Header photo taken from http://teacherpro.wordpress.com/ on 04/12/13
Professional Development
This page is dedicated to documenting Professional Development sessions that I have attended throughout my teaching career. Sessions are listed from most recent to least recent.
Layers of Writing
4 half-day sessions led by Michelle Bence and Miriam Ramzy
WEBSITE
Day 1 (Feb. 5) : Introduction, background research + Handwriting and Cursive SLIDES
Day 2 (Feb. 29): Word Study
Day 3 (April 8th): Sentence Structure
Day 4 (May 9th): Text Structure and the Writing Process
WEBSITE
Day 1 (Feb. 5) : Introduction, background research + Handwriting and Cursive SLIDES
Day 2 (Feb. 29): Word Study
Day 3 (April 8th): Sentence Structure
Day 4 (May 9th): Text Structure and the Writing Process
SWATCA 2024
Keynote: Tareq Hadhad
Founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate. Syrian Refuge told us his story and preaching the importance of story telling. Resounding message of "love is the answer, hate is the Cancer"
A whole lotta math going on k-3 (John Felling) - Box Car one eyed jack session playing math games. We have kits in the school so I always like to get new games to help me use the kits effectively. HANDOUT
Spelling/ Vocab Games - Tricia Pope
Learned a few tricks to make spelling more engaging through movement
Keynote: Dr. Christina Fox
- Fox shared her background in residential schools and left us with a mesage of love, peace, and faith in finding strength through god and prayer in hard times.
- Author of "My Suitcasae: Nii Sookayis"
Linking Thinking Tasks to Grade 3-6 Alberta Math Curriculum
Revisited the importance of having multiple manipulatives readily available during math class and how those manipulatives can be used to support and cement many important foundations for learning. We had lots of hands-on practice with deeper thinking activities using basic manipulatives.
Founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate. Syrian Refuge told us his story and preaching the importance of story telling. Resounding message of "love is the answer, hate is the Cancer"
A whole lotta math going on k-3 (John Felling) - Box Car one eyed jack session playing math games. We have kits in the school so I always like to get new games to help me use the kits effectively. HANDOUT
Spelling/ Vocab Games - Tricia Pope
Learned a few tricks to make spelling more engaging through movement
Keynote: Dr. Christina Fox
- Fox shared her background in residential schools and left us with a mesage of love, peace, and faith in finding strength through god and prayer in hard times.
- Author of "My Suitcasae: Nii Sookayis"
Linking Thinking Tasks to Grade 3-6 Alberta Math Curriculum
Revisited the importance of having multiple manipulatives readily available during math class and how those manipulatives can be used to support and cement many important foundations for learning. We had lots of hands-on practice with deeper thinking activities using basic manipulatives.
Learn Build Go - Storytelling and Beading (November 16)
Come join us for a day to celebrate the beauty of Indigenous art, creativity and culture through beading and storytelling. Participants will learn the techniques of beadwork and create their own piece while also making connections to the curriculum. The day will also include a walk through a traveling exhibit from the Galt Museum; We Visit with Kainaiwa Beadwork: A New Way and the Real Way of Design, storytelling from Traven Weasel Traveler and a presentation from Student Wellness Team (ISWAG) Billy Woitte and Emily Williston.
Presentation
Come join us for a day to celebrate the beauty of Indigenous art, creativity and culture through beading and storytelling. Participants will learn the techniques of beadwork and create their own piece while also making connections to the curriculum. The day will also include a walk through a traveling exhibit from the Galt Museum; We Visit with Kainaiwa Beadwork: A New Way and the Real Way of Design, storytelling from Traven Weasel Traveler and a presentation from Student Wellness Team (ISWAG) Billy Woitte and Emily Williston.
Presentation
Learn, Build, Go - Art and Wellness Edition
March 14, 2023
An afternoon of learning which infused Indigenous perspectives and incorporated Blackfoot ways of knowing and doing in Art and Wellness. This opportunity allowed participants to learn from Sheldon Day Chief about the significance of the drum and take part in Metis Dot Art and a beading activity. We also learned about ribbon shirts and skirts. Our Learning Coaches (Dianne and Joanne) made connections to the new curriculum.
