Professional development for teachers

Friday 20 February, 9am-3pm, Parliament House

This workshop explores what it means to engage in civics and citizenship and what engaging civics and citizenship education looks like.

Through using scenario-based learning and co-design strategies participants will explore concepts such as democracy, decision-making and representation. Additionally, participants will consider how these strategies can be used in the classroom to enhance democratic decision-making, encourage active citizenship and elevate student voice.

Multiple dates, 4.15pm-5.30pm, Online

This workshop is perfect for teachers seeking practical tools for their civics classroom. Purchase a copy of the cards as an add-on.

This session is designed to spark ideas for teaching civics and citizenship through interactive, student-centred strategies. Perfect for teachers seeking practical tools and inspiration to energise their civics teaching. 

Dates include: Monday 9 February, Monday 27 April, Tuesday 21 July & Tuesday 13 October

Wednesday 25 February, 4.15pm-5.30pm, Online

Join us for a 75-minute interactive webinar exploring the vital role census data plays in decision-making. Using the Victorian Parliament’s Electorate Data Cards, we will consider how demographic information can shape the priorities, policies and decisions of elected representatives.

This session links directly to the Victorian Curriculum:

• Civics and Citizenship – understanding representation and how data informs decision-making.
• Geography – interpreting demographic data to identify the characteristics of places and communities.
• Mathematics and Numeracy – analysing and interpreting real-world data to make evidence-informed arguments.

Teachers will leave with practical strategies to engage students in data-driven inquiries about democracy, representation, and community needs.

Friday 10 April, 3pm-5pm,  Parliament House

Teachers and educators from across Victoria are invited to an open house experience at the Victorian parliament on Friday 10 April at 3pm.

If you’ve been considering a school visit to Parliament House or you’d like to know more about the resources that are available to support civics and citizenship in your classroom, then register your place at this free event.

This is an opportunity to explore some of the key spaces inside Parliament House and familiarise yourself with the work that takes place here. Enjoy light refreshments as you chat with parliament staff, ask questions, and connect with colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere.

Purchase some of our ready-to-use classroom resources as an add-on, and pick them up on the day.

Thursday 23 April, 4.15pm-5.30pm, Online

Find out our annual Parliament Prize competition, including how to enter and how to meaningful incorporate the prize into the classroom.

Our annual Parliament Prize competition will be opening in May again this year. In preparation, we're running a free, 75 minute professional development session, where we will take a closer look at the Parliament Prize competition, including Members' Statements, the entry form and most importantly, tools and techniques for including Parliament Prize into the classroom. There will also be plenty of time to have all your questions answered.

The event is suitable for teachers of Grades 5 & 6 and Years 7 to 12 civics and citizenship related subjects and English, but teachers of any year level or subject are welcome to join us.

Are you new to teaching civics and citizenship, or wanting to expand your knowledge of some of the key concepts? Or perhaps you're wanting to explore some different activities you can do in the classroom. 

Our self-paced online professional development series covers:  

• An overview of how each module works
• Representation and democracy
• Institutions and processes that support democracy
• Active citizenship
• Representation, for example in parliament

The course is structured so that you can read, watch or listen to each session and contribute to the discussion boards when convenient. There will also be some online events where you can ask questions and chat to other teachers.

Best of all, it's free.

The Victorian parliament offers a range of opportunities for teachers looking to engage in professional learning, which are designed to enhance professional knowledge and practice, and support student learning.

There are a range of learning opportunities on offer, including seminars, conferences, workshops and online learning, with particular relevance to Civics and Citizenship and Legal Studies.

Each professional learning session addresses the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). The standards that are most often addressed through participation in parliament’s professional learning opportunities include:

• APST 2 Professional knowledge: Know the content and how to teach it
• APST 6 Professional engagement: Engage in professional learning
• APST 7 Professional engagement: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community.

We're always happy to hear from teachers who would like to discuss their requirements when introducing Civics and Citizenship into the classroom.

Whether you're looking for advice on the use of our resources or subject matter expertise, we're here to help.

Use the form below to send us an email and we'll work with you to organsie a time to talk.

We promote all our professional learning opportunities through our social media channels and our education newsletter, Springboard. Sign up to Springboard to find out what's coming up.