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SASTA Professional Learning For Middle & Secondary Years

Download the 2024 Professional Learning Calendar (PDF) to see what's on offer. Keep an eye on this page for event registrations when available.

Please note: If you require an invoice for school payment, please simply select Bank Transfer at the payment option during your booking. This will email you an invoice - please wait approximately 15 minutes for this to come through.

Cancellation policy: 

Notice of cancellation received more than 48 hours before the event will incur a standard $50 administration processing fee, any registration fees received in addition to this amount will be refunded. For cancellation notice received less than 48 hours before the event, registration fees unfortunately cannot be refunded. 

Should SASTA need to cancel or reschedule a professional learning event, then all registered delegates can opt either to receive a full refund or have their registration transferred to the rescheduled event.

Are you a SASTA Member? You can receive discounted / free professional learning!
 

Find out all the member services you could receive as part of the SASTA science community and join here

FREE Excursion - FuseTec, Advanced Surgical Training Clinic

Fusetec, Advanced Surgical Training Clinic is a 25x bed surgical training clinic for residents and surgeons to rehearse complex surgical procedures, and continually upskill. Traditional surgical training has been the dissections of cadavers and living people. The clinic is a world first cadaver free surgical training environment, where surgeons can train without being exposed to potential harmful bacteria. The clinic demonstrates a new disruptive surgical training market where surgical training is risk free for all stakeholders.

Please note that this is a SASTA members only event.

This excursion was run as a part of CONASTA 70, you can check out some attendee comments below:

  • 3D printed body parts for surgical training wow. What an entrepreneur, what out of the box thinker.
  • Amazing! FUSETEC is unbelievable! This was an excellent way to showcase the very best in the sciences and how they are integral to human endeavour. I have renewed hope for the ingenuity of people to make a real difference in the world. Who would have thought little old Adelaide is at the "cutting edge".
  • Fusetec was absolutely amazing! Such an impressive organisation.
  • So interesting! I loved attending this workshop!

Details

Date:

Time: 4.00pm - 5.30pm

Venue: Fusetec

Bookings close: 17/03/2024

Event Pricing

Type Regular price
Personal Member (1 day) $0.00
Joint Member (1 day) $0.00
Corporate Member - SA School (1 day) $0.00
SASTA Student Member (1 day) $0.00
1st Year of Teaching (1 day) $0.00
2nd Year of Teaching (1 day) $0.00

Description

Fusetec, Advanced Surgical Training Clinic is a 25x bed surgical training clinic for residents and surgeons to rehearse complex surgical procedures, and continually upskill. Traditional surgical training has been the dissections of cadavers and living people. The clinic is a world first cadaver free surgical training environment, where surgeons can train without being exposed to potential harmful bacteria. The clinic demonstrates a new disruptive surgical training market where surgical training is risk free for all stakeholders.

Please note that this is a SASTA members only event.

This excursion was run as a part of CONASTA 70, you can check out some attendee comments below:

  • 3D printed body parts for surgical training wow. What an entrepreneur, what out of the box thinker.
  • Amazing! FUSETEC is unbelievable! This was an excellent way to showcase the very best in the sciences and how they are integral to human endeavour. I have renewed hope for the ingenuity of people to make a real difference in the world. Who would have thought little old Adelaide is at the "cutting edge".
  • Fusetec was absolutely amazing! Such an impressive organisation.
  • So interesting! I loved attending this workshop!

Date: Wednesday 20 March 2024

Time: 4:00pm – 5.30pm

Venue: Fusetec

Meeting Point: L4 / 21 North Terrace.

2024 Pre-Service Teacher Professional Learning Day

FREE for SASTA Members!

This Professional Learning Day has been specifically designed for pre-service (and Early Career) teachers who will be teaching science. 

The workshops cover a range of interactive and engaging presentations from experienced practitioners to provide the tools and skills needed to survive and thrive in the early years of being a science educator.

This day is suitable for Primary and Secondary pre-service teachers and early career teachers.

Focusing on the development of sustainable, professional practice in early career science teachers, the topics covered include high impact teaching strategies, key concepts and key ideas, task design and teacher wellbeing.

See the full program and workshop descriptions HERE

Details

Date:

Time: 8.30am - 3.15pm

Venue: Education Development Centre

Bookings close: 20/03/2024

Event Pricing

Type Regular price
Personal Member (1 day) $0.00
1st Year of Teaching (1 day) $0.00
2nd Year of Teaching (1 day) $0.00
SASTA Student Member (1 day) $0.00
Corporate Member - SA School (1 day) $0.00
Personal Non-Member (1 day) $145.00
1st Year of Teaching Non-Member (1 day) $50.00
2nd Year of Teaching Non-Member (1 day) $80.00
Student Non-Member (1 day) $30.00

Description

FREE for SASTA Members!

