If you wish to unsubscribe, please reply with a “Remove me” in the subject field of the email. Also, if you are no longer a Head Teacher

Science, could you email us your replacement’s your name and/or email address. If you are relieving and would like to join the list please

do not hesitate to respond and we will add you to the group. The non- DEC products and events listed in this eNews are to be used at the

reader’s discretion. The inclusion of product and event information is not an endorsement by the DEC.

16/02/2015

Welcome to Science Update 2015

No1 for 2015

Science Update

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1

Welcome back, I hope everybody has enjoyed their well -earned rest .

CAASTRO Physics revision

lecture series 2015 CAASTRO continue their Preliminary and

HSC revision lectures series in 2015.

Information about The World

Communicates revision lecture on 13

March is attached.

The presentations follow the usual format

with pre and post-worksheets for students

to complete prior to the live video

conference sessions. Presenters will discuss

the worksheets and answer students’

questions.

Schools can participate for free. Please

register by completing the booking form

at the bottom of the webpage

http://dartconnections.org.au/DART-excursions/curriculum-revision-lecture-the-world-communicates-electromagnetism-2?ItemID=3193294

The Big Science Competition is a one-hour

competition of 30 multiple-choice questions held

at your school. In 2015, the Big Science

Competition can take place in your school on

any day between 20 and 27 May inclusive.

The three competition levels are based on

Australian school years:

Competition

level

Australian

school

year

Approximate

age range

Junior 7 and 8 12 to 14 years

Intermediate 9 and 10 14 to 16 years

Senior 11 and 12 16 to 18 years

Registration:

https://www.asi.edu.au/site/programs_bigscienc

e.php

Cost: Online $7.00 Pen and paper $7.50

Science update

Science Update now online at http://issuu.com/science_newletter If you wish to unsubscribe to this material, please reply to this email with

a “Remove me” in the subject field of the email. Also, if you are no longer a Head Teacher Science, could you email us your replacement’s

name and/or email address. If you are relieving and you would like to be part of the list then please do not hesitate to respond and we will

add you to the group. The non- DEC products and events listed in this eNews are to be used at the reader’s discretion. The inclusion of

product and event information is not an endorsement by the DEC.

Young Scientist Have a look at the revamped website http://www.stansw.asn.au/ys/ and the growing Young Scientist

YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFTpxQ5IMedGMRsU8W9QDfw for great ideas

from students. Thanks to all the students and their parents for permission to make their projects available for

NSW teachers and students.

The Australian Science Olympiad Competition is a national extension program for top performing

secondary science students culminating in the International Science Olympiads – the Olympic Games for

science students.

To earn a spot representing Australia at the International Science Olympiads, year 10 and 11 students must

first sit one or more of the four Australian Science Olympiad Exams on offer in the disciplines of biology,

chemistry, Earth and environmental science and physics.

Based on their exam performance, top performers are offered a place at the Australian Science Olympiad

Summer School. This two-week intensive residential program gives students the opportunity to study with

others passionate about science.

The very best summer school students represent Australia at the International Science Olympiads.

Science update PAGE 3 EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER

The UK Thinkers in Education brought their STEM Events workshops to Australia late last year. The workshops

were so well received they have opened registration for 2015.

STEM Events Activities – Availability in 2015:

Spaces are available for schools within the following locations. (Sessions can be started earlier to fit better

with your timetable – just contact the organisers)

Within 50 Mile Radius of Sydney CBD STEM Activities (5 May – 27 May)

NSW South Region STEM Incursions (16 Nov – 20 Nov)

Sydney Region STEM Incursions: (23 Nov – 11 Dec 2015)

NSW North Region STEM Incursions (14 Dec – 18 Dec)

Unfortunately, the number of session available is limited – so please contact the organisers if you would like

to host one of the sessions above as soon as possible. Register your interest online at

http://www.thinkersineducation.co.uk/stem-activities-in-australia/

The Shell Questacon Science Circus is a major outreach program from Questacon – The National Science

and Technology Centre in Canberra. Presenters visit local schools to present lively and energetic science

shows using everyday materials and props. Adapted to the age of the students, the shows cover a wide

range of topics from bubbles and balance to collisions and chemistry and lots more.

Cost of science show incursions is $5 per student (GST incl). Each student and teacher also receives a free

entry pass to the public exhibition. Groups of up to 150 students experience a 60 minute science show, up to

four shows are performed daily.