Presentation
March 14, 2023
An afternoon of learning which infused Indigenous perspectives and incorporated Blackfoot ways of knowing and doing in Art and Wellness. This opportunity allowed participants to learn from Sheldon Day Chief about the significance of the drum and take part in Metis Dot Art and a beading activity. We also learned about ribbon shirts and skirts. Our Learning Coaches (Dianne and Joanne) made connections to the new curriculum.
Presentation
UFLI Training Courses
March 16, 2023
In person training from the UFLI staff. Learning about the langauge, research, and pedagogy behind learning to read. March 18, 2023 Zoom part 2 exploring the lessons and how UFLI uses the research to back their program. After these sessions our school committed to implimenting UFLI in our school within the next school year. We purchased manuals and created Work Work boards. |
SWATCA 2023
"How to Transition Resilient Practices into Committed Action" -(Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe) talked about everyday resiliency and how to strengthen those qualities in ourselves.
"Connect the dots k-5 domino Math Games" - (John Felling) This box car and one-eyed-jacks session gave some new fact fluency games and fraction games using domino manipulatives.
"3 Simple tricks that make editing Fun & Easy" (and other lies) - (Robin Pawlak) - this session normalized the conversation about how hard it is to teach editing. We looked at different types of editing and focused on how editing needs to be in small frequent chunks, needs to be engaging, and needs to only focus on one feature at a time eg. comprehension, punctuation, neatness, finger spaces, grammar.
"Day One Leadership- Six Questions that Transform People and Organizations" - (Drew Dudley) Drew talked about how each of us has a chance to become a leader or make an impact every day but we need to acknowledge our own leadership qualities first.
"Create Calm in your classroom with sound" (Tina Thrussell) - Tina is a sound therapist and she talked about many sound related meditations and how C and G create the perfect 5th. She discussed how low frequency sounds and nature sounds help to cancel the everyday noise and disruptive sound which can cause irritation. Layering sounds like low river frequency but irregular bird chirping creates the calming and alert effects at the same time.
"Connect the dots k-5 domino Math Games" - (John Felling) This box car and one-eyed-jacks session gave some new fact fluency games and fraction games using domino manipulatives.
"3 Simple tricks that make editing Fun & Easy" (and other lies) - (Robin Pawlak) - this session normalized the conversation about how hard it is to teach editing. We looked at different types of editing and focused on how editing needs to be in small frequent chunks, needs to be engaging, and needs to only focus on one feature at a time eg. comprehension, punctuation, neatness, finger spaces, grammar.
"Day One Leadership- Six Questions that Transform People and Organizations" - (Drew Dudley) Drew talked about how each of us has a chance to become a leader or make an impact every day but we need to acknowledge our own leadership qualities first.
"Create Calm in your classroom with sound" (Tina Thrussell) - Tina is a sound therapist and she talked about many sound related meditations and how C and G create the perfect 5th. She discussed how low frequency sounds and nature sounds help to cancel the everyday noise and disruptive sound which can cause irritation. Layering sounds like low river frequency but irregular bird chirping creates the calming and alert effects at the same time.
7 Engaging, Research-Based Phonics Routines to accelerate reading
(Alison Ryan - Learning at the Primary Pond founder) Free online seminar November 4 She talked about the 7 foundational skills to follow the science of reading in classrooms. The seven steps were
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Learn, Build & Go STEM Edition - October 6, 2023 - a day of learning while infusing Indigenous perspective and incorporating Blackfoot ways of knowing into STEM. Started morning at Helen Schuler Nature Center where we gathered little treasures and connected with nature before bringing that back into a classroom connection in the afternoon session. We discussed how many science and math outcomes could be met using nature - things such as sorting attributes, life cycles, place value, patterning could all be met using natural materials.