This Professional Learning Day has been specifically designed for pre-service (and Early Career) teachers who will be teaching science. 

The workshops cover a range of interactive and engaging presentations from experienced practitioners to provide the tools and skills needed to survive and thrive in the early years of being a science educator.

This day is suitable for Primary and Secondary pre-service teachers and early career teachers.

Focusing on the development of sustainable, professional practice in early career science teachers, the topics covered include high impact teaching strategies, key concepts and key ideas, task design and teacher wellbeing.

See the full program and workshop descriptions HERE

  Book now

MEMBERS FREE Webinar Series: The Mega Guide to teaching Science: 50 hints and tips for seriously fun learning

Presenter: Lara Lang, Director, Professional Learning, Australian Science and Mathematics School.

Make your science lessons seriously fun and epically effective with this interactive compilation of 50 hints and tips covering:

  • increasing student motivation and engagement
  • learning through activities that promote movement
  • alternatives to worksheets/textbook learning for engaging and collaborative learning
  • broadening how you assess and look for evidence of learning to empower and support students
  • scaffolds for developing science inquiry skills for deeper thinking
  • building agency and ownership of learning in students for amazing outcomes
  • easy differentiation that doesn't take hours
  • making effective and creative lessons from limited resources

Be prepared to have lots of fun, be interactive, collect a ton of ideas and plan your entire next term's worth of lessons in 20 mins!

Details

Date:

Time: 1.00pm - 4.00pm

Venue: Online

Bookings close: 09/04/2024

Event Pricing

Type Regular price
Personal Member (1 day) $0.00
Corporate Member - SA School (1 day) $0.00
1st Year of Teaching Member (1 day) $0.00
2nd Year of Teaching Member (1 day) $0.00
Student Member (1 day) $0.00
Joint Member (1 day) $0.00
Life Member (1 day) $0.00
Retired Member (1 day) $0.00

Description

Presenter: Lara Lang, Director, Professional Learning, Australian Science and Mathematics School.

Make your science lessons seriously fun and epically effective with this interactive compilation of 50 hints and tips covering:

  • increasing student motivation and engagement
  • learning through activities that promote movement
  • alternatives to worksheets/textbook learning for engaging and collaborative learning
  • broadening how you assess and look for evidence of learning to empower and support students
  • scaffolds for developing science inquiry skills for deeper thinking
  • building agency and ownership of learning in students for amazing outcomes
  • easy differentiation that doesn't take hours
  • making effective and creative lessons from limited resources

Be prepared to have lots of fun, be interactive, collect a ton of ideas and plan your entire next term's worth of lessons in 20 mins!

Available sessions   Book now

2024 SASTA Annual Conference

Details

Date:

Time: 8.30am - 5.30pm

Venue: St Peter's Girls School

Earlybird cutoff: 15/03/2024 (no longer available)

Bookings close: 10/04/2024

Event Pricing

Type Regular price
Non-Member (1 day) $300.00
Personal Member (1 day) $180.00
Personal Member - Lab Officer (1 day) $150.00
SASTA Student Member (1 day) $70.00
Corporate Member (SA School) (1 day) $240.00
Corporate Member (Business or Interstate School) (1 day) $240.00
Life Member (1 day) $180.00
Retired Member (1 day) $180.00
Joint Member (1 day) $180.00
Presenter Non-Commercial (Non-Member) (1 day) $150.00
Presenter Non-Commercial (Member) (1 day) $90.00
Presenter Non-Commercial (Corporate - SA School) (1 day) $120.00
Presenter Non-Commercial (Lab Officer) (1 day) $75.00
1st Year of Teaching SASTA Member (1 day) $180.00
2nd Year of Teaching SASTA Member (1 day) $180.00
Type Regular price
Non-Member (2 days) $440.00
Personal Member (2 days) $260.00
Personal Member - Lab Officer (2 days) $220.00
SASTA Student Member (2 days) $120.00
Corporate Member (SA School) (2 days) $350.00
Corporate Member (Business or Interstate School) (2 days) $350.00
Life Member (2 days) $260.00
Retired Member (2 days) $260.00
Joint Member (2 days) $260.00
Presenter Non-Commercial (Non-Member) (2 days) $330.00
Presenter Non-Commercial (Member) (2 days) $195.00
Presenter Non-Commercial (Corporate - SA School) (2 days) $262.50
Presenter Non-Commercial (Lab Officer) (2 days) $165.00
1st Year of Teaching SASTA Member (2 days) $260.00
2nd Year of Teaching SASTA Member (2 days) $260.00
Presenter Non-Commercial (Member) (2 days) $195.00

Available sessions   Book now

Inspire & Engage: Crafting Innovative Science Lessons to Engage Young Minds

Presenter: Ross Riach, STEM Innovator & Laboratory Coordinator, Gleeson College

With the drive for embedded capabilities, STEM engagement and uptake and the rapidly evolving world around us, engaging students in science can be a challenge. We as teachers are often challenged by time to update or innovate our practice and the array of misconceptions or attitudes circling pedagogical best practices and outcomes. 

