The OAPT is pleased to return to its traditional 3-day in-person conference in 2023! We are looking forward to connecting with new members and welcoming back returning members. Take advantage to (re)connect with educators from across the province at Perimeter Institute in Waterloo from Thursday May 4 until Saturday May 6.


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Tags: Astronomy, Conference, Destreamed, Modern Physics, Pedagogy, Professional Development

We are back! The 2023 OAPT Conference will take place May 4-6, 2023 at Perimeter Institute in Waterloo.

The search is on for presenters. Do you have an interesting lesson, a novel teaching idea, a hands-on activity or pedagogical tips that you would like to share? Please consider submitting a proposal for a presentation or a workshop that touches upon any aspect of physics teaching.

The workshops will be offered during four blocks on Friday (two in the morning and two in the afternoon) and two blocks on Saturday morning. Presenters can choose the length of session they want to present in. Please note: Presenters receive a special discounted conference rate.

We offer three formats: 15-minute presentation, 25-minute mini-workshop and 60-minute workshop.

Deadline for presentation proposals: December 10, 2022 Please submit proposals here: 
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bZIsqp0BBQqHiB3rsi4JagY9HACYg5lQmFLPxNBUVTk/edit

Questions? Contact Saara Naudts or Olga Michalopoulos (Conference Co-Chairs).

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As many of you are aware, we will not be hosting our traditional face-to-face conference this year; however, we will be offering Virtual Physics Hours on a monthly basis! These Virtual Physics Hours will take place in early December, February, March, April and May during the evenings.

We are currently accepting proposals for sessions at a variety of time lengths to be delivered via Zoom during these Virtual Physics Hours. The deadline for proposals is Tuesday, November 24, 2020. If you have something you would like to present please fill out the Google Form.

Looking forward to your proposals,
The OAPT

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Courtesy of Rolly Meisel we have a small gallery of photographs from the 2019 OAPT Conference at IQC in Waterloo. Check it out and relive memories (or see what you missed)!

See the gallery…

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Plans are well underway for this year’s conference which is being held May 10-12 at the University of Western Ontario.

This year’s theme is Physics at the Boundaries. We will be highlighting some of the exciting things happening where physics connects with astronomy, biology, philosophy and more! Physics is more than a body of knowledge — it is a very successful way of approaching a wide variety of problems.

Proposals for Workshop Sessions:
We are still accepting proposals for sessions, but the deadline of Jan. 26, 2018 is fast approaching. If you have something to present please fill out this form.

Financial Support for Attendees:
The OAPT is aware that it can be very difficult for high school teachers to attend the OAPT conference because so little financial support for professional development is made available by their schools, board and unions. We encourage teachers to tap into these sources wherever possible. In addition we make things easier on teachers’ wallets in four ways. These supports are only possible through the generosity of several organizations.

• Conference fees are kept very low because the host university provides the facilities and many of the speakers at no cost. Our thanks this year go to our host: Western University
• Residence fees are kept to $29.99 a night because the real costs are subsidized by the University of Toronto’s Electrical and Computer Engineering. We thank U of T ECE for their many years of support for this and the OAPT Grade 11 Physics Contest.
• Travel fees for teachers coming from northern Ontario and similar large distances are covered by the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics. (This year, Ottawa will be covered.) To apply to receive this subsidy, please fill in this form.
• Supply Teacher costs will be covered for a number of teachers attending for the first time. This is being offered for the first time this year using profits from our last few conferences. To apply to receive this subsidy, please fill in the following form.
  

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This year’s conference is being held at York University from May 11 - 13 and is sponsored by the Lassonde School of Engineering. The theme this year is Affective Physics, Harnessing Passion to Power Physics.

We are now accepting proposals for workshops. If you are interested in presenting, please fill in a proposal at https://goo.gl/forms/D39iNoOEcON6TmEZ2 The deadline for submitting is Jan. 16, 2017.

Are you unsure of why the affective domain is important in physics education? You might want to read this short introduction.

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Roberta Tevlin, OAPT Newsletter Editor, Teacher Danforth CTI
roberta.tevlin@tdsb.on.ca
Edited by Tim Langford

The theme of the 2017 OAPT conference is Affective Physics. This theme signals our recognition that physics teachers need to pay more attention to the emotional domain of learning. There is a growing realization that feelings have a huge influence on student motivation, engagement, deep learning and choice of study. It may also be a key to influencing more women to choose STEM. Read More...

Tags: Conference, Pedagogy