SWATCA Online 2022
February 24th & 25th 2021
Exciting Projects for young artists (Izabella Orzelski) Website and youtube channel
The Fastest Way to Learn Addition (Darren Michalczuk Kenzy Math) Video link
K-3 Place Value (John Felling) Box Cars & One-Eyed-Jacks Handouts
Life Cycles Field Kits (Kenzie Field) Field Kit rentals
Musical Fun with Plates, scarves, and More! (Joyce Holoboff) Video here and Carnival of the Animals orchestra video
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Colin Mochrie Keynote (improv and comedy)
Stressing Wisely Keynote (Dr.Robyne Hanley-Dafoe)
I Like Good Books And I Cannot Lie - Laurie McIntosh - Website - Book List - Slides with titles/ activites
What Could Go Wrong? Simple Questions students can build stories around (Robin Pawlak) Website
Turning Dots Into A Painting (Bogdan Konikowski) - Video Tutorial - Presentation
Stressing Wisely Keynote (Dr.Robyne Hanley-Dafoe)
I Like Good Books And I Cannot Lie - Laurie McIntosh - Website - Book List - Slides with titles/ activites
What Could Go Wrong? Simple Questions students can build stories around (Robin Pawlak) Website
Turning Dots Into A Painting (Bogdan Konikowski) - Video Tutorial - Presentation
Whacky Wizards Boomwhacker Course
January 6th, 2021 (over following months) - Whacky Wizard Musical Boomwhacker training. I signed my class up to learn and test out the new boomwhacker music program that Leo Brooks developed at the University of Lethbridge. We covered a series of lessons and learned about beat, melody, timing, etc.
SWATCA ONLINE 2021
February 18/19 2021
Abstract Art - Acrylic Painting explorations (Christina Dixon)
Play on words - Primary Literacy Games (John Felling) Boxcar & One Eye Jacks
Picture Books are for Everyone - (Nicole Court) Presentation of books link
Rise & Shine Morning Yoga - (Rebel power yoga)
Visual Journals in the Elementary Classroom - (Cassandra Christen) @Prettyinkredible instagram
Virtual Board Games with Students - (Chris Kohlman) Links/ games discussed
Dance Around the World - Folk Dances - (Joyce Holoboff) Using Musicplay and Document Notes here
Conversation with Rick Mercer
Abstract Art - Acrylic Painting explorations (Christina Dixon)
Play on words - Primary Literacy Games (John Felling) Boxcar & One Eye Jacks
Picture Books are for Everyone - (Nicole Court) Presentation of books link
Rise & Shine Morning Yoga - (Rebel power yoga)
Visual Journals in the Elementary Classroom - (Cassandra Christen) @Prettyinkredible instagram
Virtual Board Games with Students - (Chris Kohlman) Links/ games discussed
Dance Around the World - Folk Dances - (Joyce Holoboff) Using Musicplay and Document Notes here
Conversation with Rick Mercer
November 20, 2020 - Decolonizing and Indigenizing approaches to Education
March 24 2020 - ADLC online seminar to learn how the distance learning works. Presentation
November 20, 2020 - Decolonizing and Indigenizing approaches to Education
March 24 2020 - ADLC online seminar to learn how the distance learning works. Presentation
Swatca 2020
Shake Up Your Math Classes! (Jon Felling) - Box Cars and One- Eyed Jacks workshop
The New Canada Food Guide for Teachers (AHS)
Monochromatic Projects - (Christina Dixon)
Number Sense to Number Facts - Bridging the Gap to build fluency and recall - Add/Subtract to 100, # to 1000 - Geri Lorway
Cricut in the Classroom (Deanna Brouwer)
Teaching Writing Through Reading (Krysta MacDonald and Caryn Swark) Presentation
African Drumming to the Next Beat - Jessica Lysak
The New Canada Food Guide for Teachers (AHS)
Monochromatic Projects - (Christina Dixon)
Number Sense to Number Facts - Bridging the Gap to build fluency and recall - Add/Subtract to 100, # to 1000 - Geri Lorway
Cricut in the Classroom (Deanna Brouwer)
Teaching Writing Through Reading (Krysta MacDonald and Caryn Swark) Presentation
African Drumming to the Next Beat - Jessica Lysak
November 12, 2019 - Dr. Jody Carrington "Creating Connections" Divisional PD. SUCH an inspiring and meaningful day filled with great advice for creating true connections with those around us - especially our "lid flippers" who need us the most. Left feeling so empowered and energized!
September 25th - 27th 2019 - LEVEL ONE INDIGENOUS GAMES TRAINING
In September of 2019 I had the honor of attending a 3 day course where I was introduced to various Indigenous games. We spent three days learning the games, the culture, the respect, and the craftsmanship of various games. Then we completed a written test to solidify certification to teach level 1 of the games. I am now certified to craft these games as well as to teach them to other teachers/ classes.
