Hello! My name is Natalie LoBianco and I am a preservice teacher at the University of Northern Iowa in the United States pursuing a degree in elementary education. This is my first #asechat !
Hello Natalie! Will be interested to hear your US perspective, are you a member of @NSTA and will you get chance to attend any of their conferences? #asechat
I went to an IoP Network day in Leicester. Since I have worked in 5 schools in and around Leicester it was great to catch up with all my previous colleagues - though physics is a small world! #ASEChat
@ViciaScience I have not, but I would love suggestions of conferences you have been to or information you have gained from attending some! I have recently become a member of NSTA through my science course this semester. #asechat
The Northern Conference has been held for the last few years at Sheffield Hallam in November. We are thinking of doing this again next year, but would welcome suggestions and comments to help our planning #ASEChat
Both are important in my experience. I love the ASE Annual conference for the sheer choice of sessions and it's the place where evryone in science ed meets up #asechat
I attended NSTA conferences in San Francisco and Atlanta. They are huge! But very worthwhile for us in UK to see what priorities and methods exist in US #ASEChat
You’ll have to excuse me and @ViciaScience coming up with similar tweets, I think we are on the same wavelength ;) (and also still pretty jet lagged)#asechat
The one day ASE conferences are quite different in atmosphere to the annual conference - different but hard to say if one is better than other. Need both in my opinion #ASEChat
It's #WorldToiletDay! Why not keep up to date with what's happening underneath London with @TidewayLondon download their free AR app to see the tunnel boring machine in action! #education#ASEchat
It's important to plan a route through a conference. Look at the titles and descriptors carefully. At the ASE Annual conference I often follow a theme. This year it will be assessment for me. And look at biogs for the presenters #asechat
Hey @teacherchalky1 it would be great if you could schedule your advertising tweets at other times than the 8-9pm #asechat time, it messes up the record of the tweets
For me yeah, I am a people person. It's great to connect and collaborate. Though seeing really good teaching, from people with loads of enthusiasm helps you remember why you love teaching and love being a teacher #ASEChat
Running late so will jump right in by asking - often one day conferences lack focus as there are too many disparate sessions. Does a more focused day work better? #asechat
Planning an ASE conference needs to think about the wide range of members likely to attend - and to be of interest to those who are not yet members #ASEChat
I am a member of NSTA! I joined this fall, so I am fairly new, however, I have gained so much through my membership already. I have accessed over 40 articles & lesson plans, shared knowledge through public forums, and hopefully participate in an online conference! #asechat
Yep #rEDIpswich on Saturday. I don't think they have sustained impact as such, but they're great for triggering ideas and conversations. Often ones you don't expect.
Think its important to make connections outside of your context whatever stage of your career. You never know where the next informal discussion will take you! #asechat bonus of being an @thease member too
How can we encourage teachers and technicians who haven't been to an #ASEConf before to dip their toes in the water? Is a regional conference or teachmeet less scary? #ASEChat
I think one key difference is that the speakers at local one day conferences are often people who will be back in their classrooms come Monday morning. This is not always the case at annual conference #asechat
I think that is very true. When you are new the programme is the main draw. Or maybe some famous keynote speakers. But year on year the people become more and more important. #ASEChat
Next year is the International Year of the Periodic Table. We have a Science & Engineering Day event on 16th March, so we are looking to align at least a keynote with this #asechat
What stops people coming? Do they just not know about the conferences or is there another factor like cost/time. It's hard to ask those who could have come why they didn't! :) #asechat
I am a member of NSTA! I joined this fall, so I am fairly new, however, I have gained so much through my membership already. I have accessed over 40 articles & lesson plans, shared knowledge through public forums, and hopefully participate in an online conference! #asechat
Pay them??? Or offer subsidised transport, Run a competition for say 20 free places. Hopefully we might have good enough records to ensure they were first timers? #ASEchat
No. And I had conversations with a few Science teachers saying they think we need a specific Science one. I didn't get to see lots of Sci sessions I wanted to. #asechat
What used to put me off was lack of depth on usually the one thing that I was really interested in. Then it was justifying the time requirement for that one thing. #asechat
Run them at weekends you get the people who can't get out of school but lose the people who feel it should be part of their working week and that weekends are sacrosanct, hold them during the week and its the obverse #ASEchat
Important for general day conferences that programmes have sufficient relevant and current content for range of delegates. Delegates should be able to use them to access knowledgeable others they cannot access elsewhere to complement other CPD activities #asechat
In reply to
@ViciaScience, @MaryUYSEG, @DrDavidBoyce
#asechat yes but.... we have a brillliant range of speakers delivering workshopa on #Sustainabilityeducation but sadly it hasn't been 'current' for years. I am proud of the support @theASE has given to this theme despite it being largely ignored by our central government.
