Breakout Sessions

Building Community of Practice: Sharing and Learning with Intermediate/Senior Educators and TAs

Courtney Strutt

A community of practice is a group of professionals who build relationships and share knowledge from their experience in the field. In this session, all conference attendees will be placed in a group with others who do a similar job to them. During the session, participants will guide the learning taking place through their sharing of experiences, ideas, questions, and needs in such a way that it promotes learning, the creation of networks and future change. The breakout community of practice for this session will be for Intermediate/Senior Educators and EAs. Participants will leave with an enhanced perspective and vision for the work that they do.

Location:

Scandia

Building Community of Practice: Sharing and Learning with Junior Educators and TAs

Katie Hughdie

A community of practice is a group of professionals who build relationships and share knowledge from their experience in the field. In this session, all conference attendees will be placed in a group with others who do a similar job to them. During the session, participants will guide the learning taking place through their sharing of experiences, ideas, questions, and needs in such a way that it promotes learning, the creation of networks and future change. The breakout community of practice for this session will be for Junior Educators and EAs. Participants will leave with an enhanced perspective and vision for the work that they do.

Location:

Viking

Building Community of Practice: Sharing and Learning with Kitchen Staff

Olivia Merko and BC of Canada Staff

A community of practice is a group of professionals who build relationships and share knowledge from their experience in the field. In this session, all conference attendees will be placed in a group with others who do a similar job to them. During the session, participants will guide the learning taking place through their sharing of experiences, ideas, questions, and needs in such a way that it promotes learning, the creation of networks and future change. The breakout community of practice for this session will be for Kitchen Staff. Participants will leave with an enhanced perspective and vision for the work that they do.

Location:

Artisan Room

Building Community of Practice: Sharing and Learning with Language and Cultural Staff

Doug Gagnon

A community of practice is a group of professionals who build relationships and share knowledge from their experience in the field. In this session, all conference attendees will be placed in a group with others who do a similar job to them. During the session, participants will guide the learning taking place through their sharing of experiences, ideas, questions, and needs in such a way that it promotes learning, the creation of networks and future change. The breakout community of practice for this session will be for Language and Culture Staff. Participants will leave with an enhanced perspective and vision for the work that they do.

Location:

Icelandic

Building Community of Practice: Sharing and Learning with O&M Workers

Carly Perras

A community of practice is a group of professionals who build relationships and share knowledge from their experience in the field. In this session, all conference attendees will be placed in a group with others who do a similar job to them. During the session, participants will guide the learning taking place through their sharing of experiences, ideas, questions, and needs in such a way that it promotes learning, the creation of networks and future change. The breakout community of practice for this session will be for O&M Workers. Participants will leave with an enhanced perspective and vision for the work that they do.

Location:

Boardroom 3

Building Community of Practice: Sharing and Learning with Primary Educators and TAs

Rita Mannella

A community of practice is a group of professionals who build relationships and share knowledge from their experience in the field. In this session, all conference attendees will be placed in a group with others who do a similar job to them. During the session, participants will guide the learning taking place through their sharing of experiences, ideas, questions, and needs in such a way that it promotes learning, the creation of networks and future change. The breakout community of practice for this session will be for Primary Educators and EAs. Participants will leave with an enhanced perspective and vision for the work that they do.

Location:

Odin

Building Community of Practice: Sharing and Learning with Principals, Executive Directors and Education Directors

Marlee Poulin

A community of practice is a group of professionals who build relationships and share knowledge from their experience in the field. In this session, all conference attendees will be placed in a group with others who do a similar job to them. During the session, participants will guide the learning taking place through their sharing of experiences, ideas, questions, and needs in such a way that it promotes learning, the creation of networks and future change. The breakout community of practice for this session will be for Principals, Executive Directors and Education Directors. Participants will leave with an enhanced perspective and vision for the work that they do.