Book at http://www.questacon.edu.au/outreach/programs/science-circus/schools-and-teachers/bookings

Science update

Science Update now online at http://issuu.com/science_newletter If you wish to unsubscribe to this material, please reply to this email with

a “Remove me” in the subject field of the email. Also, if you are no longer a Head Teacher Science, could you email us your replacement’s

name and/or email address. If you are relieving and you would like to be part of the list then please do not hesitate to respond and we will

add you to the group. The non- DEC products and events listed in this eNews are to be used at the reader’s discretion. The inclusion of

product and event information is not an endorsement by the DEC.

Biology, Earth & Environmental and Senior Science Teachers

ConferenceThe 2015 BEESST conference on 27 February offers seminars and keynote addresses from inspiring speakers,

including workshops on Biology, Earth & Environmental Science and Senior Science pedagogy; from a

mixture of presenters, including academics from universities, STANSW members and practising teachers.

Addition information and registration can be found at http://www.cvent.com/events/biology-earth-

environmental-and-senior-science-teachers-conference/event-summary-

446838e9a3e24a95878f72856e749ef8.aspx

Additional MOOCs More Massive Open Online Courses support students wishing to enhance their science understanding in

particular subject areas and also provide opportunities for students to build their communication,

collaborative and problem solving skills.

Study fundamental Physics with this free online course at UNSW

https://www.coursera.org/course/particles2planets

Learn about the universe with this free course in Astronomy at Curtin University

https://www.open2study.com/courses/astronomy-discovering-the-universe-through-science-and-

technology

Find out more about Chemistry with this free course at Swinburne University

https://www.open2study.com/courses/chemistry

Explore the Human Body in this free course from Flinders University

https://www.open2study.com/courses/the-human-body-as-a-machine

Investigate Evolution with this free course from Charles Darwin University

https://openeducation.blackboard.com/mooc-catalog/courseDetails/view?course_id=_45_1 LINK

DOESN”T WORK

Science ASSIST provides:

expert, up-to-date information on high-quality teaching and learning resources;

support for teachers in the implementation of the new Science K-10 Syllabus;

consistent and authoritative advice on all aspects of school laboratory safety, management and

design;

support for school laboratory technicians and teachers in the delivery of stimulating and practical

science activities.

Access all the above information and resources at http://asta.edu.au/

Join us for a curriculum-focused revision lecture – covering the key topics from the Physics Stage 6

Syllabus for “The World Communicates”. Pre-work shall be provided in advance, and you are strongly

encouraged to complete this material with your students to get the most from the lecture. !The talk will cover key points: identifying waves as energy carriers, describing features of waves such as

frequency and wavelength, and explaining absorption, reflection, refraction, and scattering. We will also

highlight how electromagnetic radiation is used to understand the Universe, and will describe uses of

electromagnetism in applications such as communication technology. !You and your students are invited to join Aina Musaeva from The University of Sydney for this exciting,

and curriculum-dedicated, lecture. !The session will run on Friday 13th March 2015 2:00pm - 3:00pm

There is no charge for schools to participate. Please register by completing the booking form at the

bottom of the webpage: !http://dartconnections.org.au/view-provider?ProviderID=1207295

You can learn more about our program at http://www.caastro.org/citc

or by emailing us at: citc@caastro.org !Dial in number on your videoconference unit (VMR): 601056104. Note that due to limited space, we are

restricted to the first 20 schools to sign up. Please ensure your email address is up to date, so that we

can email you to confirm your booking. The session is a collaborative effort with support from

CAASTRO and the NSW Department of Education and Communities.

“The World Communicates: Electromagnetism”

Curriculum Revision LectureCAASTRO IN THE CLASSROOM PLUS

!Aina Musaeva has a degree in Physics and is

currently completing her PhD in Astronomy

at the University of Sydney, where she is

using observations to understand black

holes. In her spare time, she also works as a

guide at the Sydney Observatory.

=http://eyesonthesun.com.au/educators.htm

Website: http://eyesonthesun.com.au Mobile: 0428 113 744

Email ralph@eyesonthesun.com.au

SOLAR IMAGING AND PROCESSING FOR YOUR STUDENTS!

USING OUR ROBOTIC SOLAR TELESCOPE OR … PURCHASE YOUR OWN TELESCOPES AND CAMERAS through us!

