Presenting at ASTE Conferences

The Call for Proposals is typically announced in Spring (April) with a deadline in summer (June/July). Submission reviews take place through August, with authors receiving notification of the status of their proposals in Fall (typically October).

Conference Threads

The ASTE conference is organized by ‘Threads’ that bring together sessions and topics related to a variety of member interests. Our current Conference Threads and Chairs are listed below.

College and University Science Education: Proposals for this thread will address issues such as conceptual change, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, etc. that are pertinent to higher education science faculty who work with science teachers or science teacher educators, community, and after-school programs.
Chairs: Leslie Bradbury and Katie Green
Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment for current and future science teachers as used by science teacher educators and in science departments.
Chairs: Kimberly Lott and Laura Schisler
Educational Technology: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about technology use and training for present and future science teachers as used by science teacher educators.
Chairs: Jesse Wilcox and Colby Tofel-Grehl
Equity & Diversity: Proposals for this thread will foreground and critically examine issues of equity, inclusion, and diversity that are central to science teacher education, science education, and science.
Chairs: Terri Hebert and Preethi Titu
Ethnoscience and Environmental Education: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about culture, diversity and environmental education for current and future teachers.
Chairs: Sarah Carrier and Sarah Haines
History, Philosophy, and Nature of Science: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice, theory or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about history, philosophy and the nature of science (not limited to science practices) for current and future science teachers.
Chairs: Ryan Summers and Alister Olson
Informal/Out-of-School Science Education: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about informal science education for current and future science teachers.
Chairs: Michael Dentzau and Michelle Forsythe
Policy, Advocacy and Reform: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice, white papers, position statements or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about policy and reform and how each impacts science teacher educators and education.
Chairs: Joanne Olson and Daniel Carpenter
Preservice Science Teacher Preparation-ELEMENTARY: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about science teacher preparation programs.
Chairs: Karl Jung and Tina Vo
Preservice Science Teacher Preparation-MIDDLE/SECONDARY: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about science teacher preparation programs.
Chairs: Stephanie Phillip and Rachel Sparks
Professional Development for Science Teacher Educators (Workshops) Proposals for one-hour workshops for science teacher educators can be submitted to this strand. Workshops are currently embedded in the conference schedule, rather than being scheduled preconference.
Chaired by the PD Committee*
Science Teacher Professional Development-ELEMENTARY: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about science teacher professional development.
Chairs: Selena Bartels and Wendy Ruchti
Science Teacher Professional Development-MIDDLE/SECONDARY: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about science teacher professional development.
Chairs:Patrick Enderle and Debbie French
STEM Education: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about STEM education, our understanding of what STEM means and the National Standards for STEM for future and current science teachers.
Chairs: Ingrid Carter and Emily Dare
Student Learning P-12: Proposals for this thread will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about the relationship between student learning and current and future science teachers.
Chairs: Richard Lamb and Stephen Thompson

Concurrent Session Formats

There are several different session formats featured at our annual conference on a regular basis. New formats and events may be planned by the conference chairs, in addition to those listed below.

Individual Paper Presentation: Each one-hour session consists of three individual papers related to the same thread as determined by the conference chairs. Each presenter will discuss a research study, philosophical viewpoint, position, or innovative idea. The session presider will manage the time and facilitate the transition from one presenter to the next. (20 minutes per presenter)
Themed Paper or Poster Set: Each one-hour session consists of a group of presentations related to a common theme as determined by the authors. The proposals must be submitted as a group to be considered as a single themed session. Each presenter will discuss research, a philosophical viewpoint, position, or innovative idea. A discussant may be chosen by the group submitting the themed paper set, but will not be provided by ASTE. Authors will need to determine how to use the allotted time.
Individual Poster Presentation: Each presenter will prepare and display a visual representation of research (completed or in-progress), issue, or practice related to science teacher preparation. Appropriate displays include posters or other creative formats. Presenters will participate in one-on-one conversations about their displays during the formal poster session.
Small Group Roundtables: Each (one-hour) session offers the opportunity for participants to share and discuss creative pedagogy, issues and trends, culture, history, and research in an intimate and informal manner. Presenters will be paired with two to fivepresenters with papers on a similar topic. A presider will allow eachpresenters to provide a brief synopsis (5-7 minutes) and then allow time for whole table group discussion to share perspectives on the issues presented. Audience members may circulate among tables throughout the session.
Syllabus Sharing: This format has been designed for the purpose of sharing science education syllabi. Presenters should include evidence of outcomes or student learning to support the course activities and assessments. To submit a syllabus, select all the appropriate descriptors for this course. These presentations will be grouped into a single poster session. *Syllabus sharing does not apply to the limits on first authorship.
Exploratory Session: This session type is intended to elicit the creativity of our membership to share innovative ideas in innovative ways. Do you envision something relevant to the ASTE membership that doesn’t quite fit a workshop or other format above? Propose this type of format to engage members in a 1-hour session on a topic of your choice. *Keep in mind that this is an “alternative” session type. Attendees will be coming to your session expecting a different experience in some noticeable way. Don’t approach the planning the same way you would any other format, and make sure they leave feeling like it was correctly labeled as an exploratory session.
Professional Development for Science Teacher Educators (Workshops): Opportunities are embedded within the conference schedule (same time as concurrent sessions) for one-hour engagement in sessions designed to provide professional development for science teacher educators on a variety of topics related to teaching, research, and career growth/development. *Workshops do not apply to the limits on first authorship.

Proposal Rubric

All proposals for the annual meeting are reviewed by at least two proposal reviewers, usig the rubric criteria below. The criteria are designed to address diverse submission types (e.g., research studies as well as position papers or descriptios of innovative programs or practices). Changes or updates to this criteria are announced in the Call for Proposals.

REVIEW CRITERIA Criteria (1=inadequate to 5=superior)

Clear focus/problem: The proposal has a clear focus and/or addresses a problem that is timely and significant to science teacher education.
Theoretical or conceptual framing: The research study, philosophical viewpoint, position, or innovation described in the proposal is grounded in a conceptual or theoretical framework and in the research base for science teacher education.
Methodology/Design (for research study) or Organization/Quality (for other presentation types):
- For research studies, the work is based on sound methodology and research practices.
- For philosophical viewpoints, it is clear how the logic and coherence of arguments is tied to the theoretical or conceptual framework.
- For position papers, the position is well-grounded in the existing literature and considers multiple perspectives and arguments.
- For innovations, there is a clear connection to the theoretical or conceptual framework and pedagogical perspective of the authors.
- For workshops, explain who within the ASTE membership would be most interested in your presentation, the expertise/experience of the workshop presenters, the learning objectives, and a description of the workshop activities and instructional strategies that will be used.
Findings/Conclusions (if research study), Contributions (for philosophical viewpoints, position paper, or innovations), and Evaluation/Support (for workshops): The work contributes to the knowledge base in science teacher education either through using evidence to answer one or more research questions, articulating a philosophical viewpoint, synthesizing the existing literature and the implications for practice, and/or by providing evidence of the effectiveness of an innovation.
For a workshop, please describe how you will assess whether participants have met the learning objectives and how you will offer support to participants for continuing their learning/collaboration after they return to their home institutions.
Relevance to science teacher education: The proposal is relevant to the mission of ASTE to advance policy and/or practice through scholarship, collaboration, and innovation in science teacher education.
Interest to the ASTE membership: The proposal session has implications for the work and interests of the ASTE membership– including science teacher educators in a variety of roles, and contexts (e.g., preservice/ inservice or formal/ informal).