Location:

Boardroom 2

Building Community of Practice: Sharing and Learning with Secretaries

Shelby Ch’ng and Nathaniel Salguiero

A community of practice is a group of professionals who build relationships and share knowledge from their experience in the field. In this session, all conference attendees will be placed in a group with others who do a similar job to them. During the session, participants will guide the learning taking place through their sharing of experiences, ideas, questions, and needs in such a way that it promotes learning, the creation of networks and future change. The breakout community of practice for this session will be for Secretaries. Participants will leave with an enhanced perspective and vision for the work that they do.

Location:

Executive Boardroom

The Power of Story: Understanding Ourselves and Empowering our Spirit for Mental Health Staff

Emily Post and Mary Ann Nawagesic

Note: This presentation takes time OUTSIDE the regularly scheduled sessions. You will need to arrive at the workshop room from 9 am to participate with this session. You will miss the Opening Ceremonies as the presentation runs from 9 am - 12 noon. Please check in with Mary Ann Nawagesic with any questions: mnawagesic@matawaeducation.ca

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This group uses practices from Indigenous Culture, Narrative Therapy, CBT, and DBT to foster a more objective and tender understanding of ourself, where we come from, and where we are going. Within Indigenous culture, storytelling is used as a way to impart culture, traditions, values, knowledge, and language. As educators, it is our job to help facilitate that knowledge. That is the skill of a storyteller — to both impart and facilitate knowledge within oneself, and within the community at large. Thomas King once said in his Massey Lecture Series “The truth about stories, is that is all we are”. King’s central theme within his book is about how fabricated stories of Indigenous Peoples has shaped how the world perceives them and how these stories continue to cause damage. However, what if we used story to look in the mirror instead of through the lens of someone else; used story to help us reshape and reclaim our identity, and to empower our spirit forward on this journey. We can forever hide in the shadows, and stay in the shade of our story, or, we can use it to help us become more visible and to let the light in.

Location:

Boardroom 1

Adolescent Mental Health Literacy: Understanding the Real Remedy

Dr. Md Abdus Salam and Tasfia Anjum Salam

In this presentation we will go over what mental health means, what is our perception of mental disorder/illness, mental problem, mental distress and or no distress or disorder will be discussed. There are confusions and misconceptions about adolescent stress and how to deal with the same. A different perspective of how to cope with stress as presented by Dr. Stan Kutcher in the Academy of Canada’s Outstanding Principals Conference at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto (February 2017) will be presented to the audience. Approaches to develop mental health literacy in schools and possible development of high school mental health curriculum will also be discussed.

Location:

Scandia

Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care

Kristy Hankila

It is an exciting time in the Early Years with the implementation of the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework. In this presentation we will explore the Framework and the funding opportunities in communities as well as the barriers and challenges communities face. Participants will also look at the work being done at Nishnawbe Aski Nation to support communities in the design and development of meaningful high quality, inclusive programming, designed by community for community. NAN Early Years asked educators and community members from across NAN territory what they envision high quality ELCC programs to look like. Most agreed that the way to move forward with programming is to look back at tradition as our foundation.

Location:

Boardroom 1

Making a Miniature Drum

John Ferris

Join John from Ed-Digenous Traditions to make a Miniature Drum. The Miniature Drum kits come pre-cut complete with drum ring, Birch Bark strip, sinew as lacing at approx. 32″ long, 2 Rawhide skins 2″ diameter., beans, and step by step instructions also included a History of the drum and incorporation and benefits to the Ontario Curriculum and learners. Our most common sizes are 2 ¼ inches. This would be essential for grades JK through to grade 8 as well as any secondary school students.

Location:

Artisan Room

NAN Legal Presentation

Cheryl Suggashie and Ashley Richards

We will present NAN Legal Programs and Services with a focus on Anti-Bullying and Youth Prevention Services.

Location:

Icelandic

Pathways into Lakehead University

Lisa Primavesi

Many teachers, guidance counsellors and student advisors are not aware of the transition pathways into Lakehead University for students who wish to attend university but don't have the required U or M level credits. Students are often advised that they need to go to college first, but this is not necessary. This presentation will highlight the three Indigenous Access Programs offered at Lakehead. The application process and funding options will also be explained.

