ISEC 2013 Call for Presentations
ISEC CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS ANNOUNCED—Deadline June 10, 2013
2013 Illinois Science Education Conference
October 24-26
Tinley Park Conference Center
Tinley Park, Illinois
For online Call for Presentations, Click here.
Conference Theme: "User's Guide to the NGSS".
To better serve the needs of science teachers in Illinois from PreK through 16, ISEC is expanding to two ifull days of presentations! Scheduled sessions on Friday, 9am-4:30pm and Saturday, 9am-3:30pm.
Two types of sessions will be offered:
Symposia - 1 hour and 45 minutesn length and will have 2-4 presenters, with the last 30 minutes devoted to discussion.
Presentations - 45 minutes in length and will have 1-2 presenters, with the last 5-10 minutes devoted to questions & answers.
ISEC is seeking presentations that will help attendees become familiar with the NGSS and to begin exploring ways of implementing and supporting these standards in a coherent and thoughtful way.
See 2013 ISEC pages for more information.
Meet the Directors
Meet Frederic Vallowe, one of your Region 6 Directors. Fred teaches high school life science and serves as the chair of the science department at Hamilton County Unit School District #10 in McLeansboro. Fred received his BS in Zoology/Botany from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and his MA at Southern Seminary in Louisville Kentucky.
Besides being a member of ISTA, Fred is a member of the Holly Society of America where he has served as the coordinator for plant judging since 2006 for the Great Rivers Chapter. He is also the coordinator of the outdoor classroom at the Bear Creek Arboretum and has been a presenter at the Mt. Vernon Teachers Conference. He has worked with the Episcopal Diocese of Springfield and the Baptist Union of Scotland in developing education materials.
Fred says “There have been many changes throughout my professional career in the content, instruction, perception and delivery in science education. What hasn't changed is the continued need for individual support and facilitated sharing between teachers and our learning communities. I think my experiences in the classroom, as well as my working with teachers in our area of the state, provide me with a perspective which will benefit the ISTA in understanding the needs of our region and better serve every teacher in meeting her/his professional goals and the needs of our communities.”
Are you a member of Region 6? Or are you a science teacher in Region 6 interested in becoming a member of ISTA? Contact Fred at fvallowe@ista-il.org with questions about ISTA. Do you have awesome science activities going on in schools throughout Region 6? Contact Fred to share your activities with the whole state.
Region 6 covers Alexander, Clay, Crawford, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Richland, Saline, Union, Wabash, Wayne, White, and Williamson counties.
NGSS FINAL VERSION RELEASED
Following extensive review of comments and revisions, the consulting firm ACHIEVE released the final version of the NGSS. Illinois ranked 4th from the top of states in the number of review comments received. The biology and earth science sections were reduced by about one third. With this final product, the 26 states which participated in this consortium will review these standards for adoption by the state educational agency. In Illinois, the IL State Board of Education has already formed review committees and a timetable aimed at adoption by the Board this summer. Assessment to match the standards is likely to be implemented over a three year period.
To learn more about NGSS, how they were developed, Illinois' role, and how you can prepare for them, visit the ISTA NGSS webpage at http://www.ista-il.org/next-gen-science.htm.
Spectrum
The ISTA journal, Spectrum (Vol 39, No 1), deadline is quickly approching. Submit articles for the Spring issue by May 1 to Judith Scheppler, Spectrum Editor e-mail: quella@imsa.edu. Expect to see more articles, reports, and commentary by ISTA directors and officers.