But on the other hand, I was sat in @olicav session and enjoying it anyway for the #cogscisci stuff... then he started talking about triangles! And suddenly a load of thoughts linked into place. I'm looking at Johnstone's triangle with a @ChemEdResGroup fellowship so #asechat 1/2
In reply to
@ViciaScience, @olicav, @ChemEdResGroup
Always a challenge - we put on a programme with a common theme but attempt to cater for EYFS -> KS4. Last year theme was 'inclusion'. Unfortunately we get few technicians attending on Saturdays #ASEChat
If you’ve not been before it is not less scary. When you see a friendly face you’ve already taken the plunge to attend.
We all suffer from “imposter syndrome” #asechat
How can we encourage teachers and technicians who haven't been to an #ASEConf before to dip their toes in the water? Is a regional conference or teachmeet less scary? #ASEChat
Perhaps just me but have largely stopped going to conferences. It sometimes triggers or consolidates an idea but I think the overall impact on my work is less than, say, a day reading. #asechat
Which means putting the programme together in plenty of time so people can identify the sessions they want to go to and show their managers why it is worth attending. #ASEChat
In reply to
@stuartphysics, @ViciaScience, @DrDavidBoyce
Yes! I remember following it on twitter :-) @hrogerson spoke there. I was saying this to @SBTAteach I think this would be a great thing for #teameast and #asechat to think about doing :-)
In reply to
@dodiscimus, @ViciaScience, @hrogerson, @SBTAteach
They vary, but generally we have exhibitors. On Saturday we started with an exhibitor/networking session. A science keynote from University of Brsitol. Then workshops. #asechat
Our format this time was four one hour sessions each with a choice of five workshops run by one or more speakers, with significant gaps for breaks to allow time in exhibition and to chat #ASEChat
@ViciaScience Since you have had the opportunity to attend conferences in both the UK and the US, are the curriculum/systems of each country similar or different? Does anyone have suggestions of teaching techniques in the UK that I could implement in my US classroom? #asechat
And reading is very worthwhile pd, but probably more effective once gained some experience in the classroom. Many attendees at our conference are trainees, sometimes in SCITTS, and they benefit from meeting others and identifying new ideas #ASEChat
Agree that it's unlikely to have sustained impact. It's a trigger for me. Of ideas and conversations. And as @agittner as a trigger for further reading and possibly rabbit holes ;-) #asechat
or be something a bit more generic. Have had idea of "writing in science" conference for a while now and there's interest around but - you know - busy. #asechat
If you go to the what works clearing house, it is very like the EEF toolkit. I think there are enough similarities for it to be useful https://t.co/i2EIQIce2k#asechat
I know! ;-) see earlier reply :-) I think we need another. @SBTAteach was talking about doing a #teameast one and I think it's a brilliant idea. #asechat
In reply to
@MaryUYSEG, @agittner, @ViciaScience, @SBTAteach
That would be great for PD but probably more aligned with a curriculum development project than a conference? #ASEChat Sadly seems fewer opps for this sort of work currently
It can also be important to go outside your normal range, twitter and social media can lead you to exist in an echo chamber. Like you found sometimes ideas from left field are the best #ASEchat
Last year at #ASEConf North we had a strand through the day on teaching about energy - seemed to go well, people could dip in and out or stay for the whole thing Maybe we could do that again @ViciaScience#ASEChat
In reply to
@dodiscimus, @ViciaScience, @chemDrK, @ViciaScience
Makes sense. I tend to already have a lot more ideas than I can do anything with. I'm kind of lazy on follow through. That might be why conferences don't work that well for me. #asechat
There are significant differences, often related to assessment but not only that. However, we both teach the same subject to the same sorts of youngsters and so similarities far outweigh the differences. #ASEChat
Science standards are different, but the content is pretty similar. You could try looking on @theASE website and @STEMLearningUK to see things from a UK perspective #ASEchat
@ViciaScience Since you have had the opportunity to attend conferences in both the UK and the US, are the curriculum/systems of each country similar or different? Does anyone have suggestions of teaching techniques in the UK that I could implement in my US classroom? #asechat
I think we should remember that sometimes a conference can be about personal inspiration. At the SW conference on Saturday we had a keynote on the biochemistry of growth. As a biochemist (originally), it was superb. #asechat
So how much would you consider paying to register for a one day local science education conference - and what would you expect to receive in return? #ASEChat
It was excellent. Broad enough to cater for various foci and but being subject-specific cut out talk at crossed-purposes. Exam board involvement was good. These things do get back into classrooms and shared at dept meetings.
