Program



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Join leading primary, secondary and tertiary geoscience educators at Hallett Cove to explore this special location and best practice for field trips. 

Get hands-on with workshops dedicated to the highest levels of engagement, with practical exercises to take back to your classroom. 

Gather tips, tricks and innovative ideas from international leaders in this space. Join educators and industry leaders to answer the pressing questions at the Big Ideas Day. 

                             

DOWNLOAD ABSTRACTS

Download the GeoSciEd X 20206 Conference Abstracts here


Please note: Program times shown are Australian Central Standard Time (ACST). The program overview below is preliminary and subject to change.

Day ONE - Field

Friday 14 August 2026
Location: Hallett Cove and Adelaide Botanic High School

9:30am                                Meet near Adelaide Botanic High School and travel (via bus) to the field location, Hallett Cove
10:30amExplore the incredible geology of Hallett Cove while we use this as a model for world-leading field engagement. Primary, secondary and tertiary focused groups will explore best practice field engagements, have a go at a range of techniques and share their own best practice in the field. 
12.30pmLunch
1:30pmContinue Hallett Cove Tour
4:30pm
Depart Hallett Cove
5:30pm
Return to Adelaide Botanic High School for a BBQ dinner with delegates 
6:00pmBBQ dinner with delegates,  The Cloisters (The University of Adelaide, Gate, 10 Victoria Dr, Adelaide)


Day TWO - Workshops and Interactions

Saturday 15 August 2026
Location: Adelaide Botanic High School

9:00amOpening address
9:30The Outdoor Learning Environment
Join primary, secondary and tertiary groups for facilitated workshops connecting the field experience at Hallett Cove to your context. Explore what make field experiences great and best practice delivery and integration into the classroom.
10:30amMorning tea - posters available for viewing

Concurrent Workshops - Earth Systems Education Approach
11:00am
WORKSHOP 1
Discover the Hidden World Beneath Our Feet!
Dr Hannah Moore
AusEarthEd                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
WORKSHOP 2
Beyond the Test: Using StoryMaps for Integrated Learning and Assessment in Secondary Geoscience
Prof Sharon Locke
STEM Center, Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
WORKSHOP 3
Interactive Notebooks for Geophysics Education 
Professor Stuart Clark
UNSW Sydney                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
11:45amWORKSHOP 4
Earth Detective Kits
Lilly Angel Brokamp 
University of New England
WORKSHOP 5
Linking Rocks, Critical Minerals and Plate Tectonics
Phil Gilmore
TESEP
WORKSHOP 6
How Geoscience Knowledge Has Been Constructed
Dr Jose Selles-Martinez
Universidad De Buenos
12:30pm
Lunch - posters available for viewing

Concurrent Workshops - Engaging Earth Science Education
1.30pmWORKSHOP 7
CoRE Games
Suzy Urbaniak OAM
CoRE 
WORKSHOP 8
What's Shaking Down Under?
Dr Sima Mousavi
AuScope
WORKSHOP 9
Geoscience for a Sustainable Future
Dr Indrani Mukherjee
University of New South Wales 
1:55pm
Workshop 7 - CoRE Games Cont.
WORKSHOP 10
Rocks, Minerals and Elements: Exploring the Data
Dominic Iffland
Geoscience Australia 
WORKSHOP 11
Low-Barrier Digital Technologies for Authentic Tertiary Geoscience Teaching and Assessment
Dr Melinda McHenry
University of Tasmania
2.15pmWORKSHOP 12
Outback STEM: Geology and Palaeoenvironments
Leah Lynham
EduRock                             
WORKSHOP 13
Learning From Extinction: Teaching Earth System Resilience Through Deep Time
Gabriel Guy
Fort Street HS                                                     
WORKSHOP 14
EarthBank in the Classroom: Crystal Clear - Helping Kids See the Magic Inside Rocks
Dr Hayden Dalton
The University of Melbourne
2.40pmWorkshop 12 - Outback STEM (geology and palaeoenvironments) Cont.
WORKSHOP 15
Climate Change - Using Technology to Visually Communicate
Kelly Sharrad
Open Access College
WORKSHOP 16
Exploring the Solar System: Interactive Murals for Geosciences 
Facson Vargas
Liceo Jose Antonio Carvajal 
3:00pm
Afternoon tea - posters available for viewing
3:30pmEngaging Earth Science Education
Explore an interactive and engaging showcase of resources, work, ideas, equipment and more from a vast array of educators from around the world. Explore displays, speak with educators and take away classroom ready ideas
4:45pm
Enjoy networking with the option of visiting the poster presentations, now with their authors standing by to answer your questions. 
5:30pm
Conference day ends
6:00pm
Conference dinner - The Elephant British Pub, 1 Cinema Pl, Adelaide


Day THREE - The Big Ideas Day

Sunday 16 August 2026
Location: Adelaide Botanic High School

Join Katrina Rees and Suzy Urbaniak for a highly interactive day of appreciative inquiry into geoscience education.

