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VATE 2015 Coordinators’ Conference Program
VATE Coordinators’
Conference Program
8:45am–9:30am
Friday 29 May 2015
Sessions 1a–1c
Venue
State Netball and Hockey Centre
10 Brens Drive, Royal Park, Parkville
Price
Individual member: $145
Institutional member: $155
Concession member: $130
Registration
8:45am–9:30am
Session 1
9:30am–10:45am
Morning Tea
10:45am–11:15am
Panel
11:15am–12:00pm
Session 2
12:00pm–1:15pm
Networking Lunch
1:15pm–2:00pm
Session 3
2:00pm–3:15pm
Registration
9:30am–10:45am
1a: Managing effective text
selection processes
Managing a text selection process is a key responsibility of
the English coordinator. Selecting the right balance of texts
requires taking into consideration your student cohort and
enabling access across a range of ability levels. Further,
considering the range of voices and experiences your
students are exposed to is vital. We will consider ways to
involve all your faculty in an effective process, with resources
to support quality text selection.
Katherine Quin
1b: The academic voice: A guide to academic
writing in the senior English classroom
Academic genres, for example literary analysis, dominate the
senior secondary assessment landscape and one of the biggest
challenges for teachers is to improve students’ academic
writing. This session will show how grammatical resources
in the new F-10 Australian Curriculum: English can be used
to improve students’ academic writing in Years 11 and 12.
Through analysis of student work, participants will develop
a basic grammar toolkit of transferable skills to support
students’ ability to express and connect ideas, and create
cohesive texts within the formal register of academic writing.
Sean Box, Curriculum Manager, English, Victorian
Curriculum and Assessment Authority
1c: Using online resources for faculty
professional development
Research demonstrates that the most effective teacher
development programs are collaborative and based on
individual and team priorities. In the busyness of the school
day, however, it is increasingly difficult for faculties and teams
to meet to facilitate this process. This workshop explores the
use of online collaboration tools as a means of initiating and
maintaining professional discussion between available formal
meeting times.
Nick Browne, The Peninsula School
10:45am–11:15am
Networking morning tea
www.vate.org.au
VATE 1/134-136 Cambridge Street, Collingwood ph: 9411 8500 Fax: 9411 8511
VATE 2015 Coordinators’ Conference Program
11:15am–12:00pm—Panel
Preparing your staff for the revised VCE
English studies
This panel discussion is an opportunity to hear from the
people involved in the development of, and presentations
on, the revised studies. Sean Box, Curriculum Manager,
English, Caitlin Penrose and Jan May will share feedback
from the recent state-wide implementation briefings, and
discuss the ways that English coordinators can prepare
their staff for the revised studies, and their teaching and
learning programs. Participants are also encouraged to
bring along any burning questions about implementing the
revised studies.
Sean Box, Curriculum Manager, English, Victorian
Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Caitlin
Penrose, Montmorency Secondary College and Jan
May, St Leonard’s College
12:00pm–1:15pm
Sessions 2a–2c
2a: Design not documentation
This workshop explores an approach to curriculum design
that puts personalisation and skill building at the core of
the work. While the introduction of AusVELS has prompted
renewed curriculum documentation at schools, it’s often
just recording what already exists—without consideration
for how we’re building toward the identified skills within a
unit and across the school. By beginning with the end, using
multiple exit points and data and feedback embedded into
every stage of a unit, teachers can better understand where
their students are and how to move them beyond.
Melissa Goffin, Mount Erin College
2b: Understanding statistical moderation
Moderation is a process of ensuring that the same
assessment standards are applied to students from
every school doing a particular study. This presentation
is designed to assist teachers in understanding statistical
moderation in VCE results. Participants will learn how the
VCAA calculates study scores from coursework and external
performance exam results. This is an opportunity to
become fully informed about statistical moderation and for
commonly held misconceptions to be addressed.
Barbara Elvin, Manager, Student Records and Results,
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
2c: When will I really feel like I know what
I’m doing? (And other questions you may
be too afraid to ask...)
has afforded much to reflect on. This session for new
Heads of Department will offer some insights and advice
on the many areas of managing a department, from the
personalities to the paperwork. An opportunity to share,
shudder and laugh about the perils of the job you have
always wanted—and want to do well.
Amy Johnson, Mandeville Hall, Loreto
1:15pm–2:00pm
Networking lunch
2:00pm–3:15pm
Sessions 3a–3c
3a: Implementing the new VCE English
Study Design
This session will focus on understanding the changes
contained in the new VCE English Study Design and
provide an opportunity to discuss the process of preparing
students with the skills that the new course requires.
Ernest Price, Werribee Secondary College
3b: Prelude to poetry: Introducing a poetry
unit 7–10
This session will provide ideas and activities aimed at
preparing hesitant teachers to introduce poetry to 7–10
classes. The study of poetry has fallen from favour in recent
years yet rap, slam and performance poetry feature in
the lives of many of our students. We will explore ways to
connect popular poetry with the arcane, offering practical
activities aimed at overcoming the angst that many
teachers feel about poetry.
Mary Weaven, Victoria University
3c: Taking away the blank page:
Re-engaging students to fill the gaps
Most students struggle to write, as they are constantly
bombarded with instant answers. Technology has freed
up information, so there is little need for them to write
themselves. This workshop will give teachers some visual
and easy ways to write expository writing pieces for all year
levels. Isn’t it true that the student’s easily absorb content
and information, but how do we as teachers get them
to write about it? Simple, give them easy formulas and
they will be able to fill the pages with your guidance and
the templates I will give share with you. Join in with this
session and you will learn through experience how to teach
students how to fill the blank page.
Rhonda Browne, Colac Secondary College
Still a little green around the edges, but with the eyebags of experience, four years as HoD across two schools
VATE 1/134-136 Cambridge Street, Collingwood ph: 9411 8500 Fax: 9411 8511