Monday 16 December 2013


 From Joann Cattlin: 

The First Year in Maths Project (FYiMaths)  and the Institute of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education (IISME) are holding a national forum on 13th and 14th February 2014, at the University of Sydney - Assumed knowledge in maths: Its broad impact on tertiary STEM programs. The forum will be considering the impact of students’ entry level knowledge in maths on all STEM programs. We would like to invite you as network leaders to participate in the forum and encourage your members to attend.  There are a number of ways you can be involved in the forum, by facilitating a session, presenting or showcasing new teaching or learning support initiatives in your discipline. We are open to your suggestions.

I have attached the draft program and invitation which you are welcome to circulate.  You may also like to highlight to your members that we are calling for presenters for a session on Day 1.  There will be a presentation session on current initiatives in maths and science teaching responding to the diverse background of students. These will be sharp 8 minute presentations followed by a brief Q&A. We are asking people to submit an abstract no more than 500 words outlining the initiative by 10 January 2014. Those submitting abstracts may be invited to submit full papers for publication in a special issue of IJISME. Please send your abstract to: joann.cattlin@unimelb.edu.au  

If you have any questions or would like more information about any of the above, please feel free to contact me.

Regards
Joann Cattlin
Project Manager (Part time)
First Year in Maths Project (FYiMaths)
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
University of Melbourne
Parkville VIC 3010
Ph: 03 9035 8694

SaMnet Scholars



Looking for a keynote for your next workshop, colloquium or seminar?

Please consider one of our fabulous SaMnet Scholars -  their 'tried and tested', innovative, leading edge teaching practices are highlighted in the attached document.

Monday 14 October 2013

Call for papers- STEM 2014

CALL FOR PAPERS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
STEM 2014 Conference | July 12-15
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver, Canada
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

STEM Education and Our Planet:
Making Connections Across Contexts

The International Conference of STEM in Education is an opportunity for educators and researchers from schools, universities, colleges, businesses, industries and other private and public agencies to share and discuss their innovative practices and research initiatives that may advance STEM education.
The conference will create opportunities for sharing:
·      information and knowledge through keynote addresses from world leaders in STEM education, papers, poster presentations, panels, workshops, symposia, and innovative showcases; 
·      effective STEM pedagogical practices and strategies in and across a variety of education settings;
·      the most contemporary STEM research initiatives and their outcomes;
·      professional development approaches for STEM educators in a range of educational contexts; 
·      experiences and networking between participants from across the globe.
Join us in the summer of 2014 at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in beautiful Vancouver, Canada.  Submit your proposal to present at the STEM 2014 Conference at http://stem2014.ubc.ca.  Call for Papers closes December 9, 2013.
  
We invite proposals from educators, academics, education officers, industry partners, graduate and undergraduate students for papers, poster presentations, panels, workshops, symposia, and innovative showcases.  Proposals will be peer reviewed, and are invited in any area related to the overall focus of the conference, including: 
  1. Innovation in STEM Research
  2. Innovative Resources for STEM Education
  3. Transformation in Educational Practices through STEM
  4. Sustainability Education and STEM
  5. Interdisciplinary Approaches to Popular Science Education
  6. Life-long learning in STEM
  7. STEM learning in and across formal and informal contexts
  8. Curriculum Theory and Development in STEM
  9. Educational Philosophy and Theory about STEM
  10. Educational Policy, Leadership and Management for STEM
  11. Rural Education and STEM
  12. Special Education and STEM
  13. Educational Technology in STEM
  14. Teacher Education and Professional Development in STEM
  15. Design and Technology Education
  16. Science Fiction and STEM Education
  17. Disasters and STEM Education
  18. Other related STEM topics will also be considered
Presenters whose papers are accepted for the Conference will be invited to submit their full papers to be published in the peer-reviewed online STEM 2014 Conference Proceedings. Author guidelines are available on the conference website:

Wednesday 2 October 2013

The Australian Council for Education Research and the L.H. Martin institute are presenting forums on student engagement around Australia:

The fora focus on:

  • Effective institutional practices for engaging students
  • Successful academic and support partnerships
  • Engaging 21st Century students
  • Using technology in the classroom and beyond
  • Building effective campus-wide engagement practices

Interestingly, they refer to 

a forthcoming research briefing that reviews practice in Australia

I hadn't heard of the  L.H. Martin institute: they seem to be a tertiary education think-tank:



Our mission
We aim to improve management and leadership in the tertiary education sector by providing an integrated set of education, training and bespoke programs which are underpinned by research, and by holding forums and events which cater specifically to the sector.


Sunday 7 July 2013

PhET simulations

The university of Colorado at Boulder has a well-regarded collection of simulations for use in High School and University.

 Do you thinkg the MRI  is engaging enough for the aspiring Doctors who do Physics for Life Sciences in first year? Let me know at peg.convenor@gmail.com.

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Adapting to a Changing World---Challenges and Opportunities in Undergraduate Physics Education
is available free from The National Academies Press at
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18312

Quote from NSF website:
Adapting to a Changing World was commissioned by the National Science Foundation to examine the present status of undergraduate physics education, including the state of physics education research, and, most importantly, to develop a series of recommendations for improving physics education that draws from the knowledge we have about learning and effective teaching. Our committee has endeavored to do so, with great interest and more than a little passion.
The Committee on Undergraduate Physics Education Research and Implementation was established in 2010 by the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Research Council. This report summarizes the committee's response to its statement of task, which requires the committee to produce a report that identifies the goals and challenges facing undergraduate physics education and identifies how best practices for undergraduate physics education can be implemented on a widespread and sustained basis, assess the status of physics education research (PER) and discuss how PER can assist in accomplishing the goal of improving undergraduate physics education best practices and education policy.

Thanks to John Holdsworth for passing this on.

