Primary Matters Conference 1996
Conference March 1996
The Primary Matters Conference featured workshops, seminars and forums that addressed issues and developments in and across the six K-6 Key Learning Areas.
In his keynote address to primary teachers last month, Sam Weller, the President of the Board of Studies NSW, emphasised the importance of subject content in the primary curriculum and used the opportunity to announce key dates for the development and release of K-6 syllabus documents. The keynote speech that followed Mr Weller's address, presented by Phil Lambert, the Board's Inspector for Primary Education, focused on seven forces expected to have an impact on curriculum development activity and the work of primary teachers for the rest of the decade. These opening presentations set the platform for the two-day Primary Matters conference, providing participants with information regarding syllabus development activity and emerging issues in primary curriculum development in NSW.
The Primary Matters conference, which was held March 25-26, 1996 at the Holme Building, University of Sydney, was the first conference of this kind conducted by the Board of Studies. The expressed aim of the conference was 'to provide primary teachers with a broad perspective of curriculum development activity at the Board both within and across the six Key Learning Areas'.
In all, there were 318 registered participants including primary teachers from government and non-government schools across the State, from Lord Howe Island to the South Australian border. The conference program was based on presentations and seminars by the managers of K-6 syllabus projects and covered the six Key Learning Areas of the primary curriculum. In addition to these sessions the program featured four Board Three Primary Matters - the Conference keynote speeches, a session featuring presentations by Board members, workshops focusing on cross-curriculum matters, and presentations by representatives from the various school systems. Evaluation forms received at the conclusion of the conference show that the Primary Matters conference was a highly successful undertaking by the Board. Participants acquired a great deal of information about the process of curriculum development in New South Wales and gained an understanding and appreciation of the work currently being undertaken by the Board of Studies. In summary, the Primary Matters conference was a very rewarding event. It was clear both from written statements and informal comments that the stated aim of the conference was realised.