1. The Independent Review of VCAA: Vicphysics Survey
Vicphysics will be making a submission to the VCAA review, see below for details of the review. We plan to acknowledge those aspects of its work that effectively support teachers, to ensure these are retained, as well as identifying aspects that could be improved.
To assist with that task we have prepared a survey for teachers.
Please take a few minutes in the next week to complete the survey. Your responses will guide the preparation of the submission. Vicphysics appreciates the support of Deakin University in setting up this survey.
The survey addresses areas such as:
- The Units 3 and 4 assessment tasks, in particular their scope, links to the content and workload for teachers and students,
- The audit process, both in terms of workload on teachers and the quality of the feedback,
- The exam process,
- Regular reviews of study designs.
Stage 2 of the review will include a review of the VCAA’s structure, operations, culture and capability, including benchmarking and comprehensive consultation with VCAA staff and key stakeholders. Teacher associations are planning to make submissions as teachers are impacted by the products and advice from VCAA. Submissions are now open and close on 30th June,
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2. VCE Revision Lecture: Hybrid. Sunday, 13th September, Swinburne University
This year's Revision Lecture will be held on Sunday, 13th September from 10:00am until 2:50pm.
It will be offered as a hybrid event, on-line and in person at the Hawthorn campus.
The presenter will be Colin Hopkins OAM. The on-line chat room will have experienced teachers available to answer questions.
Lunch will be provided by Swinburne University for the students.
Swinburne University will also provide campus tours and their Astro tour at lunchtime. These can be booked at Registration on the day.
The cost is $28.00 inc GST and participants will get access to revision material. Teachers can attend at no cost when accompanying their students, otherwise the cost is $28.00. The flyer has more information.
Students can book at this webpage for the Students on the Vicphysics website, where there is additional information, payment must be by credit card. Teachers can book their students at this webpage and pay for them by either credit card or by EFT.
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3. 250 Teaching and Learning Ideas on Waves
Regular readers of this newsletter will recognise the name, Simon Poliakoff, a UK physics teacher, who has a website of teaching resources. He has just completed his second set of google slides of teaching ideas on Waves. His first set was on Forces and Motion and was described in VicPhys News 1/T1/25. His work is funded by a Ogden Trust Senior Teacher Fellowship.
He describes the set "as a mixture of T&L ideas, demonstration and practical ideas, videos and models. The majority are not my own but I hope that I have collated some of the best ideas from all sorts of different sources with some useful guidance and that there is something new for almost everyone". You can find them here. Slide 2 lists links to 21 sections from 'Basic ideas of waves' to 'Diffraction gratings'.
He continues "The background colour indicates the age group it is likely to be most appropriate for (see slide 4) and the icons indicate the type of activity (slide 3). The traffic lights (top RH corner) indicate how easy it is to implement. Each slide either has a picture or a video. The idea is that you can flick through the slides and see if there are any ideas that appeal to you. As always you should complete your own risk assessment.".
The structure of each slide is: Title, Description, Why use it, Links and where to find further information, Image or video and finally Useful to know.
He has also produced a short introductory video. He has a google form for feedback and suggestions.
4. Industry Days for Teachers: Swinburne, Warrnambool, Mildura and Bendigo
The Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) is running a FREE professional development series designed to connect teachers with real-world applications of maths in industry. The program is for maths teachers, STEM teachers and careers advisors. The dates are:
- Swinburne University of Technology: Weds, 18th June
- Deakin University Warrnambool: Tues, 12th August
- La Trobe University Mildura: Thurs, 28th August
- La Trobe University Benigo: Tues, 9th September
This flyer has more information. Check here for program details and to register.
5. PD Events in September
a) A Microcredential in Physics Skills Enhancement. Begins 25th August
This specialised course offers foundational physics knowledge and skills essential for physics-driven STEM fields, opening doors for Australians from diverse backgrounds to engage with AUKUS and the nuclear industry. It is offered by Flinders University in SA. It is a hybrid course with an online component plus 2 Lab days at the Bedford Park campus. The Lab days are for Stream 1: Sept 23 & 24 and for Stream 2: Sept 30 & Oct 1
The contact time is 35 hours. There is a course fee, but there are fee waivers (35 in total) for registered teachers plus scholarships for interstate teachers toward travel/accommodation.
This flyer has more details of the program. To register your interest, please email ASAP to reserve the tuition fee waiver spots.
b) International Astronautical Congress, Sydney, 29th Sept to 3rd Oct
Advance notice of an international science conference that will include a component for science teachers. There is also expected to be support to enable interstate teachers to attend. More details will be available in Term 3.
6. Events for Students
Girls in Physics Breakfasts
The support of the Invergowrie Foundation has enabled Vicphysics to increase the subsidy for the student fee for the regional breakfasts. The fee this year is now $15.
 a) Geelong, 14th August. i) How important are powders? ii) Rethinking Waste: Engineering a Circular Future with Negin Amini and Sirjana Adhikari, Deakin University Bookings open Closing date: 4th August Flyer is available
b) Traralgon, 27th August. Molecular Movies with X-ray lasers with A/Prof Nadia Zatsepin, Swinburne University. Bookings Open. Closing date: 18th August Flyer is available
Starting Times in 2025. This year the metropolitan events will start at 8:00am and the regional events will start at 8:30am.