Discount packages available.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND SEE WHAT YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS CAN ACHIEVE…. Educators

THE FIRST 120 SCHOOLS TO JOIN OUR PROGRAM GO INTO THE DRAW!

WIN A SOLAR TELESCOPIC PACKAGE FOR YOUR SCHOOL!

LET US SHOW YOU HOW TO USE YOUR EXISTING NIGHT TIME TELESCOPE TO PHOTOGRAPH THE MOON AND PLANETS

PLEASE CONTACT US THROUGH THE WEB SITE FOR COSTINGS. THIS PROGRAM IS FOR THE WHOLE SCHOOL Years 6-12.

This is an example of processing a prominence.

Raw image through to the final colour image.

STANSW Online Professional Learning

The landing page for Writing Contextualised Objective Tests in Stage 4 and 5 Science

Education is changing faster than ever! Faced with the challenge of providing sustainable quality

professional learning for science teachers across NSW, STANSW is moving with the times to present a

number of self-paced online professional learning opportunities.

Currently, STANSW offers three BoSTES-accredited courses:

Towards a Critical Literacy in Science

Science: Designing and creating effective teaching strategies

Writing Contextualised Objective Tests in Stage 4 and 5 Science,

A fourth course, Senior Secondary Science Marking Experience, will come online ready for Semester 2,

2015.

The courses are popular with science teachers The popularity of these courses is steadily growing: Towards a Critical Literacy in Science has had well

over 150 participants. The courses offer equity of access to quality professional learning to all from busy

teachers who want to do professional learning at their own pace to non-metropolitan teachers who find

it difficult to get to face-to-face professional learning events.

The courses are warmly received by teachers Here is what teachers are saying about ‘Towards a Critical Literacy in Science’:

“I found this to be a very interesting and challenging course. The links to other helpful resources was also great. Thank you.”

“I have really enjoyed the units of this course. It has been a valuable tool for reflection, and simple to include in my every day teaching. Thank you”

“Glad the course remained open into the holidays as the term was too busy to manage it all then.”

“A real eye opener. Great material which was well prepared and easy to follow.

Thank you STANSW”

Here is what teachers are saying about the ‘Designing and creating effective teaching strategies’ course:

“It has enhanced my awareness of developing teaching strategies that align to the Quality Teaching Framework, and given me an explicit method for addressing this with colleagues.”

“It was very useful to see how others approach the teaching of certain concepts. I particularly liked some of the strategies that I reviewed, and will be incorporating ideas from these into my teaching.”

Improved navigation Each course now has a dashboard landing page. The use of large buttons to navigate has reduced the

complexity of the content on the page.

For more information contact the Science Teachers’ Association of New South Wales.

Web: http://www.stansw.asn.au Ph: 02 9763 2751

Science: creating effective teaching strategies 2015

This is a six hour BOSTES accredited course.

Learn how to design killer teaching strategies for lessons to support students with identified knowledge

gaps or misconceptions.

By the end of this course you will have:

mapped test items against syllabus content statements

identified misconceptions revealed in test item distractors

applied the Quality Teaching Framework to critically analysed teaching strategies proposed to

address syllabus content statements

constructed a teaching strategy to address identified learning issues surrounding a specific

content statement

peer-reviewed two teaching strategies

A feature of this course is the peer-reviewing of teaching strategies using the Quality Teaching

Framework criteria.

Note: Participants relinquish copyright of any teaching strategy produced to STANSW.

IMPORTANT: This course has fixed deadlines.

Australian Professional Standards addressed:

1.5.2 Develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning

needs of students across the full range of abilities

2.1.2 Apply knowledge of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area to develop engaging

teaching activities

5.4.2 Use student assessment data to analyse and evaluate student understanding of subject/content.

Identifying interventions and modifying teaching practice.

6.3.2 Contribute to collegial discussions and apply constructive feedback from colleagues to improve

personal knowledge and practice

Towards a critical literacy in science

This is a six-hour BOSTES approved course.

"Science knowledge is contestable and is revised, refined and extended as new evidence arises." ACARA:

The Australian Curriculum – Rationale

The purpose of this workshop is to provide science teachers an external point of view to the language of

secondary science. The aim is make the language tangible so that teachers can better control and

manipulate its use in the classroom.

