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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I hope you are safe and well and enjoyed a restful break. This term's newsletter is a bumper edition so please read on or jump to the links that interest you:
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This term we have a variety of workshops to support teachers, including some that are newly NESA Accredited. The Y11 workshops will be particularly useful for teachers being timetabled on the different subjects for the first time in 2023, and also those who would like a refresher. Please click on the links for further details and registration:
Stage 6
- Theory for Y11 Chemistry Teachers – Fri 18/11, Week 6
- Theory for Y11 EES Teachers – Sat 19/11, Week 6
- Theory for Y11 Physics Teachers (Penshurst) – Tue 22/11, Week 7**
- HSC Physics Teachers: Experiments Using Online Sims – Fri 25/11, Week 7
- Theory for Y11 Investigating Science Teachers – Mon 28/11, Week 8
- Theory for Y11 Physics Teachers – Tue 29/11, Week 8* (repeat)
- Experiments for HSC Chemistry Teachers (Kellyville) – Fri 2/12, Week 8*
- Theory for Y11 Biology Teachers – Fri 9/12, Week 9
- Y11 Physics Teachers: Experiments Using Online Sims – Fri 9/12, Week 9
- Experiments for Y11 Physics Teachers (Macarthur) – Tue 13/12, Week 10*
- Experiments for Y11 Biology Teachers (Newcastle) – Tue 13/12, Week 10*
K-6, 7-10: schools or groups of schools can request via our EOI.
*NESA accredited 5 hours each at Proficient (all others 5 hours Elective PD)
*Face-to-face (all others via Zoom)
EARLY BIRD rates of 15% OFF are available on all workshops if purchased by the end of Week 4 (4 Nov). Also, Theory and Experiments workshops in the same subject can be undertaken in isolation or in pairs at reduced rates.
New Accreditation Example
Completing Theory for Y11 Physics Teachers will contribute 5 hours of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Accredited PD in the priority area of Delivery and Assessment of NSW Curriculum/EYLF addressing standard descriptor 2.1.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.
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2. HSC Student Revision Workshops
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With Paul Looyen now onboard (see below), we are continuing termly twilight revision workshops in Physics, 3.30-5.50pm. All other subjects will be run late Term 3/early Term 4 in 2023. Please click on the link for further details and registration:
EARLY BIRD rate of 15% OFF available if purchased by the end of Week 4 (4 Nov).
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We are delighted to welcome Paul Looyen (known to many as Physics High) as the Physics Expert Facilitator at CrookED Science. Bringing his unique skillset as a video maker, HSC Physics marking expert and Science Headteacher, plus his affable personality, Paul will be developing the highest quality resources and delivering teacher and student workshops for CrookED Science. We have many exciting projects in mind, but if you think you would like to be involved in our Physics Partnership Project with Paul from Term 4 or 2023, please contact us ASAP.
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At the end of last term, I ran a staff development day (SDD) for 2 primary schools on Working Scientifically K-6. This is a very popular SDD for large schools or groups of schools. At CrookED Science, we offer a variety of high quality SDDs:
- Working Scientifically K-6
- Digital Technologies K-6
- Working Scientifically & Student Engagement 7-10
- Detailed HSC RAP Analysis
If you are interested in booking us for any of your 2023 SDDs, please contact us ASAP.
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Teachers enjoying a K-6 Working Scientifically SDD
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5. Detailed RAP Analyses of 2022 HSC
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Every Term 1 & 2 we run workshops that include training on detailed RAP analyses for teachers in the different sciences, including the use of our custom made spreadsheets for in-depth comparisons. Details will be published early 2023.
However, we also run half-day, full-day and twilight workshops for teachers from individual and groups of schools e.g. Faculty Heads, Science Department etc. If you are interested in having us run a Detailed RAP Analysis of your 2022 HSC results for your school(s) in 2023, please contact us ASAP.
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6. Student Architects - Winning Designs
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In last term's newsletter, I described the authentic collaboration between Stage 3 students from OLA Pagewood and St Agnes Matraville, and the architects for their new combined school, to design a Sensory Garden. In groups of 3 or 4, all of the Stage 3 students from both schools completed their design concepts. Two winning designs have been chosen from each school. The architects QOH and the school leadership team are in the final stages of selecting the best aspects of the winning student designs to include in the final designs. Well done to all of the students involved, and particularly the winning students and their teachers! (PS - I also had the pleasure of describing this experience at the TGNSW STEM Forum recently, more on that next time).
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A video from one of the winning groups explaining their design choices
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7. Primary Students Using High School Labs
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As part of an initiative to build relationships between feeder primary schools and local high schools, last term we arranged for Stage 2 students from OLA and St Agnes to visit OLSH College Kensington and perform some wonderful experiments, including pH analysis and chromatography, in OLSH's newly refurbished laboratories. Much fun was had by all as can be seen in the delighted looks in the photos below. Many, many thanks to OLSH's Science Leader of Learning, Jacqui Fullard; Lab Tech, Jeremy; and bus driver for the day, Brian.
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8. Congratulations Prof Manju Sharma!
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The TGNSW Awards video. Manju receives her award at 1:36.
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9. AIP Physics in the Pub
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The Australian Institute of Physics NSW Physics in the Pub is always an interesting annual event. With everyone from professors to undergraduates (and a few randoms walking through), we were treated to presentations, demonstrations and even poetry at the Harold Park Hotel. My contribution was a Kahoot! about HSC Physics and education in general. There is a YouTube video knocking around if you want to take a look. Many thanks to compère Dr Phil Dooley and AIPNSW for organising this great event once again.
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Yours truly about to kick off a Kahoot! in a full Harold Park Hotel at the annual AIPNSW Physics in the Pub event
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10. Quoted in the SMH re HSC Physics
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Last month, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article about HSC subject choices being affected by the relative difficulty of subjects and access to Band 6s. In researching the article, author Lucy Carroll contacted me for comment based on my previous publications regarding the inequity of access to Band 6s, particularly for the sciences. Be rest assured, moves are afoot behind the scenes to redress this imbalance.
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11. New, Easy Online Credit Card Payment Facility
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Much to the delight of school Accounts departments I'm sure, we now have a new, easy-to-use online credit card payment facility on the CrookED Science website. Please let your SAMs/Bursars know that if you register for one of our workshops and select 'Pay by Invoice', that invoice can now be paid by PCard or credit card via our secure 'Make a Payment' page via the 'About' menu. (Of course, payment can always be made at the time of registration instead). Please offer our thanks to your SAMs/Bursars for their patience with the more arduous phone payment system operated until now.
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12. Good Luck to all HSC Students!
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And finally, wishing all of our HSC Physics Partnership students and all other students the very best in their forthcoming HSC exams! Only a few weeks to go; this is an important milestone but there is plenty of life after HSC 🙂.
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Wishing you and your students the very best for Term 4.
Kind Regards,
Dr Simon Crook
Director, CrookED Science
Honorary Associate, School of Physics, The University of Sydney
crookedscience.com
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