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[kaydphia]

As a new 2008 t-t cohort member, What are some of the Educational Research conferences, or curriculum conferences, or Science Education related conferences that I should have on my calendar?

Thanks,
Kay

[msparticularity]

Well, AERA is for many in the field the be-all-and-end-all. It is definitely where people who think of themselves as "educational researchers" will be. I like IASTS (International Association for Science & Technology in Society), but it's gotten less trendy in recent years. It is, however, small and friendly, if a little technology-dominated. My other conference is Philosophy of Education Society, which is possibly/probably not where your interest lies, although there are a bunch of us who work in the area where educational philosophy and philosophy of science intersect.

You're welcome to PM me for more detail.

[sciencephd]

Isn't AAAS heavy on science education ?

[starfleet_grad]

AESA is another useful conference, and sometimes ASCD although I have heard wildly differing assessments of the latter. Then you have your speciality area conferences like NCTE for English, ACTE for vocational education, AERC for adult education, PERC for physics education, and so on.

On a related note, and I say this in general terms, it always baffles me how many people graduate from Ph.D. programs, land t-t jobs, and have no clue about the major professional organizations and conferences in their fields.
It appears that programs and advisors across the country are dropping the ball at alarming rates here.

[sciencephd]

AESA is another useful conference, and sometimes ASCD although I have heard wildly differing assessments of the latter. Then you have your speciality area conferences like NCTE for English, ACTE for vocational education, AERC for adult education, PERC for physics education, and so on.

On a related note, and I say this in general terms, it always baffles me how many people graduate from Ph.D. programs, land t-t jobs, and have no clue about the major professional organizations and conferences in their fields.
It appears that programs and advisors across the country are dropping the ball at alarming rates here.

I think one should be careful, especially in this case.  The OP could easily have a PhD in a science field, with excellent postdoctoral training, and have little or no idea what the conferences are in science education.  It really is a completely different world.

[kaydphia]

I am hoping that "in general" was not a blast towards me and my original post. I would hope that this site is more supportive than that...

Thank you to all of those who responded. I wanted other conferences to ADD to my calendar other than the ones in my region and AERA.

[sagit]

I am hoping that "in general" was not a blast towards me and my original post. I would hope that this site is more supportive than that...

Thank you to all of those who responded. I wanted other conferences to ADD to my calendar other than the ones in my region and AERA.

You may also wish to look into the National Association for Research in Science Teaching annual meeting (smaller, more manageable than AERA and focuses only on science education).

[sibyl]

I am hoping that "in general" was not a blast towards me and my original post. I would hope that this site is more supportive than that...

This is a supportive place, but it requires that its members develop a bit of a thick skin and understand that it's possible to take comments in ways other than intended by the sender.  That might have been a dig at you; it might also have been a dig at your grad program, or grad programs in general, at the poor job of preparing graduates for life on the tenure track; it may also have just been a vent of steam, not directed at anyone in particular.  Don't be so quick to be offended.

For example, it is easy to misinterpret this comment: 

Thank you to all of those who responded. I wanted other conferences to ADD to my calendar other than the ones in my region and AERA.

Is that thank-you sarcastic, rather than earnest?  Are you blasting people for not understanding your intentions in the first place?  Probably not, and yet I wouldn't be surprised if some people took it that way.

Incidentally, it would have been useful if you had included this information in your first post, which gave no indication that you knew about AERA or regional conferences.

Now then.  I think the best conference on teaching is the Lilly Conference that usually takes place in the fall.  I've never been to a more useful or helpful conference.  I am a humanist, and yet the best tips I got came from a physicist and a social scientist.  You can find information at http://www.units.muohio.edu/lillycon/.

Good luck.