllabus-focused educational resources to teach areas of the Year 9 Science curriculum and Year 12 Physics.

Hear from prominent scientists, learn about Australia's capabilities in nuclear science, participate in workshops and receive new educational resources.

Go to https://www.ansto.gov.au/whats-on/teacher-professional-development-day-sa

In Class with Dr Karl

If you missed the live stream of Dr Karl, then you can still watch the recording where he answers questions on all maner of issues – from climate change to asteroids, crying to belly button fluff! Head to https://education.australiascience.tv/in-class-with-dr-karl

PhD Scholarship
at the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University

A Ph.D. scholarship is available in the context of the ARC Discovery Project on ‘Teaching how to learn: Promoting self-regulated learning in STEM classes’. The project involves the design and implementation of interventions to increase teacher capacity to support active student learning in STEM. Prospective students should have an educational psychology or STEM education background, good communication skills and an interest in student-centred teacher practices.

For more information, please contact Prof. Stella Vosniadou. Applications close 15 December 2019.

ABC iView science videos

National Science Week might have come to an end, but ABC iView has curated a list of science videos to keep you going! Specific episodes of Catalyst, Four Corners, Landline, Ask the Doctor, plus the entire series of The Planets, Brian Cox: Life of a Universe and more!

Check out
https://iview.abc.net.au/collection/science-week-2019