Primary Connections

Board of Studies endorsement a boost to Primary Connections

Primary Connections has received accreditation by the NSW Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) as a provider of registered professional development in that state. This endorsement acknowledges the quality of the program’s professional learning that will enable teachers to claim accredited professional learning hours when they complete professional learning with Primary Connections. NSW teachers are required to undertake 20 hours of professional learning annually and 10 hours of this must be from an accredited provider in that state.

Professional learning

Primary Connections’ professional learning team trained 1320 teachers across Australia this year. We are finalising our calendar for 2015 with an emphasis on providing a clearer pathway of professional learning to meet the diverse needs of our primary science teachers.

New resources

Primary Connection units

Trialling of a new unit, Magnetic Moves—Year 4, Physical Sciences, has been completed. Feedback from teachers was positive—here are two examples:

This unit was an amazing experience for my students. Not only were the hands-on experiences impactful and meaningful, students were able to connect what they had been learning to everyday contexts and how it might impact them outside of the classroom.

Elizabeth Downs Primary School, SA

I'm learning whilst the students are learning. Being a trial teacher ensures you don't take any short cuts. Teaching just as the writers intended. I would thoroughly recommend the experience for a professional development activity. The units are aligned to the new syllabus. It's a win, win!

Greenwich Public School, NSW

Two other units are now being trialled:

• Bend it! Stretch it!—Year 2 Chemical Sciences
• Growing well—Foundation—Biological Sciences.

The three new units will be published in the first quarter of 2015.

Interactive teaching resources

The first three of 31 new digital resources are being finalised. These new resources will support and extend the existing Primary Connections units and also make best use of interactive whiteboards by providing easy-to-use interactive versions of the student activities from each unit. A further seven titles will be published by mid-2015.