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September 2022
We made it through August! With the Oliphant Science Awards competition, Science Alive!, OSA Virtual Open Day and National Science Week all running it was a busy month. We'd love to hear what you got up to for National Science Week - if you're happy to share your activities contact Tegan here.
We're excited to be focusing on Mental Health / Wellbeing this month and have some great blog posts on the way along with some resources below.
SASTA News
Virtual Open Day is now live!
This is such a great opportunity to celebrate the enormous effort students put into their projects and provide inspiration for future entries. Congratulations to the 2022 prize winners!
It took approximately 37.5 hours (5 days) to collate the electronic entries, organise corresponding photos and upload them all to the website. You can read a full overview of the 2022 competition in the August Newsletter.
Professional Learning
Call for Workshops closes Friday 16 Sept! Find out more here.
This year's theme is 'Modelling STEM'. Check out the website for a list of topics you may wish to consider when preparing a workshop submission.
Design and Deconstruct Workshop
23 September
This workshop is aimed at people who want to further their skills in setting, assessment and providing feedback on the D&D + practical report task. It also will cover the writing and marking of practical questions for tests and exams as well. There will be time to examine your own student work and participate in some cross-moderation and marking of work/drafts.
For your classroom | Mental Health / Teacher Wellbeing
Teaching is a rewarding and positive career choice. The influence a teacher has on helping to shape the future of so many young people is often profound. Yet, at times, teaching can also be extremely challenging.
More than 1 in 4 Australian teachers suffer from emotional exhaustion after starting their careers and expect to leave the profession within the first five years of teaching (Marshal 2013; Milburn 2011). One of the major reasons for higher levels of stress and burnout includes tougher emotional conditions than teachers expected, coupled with a lack of wellbeing support and preparation.
Well-supported educators and staff are critical to quality education and care and outcomes for children, families and communities across Australia. The practical suggestions and resources listed here recognise the importance of mentally healthy workplaces and the benefits for staff wellbeing.
There is a wide range of online apps and resources that you can use to support your mental health and wellbeing. This collection of online resources offer guidance and practical strategies for educators.
You may also find these tools useful to pass on to other members of your learning community, including colleagues, children and young people, and their families.
Building Resilience in Teacher Education (BRiTE)
Building Resilience in Teacher Education (BRiTE) is another available online professional learning program that supports educators to identify skills and strategies to build resilience. The program contains five interactive modules focused on building resilience, relationships, wellbeing, taking initiative and emotions.
The spaces, places and environments that your team work in can significantly contribute to their wellbeing. You might like to think about ways to create a sanctuary for your educators and staff.
Resources
For all resources available from SASTA visit the website.
You can also bundle your Stage 1 & 2 Trial Exams with Topic Tests for a discounted price!
Stage 1 & 2 Trial Exams
The SASTA Trial Exams are a 'must have' resource, developed by leading teachers to support Stage 1 & 2 Teachers. Teachers will be able to use the resource for students, a stand-alone assessment tool or to develop exam preparation skills.
Stage 2 Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology & Nutrition are available now.
Stage 1 Biology, Chemistry & Physics mid-year and end of year exams are available now.
Study Guides are available online
Contributions from the science community
National School Citizen Science B&B BioBlitz
The inaugural National School Citizen Science B&B BioBlitz is in the first week of September (which is National Biodiversity Month).
Find out about our free, curriculum-based activities for you and your students – they are supported by NSW Department of Education (and a number of other States’/territories’) as well as CSIRO’s Atlas of Living Australia.
if you want to register for the BioBlitz and instructional package, go to https://lnkd.in/gjkkDBVd or visit the website.
Gamifying Earth Science Learning
CoRE is excited to announce that the pilot and testing phase of our Gamifying Earth Science Learning initiative is now complete! This means that the games are now tested, tried and ready to take over Earth Science education across Australia!
These games are an Earth Science curriculum delivery tool like no other. Not only do our Gamification students enjoy using these games more than any other delivery tool, but teachers are constantly finding new ways to use the games to deliver not only the science curriculum but almost all other primary and secondary school subjects!
The CoRE Gamification initiative is interdisciplinary, interactive and most importantly available to every school in Australia! To register your interest in the games, please click here.
MobileMuster Film Competition
You don’t have to be an experienced filmmaker to take part in MobileMuster’s Film Competition – all you need is an idea, imagination and motivation.
Students of all ages are invited to get creative and make a short film based on this year’s theme The Science of Recycling. Films should be no more than one minute in length. Apart from bragging rights, there are great prizes up for grabs.
Entries are due Friday 30 September. Check the website for full entry guidelines and judging criteria here.
CONASTA 69
Please join us in Canberra for the Australian Science Teachers Association's annual conference for science educators between 25 - 28 September, 2022. This is an event not to be missed!
Registration is now open on the Science Educators Association of the ACT
(SEAACT) website.
STEM scholarships for high school students under-represented in science and mathematics
High school students from under-represented groups (low socioeconomic status, girls and Aboriginal learners) can apply for scholarships to pursue science and mathematics (STEM) subjects at SACE Stage 1 and 2 level.
The fund covers the cost of tutors, laptops, excursions or any other strategy that directly supports the student to achieve in their chosen STEM subjects and pathways.
Public school secondary students undertaking SACE stage 1 STEM subjects in 2022 and SACE stage 2 subjects in 2023 are encouraged to apply. For full details visit the website.
Space Discovery Centre: Q&A with a Space Guest
Ask a Space Expert! Join us on Wednesday afternoons during the school term to get an insight into what a career in space really looks like, as well as answering any questions you may have.
From your classroom or your home, you and your students can book into any of our sessions. Sessions go for 45 minutes.
- Dr. Annie Handmer from HEO Robotics , 2pm (ACST) on 5th October.
For more information click here.
PETAA Paper: Teaching the language of climate change science in Years 6/7: the greenhouse effect
The paper offers an account of teaching a language-focused Science topic focused on climate change (namely, the greenhouse effect), demonstrating how scientific language was modelled by the teachers and handed over to students.
It also explains theoretical understandings about language and pedagogy that underpinned this practice, informs the teaching and learning in their class, and can be effectively utilised to guide students in understanding climate science – a topic that remains urgent.
Download your free copy of this paper here.
Contact SASTA
South Australian Science Teachers Association
249 Henley Beach Road Torrensville SA 5031
P 08 8354 0006 F 08 8354 0008 E office@sasta.asn.au
www.sasta.asn.au