Montana Traditional Games Council
SWATCA 2019 (Feb. 21st/ 22nd)
- Darkness & Hope (Mental Health) - Michael Landsberg
- Everything Art (Collage) - Christina Dixon
- Oil Pastel for All Seasons - Christina Dixon
- Fun Environmental Activities in your Schoolyard - Laura Hughes https://www.abcee.org/programs
- Games in the Language Classroom - Dr. Greg Ogilvie, Kendra LaRocque, and Camilla Terry
- African Drumming to the Next Beat - Jessica Lysak
January 28, 2019 - Mental Health Literacy Go-To Educator Training
November 13, 2018 - ACE’s and Resilience, Examining our Blind Spots, Collaboration, & Curriculum Redesign sessions
October 26 - First Nations singing and drumming Sherryl Sewepagaham
Oct-Dec - occupational health and safety training
October 11 -Grade level meeting to discuss numeracy, literacy, and FNMI education
October 9, 2018 - math games
SWATCA 2018 (Feb. 22/23)
- Karl Subban - believing in a dream
- "What's new in books? K-5" - University of Lethbridge bookstore book talks
- Perseverance and acceptance - Lowell and Julie Taylor
- Science 101 - Alberta science network centers for 1-3
February 2nd, 2018 - ATA "Walking Together" Blanket Exercise: learning 500 years of history in a visual and impacting way. In this workshop I appreciated how everything was extremely visible - you could see "land" being taken away as blankets were crumpled and you could see the devastation to population as people were being eliminated. I especially appreciated the positive reinforcements near the end where accomplishments were celebrated and corners were folded outwards again to show gains that have been made recently. I reflected upon the feelings I had during that exercise, and I remembered feeling so uncertain and deflated - like I had no power to overcome whatever reality was about to be given to me. I also recall feeling distrust towards the facilitators and I didn't trust that they weren't going to eliminate me or my possessions next. Overall it was a very powerful workshop.
January 11th, 2018 - Group visit to John A. McDougall School in Edmonton to witness the Lucy Calkins Writing program in action.
October 25, 26 - SAPDC Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention Kit Training
October 10, 2017 - First Nations Learning - Smudge, Understanding Aboriginal identity, Assimilation study, TQS study and exploration of resources
September 20 - Growing in Faith Growing in Christ Religion PD
March 13, 2017 - Divisional Spiritual Development day (Praying with Paintbrushes) Meditation and prayer workshop Games in the Language Classroom: Engaging Learners to Promote Language Acquisition
Swatca 2017 (Feb. 24/25)
- "Promoting Resilience in Childhood" - (Dr. Alex Russell) In this keynote presentation the speaker was discussing parent anxiety, adult anxiety, and student anxiety. He discussed the importance of kids finding their "flo" which is their ability to take meaningful risks that may cause danger or anxiety in a non-catastrophic way. When kids find their "flo" they feel successful and supported. He also had some great strategies for effective parent-teacher communication.
- "No "Naked" Numbers please!" - (Keith Van De Keere) In this session Keith gave us many important pointers about multiplication and some important relations that students must make in order to be successful in understanding the relationships between facts. He had some great visuals by Cathy Fosnot that get kids thinking about a complete or an incomplete array.
- "Creating Color Harmonies With Oil Pastels" - (Christina Dixon) In this session I was so excited to try some new supplies, techniques, and projects in oil pastel medium. I also got to learn about some new watercolor techniques as well. (two projects of a turtle and a ladybug)
- "Cultivating Intuition" - (Vince Gowan) gave us a humorous and reflective talk regarding the importance of unstructured play for both children and adults. During this session I kept being reminded of the benefits that we saw during this years' first ever Global Play Day.
- "Cracking the Phonics Code" - (Lana Lane) she gave us endless ideas to help us understand the importance of proper, explicit phonics instruction. She showed us how to tackle reading and work-work at each grade from Kindergarten- Grade 4.
- "Know Your Multiplication Facts" - (Geri Lorway) In my final session, Geri continued to inspire me with new, sensible, easy, hands-on strategies to help struggling math students.We used strategies such as Quesonaire Blocks and folding paper to understand the criss-cross of rows and columns that make up an array.