Location:

Odin

Special Education Programming at MECC

This workshop will give participants an overview of the Matawa Education and Care Centre (MECC) Special Education program. Through a collaborative process, MECC provides support and services to students with various skills and abilities, enhancing their learning potential and equipping them with tools to navigate the transition to high school. Through the joint effort of other agencies and community partners, MECC's mission focuses on the circle of care of students by aiming to support students holistically. Combined mainstream approaches and learning alongside Elders for their guidance and teachings are critical foundations in building cultural identity and enhancing the student's overall well-being, academically or otherwise.

Location:

Executive Boardroom

Supporting Students with ASD

Katrena Brindley and Karen Noga

Join us as we discuss ABA evidence-based strategies and their application within the school setting for those with an Autism diagnosis. Strategies to be discussed include; pairing, visuals, prompting & prompt fading, reinforcement, exercise, setting events, task analysis, scripting, and video modelling.

Location:

Viking

Training and Troubleshooting of Fire Alarms, Emergency Lighting, Extinguishers & Smoke Alarms

Jacob Treichler

Basic Training on fire alarm and how to troubleshoot faults in the field. Extinguisher training and how to complete a monthly inspection. Emergency Light training, monthly test and common faults to repair. Smoke alarm awareness and training on how to fix/replace batteries. Hands-on training with extinguishers, detectors, smoke alarms and/or batteries people may see in the field. Will bring in some examples of extinguishers/smoke alarms/batteries/fire alarm devices to familiarize people working in the field what they should be looking for and how to complete basic testing listed above.

Location:

Boardroom 3

“Our Flower”: A Group Activity

Christina van Barneveld

In this workshop, we will do a group activity called "Our Flower" that you can use with groups of children or adults. The group activity involves constructing an art object that reflects the values of the people in the group and how those values may be visible in a given context (e.g., in a classroom, outside). After the activity, we will debrief and discuss how the activity could be adapted for various educational purposes. The workshop participants will leave with their own "Our Flower" group activity kit that they can take home and try in their own schools.

Location:

Boardroom 2

Aligning Assessments with Indigenous Pedagogies

Eliana Elkhoury

Assessment is a critical part of teaching, but which approaches resonate with the cultural makeup of today’s classrooms? This session approaches assessment from the perspective of Indigenous pedagogies. During this session, we will revisit both formative and summative assessments and consider how they can be leveraged holistically to reflect learners cognitive, physical, emotional, and spiritual development. The session focuses on approaches for bringing multiple perspectives (including students, community members and Elders) into assessment practices and fostering self-reflection. Educators can apply their learning and receive feedback on incorporating Indigenous pedagogical approaches to assessment. During this session, educators will: - Identify assessments that align with Indigenous pedagogical approaches - Develop strategies for facilitating self-reflection as a form of assessment - Develop strategies for including multiple perspectives in assessments - Practice incorporating Indigenous pedagogical approaches to create holistic assessments

Location:

Scandia

An Introduction to Stop Now and Plan (SNAP)

Tina Dal Bianco

SNAP is an award-winning evidence-based children’s mental health and crime prevention model that teaches middle years children (ages 6 to 11) and youth (ages 12-18) and their families and/or caregivers how to stop and think before they act - to ultimately make better choices ‘in the moment’ and throughout their lives. This workshop will introduce the SNAP Program - the need, the evidence and our approach, as well as the spectrum of SNAP Programming: our Clinical and Universal models for children under 12 and their families, the Early Risk Assessment List (EARL V3) risk assessment tool, and our SNAP for Youth model.

Location:

Icelandic

Connecting Classrooms and Cultures: The Connected North Experience

Katie Burch and Sara Hando

We extend a special invitation to you to join us for an immersive session that provides an overview of the transformative Connected North program and its profound impact on classroom learning. Discover firsthand how this innovative initiative bridges geographical and cultural gaps through interactive virtual experiences. As a special highlight, participants will have the unique opportunity to engage in a live, interactive soapstone carving session led by the talented Inuit artist, Priscilla Boulay. Moreover, we will provide insights on how to co-fund your school's participation in Connected North, ensuring that this enriching educational opportunity is accessible to your students. Please note that space is limited to 32 participants, so secure your spot now for this hands-on, enlightening experience.

