fIRST CONSTAWA EXpERIENCE: pRImARY

Ashleigh Tomasetig

About the Author topics that are ever-increasingly more relevant in today’s education system and the world.

I am a first-year graduate, completing my Master of Teaching (ECE) at Curtin University mid-2022. I started teaching pre-primary and year one science in term 1, 2023 at Mount Lockyer Primary School (MLPS). MLPS is located in Albany and has just over 600 students. I was born in Albany and completed my Bachelor of Science (Restoration Ecology) at the UWA Albany campus in 2010.

Ashleigh was awarded the STAWA Early Career Primary Science Scholarship 2023.

When I first saw CONSTAWA online, I spoke with two of my science colleagues who had not heard of it or STAWA. I saw CONSTAWA as an opportunity to network with likeminded teachers and was drawn to the options of selecting workshops that fit with my professional development, interests and exposure to

There were a couple of standout experiences, however the whole day was greatly beneficial, relevant, engaging, and enjoyable. The keynote speaker spoke about the impact of AI which was eye-opening and thoughtprovoking. The information she shared with us was relevant to all teachers, not just the science specialists. I shared an overview with my school community at MLPS to try and provoke reflection on such an important topic. I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing powerful problem solving with the hands-on workshop run by Scitech. I finished the workshop thinking about how I can apply this technique to junior primary. With limited writing abilities, I am researching ways to capture thoughts and knowledge effectively and efficiently whilst stepping back from the traditional authoritarian role of leading learning.

The third standout was the six classroom management strategies for a science classroom. As a new graduate my behaviour management skills are still developing, and it has been a steep learning curve to date. I came out of this workshop with refreshed ideas on already known strategies and a handful of new strategies to implement plus resources to access while I develop in this area. I have already noticed the confidence I’ve gained when teaching my lessons and the positive impact it is having on my students and their learning.

CONSTAWA was all that I imagined and more, from check in, to the keynote speaker, workshops, the trade stalls, shared meal breaks with like-minded teachers which were all fantastic opportunities for networking and the fantastic STAWA team who were incredibly supportive throughout the day. Their hard work is the reason CONSTAWA was such a successful and beneficial day for all science teachers, near and far.

fIRST CONSTAWA EXpERIENCE: SECONDARY

About the Author

Kieran Broadbent is an Early Career Science teacher at St John Bosco College. Kieran was the recipient of the CONSTAWA Jeff Cahill Early Career Teacher Award.

My First CONSTAWA experience was very eventful and informative in terms of what I could take from the experience and day. Having been to other STAWA events I had somewhat of an idea as to how it was going to run and what to expect.

Firstly, it was a great opportunity to be recognised for the 2023 Jeff Cahill Early Career Teacher Award, an award which I am still surprised at receiving. However, it is nice to be recognised for the work and dedication I am putting into teaching and the support I give my students.

The first part of the day was a seminar on AI and how we think about the future by Assoc. Prof Julia Powles. It was very interesting and looking at the applications of AI and the legalities behind its use. For me these types of professional development days are about what I can take from it and apply within the classroom. When the information on AI’s water consumption was explained, I was able to switch my teacher lightbulb on and note it down as our current Year 7’s are about to learn the Water Cycle and so I am now able to apply this in a classroom context for my students.

The rest of the day is about taking in information from a different perspective from other teachers who are practicing it in their classroom or have done in the past. As an early career teacher, I think these types of events are extremely useful in broadening your knowledge and skills that you can apply in the classroom. If I was to talk to other ECT’s my advice for the day would be to choose seminars/classes in the program that interest you. What I have found beneficial in my first couple of years is “cherry-picking” from events like CONSTAWA and other teachers so that you can trial it in your own classroom and see what works for you. Understanding that it is ok if something doesn’t work in the classroom and taking the time during these events to ask for tips from other teachers and professionals regarding the tools you can use to help support your teaching.

What I found useful with the CONSTAWA event from the workshops that I chose was how I could apply them within my own lessons as well as the sharing of resources, which every teacher knows is so invaluable in their teaching and adding to their own library of resources. I would definitely recommend attending a CONSTAWA for any ECT as well as those looking to refresh or learn new skills to put into practice within the classroom. Definitely looking forward to the next CONSTAWA.