November 23, January 11, February 15, March 20 (and 4 in-class visits) - Alberta Assessment Consortium Teacher Leader Team (collaborative assessment team)
September 30, 2016 - Fontas and Pinnell Workshop (Ann Muldoon)
September 20, October 5th 2016 - Grade 2, 3, and 4 grade level math meetings to discuss division test results and to analyze questions. In depth look at the front matter of the curriculum.
September 30, 2016 - Fontas and Pinnell Workshop (Ann Muldoon)
September 20, October 5th 2016 - Grade 2, 3, and 4 grade level math meetings to discuss division test results and to analyze questions. In depth look at the front matter of the curriculum.
March 22/ April 6 2016 - (Geri Lorway, SAPDC) Teaching Operations: Addition, Subtraction, Place Value (2 of 3 days)
March 7, 2016 - Division Spiritual Development day. Keynote speaker Steve Bell. I attended sessions on Pray in Colour and on Steve Bell talking about Saints and worship songs
February 29, 2016 - Staff Spiritual Development Day - We spent the day praying at the St. Martha's Retreat Center
Swatca 2016 (Feb 18/19)
- "Helping Boys Learn" (Dr. Edmond Dixon) @DrEdmondDixon The keynote speaker talked to us about making learning meaningful for boys by using games, movement, humour, challenge, mastery, and meaning. Resources at _HBL6.ca
- "Exploring the Digitized Collections at the Uof L for use in the Class" (Michael Perry) A session to learn about using the U of L Digital Collections Library. We were given the chance to explore resources and to talk about how it may be used to enrich our classroom learning.
- "Hot off the Press! New Resource for Elementary Math" (AAC Facilitator) Learning about some new AAC videos to promote independent, critical thinking in students. We also discussed the changes to the Alberta Math curriculum and cleared up some misconceptions about the outcomes. Videos link HERE
- "Math for Young Minds" (Kelly Jo Craddock and Crystal Packard) Learning about many fun strategies to bring math to life in younger grades. They showed us many math games to use for various outcomes.
- "The Internet of Me: Neglect in an Age of Hyper-Connectivity" (Dr. Philip McRae) @philccrae We learned about new technologies coming up, what current technology statistics are, how technology is impacting our field of work, and how to keep a balance with technology.
- "AnimalTales: How to use Stories to Develop Character" Exploring the SPCA's collection of animal-themed stories which are used to create empathy and compassion in young students. We got to explore many different topics through the books and learn about how the program works in our schools. Website here
October 26, 2015 - Division wide PD day sessions: Michelle Perron "Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls", Darwin Healy and John Chief Calf "Breaking Down the Barriers", Jane Bettcher "The Power of God's Word", Nicolas Hurtado "The Martian Mexican", Dr. Robin Gibb "Brain and Learning (Gender Differences)", Norah Fines (wellness) "Move More to Learn More", Grade 2 breakout session.
Various Days through the 2015/2016 year- Many sessions to refresh ourselves on the 6 Strands of Religious Education
April 20, 2015 - School PD day. Staff meeting, then a workshop about creating safe school communities (with a focus on GSA groups).
Various Days through the 2015/2016 year- Many sessions to refresh ourselves on the 6 Strands of Religious Education
April 20, 2015 - School PD day. Staff meeting, then a workshop about creating safe school communities (with a focus on GSA groups).
Grade 2 Grade Level Meeting - (Feb 25) We collaborated with the Grade 3 teachers to talk about assessment gaps and what would be needed to be done by grade 2 teachers to make the grade 3 transition more effective. We viewed SLA questions to talk about which questions were good or bad, and talked about what needs to be emphasized more by the grade 2 teachers (such as self evaluations).
Swatca 2015 sessions (Feb 19/20):
- "Fall Down 7 times, Get up 8" - (Debbie Silver) The keynote speaker talked to us about learning disabilities and perseverance in a funny and personal way.
"Rocks, knots, moss, ice cream stands: Do you practice math facts? HOW Grades 1-3" - (Geri Lorway) This session talked to us a bit about subitizing and how to group numbers in different ways.
"Heaven, hell, and purgatory: Understanding the afterlife from a Catholic Perspective": - (Carl Fakeley) We had some great talks about purgatory and what we think purgatory entails. Lots of good discussion over sin, judgement, and imagined scenarios.
