March Seminar 2021: Challenge and Change: Doing things differently

We are delighted to announce that we will be back with face to face professional learing events in 2021 - usual format but with some important changes: the March Seminar will be a full day event; the AATE-ALEA National Conference will be held in Brisbane in July and consequently there will not be a state conference.

The Program

Our first seminar on Saturday 13 March, a full day one, will launch our Challenge and Change series. 2021 will allow us to relect on our successes as we manage the challenges inherent in the recent changes to our curriculum.  Keynotes will be presented by: Jennifer Alford, QUT, Teacher Agency and Tristan Bancks, Australian writer of children's and youg adult fiction.

The program has been posted to members and is available for download now. You may register on the website from Sunday 7 February. Registration forms are available as a pdf and a Word doc.

Map of grounds of Iona College

Doing things differently with Covid-19

As we cannot be sure what the landscape will look like in March, contingency plans have been developed to deal with a sudden change in circumstances and to provide a measure of certainty for everyone involved.

If we do have to go into lock-down, the program will go ahead without the face-to-face component. Our keynote presenters are both experienced at presenting online and several of the workshop presenters will also upload their presentations.

At the same time, we are mindful of the needs of teachers of English in rural and regional areas. Consequently, we will be livestreaming the two keynotes, the Peter Botsman Award presentation and one workshop in each of sessions 1 and 2. A second workshop in each session will either be live streamed or recorded and made available shortly after 13 March. For teachers who have registered, the live streamed sessions will be recorded and available for some time after the event.

Registration fees for this event will be made up of two components:

• A base (or common) registration fee
• physical attendance charge to cover catering, venue charges etc.

As usual the total cost takes into consideration: mode of attendance, membership status, and employment status as detailed in the table below.

If you register for face-to-face (physical) participation, and the Covid situation sends this event on-line, it is assumed you will engage with the on-line event. Therefore, you will receive a refund of the physical attendance charge. If you pay your registration fee on the website by card, the refund will be processed automatically back to your card. If payment has been made by EFT then you will need to supply us with bank details before a refund can be made.

The Cancellation policy is being varied to accommodate the on-line options. If you register for physical attendance and have to:

• cancel because of illness, you will receive a refund of the physical attendance fee.
• cancel for other reasons, you will receive a refund of physical attendance fee up until the Wednesday before the event; after that no refund will be possible.

Covid Safety

We will have a Covid Safe plan in operation. Details will be posted here closer to the event as members would appreciate, lots can change between now and early March.

The  Call for Presenters is still available in case you wish to refer to it. Expressions of interest by 9 December would be appreciated.