STANSW Science Education News Journal 2019 2019 SEN Vol 68 Issue 1 | Page 4

President’s Message Science Extension Extension has taken off around NSW. The number of students is growing beyond expectation and it is so exciting to see their passion for science and scientific understanding blossom! Module 1 has been particularly insightful, and students are constantly able to reflect on their practice with   the Philosophy of Science. To support our members we are holding a range of twilight sessions during the year, so keep an eye out for dates. We will add some to continue from last year’s as well as repeating last year’s introduction to the Science Extension. Margaret Shepherd President STANSW Teaching Standards The BEEINS Conference With the inclusion of the teaching standards for all of us, being part of this Association is a perfect way to both keep up-to-date with what is happening in science in NSW, and also to upskill in our pedagogy and also our content area. We are all so time poor that a single day each year is a great investment in professional learning. Our BEEINS Conference this year presented me with a relieving pause; a delightful pause, as so many presenters were our up- and-coming young teachers, who stood up there in front of a room full of teachers and shared their practice. It was really invigorating to all of us, and I hope that many experienced teachers will take up the banner and offer to present their practice to others next year. Can I suggest that you really consider adding either Working Committee participation or attending a conference into your PD plan for 2019 (standard 6.1.2)? ‘Meet The Markers’ and the AGM Primary In a few weeks we will hold our ‘Meet The Markers’ and AGM (May 25 th at ACU, North Sydney). It would be excellent to have as many members as possible attend the AGM. This year we will be including a whole lot of new workshops on assessment for the new HSC syllabuses so do come along and share your ideas. We will also look at using NESA sample questions to develop our own sample exams, and will provide participants with opportunities to discuss the content involved in the questions, as well as the Marking Guidelines. It is important to remember that past HSC exams can still be used to help prepare students, as long as the content is targeted to the new syllabuses. Professional Learning Events in Science will be boosted this year, beginning with a new digital workshop that will be offered free to those teachers who attended the first Primary Conference this year. In 2019 we are running a dedicated Primary Stream program alongside all STANSW events to give members even more access to quality PD for sci-tech, with backup twilights as support as well. So, taking part in committees and supporting your colleagues helps contribute to the profession. Writing for our journal, ‘Science Education News’ is one fine way, but we also need more members helping us with putting on events – and we also need venues! Do you have great school facilities to host STANSW Conferences? If so, please get in touch with office@ stansw.asn.au to make an offer. Physics On June 21 st it will be time to time to explore Physics at our annual Physics Conference. With much greater depth on mathematics, many of us need to upskill in deriving formulae or teaching the mathematics behind the physics. We have an amazing team of volunteer teachers on the Working Committee putting together the best program that we can. STANSW Members’ Benefits There are many major benefits for you to become a member of STANSW. This year, in particular, we have had limited capacity in some venues, so we have been giving members advance notice to allow them to book in first for events. However, you still have to take advantage of this and book in early to be guaranteed a place! Chemistry September 23 rd will provide Chemistry teachers with a STEM CHEM Conference at Macquarie University. This will allow teachers to present both the Stage-6 syllabus with possibilities to link it to a STEM context. Authentic chemistry is so much easier for students to remember, so providing a context that is both relevant and of interest to students is the best approach. (Magwilang, 2016; King, Donna T. Bellocchi, Alberto, & Ritchie, Stephen M . 2008; Jones, J. 2012; Seery, M. (2015) Wishing you all an amazing term 2. Margaret Shepherd STANSW President 4 SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 1