"Power to play gets smarter" - (Lee Finell) This session was based on teaching kids about nutrition through an interactive, fun, put-together kit. The information was based from the Canada Food Guide. The new kit had smartboard files attached as well so I ordered a new copy for our school.
"Scared Groves" - (Brian Keating) We watched many cultural and naturalistic videos about how to preserve our earth and how to encourage kids to explore outdoors.
Math Games: Simple math made simply exciting Division 1 - (Tricia Pope) This session showed us many new games to help young kids with basic math. Lots of take-away ideas.
Alleviating ADHD Naturally - (Anthony Stephen) This session informed me about how some researchers believe that ADHD is heightened because of a lack in micronutrients such as Vitamin E. This session informed us about a line of vitamins that can help to alleviate the symptoms
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Faith Formation Meetings (4 nights from Sept-May) - During these meetings we come together as new catholic teachers to discuss how to approach our calling to be great catholic role models and how to engage the students in religion. We also work on our faith portfolios.
Grade level Meeting - (Jan 8) At this Grade 2 level we looked at various forms of assessment and discussed frustrations and successes with colleagues. We looked at performance
projects at our levels. We also discussed how to gather usable data for the division.
Divisional PD Day - (Oct 9) The sessions that I attended included: "Anything but a worksheet", online FOIP training, and teachers and EAs working together
BEGINNING TEACHER'S CONFERENCE 2014 - (Oct 2-4) While it was great to see so many familiar faces and to collaborate with other teachers at my grade level, it was also great to attend some exciting new sessions such as: drawing as an assessment tool in science, teaching writing to primary grades, how to use the ATA library, differentiated learning, and an ATA informational session.
MATH GAMES TO SUPPORT BASIC MATH FACTS - (March 7, SAPDC) I attended this session as part of my preparation towards my professional inquiry project. It was a great session that helped to highlight the philosophical shift in math and its new emphasis on conceptual understanding rather than rote memory. We were able to play many additions, subtraction, multiplication, and division games that were easy to set up, easy to adapt, and easy to differentiate for. It was a lot of fun!
My upcoming professional inquiry project (throughout my PS3 practicum) will be focussing on the benefits and development of utilizing hands-on learning through educational games in math class. I will be working collaboratively with another intern in my school and I will be posting updates as we go on this page's tab called "Professional Inquiry Project".
SWATCA 2014 CONVENTION SESSIONS (February 20/21, 2014):
- FINDING THE 'ART' IN LANGUAGE ARTS - (Feb. 21) I decided to attend this session by Linda Gringas because I have been missing teaching language Arts this semester, but also it sounded like a 'marriage' of my 2 most passionate subjects, so I knew that it would be an interesting topic for me to explore! As there turned out to be very few of us that attended this session, I was somewhat forced to volunteer as the 'chair member' which was unexpected but also rewarding. It was great to be able to try a few descriptive writing assignments based on abstract art pictures and it was really eye-opening to realize how easy it is to misinterpret unclear directions. The presenters gave us many assignment ideas to try with our students, and it was also just a great opportunity to collaborate with other teachers who were looking for some meaningful art lessons. We ended up using the end of our session as more of a 'sharing' time to show each other pictures of assignments we have tried, or to show some teachers great resources such as Pinterest.
EXPLORING THE WORLD: SEVEN CONTINENTS IN ONE GLOBAL MICRO-LIBRARY (Feb. 21) The "gurus of literature" Pamela Winsor and Beth Cormier teamed up to create an excellent compilation of literature that represents genuine people and cultures in each of the 7 continents. This resource has been created and made readily available for teachers to be able to build upon for the individual needs of their classroom. I was able to preview many fantastic picture books and novels that support student connections with other cultures, and it was awesome to hear other teachers' input on how they could utilize this resource in many different ways. The resource includes a detailed annotated bibliography for each continent, and also came with cute little "passports" and "stamps" for kids to review each continent and show that they have 'visited' each of these continents. Some of our discussions mentioned the possibility of being able to use it across a whole school, to use it as a support for the grade 3 social curriculum, to use it as a starting point to launch a "cultural awareness night" at a school, and to use it as an "Amazing Race" challenge!