Friday 3 May 2013

2013 Undergraduate Research Conference

The Second Conference on Undergraduate Research is calling for submissions. It's in Sydney in September; abstracts due 1 July. I'll be submitting my best undergraduate students' research work. Judging by last year's abstracts, the standard will be high.

Here is a nice call-for-papers poster for your department corridor.

Wednesday 1 May 2013

ACSME call for papers

Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education (The 19th UniServe Science Conference)
Thursday 19th to Saturday 21st September 2013 at the Australian National University and the University of Canberra

Students in transition – The learners’ journey

CALL FOR PAPERS


Dear Colleagues,

This is the first Call for Papers for the Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education (ACSME). The theme for this year’s conference, which will be held from Thursday 19th to Saturday 21st September 2013, is Students in transition – The learners’ journey. Please note the change in days of the conference and program compared to previous years (see attached draft program summary).

We invite submissions using our online submission portal. Full details, guidelines, and links are available on the conference website at http://sydney.edu.au/iisme/conference/2013/index.shtml. Closing date for all submissions is Friday 7 June 2013. Details of our Keynote speakers – Professor Brian Schmidt, Professor Ian Chubb, Professor Richard Baker, Professor John Loughran, and Professor Roy Tasker are also available on the website.

Online registrations will be opening soon. Early Bird registrations close on 8 August 2013. We will be sending out further bulletins in the coming weeks including updates on the program, details of accommodation and social functions.

Please pass this notice on to any colleagues who may also be interested in attending our conference. We would appreciate it if you could print the poster (attached) and display in your department.

We look forward to your attendance and contribution to our conference.

Kind Regards,
Alexandra Yeung

------
Dr. Alexandra Yeung |
Manager, Institute for Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education (IISME)
Associate Director, Advancing Science by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory (ASELL) Project

THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
21 Ross Street | Forest Lodge | NSW | 2037 | Australia
T +61 2 9351 8715 | M +61438874435
E alexandra.yeung@sydney.edu.au W http://sydney.edu.au/iisme
CRICOS 00026A
This email plus any attachments to it are confidential. Any unauthorised use is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please delete it and any attachments.








Thursday 25 April 2013

2013 ACSME Physics Education network Discipline Day and Workshop

Dear Physics Educators,

It is time to organise the discipline day at ACSME. Can anyone who is interested in helping (even in a small way, e.g. by supplying ideas) please contact me at

peg.convenor@gmail.com 

Here is some information from Luby Simpson: 

You may be aware that the 2013 Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education will be held in Canberra over the 19th - 21st of September.
The theme of the 2013 ACSME conference will be "Students in transition - the learners' journey".  Key ideas encompassed by this theme include the transitions to higher education in science and mathematics, supporting underprepared students and pathways from university to employment.  You can see more about the 2013 ACSME conference at its current website



The first day of the 2013 ACSME conference is designated the Discipline and Workshop Day, and I'm keen to invite the Physics Education network to host an afternoon discipline network workshop as part of program:
Tentative program:
9:00 - 11:00  Morning session - themed workshops
11:00 - 12:00  Morning tea and tour of T&L spaces/DVC-E and Dean of ESTeM welcomes
12:00 - 1:00  SaMnet Scholars Meeting/SAFFIRE display
1:00 - 3:30    Afternoon Session - Discipline network workshops
3:45 - buses to University House, ANU

Fostering Learning Improvements in Physics (FLIP)

Hi Folks,

the Fostering Learning Improvements in physics project needs our input. It is an excellent reflective exercise, and a good way to become involved in international  Physics Education Research. Please spread the word to your physics colleagues.

 Note it is an online survey which closes on 7 May. 

 Below is some more information from the authors, and a link to the survey.


I am contacting you regarding the Fostering Learning Improvements in Physics (FLIP) project, which is studying the prevalence and impact of physics education research (PER) within Australia and internationally.

FLIP is based at the University of Edinburgh and has been jointly commissioned by the Institute of Physics<http://www.iop.org/> and the Economic and Social Research Council<http://www.esrc.ac.uk/> (UK).  Full details of the project are available at www.ph.ed.ac.uk/flip<http://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/flip>.

One goal of the FLIP project is to characterise the PER landscape internationally (i.e., what research is done, who funds it) and to seek evidence that PER can lead to improved teaching and learning of undergraduate physics.

To this end, we are conducting a survey of Australian PER researchers<http://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/flip/flip-surveys/australian-physics-education-research-survey>. Your participation in this survey is vital to our efforts to summarise PER activity in Australia and highlight its impact on the teaching and learning of physics. This will complement our findings on PER in Europe and the UK, and existing data from the US.


The survey is open for 2 weeks, and will close on Tuesday 7th May.


I look forward to hearing your views.

Thursday 28 February 2013

The Australian Physics Education Network

A group of AIP PEG folk recently asked the Office of Learning and Teaching for money to support a network of University Physics Educators. This means money for people like you to go to conferences, meet other educators, write papers and apply for funding. This way you can do more for student learning and get yourself recognised (i.e. promoted)

We will find out about the money later in the year, but we can start now. I am particularly interested in the grassroots ; if you don't have any funds for travel, and don't have time or headspace to write up what you do, then I'd like to know what you need. Email me!(d.hoxley@latrobe.edu.au)

Saturday 23 February 2013

Test post

This is a test post to ensure that documents can be shared. It will be deleted later.

Here is a nice picture of the Aurora Borealis.

Welcome

Welcome to the blog of the Australian Institute of Physics Education group. This blog is a growing repository of information, augmenting rather than replacing the PEG email list. For example, links to Google Documents will be emailed rather than the documents themselves.

Comments have been disabled: please feed back to

peg.convenor@gmail.com.

Let's see how it goes!

-- David Hoxley