There are many associations you can choose to be a part of as a science teacher. Depending on your personal interests and the circumstances of the school you are teaching at you may wish to join multiple associations to reap the benefits of them all.
Before you join as an independent member to any, check if your school already has a membership or consider getting one for the whole school instead of just yourself.
Any kind of membership will be of the most use to you if you are an active member – go to events, make use of PD and networking sessions, actually read the journals and submit articles of your own, use the resources provided on their websites. There’s no point spending money on a membership if you don’t interact with the association in any way.
As a science teacher, there are two associations that will be of most relevance to you:
Science Teachers’ Association of Queensland is the Queensland branch of the Australian Science Teachers’ Association. Both offer PD, events, competitions, conferences, networking, and access to a purpose-built resource site Science ASSIST. Their quarterly journals offer articles on current research, information in upcoming events and PD, as well as articles of best practice and ideas written by current science teachers.
Many of us science teachers also teach maths, so the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers is the perfect place to get support in a subject area you might not be specifically trained for. It also provides PD, events, conferences, networking and publications.
Other, non-subject specific associations that may be of interest to you include:
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