You will learn about:

language and knowledge

the genres of Secondary Science

the literacy demands of the HSC Sciences

a model for teaching and learning

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers:

2.5.2 Apply knowledge and understanding of effective teaching strategies to support students’ literacy

and numeracy achievement

2.6.2 Use effective strategies to integrate ICT into learning and teaching programs to make selected

content relevant and meaningful

6.2.2 Participate in learning to update knowledge and practice, targeted to professional needs and

school and/or system priorities.

To complete this course and gain BOSTES accreditation, participants must participate in ALL mandated

activities including forums and quizzes.

The Critical literacy checklist will help you monitor your progress through the course.

STANSW writing effective objective tests in Stage 4 and 5 Science

This is a six hour BOSTES accredited course.

Assessments should be designed so that:

students can demonstrate the achievement of outcomes

valid and reliable strategies are used

the timing, frequency and nature of the assessment processes are time efficient and

manageable for teachers and students

The purpose of this course is to prepare you to be able produce an engaging contextualised item set that

assesses a range of syllabus outcomes and is challenging for a range of abilities.

You will learn about:

The nature of assessment - as, of and for learning - includes a survey of school assessment

practice.

Anatomy of a test item - the ins and outs test items and their psychometric analysis

Syllabus validity - A test item must assess syllabus outcomes

The stimulus – succinct, engaging and evocative

Participants will collaboratively write items in a wiki. They will peer-review each other’s item sets

IMPORTANT: This course has fixed deadlines.

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers addressed in this course:

5.1.2 Develop, select and use informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative assessment

strategies to assess student learning.

6.3.2 Contribute to collegial discussions and apply constructive feedback from colleagues to improve

personal knowledge and practice

Senior Secondary Science Marking Experience

This is a two hour BOSTES accredited course. This is a new course due for release Semester 2, 2015.

The course has been designed by experienced Physics, Chemistry and Biology HSC markers to provide

you with a sampling of an authentic marking experience.

While this course will not be a comprehensive analysis of the HSC, you will find out the strengths and

weakness of the candidature for selected questions.

By the end of this course you will have:

Viewed a range of questions from various HSC papers

Listened to HSC markers explain the nuances of the question they marked

Marked a number of HSC questions according to the HSC marking guidelines

Received feedback on your marking

Australian Professional Standards addressed:

5.3.2 Understand and participate in moderation activities to support consistent and comparable

judgments of student learning.

5.4.2 Use student assessment data to analyse and evaluate student understanding of subject/content.

Identifying interventions and modifying teaching practice.

Saturday 23 May 2015 University of NSW, Kensington

Register here

Fees

Program

Meet the Markers is STANSW’s accredited flagship event held annually and endorsed by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES). MTM provides teachers with the opportunity to gain valuable insight into the setting of HSCexaminations, as well as the marking processes and implementation of the HSC marking guidelines.

The event has been expanded to incorporate sessions on constructing examination questions and marking

criteria and theRoSA and HSC examination processes, presented by BOSTES Officers.

Meet the Markers is for teachers at all stages of their teaching careers. Whether it is your first year teaching HSC science or if you are considering marking the HSC exams, or helping your students maximise their marks; MTM is for you.

• discover what common mistakes students made in the 2014 Exam • determine if you are marking to the same level of difficulty as the HSC • Understand what the marking guidelines mean

Experienced markers will provide insights into the 2014 senior secondary HSC papers where candidature strengths, weaknesses and misconceptions will be discussed: • Biology • Physics

• Chemistry • Senior Science • Earth and Environmental Science In 2014, ESSAonline expanded to include Year 8 and Year 10. Schools marked their own extended tasks. Participants can experience the online training packages used for in-school marking. Find out what ESSA has learned about Year 6 students’ understanding of Science and Technology. Trial STANSW’s latest online course: Senior Secondary Marking Experience. This online workshop is designed to provide a Meet-the-Markers experience to Science teachers from rural and remote and non-metropolitan locations. Check it out.

Presented by HSC Markers with recent marking experience, MTM is an opportunity for teachers of each of the Science HSCcourses to increase their understanding of the marking processes on the current year’s papers.

1. Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, Physics and Senior Science:

In this session experienced markers of the HSC will discuss the marking of the 2014 exam. Presenters

will emphasise the key features of high quality exam responses as well as the difficulties that many students appeared to have.