View the presenter biographies here.
9:00amWelcome to Big Ideas Day – Defining our path to a flourishing future
Join a passionate group of geoscience educators and collaborators for a highly interactive session focused on shaping the future of geoscience education.
Using the appreciative inquiry SOAR framework, participants will collectively explore what is already working well, identify opportunities to build momentum, articulate shared aspirations, and define meaningful outcomes for geoscience education
9:15amIcebreaker BINGO

Setting the Scene
Sandra Villacorta will present insights from the IUGS COGE White Paper on Geoscience Education, which explores global challenges, strategic priorities, and pathways for action shaping the future of geoscience education.
This presentation will provide a broader context for the day—highlighting key trends, systemic challenges, and emerging opportunities at an international level. It will help frame our thinking as we move into the SOAR activities, ensuring our discussions are aligned with both global perspectives and future workforce needs.
9:30am
Strengths – What is already working well? 
Explore the breadth of successful initiatives across geoscience education and reflect on how we know they are working, what supports their success, and what makes them distinctive

Activity Overview
This session is designed to identify, refine, and strengthen effective geoscience education strategies through a structured, collaborative process.
  • Participants will begin by individually brainstorming ideas. These ideas are then grouped across key education categories (e.g. primary, secondary, tertiary; outreach, incursion, excursion) to identify common themes and consolidate similar initiatives.
  • Working in small “expert groups,” participants will explore selected ideas in more depth—defining the strategy, identifying evidence of what works, and outlining the key enablers required for success (such as resources, expertise, and partnerships). Each group will also clarify how the initiative operates and what makes it unique.
  • A “stay and stray” approach will then be used to promote cross-group learning and refinement, allowing participants to build on each other’s ideas and strengthen outputs through shared insights.
10:30am
Morning tea
11:00am
Opportunities – What can we do more of? 
Identify where existing strengths can be amplified through stronger connections, greater impact, and the scaling of effective practices

Activity Overview
This session builds on your strengths mapping by shifting focus to identifying opportunities to expand, connect, and enhance what is already working in geoscience education.
  • Participants will explore key questions to identify where existing initiatives can be scaled or better integrated, where gaps or duplication exist, and how collaboration across schools, universities, industry, and communities can be strengthened. 
  • The session will also consider what is required for initiatives to thrive long term and how impact can be more effectively demonstrated and shared.
  • Working from your existing mind map, groups will capture and refine these opportunities before presenting their key insights back to the broader group.
12:30pm
Lunch
1:30pm
Aspirations – What do we want to achieve?
Articulate a shared vision for an inclusive, connected, and future focused geoscience education ecosystem that equips learners with relevant skills, inspires curiosity, and demonstrates real world value. 

Activity Overview
This session focuses on defining a shared vision for the future of geoscience education and identifying the key actions required to achieve it.
  • Participants will engage in a roaming brainstorm, working around the room to respond to a series of guiding questions that explore what outstanding geoscience education should look like in 5–10 years. This includes defining the capabilities, experiences, and mindsets we want learners and educators to develop, how geoscience education should be perceived, and the values that should underpin the system.
  • Groups will then synthesise these insights into common themes, helping to articulate a clear set of aspirations. From this, participants will identify the most critical opportunities required to achieve this future state.
  • A set of proposed pillars of success will be presented, with participants voting to prioritise the top four. These priority areas will be further refined, linking back to identified strengths, opportunities, and aspirations to ensure alignment and impact.
3:00pm
Afternoon tea
3:30pm
Results – How will we know we are succeeding?
Define clear, shared outcomes that reflect improved engagement, capability development, meaningful pathways into geoscience careers, and a resilient education community committed to continuous learning and improvement. 

Activity Overview
This session focuses on defining how we will measure success and ensure our work delivers meaningful, lasting impact.
  • Building on the four priority pillars, participants will work together to identify clear, shared outcomes that reflect success in geoscience education—such as improved student engagement, strong capability development, meaningful career pathways, and a resilient, continuously improving education community.
  • Using a set of guiding questions, groups will explore what meaningful improvement looks like in practice, identify key indicators of success, and consider how to measure both short-term progress and long-term value. The session will also focus on defining what evidence will demonstrate impact, and how insights can be shared to enable continuous learning and improvement.
  • Outputs from this activity will provide a practical framework to track progress, demonstrate value, and sustain momentum beyond the session.
4:45pm
Networking Drinks
5:30pmConference Close


Post-Conference Field Trip

Monday 17 August 2026
Location: McLaren Vale

A field trip to McLaren Vale is planned for the day following the conference, offering delegates the chance to explore some of South Australia's unique regions.

  • McLaren Vale - Monday 17 August (1 Day)
  • Fleurieu Peninsula Coast - Monday 17 August - Wednesday 19 August (3 days; 2 nights) CANCELLED
  • Flinders Ranges - CANCELLED
This field trip is a great way to extend your stay, experience the natural beauty of the region, and connect with fellow delegates in an informal setting.

For more information and updates, visit the Field Trips page.