This course is designed for all teachers to provide the tools and strategies to promote and harness the benefits of engagement, embed immersive, gamified and storytelling strategies to your lessons and create a love of science through innovative practices.

Details

Date:

Time: 9.00am - 3.00pm

Venue: Education Development Centre

Bookings close: 08/05/2024

Event Pricing

Type Regular price
Personal Member (1 day) $145.00
Joint Member (1 day) $145.00
Corporate Member - SA School (1 day) $185.00
Non-Member (1 day) $225.00
SASTA Student Member (1 day) $50.00
1st Year of Teaching (1 day) $145.00
2nd Year of Teaching (1 day) $145.00

Description

Presenter: Ross Riach, STEM Innovator & Laboratory Coordinator, Gleeson College

With the drive for embedded capabilities, STEM engagement and uptake and the rapidly evolving world around us, engaging students in science can be a challenge. We as teachers are often challenged by time to update or innovate our practice and the array of misconceptions or attitudes circling pedagogical best practices and outcomes. 

This course is designed for all teachers to provide the tools and strategies to promote and harness the benefits of engagement, embed immersive, gamified and storytelling strategies to your lessons and create a love of science through innovative practices.

The gaming industry and the marketing industry are valued at $294 billion and $1.7 trillion respectively and are the most effective distractions and manipulators of our students today, yet modern teaching has not yet embraced the “if you can't beat them, use their tactics” mentality and continues to use traditional methods of teaching that have not evolved drastically since before the first mobile app was invented. 

This professional development journey will equip you with both the 'why' and the 'how,' providing a wealth of resources and collaborative opportunities to enhance your teaching skills alongside fellow forward-thinking educators. You’ll discover the science behind engagement in learning and how it will make your students retain information longer, be more present and unleash a renewed love for science. From tips to avoid the dreaded Death by PowerPoint to embedding gamification, effective check-ins, lesson design and integrating storytelling into your practices, you’ll walk away with a plethora of ideas, inspiration and resources to transform the science classroom. 

Together, let’s ignite a passion for science in our students and inspire the next generation of STEM innovators.

Content:

  • The value of engagement: the Psychology and benefits of engagement on learning.
  • Avoiding death by PowerPoint
  • Creating simple gamified quizzes in your lessons
  • Storytelling in education
  • Effective check-in strategies in the lesson. 
  • Principles of a good lesson (discussion and collaboration)
  • Supporting your student’s cognitive capacity and using it to your advantage
  • Gamification

Hands-on opportunities to experiment and develop your own skills.

Year level: This course and its concepts are suitable for all year levels, but resources shared will focus on years 7-10

Presenter Bio: Ross Riach is an experienced Science / Physics teacher, STEM leader, winner of the 2023 SA Oustanding Science Teacher Award, twice-shortlisted SA STEMM Educator of the Year, AITSL certified Highly Accomplished Teacher and Initial Teacher Education (ITE) certified panellist. With a passion for innovation and STEM, Ross aims to inspire the same love of learning and science that he possesses. Ross brings a wealth of life experience from different industries and a passion for gamification, thematic learning approaches, STEM and Escape Rooms in education.

  Book now

MEMBERS FREE Webinar Series: Embedding gamification, innovation, immersion and storytelling into science lessons to engage and inspire

Presenter: Ross Riach, STEM Innovator & Laboratory Coordinator, Gleeson College

This course is designed for all teachers to provide the tools and strategies to promote and harness the benefits of engagement, embed immersive, gamified and storytelling strategies to your lessons and create a love of science through innovative practices. This course is a modified version of the full day PD offered, focusing more on the benefits, approaches and examples of engaging science lessons without the hands-on, directed coaching on the skills to build / collaboration with peers to develop your own work.

This professional development journey will equip you with both the 'why' and the 'how,' providing a wealth of resources and collaborative opportunities to enhance your teaching skills alongside fellow forward-thinking educators. You’ll discover the science behind engagement in learning and how it will make your students retain information longer, be more present and unleash a renewed love for science. From tips to avoid the dreaded Death by PowerPoint to embedding gamification, effective check-ins, lesson design and integrating storytelling into your practices, you’ll walk away with a plethora of ideas, inspiration and resources to transform the science classroom. 