Location:

Boardroom 1

Creativity as an all Ages Wellness Exercise

Angela Jason

Creativity as an All Ages Wellness exercise is an interactive workshop for educators created and presented by Angela Jason. Entire PhDs are done on this subject so this workshop will be a crash course on equipping educators with strategies to incorporate creativity into their classes regardless of their own perceived level of creativity and provide understanding as to how creativity can improve the mental wellness of all ages. The first half of the workshop will focus on practical strategies for bringing creativity into schools and the classroom. Sample lessons will be provided for primary, intermediate, and senior classrooms as well as various subjects from visual arts to business to physics. Handouts will be provided with prompt questions and an opportunity for participants to brainstorm together their own ideas and share with the larger group to maximize examples that participants can take home with them. Next, participants will be guided through various interactive arts exercises to not only encourage creativity in themselves but in their students. The workshop will finish with a presentation on the various theories and research regarding creativity and wellness. Come with an open mind, get ready to laugh, learn, and discover your creativity with this interactive workshop.

Location:

Viking

Jump Math

Liz Barrett

How to Use the Materials to Support Outstanding Math Teaching.

Location:

Odin

Learning Enhanced Outcomes Features

Kim Meisner

Learn about enhanced features like, aggregate reporting, behaviour module, Parentpage, Teacher Planner, Comment Bank, Homework, Reports, Student Services and more.

Location:

Executive Boardroom

Making Every Child Matters Tikinagans

John Ferris

Join John from Ed-Digenous Traditions to make an Every Child Matters Tikinagan. Our Every Child Matters Tikinagans convey the following message to all residential school survivors and the Indigenous people of North America. Every Child Matters is a slogan and message used to honour the innocent lives lost. It symbolises that every child is important, including the ones who lost their lives and the adults who are still healing from their difficult time at the residential schools.

Location:

Artisan Room

Perimeter Institute Breakout Activity

Dave Fish

Breakout activities are tabletop escape rooms where students solve a series of challenges in the context of an exciting scenario. In this workshop, we’ll discuss why breakout activities are great for the classroom, then you will collaborate with other teachers to complete Perimeter’s breakout activity Exploring Exoplanets, created with de-streamed grade nine science as the target audience.

Location:

Boardroom 3

The Matawa ‘Train the Trainer’ Fish Net Making Workshop

John Walmark and Kris Fedick

A workshop created for Matawa youth workers to share with their youth ancestral teachings, technology, language, literacy and numeracy. The Net Making is an opportunity for the youth to provide, with those nets a way to provide food for their community and a skill to support and increase their self confidence, personal and team life skills and support their mental health.

Location:

Boardroom 2

Connecting Classrooms and Cultures: The Connected North Experience

Katie Burch and Sara Hando

We extend a special invitation to you to join us for an immersive session that provides an overview of the transformative Connected North program and its profound impact on classroom learning. Discover firsthand how this innovative initiative bridges geographical and cultural gaps through interactive virtual experiences. As a special highlight, participants will have the unique opportunity to engage in a live, interactive soapstone carving session led by the talented Inuit artist, Priscilla Boulay. Moreover, we will provide insights on how to co-fund your school's participation in Connected North, ensuring that this enriching educational opportunity is accessible to your students. Please note that space is limited to 32 participants, so secure your spot now for this hands-on, enlightening experience.

Location:

Boardroom 1

Disconnecting from Devices: Guiding Our Students in the Digital Age

Dr. Sonia Mastrangelo

In this session, I will uncover the powerful impacts of the hormone oxytocin which functions as a neurotransmitter, is activated during social contact and gaze, and enhances our feelings of well-being. We will delve into the seminal research studies that reveal how oxytocin dampens the stress response and will apply the findings to classroom practice. Lastly, I will share practical strategies that support a return to face-to-face social connectivity (for us and our students) in this age of screen dependency. Video clips of student experiences with technology dependency will be shared.