In reply to
@chemDrK, @dodiscimus, @ViciaScience, @hrogerson, @SBTAteach
I agree, one of the main purposes of one-off day conference is the stimulus of new ideas. CPD of greater impact is likely to be longer term sustained activities which then build on and use these new ideas #asechat
In reply to
@chemDrK, @dodiscimus, @ViciaScience, @agittner
The only danger of having the flexibility to get up and leave is when everybody does just that as soon as your presentation title is on the screen! #ASEChat
In reply to
@MaryUYSEG, @dodiscimus, @ViciaScience, @chemDrK
I will be honest sometimes I find myself sitting in a CPD session already planning the next lessons where an Idea in the first 15 minutes has taken my mind off in a tangent. #ASEchat (Just in case Fiona and Leigh are watching, not on Saturday) #ASEchat
#asechat@Ms_LoBianco we look at the science curricular of both UK and US schools (at primary/elementary level) and there are many detailed differences, but at the end of the day, it's about teaching science concepts
I went to a session by Sarah Old, Ofqual on Saturday about what we have learned from the new GCSE specs. The teachers valued the opportunity to feedback and learned from each other and the feedback to date. There was a sense of recognition of common issues #asechat
This is why the role of your organisation is important, do they allow you reflection time, and opportunity to work with colleagues on more sustained activity related to your learning? #asechat PD is more than the initial input
I agree, one of the main purposes of one-off day conference is the stimulus of new ideas. CPD of greater impact is likely to be longer term sustained activities which then build on and use these new ideas #asechat
In reply to
@chemDrK, @dodiscimus, @ViciaScience, @agittner
But that is fine. If you come away at the end of the day with one really useful idea that can be implemented that is success - particularly if you have identified a problem, found a solution and can reflect on its success? #ASEChat
Good call. Curriculum is up for grabs once again, with the announcement that the DfE wants to employ gurus for us https://t.co/chUkPLMpqz whereas Salters has launched its own curric review to be ready and waiting. https://t.co/7Bx5BmYJ2p#ASEChat
The evaluation sheets the ASE give out at least try to focus on thinking about what actions delegates will go away to do. Sometimes the actions are around personal growth and not activities #ASEchat
I think it would be great to be able to develop curriculum materials as part of CPD - giving teachers opportunity to develop writing skills and think hard about science with others. #asechat
So do you think it important that if teachers give up their time and pay to listen to speakers, those speakers need to be 'high profile' rather than classroom practitioners? #ASEChat
I would love to see conferences on themes such as how to incorporate interactive science notebooks, how to create phenomena-driven lessons, and how to make lessons more student centered. #asechat
ResearchEd is about £25 and I think that's about average for a Saturday one, as teachers often pay for themselves (not from our school, but often...).
For a midweek one, people pay all sorts
Seen one day conferences that are really reasonable and others that charge £££!
#ASEChat
That seems quite steep - refreshments to be paid for separately? Problems start for organisers when high profile speakers expect to be paid expenses and even a fee. This is rarely the case at ASE one day conferences #ASEChat
Very much so. Conferences should be part of a planned programme of CPD. Why events need either to be focussed on a specific theme or have range of sessions so that there will always be something which can be built upon #asechat Need opportunities for follow up and reflection.
I agree - the issue is finding the teachers who have the time - it is not a one-off event; we know that writing isn't easily done to order. I was involved in the development of SATIS with @holman_john and much of the writing and reviewing took place between meetings #ASEChat
I think it would be great to be able to develop curriculum materials as part of CPD - giving teachers opportunity to develop writing skills and think hard about science with others. #asechat
Surely it needs to be both. If only to give people the opportunity to become high profile in the future #ASEchat conference should be the breeding grounds for the keynote speakers of the future
No, absolutely not. ASE is a grass roots organisation and benefits from a wide range of members/interests. We need the mix. I was merely illustrating one aspect of the conference #asechat
I can see why you value that. I shook Dawkins' hand on a work experience visit. A student worked with his personal assistant shelving in-coming books in his library. Always get to the work exp signups pronto for STEM gems! #asechat
The NSTA conference programme is huge, and I am sure there were sessions on each of these topics in Atlanta. I went to talks on Google Science Journal, and using social media which both fit in with your themes #ASEChat
INDEED! Writing curriculum materials is very time consuming, but kicking this off with an event to share ideas, and draw up a plan, means you are not working in a vacuum when you go away to write #asechat
I agree - the issue is finding the teachers who have the time - it is not a one-off event; we know that writing isn't easily done to order. I was involved in the development of SATIS with @holman_john and much of the writing and reviewing took place between meetings #ASEChat
I think it would be great to be able to develop curriculum materials as part of CPD - giving teachers opportunity to develop writing skills and think hard about science with others. #asechat
Local 4pm meetings might be more painless, or whole days after summer exams, so they let us out. I'd expect cost price or subsidised if by a subscription organisation. #ASEChat
£25 - £50 seems to be going rate for one day events planned by teachers for teachers. Some include refreshments in this as well as venue hire, so margins are tight/ #ASEChat
Some evidence that coaching with defined targets is one of the most effective ways of improving student outcomes from CPD. Trying to think how one day conferences can be linked to coaching back in school #ASEchat
If the aim was an output of just a small number of linked resources and teaching intentions, that would be worthwhile (maybe a bit like @BenRogersEdu materials in Big Ideas book #asechat
In reply to
@ViciaScience, @chemDrK, @miss_mcinerney, @BenRogersEdu
For things like that I think there is a need for day events or even weekends for small groups of teachers (<25) to work in this way with good facilitation and expert input and clear aims. Not a general conference with parallel sessions format #asechat
#ASEchat 2 years ago I went to Mary's session on diagnostic questioning; this led me to try out hinge point questions, to talk about them at the York TM, at annual conference 2018 and lately to write up the session for SSR. Going back on Sat reminded me to revisit them again!
