In this milestone 20^th year of providing PD for secondary Psychology teachers, CDES is proud to present another quality program that delivers excellence in teaching practice for senior secondary Psychology in 2018. After two years of the new Units 1 & 2 course and one year of Units 3 & 4, we now have a better insight into the nuances of this current Study Design which is a focus of the workshops on offer in the 2018 Conference program. In terms of breadth, the program covers Year 10 Psychology, VCE Units 1 – 4 and the IB course. Speakers presenting on Units 3 & 4 will utilise their experiences gained from the past year to discuss some of the quirks and nuances of the Unit 3 & 4 that may not have been evident prior to teaching it. In so doing, they will share some of the teaching tools and tasks they have found to be of most use in maximising outcomes for students. Speakers presenting on Units 1 & 2 will provide a range of tried and proven teaching and learning ideas to engage and excite students about Psychology but also meet the learning outcomes. Specific workshops are also available on: Year 10 Psychology, the new Year 11 IB Psychology curriculum, exam preparation, achieving a subject score of 40+, teaching Psychology for the first time, the use of technology in Psychology classrooms, and much more. With 20 of the 38 workshops offered being new topics or prepared and delivered by new presenters, this conference has been organised with fresh, stimulating material alongside current pedagogical practice, covering differentiation, flipped classrooms and other evidence based teaching strategies.

One of the highlights of the annual conference, consistently reported by teachers is the opportunity to hear about directly from VCAA personnel involved in overseeing our study. In 2018, in addition to the regular VCAA Update and Q & A opportunity provided by Maria James, Curriculum Manager, Science, there will also be a short presentation by the Chief Assessor of the VCE Psychology Exam on common mistakes made by students in the exam. As well as this presentation, both Maria James and Dr McKague will present specific workshops (see the Brochure for details). VCAA personnel have again committed to being at the conference for its duration, so there will also be many opportunities to chat with them informally throughout the day. Our ‘Meet the Speakers’ session at the end of the formal program provides another opportunity to chat with some of our presenters too. All participants will receive a certificate for 6.5 hours of professional development.