Attendees are advised to bring a copy of the 2014 exam and a syllabus if desired.

2. BOSTES Processes & HSC Examinations:In this session an experienced representative of the Board of Studies will give an overview of the writing and marking processes for HSC examinations.

3. Using your students’ HSC results to improve teaching with RAP:The Results Analysis Package (RAP), available from the BOSTES, is a valuable tool to inform your teaching. In this session you will see how to analyse your school’s HSC results to identify areas of the syllabus where improvements can be made in teaching and learning.

4. ESSAonline - Year 8, Year 10, (NEW) Year 6:Contains three written tasks. Written tasks are valued because they vividly reveal student misconceptions about significant scientific concepts. Participants will be introduced to the SOLO taxonomy which underpins the holistic marking schemes for each of the tasks. This workshop is a condensed version of the marking schemes and processes developed for the corporate marking centre. The workshop is conducted online.

5. ROSA and the common grade scale in year 11:This workshop is for teachers of Stage 6 Science courses who wish to develop their professional skills in the grading process using the Common Grade Scale for Preliminary Courses. The workshop will highlight the concept and issues underlying standards-based assessment and consistency of teacher judgement.

6. Senior SECONDARY Science Marking Experience (online)Welcome to the STANSW HSC Marking experience. The course has been designed by experienced HSC markers to provide you with an authentic marking experience. Please note that is not meant to be an comprehensive analysis of the HSC. You will find out the strengths and weakness of the candidature for selected questions. You will mark a range of scripts using HSCmarking guidelines for selected questions

Terms and Conditions Half Day registration is available to those seeking to attend only 2 workshops, accredited for 2.5 hours. Half Day registrants can only attend the morning program, session 1 and 2. Participants are required to bring a copy of the relevant syllabus(es) for their subject workshops. Delegates MUST register individually and cannot share registration with another Full Day registrant. NB that prior registration is required for this event. No ON-SITE registration will be available.

Fees

Full Day Attendance Non-Members ($340) Members ($230)

Half Day Attendance Non-Members ($180) Members ($130)

Accreditation This event is registered with the BOSTES and addresses the following National Professional Standards for Teachers. Delegates must remember to sign the session sheets provided at the registration table after each session or before they leave for the day. Delegates must attend half day or full day (ie) 2 or 4 sessions (75mins/workshop) for their hours to be counted towards professional competence.

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

Addresses the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers:

5.3.2 Understand and participate in assessment moderation activities to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning 6.3.2 Contribute to collegial discussions and apply constructive feedback from colleagues to improve personal knowledge and practice 7.4.2 Participate in professional and community network forums to broaden knowledge and improve practice

STANSW AGM (1.15pm) STANSW Members are cordially invited to attend this Annual General Meeting of the Association, to be held before lunch. A quorum of twenty (20) members entitled to vote must be present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. We hope that all individual members and one representative from a faculty membership would attend the meeting.

SPACE  ACADEMY  AND  FIELD  STUDIES  (Teacher  and  Student  Program)  

 

Saturday  19  Sept  –  Tuesday  6  Oct  2015  LAZSTA (Metropolitan South West Science Teachers Association) and iSTEM will again embark on an enrichment program that will see 56 teachers and students participate in Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama in September 2015. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for teachers and students in years 9-12. During Space Camp 2015, participants will be provided with opportunities for science enrichment and leadership development which will be supported with visits to science centres, schools and universities.

This program is recognised as 30 hours NSW BOSTES accredited teacher training. This is open to all students and teachers, both from the State and Private sector.

ADVANCED SPACE ACADEMY US Space and Rocket Centre, Huntsville, Alabama. During this weeklong program trainees are provided with hands-on training as well as learning about the mental, emotional and physical demands astronauts must face. Fields of study include Engineering, Space Technology and Aerospace Science. The program will also include visits to attractions in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and

a cultural visit to South Korea.

• Los Angeles Hollywood • Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier • Griffith Observatory and Planetarium • Universal Studios • California Science Centre • Fossil Tar pits • Sea World • USS Midway • Alcatraz • Disney California Adventure • Baseball game and more

For more information contact

Dr Ken Silburn President LAZSTA, Mobile: 0402412358 email ken.silburn@gmail.com or www.spacecamp.com.au for information and photos from the 2014program and to lodge an expression of interest,