Perimeter Institute Workshop for Students: Gravity and Black Holes: Registrations close this week
Perimeter Institute’s online GoPhysics! Workshops give curious high school students the opportunity to use their high school physics to dive into modern physics topics.
GoPhysics! Gravity & Black Holes is a student workshop designed for Grade 11 and 12 students offered by Perimeter Institute. During the workshop, students tackle some big questions: What is gravity? How is Einstein different than Newton? How do black holes, some of the most mysterious objects in our universe, fit into this discussion? Join other students to explore exciting physics topics through group activities and discussions.
The Melbourne times are 24th and 25th July at 9:00am each day. The sessions should last an hour, but this is not specified.
There is no cost.
For more details click here.
The student must register, include parental approval and indicate why they are interested.
This is an application-based program with limited enrolment. Registration will close this week on June 13, 2025 at 5:00pm Toronto Time. Successful applicants will be notified via email by June 25, 2025.
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Out of Field PD: Light & Sound
The Out of Field PD continues in 2025.
- Light and Sound in Moe in 2 two-hour online sessions after school and one full day in person session. Presented by Barbara McKinnon and Pete Furlong. Dates: 26th August and 9th Sept after school and 2nd Sept full day. Flyer
- Cost of event: $330 per participant with a discount for teachers from Government schools and from schools with a low ICSEA rank. Discounted cost is $220.
To Book the event: Click on the link above.
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8. Seeking a Physics teacher? Seeking a new position? 6 positions
There are five schools seeking a physics teacher.
The Job Ads page on Vicphysics website is updated every weekend. The webpage also has a link on how schools can register a position and lodge a payment for this service.
- Monbulk College (two positions, close 19th June)
- St Albans Secondary College (closes 11th June)
- Elevation Secondary College (closes 11th June)
- Mortlake P - 12 College (closes 12th June)
- Lilydale Heights College (closes 10th June)
Items selected from PhysicsWorld (UK) and Physics Today (US). Each item below includes the introductory paragraphs and a web link to the rest of the article.
a) Decoding the Sound of Stars
Stars are cosmic musical instruments: they vibrate with complex patterns that echo through their interiors. These vibrations, known as pressure waves, ripple through the star, similar to the earthquakes that shake our planet. The frequencies of these waves hold information about the star’s mass, age and internal structure.
b) Andromeda galaxy may not collide with the Milky Way after all
Since 1912, we’ve known that the Andromeda galaxy is racing towards our own Milky Way at about 110 kilometres per second. A century later, in 2012, astrophysicists at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Maryland, US came to a striking conclusion. In four billion years, they predicted, a collision between the two galaxies was a sure thing. Now, it’s not looking so sure. The article also features a video of 50 simulated trajectories of the two galaxies, also on Youtube. Also check the article in The Conversation
c) Meet the astrophysicists who are shaping our understanding of the early universe
A podcast features George Efstathiou and Richard Bond, who share the 2025 Shaw Prize in Astronomy, Bond and Efstathiou talk about how the CMB emerged when the universe was just 380,000 years old and explain how the CMB is observed today. They explain why studying fluctuations in today’s CMB provides a window into the nature of the universe as it existed long ago, and how future studies could help physicists understand the nature of dark matter – which is one of the greatest mysteries in physics.
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i) Vicphysics Membership and Access to the Teachers' Resources on the website.
Vicphysics has changed its membership structure, benefits and fees. Previously, a subscription to the website resources was separate from being a member of Vicphysics. Access to website resources is now being included as one of a number of member benefits.
Membership benefits include:
- access to teacher resources section of the website
- discounts to attend conferences, in-services, etc,
- certification for attending each PD event,
- PL certificate for committee meetings supplied at the end of the calendar year and
- voting rights.
Membership fees are: Individual: $60, Retired: $40, Student (tertiary): $40, School: $120.
Vicphysics also offers a Resources Access Only option without the discounts and other benefits listed above. The fees for this option are the same as above.
Existing subscribers currently receive discounts, which will cease when their subscription expires. At that point, subscribers will need to choose between the two options above for continued access to the Teacher resources.
We are looking forward to increasing the membership base of Vicphysics and to fostering member input into our extensive range of activities from Physics teaching professional learning such as our recent SAC PD events or the Physics Teachers Conference to supporting activities for students, such as the Luna Park Physics Days or photo and poster competitions.
You can join us here!
ii) Vicphysics Forum: Tips and Questions for the Physics Teaching Community
The Vicphysics Teachers’ Network has set up an online Forum for teachers to raise issues, seek ideas, offer suggestions, etc.
Link here directly, or look out for it on our webpage where it can be found at the top right of our home page.
We hope it will be an opportunity for mutual professional development.
The forum is open to all teachers. If you are a subscriber, you can log in the usual way. If you are not a subscriber, you can register to use the forum at ‘My Account’. Given the purposes of this Forum, we ask that you use your real name when generating a topic or lodging a post.
We hope this Forum will become a valuable medium for exchanging ideas as we begin planning the new study design.
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