"LOLLIPOP" MOMENTS (Feb. 21) Drew Dudley's closing keynote was FANTASTIC. I was highly entertained throughout his comedic speech, but was also able to take away many inspirational stories and goals after watching his presentation. I loved the idea of trying to define the 3 values that you HOPE you embody on a daily basis. By defining your values you are forced to recognize what the value looks like in practical application and you can ask yourself whether you have really been meeting those benchmarks on a daily basis. The questions that Drew posed were deep questions such as "What positive thing have I said to someone's face today?" and "How have I made someone else's life richer by interacting with them today?". I also loved that his philosophy leaves room for human imperfection... he recognizes that we can't all reach our goals every single day, but he stressed that we should define ourselves by the "every day" rather than by the "extraordinary days". His views on leadership, healing, and forgiveness were very inspiring and I know that his speech is one that I will personally remember and strive to live by for a very long time.
MOVE & PLAY THROUGH TRADITIONAL ABORIGINAL GAMES: (Feb. 20) Lethbridge College Be Fit for Life Centre gave us a great presentation about how easily traditional aboriginal games can be used to get kids excited about fitness, but also while teaching them about traditional native cultures. I decided to go to this session because I am currently finishing up the "Living with the Land" unit in Social Studies 4 and I have been wanting to do some traditional aboriginal activities as a "wrap up". I loved how the ladies described the importance of respectively gathering proper materials, and how they gave us the "original significance" of why each game was created. I think that I will try to integrate some of these games within the next few weeks and I know that my kids will love playing these games and hearing why the natives played them!
MATH GAMES USING CARDS, DICE, AND MULTI-SIDED DICE FOR GRADES 4-6 (Feb. 20) Linda Williams brought in "Boxcar learning" materials such as 10 sided dice, triple dice, counters, and cards to teach us many ways to use math games to teach concepts. It was great to play around and get to "be the students" during this interactive session! I am hoping that some of the materials that I gained from this session can be used towards my Professional Inquiry Project which deals with math application through games. What amazed me was how effectively she was able to show us ways that math games can lead to deeper realization of math concepts, and also how easily some games are to differentiate for high and low learners!
WE GOT SOME CATCHING UP TO DO (Feb. 20) Shelagh Rogers gave a speech to us about the importance of recognizing the hurt that we have cause our indigenous peoples, and about the importance of having genuine interactions with these people in order to close the gap of separation that we currently have. Her speech talked a lot about reconciliation following the era of Residential Schooling and how we need to recognize our past flaws, have sorrow for our dark history, and look at how we can contribute to making sure that we support success for those who are still suffering from this era, and how to ensure that we never repeat history. The quotes that stuck with me the most during her presentation were "why would we deny ourselves the pleasure of aboriginal company?" and "why wait for a tsunami to become helpful to one another?". I thought that it was a very insightful presentation!
Below are some various pictures that I took from the sessions mentioned in the 2014 SWATCA sessions above!
ASSERTIVENESS SKILLS FOR WORKING WITH INTIMIDATING ADULTS: STAYING COOL IN HIGH CONFLICT SITUATIONS (February 12, 2014) - After practicum one day I attended this 4 hour session that was put on by psychologist Dawn McBride. The session taught strategies that focused on dealing with "grumpy parents" and how to resolve conflicts in a way that will result in a "win-win" solution for both parties. It was fascinating to hear psychological strategies for dealing with the "nightmare parental conflicts" that every new teacher worries about. The session allowed us to do role-playing scenarios to practice the needed steps to make sure that the parent knows that their concerns have been heard, all while keeping your own professional composure. I loved how these strategies taught me to keep my defensiveness down, and how to constantly reassure the parent until we can get to a neutral zone where we can productively and cooperatively work together as a team to discuss the most beneficial options for the student. It was a very beneficial session which has greatly increased my confidence in dealing with stressful situations.
HOLY SPIRIT DIV. II MEETING - (January 20, 2014) My teacher mentor and I took the afternoon off from teaching to join other grade 4 teachers in our division. Our focus was on what it means to foster "inspired learning" and we discussed the upcoming curriculum changes that Alberta Education is currently working on. Talking about the new curriculum reforms was very exciting and we even had the chance to try "creating our own" 10 outcomes that we would want - which is definitely harder than it seems! My favorite quote from today was "we need to design curriculum for the world THEY live in, NOT the world that we grew up in".
