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Students give teachers a lesson

Students take the lead and provide lessons for teachers as Kids' Conference encourages learning from each other.

Innovation, diversity and creativity are the focus of the 2017 Kids’ Conference next week in Melbourne. The conference format is designed to invite students to lead the discussions and give teachers the chance to learn about students’ innovations.

The conference brings together primary and secondary students from across the world to share their ideas around using new and emerging digital technologies to enhance their learning.

More than 110 student presenters come from 26 schools across Australia and there will be three from the UK and Germany.

Australian Catholic University (ACU) will host the annual conference in partnership with the History Teachers’ Association of Victoria (HTAV), the Geography Teachers’ Association of Victoria (GTAV), The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV), Cultural Infusion and the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English (VATE) on Tuesday 21 November at ACU’s Melbourne Campus.

Conference Chair Stephen Spain said students will share their creative and innovative projects, allowing senior teachers, early career teachers, and pre-service teachers the opportunity for professional development as they engage in discussions with students and each other.

“Students teaching teachers has been the vision for the conference with a view to  highlighting the remarkable creativity in our children, promoting ‘student voice’ in learning and enabling teachers to facilitate, observe and hear from students as they apply digital technologies in new ways,” Mr Spain said.

Conference organisers are pleased a 14-year-old, who was awarded first prize in the BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards, will share how he combined his love of music and science to develop a wearable music maker that fits inside a hoodie pocket.

“Another real highlight will be students from England presenting on their use of an Augmented Reality Sandbox that lets young people mould the contents of the Sandbox into miniature mountains, lakes and rivers – and then, with a little high-tech magic, bring that terrain to life before their eyes,” Mr Spain said.

Guest speaker State Member for Melbourne Ellen Sandell MP will address the importance of listening to students as a way forward in planning the curriculum for innovation and creativity.

Professor Dr Klaudia Schultheis and Dr Petra Hiebl from Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Germany will introduce virtual presentations by German primary school students in the history and science sessions.

The “Kids’ Conference” is hosted and supported by ACU and is sponsored by the Australian Government, Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Event details

What: 2017 Kids’ Conference
When: Tuesday 21 November 20167
Where: Mercy Lecture Theatre, Australian Catholic University 115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy

Find out more about the Kids Conference.

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