Location:

Boardroom 3

High Impact Teaching Strategies

Wayne Mercer and Rapid Response School Support Team Members Sheri Blake, Kelly McDougall, Colby Sadler and Holly Szumowski

This workshop will walk through a number of research-based high-impact strategies for use in the classroom for excellent teaching and learning experiences. We will outline each strategy, as well as provide different practical examples of how each may look in the classroom. We will also share different resources that educators may find beneficial in helping put these high-impact strategies into practice. There will also be the opportunity to share, discuss, and ask questions.

Location:

Viking

Learning Outcomes Through the Year (Secretaries)

Kim Meisner

Secretaries can learn time saving features and tips to make organizing a school easier - like, administrative reporting, attendance features, teacher attendance, and more.

Location:

Executive Boardroom

Literacy: Bridging the Student Success Gap Between Grade 7, 8 and 9 for the Fundamental Writing Tasks Identified within the Ontario English Curriculum

Rita Mannella

Topic: Literacy: Bridging the student success gap between grade 7, 8 and 9 for the fundamental writing tasks identified within the Ontario English curriculum.

Speaker: Rita Mannella, Student Success Lead, Matawa Education and Care Centre, PASS

The focus of this presentation is the learning gap that is evident when our students enter grade nine. The key question is why do they come to us with such a diverse package of literacy skills, specifically writing skills? One key objective will be to facilitate a professional learning community format that will encourage best practices. Participants will have opportunities to collaborate, share, network and engage in dialogue together about this topic while looking at fundamental writing tasks, with student exemplars. With the permission of local and regional educators, and literacy leads, videos of their discussion of this gap will be part of this session. Additionally, this presentation will encourage the sharing of best practices, challenges, and viewpoints from each participant in order to help guide, and support planning and implementation of strategies within their own school community, and consequently will assist with the closing of this student success gap.

Location:

Scandia

Making Every Child Matters Tikinagans

John Ferris

Join John from Ed-Digenous Traditions to make an Every Child Matters Tikinagan. Our Every Child Matters Tikinagans convey the following message to all residential school survivors and the Indigenous people of North America. Every Child Matters is a slogan and message used to honour the innocent lives lost. It symbolises that every child is important, including the ones who lost their lives and the adults who are still healing from their difficult time at the residential schools.

Location:

Artisan Room

Micro:replacement

Dave Bates

Join Dave the Bluecoat Scientist in a hands-on, interactive professional development session for all educators! This beginner-friendly program will show you how to replace expensive scientific instruments with simple Micro:bit robots. Don’t have a Micro:bit? That’s okay! All the materials that you need for this session will be provided by Dave the Bluecoat Scientist. From energy sensors and temperature probes to flashing lights and whirling motors, we want to show you how to automate your classroom science experiments! Participants will leave with their own micro:bits kits.

Location:

Odin

SNAP in the Classroom – an Introduction for Teachers

Eli McBean

SNAP in the Classroom - an introduction for teachers (Clinical and School models) This workshop will introduce teachers to the SNAP for Schools program, including introduction to the new SNAP Digitized Program. We will introduce the program, language, tools and strategies behind SNAP for Schools and how your whole school can work together to promote emotion regulation, self control and problem solving, fostering positive relationships between students, educators and administrators.

Location:

Icelandic

The Matawa ‘Train the Trainer’ Fish Net Making Workshop

John Walmark and Kris Fedick

A workshop created for Matawa youth workers to share with their youth ancestral teachings, technology, language, literacy and numeracy. The Net Making is an opportunity for the youth to provide, with those nets a way to provide food for their community and a skill to support and increase their self confidence, personal and team life skills and support their mental health.

Location:

Boardroom 2

A Journey in Rainbow Moccasins

Ozhawa Anung Kwe/Theodore Syrette

This interactive workshop allows participants to share what they know and what they think they know about 2Spirit and LGBTQ-Indigenous communities and topics. Folks will walk through the history of gender and sexual diversity that has existed on Turtle Island prior to contact and learn about the different roles of 2Spirit people prior to contact. Participants will also learn how colonialism and oppression has impacted 2Spirit people and how both have added to their erasure of roles, terminology and teachings. Participants will walk with tools and resources on how to become stronger allies and supports for 2Spirit and LGBTQ-Indigenous youth, people and communities.