Details

Date:

Time: 1.00pm - 4.00pm

Venue: Online

Bookings close: 14/05/2024

Event Pricing

Type Regular price
Personal Member (1 day) $0.00
Corporate Member - SA School (1 day) $0.00
1st Year of Teaching Member (1 day) $0.00
2nd Year of Teaching Member (1 day) $0.00
Student Member (1 day) $0.00
Joint Member (1 day) $0.00
Life Member (1 day) $0.00
Retired Member (1 day) $0.00

Description

Presenter: Ross Riach, STEM Innovator & Laboratory Coordinator, Gleeson College

This course is designed for all teachers to provide the tools and strategies to promote and harness the benefits of engagement, embed immersive, gamified and storytelling strategies to your lessons and create a love of science through innovative practices. This course is a modified version of the full day PD offered, focusing more on the benefits, approaches and examples of engaging science lessons without the hands-on, directed coaching on the skills to build / collaboration with peers to develop your own work.

This professional development journey will equip you with both the 'why' and the 'how,' providing a wealth of resources and collaborative opportunities to enhance your teaching skills alongside fellow forward-thinking educators. You’ll discover the science behind engagement in learning and how it will make your students retain information longer, be more present and unleash a renewed love for science. From tips to avoid the dreaded Death by PowerPoint to embedding gamification, effective check-ins, lesson design and integrating storytelling into your practices, you’ll walk away with a plethora of ideas, inspiration and resources to transform the science classroom. 

Available sessions   Book now

2024 The SHE Task Workshop (REPEAT)

Please note that this is a REPEAT session of the previous workshop held in March, not a follow up session. 

Presenter: Jason Greenslade, Curriculum Leader Science, Westminster School

This workshop is aimed at people who want to further their skills in setting, assessment and providing feedback on the SHE task. It also will cover the writing and marking of SHE questions for tests and examinations. There will be time to examine your own student work and participate in some cross-moderation and marking of work/drafts.

Details

Date:

Time: 9.00 am - 3.00 pm

Venue: Education Development Centre

Bookings close: 12/06/2024

Event Pricing

Type Regular price
Personal Member (1 day) $145.00
Joint Member (1 day) $145.00
Corporate Member - SA School (1 day) $185.00
Non-Member (1 day) $225.00
SASTA Student Member (1 day) $50.00
1st Year of Teaching (1 day) $145.00
2nd Year of Teaching (1 day) $145.00

Description

Please note that this is a REPEAT session of the previous workshop held in March, not a follow up session. 

Presenter: Jason Greenslade, Curriculum Leader Science, Westminster School

This workshop is aimed at people who want to further their skills in setting, assessment and providing feedback on the SHE task. It also will cover the writing and marking of SHE questions for tests and examinations. There will be time to examine your own student work and participate in some cross-moderation and marking of work/drafts.

Morning Sessions: The SHE Task

  • Performance Standards
  • Introducing + structuring the task
  • Providing guidance to students (drafting)
  • Marking and moderation

Afternoon Session: SHE Questions in SATs/Exams

  • Types of questions
  • Guiding students to answer these questions
  • Writing SHE questions – how to effectively use articles + how to structure them

  Book now

FREE Excursion - SA Water Desalination Plant

The Adelaide Desalination Plant at Lonsdale is the state’s largest desalination plant able to produce 100 gigalitres a year. As metropolitan Adelaide’s only climate-independent source of drinking water, it has been delivering drinking water since 2011.

Join a guided tour to see how we turn seawater into fresh clean drinking water, and how important desalination is to South Australia’s water security.

Please note, this tour takes place from a vehicle. 

Also, morning tea will be provided.

Participants will need to make their own way to the venue.

Please note that this is a SASTA members only event.

Details

Date:

Time: 10.00am - 12.00pm

Venue: Adelaide Desalination Plant

Bookings close: 03/07/2024

Event Pricing

Type Regular price
Personal Member (1 day) $0.00
Joint Member (1 day) $0.00
Corporate Member - SA School (1 day) $0.00
SASTA Student Member (1 day) $0.00
1st Year of Teaching (1 day) $0.00
2nd Year of Teaching (1 day) $0.00

Description

The Adelaide Desalination Plant at Lonsdale is the state’s largest desalination plant able to produce 100 gigalitres a year. As metropolitan Adelaide’s only climate-independent source of drinking water, it has been delivering drinking water since 2011.

Join a guided tour to see how we turn seawater into fresh clean drinking water, and how important desalination is to South Australia’s water security.

Please note, this tour takes place from a vehicle. 

Also, morning tea will be provided.

Participants will need to make their own way to the venue.

Please note that this is a SASTA members only event.

Date: Monday 8 July

Time: 10.00am - 12.00pm

Venue: Adelaide Desalination Plant

15 Chrysler Rd, Lonsdale SA 5160

  Book now