PS3 EPOP Session - (December 5, 2013) We all met to collaborate as teachers, to discuss all of our various responsibilities, and to discuss our expectations. It was helpful to learn about what is expected of us in regards to our Professional Development Projects! I also got to meet my PS3 teacher mentor and we had the chance to begin planning some PS3 preparation.
PD Day for Palliser School Division - (March 11, 2013) I joined my school's staff on the trip out to Vulcan to participate in a school board wide PD day. There were many great sessions such as math strategies, long term assessment, spray brushed tattoos, daily 5 collaborative activities, etc. It was a great experience to get to have some insight into what teachers do on PD days!
SWATCA 2013 CONVENTION SESSIONS (Feb. 21/22, 2013)
- Freedom in Forgiveness - (Feb. 21) Amanda Lindhout did a Global Education talk referring to forgiveness of evils. Her speech was extremely inspirational and the whole gym was silent listening to her incredible story of horror, bravery, and forgiveness.
- Visual Story Planning - (Feb. 21) Cathy Beveridge's session was an extremely logically layout for teaching children how to write good short stories. She taught how the problem and solution are the first steps to consider and solve before framing the rest of the story. She also showed many class examples of how her students planned out stories and explained their logic behind their reasoning. She also showed the most common pitfalls that students get trapped into and how to avoid those problems. It was an extremely helpful session and I actually used many of her tips while teaching my own short story unit later on that semester.
- Help! I Need to Create Meaningful Online Course Content! - (Feb. 21) Carol Johnson's course on online content dealt with teaching the basics of creating content online. We worked on starting blogs, social bookmarking, etc.
- Examining a Collaborative Response Model: School-wide Structures to Support All Learners - (Feb. 21) Kurtis Hewson's session focused on Jigsaw Learning's collaborative model to school community. It focused on restructuring schools based on the success of collaborative team meetings, assessments, and a pyramid of interventions together as a way of creating a student-response centered school instead of a traditional school. The session raised lots of interesting points about the importance of collaboration between the staff and making sure that all teachers share responsibility for student success instead of just one homeroom teacher.
- Meaningful Student Blogging - (Feb. 22) This session put on by Crystal Lothian and Greg Miller was a fantastic presentation that highlighted the benefits of using student blogging. It recognized how blogging creates a real audience for students, makes them conscientious of their spelling and grammar, motivates them to write journal entries, creates the opportunity for global connections, and creates a positive digital footprint for young learners. They also showed many exemplars of meaningful and purposeful blog response, and how students progressed over the year.
- Poster Making as an Assessment Tool - (Feb. 22) Linda Going's presentation highlighted a lot of great examples of using posters as a way to assess student learning. She highlighted many different ways to make posters meet visual requirements, and let us have a hands-on chance to create our own posters using the new organizing skills she had taught us.
- Creating Global Citizens: Educating Children for the 21st Century - (Feb. 22)The end keynote by Deborah Grey encouraged teachers to create positive relationships and to be good role models to their students. She shared her belief that we need to make global students feel like they have a place to belong by building bridges that give students roots to grow and wings to soar. Her unifying message was that "global is great, but life is local" which stresses that we need to stay focused on the students in our classroom.
Below is my letter of recognition from the Education Undergraduate Society declaring proof of the professional Development sessions that I attended during PS2 seminar classes. (5 different sessions around the month of February 2013).
PSII EPOP & Orientation - (Feb. 2012) We got to collaborate with other teachers and students who were about to participate in the PS2 practicum. We learned what was expected of us in the PS2 practicum and got to begin collaborating with other student teachers and teacher associates.
Differentiated Instruction Workshop - (Feb 1, 2012 ) Lenee Fyfe put on a great presentation on how to use differentiation strategies to keep students engaged and to make learning fun for students. We played many educational games especially with a focus on math games that focused on student interests. It was a very fun session that provided us with many good resources!
Orientation to the Curriculum Lab - Fall 2011
PSI Orientation - Fall 2011
Differentiated Instruction Workshop - (Feb 1, 2012 ) Lenee Fyfe put on a great presentation on how to use differentiation strategies to keep students engaged and to make learning fun for students. We played many educational games especially with a focus on math games that focused on student interests. It was a very fun session that provided us with many good resources!
Orientation to the Curriculum Lab - Fall 2011
PSI Orientation - Fall 2011