Location:

Boardroom 2

Building Resiliency and Strength in Students’ Love for Anishinaabemowin

Corine Bannon, Charlotte Neckoway, Yvonne DeBruyne with special guests Amelia, Forever and Alayna

Part 1: Participants will take part in the “Long Remembering” exercise, that walks through a timeline of government impact on our Indigenous peoples of Canada. While participating, we will analyze how we have been resilient and place courage at the core of who we are as Anishinaabe people.

Part 2: We will share strategies that create resiliency in students through land-based learning in an urban setting, and what does it looks like.  We will look at Comprehensive Input as a pathway in revitalizing Anishinaabemowin.  How do we incorporate traditional knowledge in our schools that builds resiliency and courage while navigating in an urban setting.  We will also share what it means to Anishinaabe students in calling back our spirits to land, language, and traditions.

Location:

Viking

Empower Learning in a Digital World: Numeracy and Literacy Resources Toolkit for Educators and Parents by TVO

In this informative session, educators, teachers, and community partners will explore TVO's numeracy and literacy resources, with a special focus for grades 4 to 12. Education professionals, teachers, and community partners will have the opportunity to explore the following resources:

·         TVO Learn, access to 2000+ free Learning Activities for Kindergarten to Grade 12.  

·         TVO Learn Mathify, a resource where learners can access free live online 1:1 math tutoring sessions with Ontario certified teachers

·         TVO ILC, Canada’s largest online high school providing 140 courses available in English and French that fulfill all Ontario secondary school diploma requirements​

Join us to discover how TVO’s digital resources can support communities, classrooms, and families, enriching education and fostering collective growth. Together, let's unlock the potential of digital learning to empower indigenous educators and students across Ontario to enhance student learning outcomes and boost high school graduation rate.

Location:

Executive Boardroom

Empowering Education: Exploring Free Teacher Resources for Indigenous Engagement

Katie Burch and Sara Hando

Join us for an engaging session where we'll explore various free teacher resources offered through Connected North and Taking IT Global. Discover Fireside Chats, a treasure trove of over 300 interviews featuring First Nations, Métis, and Inuit role models, categorized by career or community focus. Many of these interviews come complete with Discussion Guides, making them ideal for sparking classroom-based conversations. Delve into Create to Learn, a dynamic online learning resource developed in collaboration with imagineNATIVE, featuring video tutorials on digital skills and traditional knowledge presented by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists and media creators. Additionally, explore the innovative Whose Land app, designed to help you learn about the territory in which your home or business is located, facilitate land acknowledgments, and provide insights into the treaties and agreements that shape Canada's history. Don't miss this opportunity to enrich your teaching toolkit and deepen your understanding of Indigenous perspectives and cultures.

Location:

Odin

Incorporating Music into the Classroom for the Amateur/Non-Musician

Ryan Carr and Felipe Pereira

A workshop for any educator who has little or no experience with music to show them that everyone has the ability to make and share music with their students. Throughout the workshop we will demonstrate straightforward yet effective teaching methods that include playing an instrument or singing with students as well as how music can be used to teach a variety of subjects. There will be interactive demonstrations of methods we have found particularly effective for different age groups of students. We will show how different instruments can be incorporated into the curriculum and how powerful singing can be as an educational tool. For educators who have some experience with music we can demonstrate how to structure music programming in a manner that is progressive, effective and fun. Central to our philosophy is making music together and how it enriches our connection to music and each other. We hope that this workshop will excite any educator who has the interest to start singing and playing with their students daily!

