President’ s Message
Margaret Shepherd President STANSW problem solvers and designers and builders. These skills and thinking dispositions are built, moulded and developed through their participation in both STEM subjects as well as integrated STEM projects. Students need to be encouraged to participate in these courses even if they think them difficult. What did Michelle Simmons say about doing things that are difficult? Do them BECAUSE they are difficult!
By making them a‘ fad’ Mr Stokes, you have suggested that they are not important. Why did you do that? We now have to pick up the pieces you left behind with such a careless statement.
Welcome back to STANSW for 2018. Your membership of the Association is highly valued and our members work hard to help provide you with resources and services that you need.
I’ d like to share with you the changes to our Council for 2018.
Firstly it is with regret that we farewell Olivia Belshaw, Vatché Ansourian and Aaron Cooke from Council. I thank them for generously contributing their time and energy to STANSW. Olivia has been a Councillor and on our Branch portfolio since 2016, Aaron has been a Councillor since 2016 and been director of Professional Learning in 2017. Vatché has been on Council for 2017 with the added role of Vice President. Many thanks for the wonderful contributions made by these dedicated teachers.
I am pleased to announce the return to Council positions by Julie Rogers( Treasurer 2018) and Deb De Ridder( Vice President 2018). They are extremely talented teachers who want to support all teachers of NSW.
It is with pleasure that I announce two new Councillors for 2018. Tanya Riach( Turner) from Condobolin High School and Kylie Hurd from Macquarie University have joined Council for a two year term. Susan Filan from Abottsleigh School has been invited for a one year term to take on the vacancy that arose at the end of the year unexpectedly. A big welcome to all these new teachers.
The year starts off with a bang and with a new BEEINS( Biology, Earth & Environmental Science and Investigating Science) conference that was held at Macquarie University on 19th March. The event was amazing with such energy and enthusiasm for teaching our favourites subjects. Lots of sharing ideas and worries sent everyone off with much to think about. The Yammer pages contain all the links to the keynotes and workshops so participants will always have future access.
It is with disappointment that I noted our Education Minister, Rob Stokes, say that he thought STEM was a‘ buzzword and a fad’( Sydney Morning Herald, 21 March, 2018). Our future growth as a nation and an international player relies very much on the education of our students now and into the future. STEM is not a subject and it is not a fad. Students need to learn to be logical thinkers, critical and analytical of data and information,
A reduced focus on STEM may make Australian students better able to communicate their frustration with politicians, if the extra time is devoted to building literacy, but the development of skills to help build the world of the future may be beyond their reach.
Perhaps Mr Stokes ' casual attitude to science is the reason he declined any support for CONASTA when it is being held in our home state.
On a brighter note …
CONASTA is coming!! How exciting. It will be on us soon and early bird registrations are now open at https:// asta. eventsair. com / QuickEventWebsitePortal / conasta-67 / event-home-page
The conference will take place from 8 – 11 July 2018 at the University of Sydney. There will be an exciting atmosphere as hundreds of passionate science teachers, lab assistants and primary teachers from around Australia come together to learn.
There will be a fantastic program of workshops and presentations and visits to some of Sydney ' s premier science and research facilities including the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Australian Museum and the Australian National Maritime Museum.
Fascinating keynotes will be delivered from Professor Lisa Harvey- Smith who uses some of the largest telescopes in the world to study the birth and death of stars, cosmic magnetic fields, black holes and interactions between colliding galaxies; learn from Dr Jeanette Hurst, who is a Senior Science Communicator and Lecturer in Chemistry at The University of Sydney, and listen to insights from Professor Richard Garrett from ANSTO who will discuss some examples of current ' Big Science ' projects.
You will also talk about new tools, resources and teaching practices to make your teaching more effective as there will be a huge range and variety of displayers there to show you the latest and greatest.
This year the Welcome Function will be held at the esteemed Australian Museum, Australia ' s oldest museum, where delegates will have the chance to view the many galleries, then have drinks and nibbles afterwards. Post-conference tours include a 2 day excursion to the Blue Mountains, Mudgee and Jenolan Caves, a one day tour which combines a visit to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation( ANSTO) and a river
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