This is what we wanted to produce from the first #CogSciSci but teachers are so busy, and one day isn't enough. You can try to offer platforms to collate later, but ultimately we just don't have the time for the extra faff. However minimal #asechat
In reply to
@dodiscimus, @ViciaScience, @miss_mcinerney, @BenRogersEdu
So much going on in this tweet! If the conference (or other CPD) is part of a planned programme developed in collaboration with the school, what happens back in school could do just what you suggest #asechat
Some evidence that coaching with defined targets is one of the most effective ways of improving student outcomes from CPD. Trying to think how one day conferences can be linked to coaching back in school #ASEchat
Interesting ideas. Thanks. Agree 4pm is painless, but needs to be more local, and perhaps lower key, eg teach meet format? At one time June was a sound choice, but current practice has made it more difficult for all teachers to secure days off timetable #ASEChat
Thank you! I have always been curious as to what instruction is like in other countries than just America. What are the differences in assessment? I was also wondering if you have as many high-stakes standardized tests as the United States requires? #asechat
@theASE does do local 4pm sessions, 6pm sessions 7.30pm sessions, sessions in the summer term and sessions in the summer holidays. I think someone said here earlier you can't please everyone all of the time, variety is the best way #ASEchat
A great example of how we can follow up on conference sessions. I did something similar on science in the media (Ruth Jarman and Billy McLune) in 2007! #asechat
#ASEChat ok am in Austria talking to teachers. Here and in Germany / Finland and many other EU countries CPD / writing new courses etc us built into their time. Indeed there are residential centres devoted to this. Let's set out what should happen in terms of policy.
It does assume that the point of CPD is improved student outcomes, it might be this is not the DIRECT outcome but results in improvements later (due to improved personal practice) #ASEchat
Support from work organisation is important but should be trusting enough to allow teachers to have some flexibility over choice of CPD and to then to give time and space to run with whatever seems most effective outcomes within general agreed guidelines and direction #asechat
#ASEchat Today one of my ITT collegaues and I were discussing Agittner's session and how to incorporate the ideas in our practice; can't wait for my resources from IOP too so I can start using the practicals; however seeing old friends & making new was also important
Ours are national rather than state wide, and have become unwieldy and unfocussed - more to do with school accountability than child attainment. Look up GCSE if interested! #ASEChat
It does assume that the point of CPD is improved student outcomes, it might be this is not the DIRECT outcome but results in improvements later (due to improved personal practice) #ASEchat
There has never been any quick fixes #asechat No silver bullets just hard graft, good collaboration and communication to experiment, reflect, refine and to do the basics well.
If you get to Italy I would love to hear of your experiences, I have had one report that an awful lot of rote learning and not much else goes on there, it would good to find another view #ASEchat
#ASEChat ok am in Austria talking to teachers. Here and in Germany / Finland and many other EU countries CPD / writing new courses etc us built into their time. Indeed there are residential centres devoted to this. Let's set out what should happen in terms of policy.
Some schools are still honourable about it. Hods can make a good case for gained time and evidence what it achieves. But even if they saddle you up with eg KS3 for maternity cover they will let you out on a course more easily. =) #asechat
The best thing about conferences is when you realise that all those teachers from those other schools are as much your colleagues as those you work with. That is when you realise that you are a part of something much bigger - the teaching profession #ProudToTeach#ASEChat
So who should pay the invoices for one day conferences? The individual as it is an opportunity for personal growth, or the institution because they have a specific issue they want resolving - or is that too black and white? #ASEChat
#asechat I guess the teachers I work with are writing developing resources on sustainability education - that wouldn't happen I know some lovely Italian projects as well
That is great to know! I would love to incorporate social media into my instruction, & am going to check out Google Science Journal too. I do not have experience w/ either of those. #asechat
