International Teaching Opportunities with Alan Travers

This presentation will include information about the pros and cons of international teaching, an overview of the opportunities available, a description of the annual Teachers’ Overseas Recruiting Fair at Queen’s, and a visual tour of some schools around the world.

Making connections: Art is Life with Dr. Karen Frederickson

This workshop is designed to engage participants in creative, active and thoughtful lessons for varying levels, which are more like exploring life than doing school work. We will also critically examine aspects of the current Ontario curriculum. Participants should commit to attending the whole session, wear comfortable clothing (that can get dirty!) including shoes that are suitable for movement, and bring an attitude of wonder and curiosity.

Power Play in the Classroom with Robert Cumming

This workshop will explore the immense power imbalance present in student-teacher relationships. The focus of the workshop is intended to inform pre-service teachers about the awesome power educators possess, the stresses that accompany a teaching career, and how not to become someone who imposes themselves on others, for the simple reason that power feels good or because they feel threatened or belittled. This workshop is part of Robert’s research and he will provide surveys to participants in hopes of receiving feedback.

Cultivating a Culture of Care: Sowing the Seeds of Hope with Kelly Dear

In this seminar participants will learn basic steps to actively teach habits of mind and character in their classrooms and in their halls. Topics include creating a motto, tipping ‘mean girrrls’, using student leadership to pass it on, and other ways to make our schools safe and inclusive environments.

Issues in Aboriginal Education with Robert Lovelace

We all know a lot of words that are used to describe Aboriginal people.  Some words are nice and some are not so nice.  Some words are “in” today and “out” tomorrow.  So what is the appropriate use of Aboriginal nomenclature?  This workshop will explore the meaning and history of words and how they can be used in teaching about Aboriginal people.   We will explore attitudes and beliefs that words create or challenge.  Be prepared to brush up on your grammar and usage and have a laugh or two.

Outdoor Experiential Education: Expanding Our Classroom to Encompass the Apple and the Trees with Robert McDougall

Be prepared to put on your warm clothing and head outdoors for a portion of this workshop! This workshop is intended to provide a platform for teachers with a passion for the outdoors to push beyond the walls of the traditional classroom. We will focus on the need, the possibilities, the roadblocks and the tools involved in making your classroom an outdoor experiential classroom.

Dynamics and Strategies When Working with Gifted Students with Kellie Yateman

Kellie Yateman teaches grade 7 Challenge (Literacy, Mathematics, and Science). Calvin Park Students in the Limestone District School Board’s Challenge Program have a very unique opportunity to learn and grow in a program designed specifically for gifted and academically advanced students. The Challenge Program follows the Ontario Curriculum as well as the directives of the Ontario Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, and strives to provide a highly effective learning environment. There is a strong emphasis on academics, particularly literacy and numeracy. Subject specialists deliver the content areas of the program in an integrated way. The program is a very well balanced one including excellence in academics, physical education, healthy living and the arts.

So You Want to be a Teacher? A Lesson in Classroom Management with Bill Newstead

Why are some teachers so good at working with students, while others are not? This workshop will concentrate on techniques which if used properly will significantly improve teaching performance. Some topics to be discussed are:
-Methods used to make a lasting first impression on your students
-Techniques used to establish a positive classroom tone
-Outlining reasonable expectations for students behaviour and performance and how to respond if these expectations are not met
This workshop is not going to emphasize the theoretical but instead will emphasize the practical. I will explain to you many of lessons I have learned over 40 years of teaching at the elementary, secondary and university level. This workshop will emphasize the “nuts and bolts” of how to make your teaching experience successful.

Learning through Sport and Play with Right to Play’s Julia Myer

This Right To Play workshop will explore experiential learning methodologies involving sport and play. By incorporating physical activity into educational programming, teachers are able to implement unique and effective methods that engage students physically and mentally. Experiential methods allow teachers to address multiple aspects of a student’s development and cater to different learning styles with a singular approach. Teachers will learn different methods to implement experiential learning including games, critical literacy, and global citizenship programming. This will be an active session so please come ready to play some games and have fun!

Panel Discussion: Looking Deeper into Education Today

This workshop is a mediated dialogue between 4 QCE speakers regarding their opinions towards issues in Education. Two discussion topics will be preselected and prepared for, and one topic will be chosen randomly from audience suggestions.

Elementary Level Topics

Surviving the First Year… an Elementary Perspective with Joanne Pratt

This workshop is intended to provide information to new elementary teachers about the ups and downs of the first year of teaching and strategies that new teachers can use to make the transition to the classroom a positive one.

Breaking the Ice with Kim Renders

Workshop participants will be lead through a series of drama games and exercises geared to young people. Using the principal of “Learning by Doing” it is hoped that by actually pretending to be a class of young people, participants may garner a sense of what sorts of activities might work to help “Break the Ice” in a class room, creating a comfortable and creative environment.

Early Intervention Reading Strategies with Lesly Wade-Woolley

This workshop will present what we know about the kinds of reading instruction in the primary grades that is most likely to reduce the numbers of children who require later remediation for reading difficulties.  One particular program, Peer Assisted learning Strategies, will be highlighted.

Secondary Level Topics

Surviving the First Year… a Secondary Perspective with Julie McGinn

This workshop will outline the challenges and opportunities that teachers should expect in their first year of high school teaching.  In her first year with LDSB, Julie quickly discovered an abundance of resources (both human and print) available to keep her inspired, on track, and ready to face each new day – which would inevitably include some sort of incident that no textbook ever warned her would happen!

Engaging Troubled Students with Kim and Barry Driscoll

The main focus of this workshop will be strategies to engage students to succeed on both academic and social levels.  Using anecdotes and interviews with students, Kim and Barry will broaden your frame of reference on students who seemingly don’t care about graduating.

This workshop will challenge you to ask yourself what you think is your most important role as a teacher.