Geoscience Australia knows that helping teachers to better understand and teach the earth sciences will lead to better experiences for budding science students. Throughout the year Geoscience Australia hosts earth science related programs and events for teachers. These initiatives focus on the skills and knowledge needed to teach the earth science subjects within the Australian National Curriculum.
Upcoming teacher professional learning sessions are being run by TESEP - Teacher Earth Science Education Programme. For further information and to register for sessions visit http://tesep.org.au/australian-capital-territory.html. The contact for these sessions is Rebecca Cashmere:ACT_coord@tesep.org.au
Thursday 3rd August
TESEP session: Plate Tectonics
This PD explains how the theory of Plate Tectonics was developed and how this relatively new paradigm not only explains why the Earth is so dynamic but also how it can be used to reconstruct the past appearance of the planet, predict the most likely locations of mineral and hydrocarbon deposits and explain the distribution patterns of fossil and extant animals and plants.
Friday 4th August
TESEP session: Round and Round with Rocks and 3D visualisation
In the morning join a guided journey through the rock cycle from intrusion to mineralised veins, volcano to sediment and everything in between. The afternoon session will introduce a new way to access and use high resolution outcrop and rock imagery.
Tuesday 5th December
TESEP session: Round and Round with Rocks (Canberra geology)
This workshop examines the rock cycle and places it in the context of plate tectonics, geological time and dynamic earth processes. In this workshop there will be a particular focus on the rocks of the Canberra Region.
Wednesday 6th December
TESEP session: Round and Round with Rocks (Canberra fieldtrip)
This field trip will take teachers to a variety of sites in Canberra that can be used for short excursions. Teachers will learn about the geological features of each site and undertake a task that could be used by students. The activities will be targeted towards Year 11 and 12 students, although teachers of Years 7-10 may also find it valuable.