Teachers Day

Australian Physics Teachers Day

Friday, 11 December
8.00 am - 5.00 pm
University of Sydney

Physics teachers and teachers of Physics (out-of-field) are invited to a day of professional development, from talks to hands-on workshops with something to use in your classes. Tour research labs working on quantum computers and next-generation solar cells to see where Australian Physics is at. Networking and panel sessions round off an exceptional day, recharging and energising yourselves. Be inspired and inspire your students.

Physics Teachers may choose to attend one or all of the following:

The Australian Institute of Physics Congress
7 - 11 December | $450

Physics Education Program (2 days)
10 - 11 December | $250

Physics for Schools Program (full day)
11 December | $140

Contact

If you would like further information, please get in touch.

Dr Tom Dixon, University of New South Wales, thomas.dixon@unsw.edu.au
Dr Daniel Schumayer, University of Sydney, daniel.schumayer@sydney.edu.au

Draft Program

Focus Session Panel & Roundtable: Shaping the future of teaching and learning in Physics

Dr Derek Muller (Veritasium), Dr Sam McKagan (American Physical Society), Dr Barbara McKinnon (ACARA, Vicphysics), and Prof David Blair (UWA, Einstein First), Chairs: Prof Manjula Sharma (USYD), A/Prof John Debs (ANU)

Workshops and Speakers

12.30 | Teaching Tips for High School Physics

Over lunch, join colleagues in an informal exchange of teaching ideas and classroom activities. Do you have a favourite way of explaining a difficult concept, an engaging practical activity, or a strategy that helps students learn more effectively? This session provides an opportunity to share successful approaches, discuss common challenges, and learn from one another's experiences. The focus will be on practical ideas that can be readily adapted for high school physics classrooms. Participants are encouraged to bring along a teaching tip to share.

Professor Elizabeth Angstmann

Professor Elizabeth Angstmann is an education-focused academic in the School of Physics at UNSW Sydney and currently serves as Higher Year Physics Director. A former high school teacher, she holds a PhD in theoretical atomic physics and a Master of Teaching. Liz is passionate about evidence-based teaching, active learning, and the effective use of technology to enhance student learning.

She has led the development of a range of physics education initiatives at UNSW, including new courses and the Graduate Certificate in Physics for Science Teachers, launched in 2018 to support the professional learning of physics teachers. Liz has served as Chair of the Physics Education Group of the Australian Institute of Physics and is widely recognised for her contributions to physics education. Her awards include an Australian Awards for University Teaching Citation (2018) and the Australian Institute of Physics Education Medal (2020). In 2025, she was awarded an ACDS Teaching and Learning Fellowship for her project, Beyond Grades: Embracing Competency-Based Assessment for Enhanced Learning.

1.45 | Physics Experiments for High School

Engage with experiments and demonstrations drawn from the repertoire at the University of Sydney. Specifically selected to align with HSC syllabus, excite students as well as support learning, this workshop will provide teachers the opportunity to engage with staff with technical as well as physics expertise.

Dr Daniel Schumayer

Dr Daniel Schumayer is a Senior Lecturer in Physics (Education Focused) in the at the University of Sydney. His work includes physics education research, with a particular interest in understanding student misconceptions and improving conceptual learning in physics, while his disciplinary theoretical research is mainly in ultracold quantum gases and condensed matter physics. He has been the coordinator of the laboratory components of large first-year physics units, supporting several hundred students each year. Daniel has been recognised as an Outstanding Referee by APS.

2.15 | 3-D Printing Resonance Tubes

Join laboratory physicists from UNSW for a series of how-tos on making your own science demonstrations! We'll cover simple items like resonance tubes up to complex light displays. Files and how-to guides will be available for all attendees as a takeaway.

Dr Tom Dixon

Tom is an education-focused lecturer at UNSW, with a PhD in Optical Tweezers. Tom's focus is on laboratory education and skills development, as well as student equity and wellbeing.

2.45 | Physics Experiments for High School

This hands-on workshop supports teachers delivering the new Physics syllabus outcomes on Fundamentals of Mechanics. Participants will explore practical investigations: comparing graphical methods for determining acceleration due to gravity and assessing their accuracy and reliability, and investigating the conservation of momentum in collisions. The session will focus on practical setup, data collection, and how to guide students in evaluating experimental accuracy and reliability against syllabus expectations.

Dr Simon Crook

Dr Simon Crook is Director of CrookED Science, a science education consultancy that provides the most high school physics professional learning across NSW. He is also the lead author for the new Cambridge Year 11 and 12 textbooks and has presented at many conferences on experimental skills, including the pendulum experiment to determine 'g'. Simon is a product of the Sydney University Physics Education Research (SUPER) group. Find out more about Simon's professional learning courses at crookedscience.com.

Sue Farroukh

Sue Farroukh is a Physics teacher at Meriden School in Sydney with 15 years of teaching of experience across government, Independent and Catholic sector schools. She previously led Physics professional learning for a network of 37 schools as HSC Specialist/PLC Lead with Sydney Catholic Schools, and has remained an active HSC Marker and Judge for the past decade. In 2024 she attended the International High School Teacher Programme at CERN. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, researching professional learning for out-of-field Physics teachers.