Newsletter - September 2003

29 September, 2003

Dear Colleagues,

I actually wrote a first draft of this letter while I was camping in the Cattle pavilion at the Ekka. However, I somehow managed to lose the file (isn’t technology wonderful?), and then got caught up in end-of-term chaos. It was good to catch up with a number of you at the show. Once again I was amazed at the dedication of agriculture teachers who work so hard to provide real-world educational opportunities for their students. I trust that you have enjoyed a good holiday and recovered from the busyness of term 3.

There are a number of QATA matters that I need to bring to your attention. Firstly, it’s that time again. I have enclosed a membership application / renewal and would encourage you to attend to this as soon as possible. As you will see from this letter, there are a number of current issues that require a united response from agricultural educators. The QATA can only be effective (and the views that we express can only be truly representative) if a majority of agriculture teachers are active members.

Our new website is up. I’d like to say that it’s up and running but, again, it will really only begin to be the useful forum that it could be when members begin to use it for the exchange of idea, teaching resources and other information. Please visit the site if you haven’t done so recently (www.naae.asn.au/qata) and add it to your favourites. You will note that the resources section is for financial members only – partly to keep any assessment items secure and partly because we feel that the resources that are offered in good faith by QATA members should be for the exclusive use of members only.

By now you should have heard (or realised) that the QATA conference that we hoped to hold in September didn’t proceed. This was mainly due to the fact that a significant source of funding (a partnership agreement between QATA and the Curriculum Strategy branch of EQ) did not eventuate. The purpose of the proposed partnership is to support the implementation of the Agriculture subject area syllabus (junior). As well as financial and human resource support for a state conference, I anticipate that the project will also fund six teachers to develop exemplar modules from the junior syllabus.

I am still hopeful that the partnership will get off the ground and that it will be the catalyst for a really worthwhile conference in 2004. How does a June conference at the Australian College of Tropical Agriculture (Burdekin) sound?

Don’t forget that you can still attend a conference before then. The National Association of Agricultural Educators (to which all QATA members belong) is holding its biennial conference on Kangaroo Island, from 11-15 January, 2004. Theme for the conference is “Sustaining Agriculture through Innovation and Diversification”. You can obtain more details on the NAAE website (www.naae.asn.au).

You should also by now have been made aware that, as of 27 October, 2003, all schools using vertebrate animals for teaching a scientific discipline will be expected to be fully compliant with the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001. This means that schools must register with the QDPI and submit animal use applications to an Animal Ethics Committee. A number of QATA members have been working on the development of Standard Operating Procedures and common application forms. We will arrange to have these posted on the website as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you haven’t heard about any of this before, you should probably contact Noel Standfast (QDPI) – tel. 3239 3013; email noel.standfast@dpi.qld.gov.au or Fynn Stark (EQ) – tel 3237 0863; email Fynn.Stark@qed.qld.gov.au .

Finally, have you seen the Science State Smart State Spotlight on Science document? This $14 million government initiative is going to have a significant impact on the teaching of science in Queensland schools and, I believe, on agriculture teaching also. On your behalf I have written to the project manager, asking that QATA be involved in any dialogue concerning the delivery of an improved science curriculum. In the letter, I wrote - we believe that the aims of our Association and the stated goals of the initiative have the following in common –

·                    a belief that “science learning should be based on inquiry into complex real-world problems, rather than academic abstractions”

• a desire to establish networks of educators to promote best practice in teaching
• a commitment to the development of partnerships with state government and private enterprise research facilities
• a desire to see students who successfully complete senior Agricultural Science given credit towards tertiary studies in science (some preliminary discussions have already been held with staff of UQ – Gatton)
• a desire to see the most capable and motivated students recruited into the ranks of agricultural science teachers in the future
• a recognition that outstanding students should be recognised by the awarding of prestigious prizes
• a recognition that, for many of our students, industry links and the provision of vocational education and training should be linked with their (agricultural) science education at school

The discussions will begin in a month or so. In the meanwhile, I would encourage you to read the document and begin to discuss its implications in your networks. Also, you might like to ask your school administration or District Office about the secondary science teacher professional development funding that has already been allocated. Perhaps some of you might like to seek funding to attend the NAAE conference?

That’s all for now. This letter will be posted on the website, delivered by email (if I have your address) and also put in the post. Stay tuned for notice regarding our Annual General Meeting later in the term.

With best wishes,
Nigel Grant

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