Location:

Icelandic

Making a Pouch Bag

John Ferris

Join John from Ed-Digenous Traditions to make a Pouch Bag. Natives of Northeastern North America use bags and pouches to contain many of life’s necessities around the home site and for travel. As Native American clothing did not incorporate European- like pockets, pouches of all shapes, sized and materials served this purpose. European explorers of North America in the early 1600’s observed that Natives “Always carry with them all their goods, as well as their food and green tobacco.” (de Laet: 1967) Pouches and bags were commonly fastened to a belt around the waist. Smaller pouches may have been worn around the neck or on the wrist. Bags that were not woven were traditionally made from tanned leather, animal bladders, and all types of furred animal hides from the mole to the bear. Pouches could contain food-stuff, smoking supplies, medicine, fire-starting equipment, ammunition, and other small tools and supplies used by men and women.

Location:

Artisan Room

Matawa Education and Care Centre Transitional Support Program: Highlighting Student Success & Supports at the MECC

Keshia Teddy and Joseph Willis

Matawa Education and Care Centre (MECC) and The Critical Thinking Consortium (TC²) are transforming education. We are bridging cultural divides and championing Indigenous students' futures by merging traditional perspectives through curriculum to empower youth. Our collaborative project is the result of an effective and growing partnership that is continuously developing innovative ways to meet the needs of our Indigenous youth. The project grew out of a profound need to address the barriers that exist for Indigenous students’ success and lack of suitable resources available to assist in their individual learning. Our vision focuses on developing resources that MECC students can identify with and that reflect their life and ways of knowing. We designed courses that personalize students’ academic journey and support those who are coping with various disparities and have been disengaged from school for periods of time. All of the developed courses are designed around a robust critical inquiry framework while prioritizing input of Matawa community members, who were critical in determining valuable traditional content and learning themes. We are also creating an inviting portal to house these resources that we hope will support and inspire educators across Canada and around the world in their efforts to intentionally improve learning resources and decolonize the curriculum.

Location:

Boardroom 1

Putting Knowledge into Practice: Community Through Kinship and Allyship

Dr. Keri Cheechoo

The presentation “Putting Knowledge into Practice: Community Through Kinship and Allyship” will contribute to engaging Indigenous knowledge systems, oral histories, protocols, and connections to the land in a good way. This will be embodied through both a kinship and an allyship lens to engage best practices that have shaped by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators, administrators, policy makers, and parents. This presentation will provide an interactive opportunity for participants to engage with direct knowledges and will provide a framework to recognize the connections and histories of all our relations. I am an Assistant Professor who specializes in Indigenous Education, Curriculum, and Policy. I am also a certified teacher (good standing) with the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT). The target audience includes educators, administrators, policy makers, and parents. As an educator and scholar, I recognize how critical it is that we work collectively to dismantle oppressive anti-Indigenous curriculum and instead work collaboratively to forge a better future for students on their personalized academic journeys.

Location:

Scandia

Transforming Spaces with Children Using Art and Nature Based Approaches

Paula Gallo and Annie Vandenberg

Join us for an experiential session where we will explore how you can bring participatory, child friendly, art + nature based approaches into your practice. We will share our experiences integrating arts-based and inclusive approaches into the design of outdoor public spaces, including parks, ravines, school grounds, and childcare centres. We’ll focus on ideas that are inexpensive, scalable, replicable, and temporary. In the spirit of building relationships and learning from each other, we’ll ask participants to share their own experiences of projects where children or young people have played integral roles in community projects. Participants will have the opportunity to work together on an art project which they can adapt for their classrooms and students. Participants will leave with an artistic creation representative of their school community, and tools and approaches to help students transform their outdoor spaces. Child participation lies at the heart of creating more connected communities and climate resilient public spaces, and is an essential part of ensuring a truly equitable and inclusive stakeholder approach. Let’s come together to reimagine our spaces and support building inclusive, vibrant and climate resilient places for children.

Location:

Boardroom 3

A Journey in Rainbow Moccasins

Ozhawa Anung Kwe/Theodore Syrette

This interactive workshop allows participants to share what they know and what they think they know about 2Spirit and LGBTQ-Indigenous communities and topics. Folks will walk through the history of gender and sexual diversity that has existed on Turtle Island prior to contact and learn about the different roles of 2Spirit people prior to contact. Participants will also learn how colonialism and oppression has impacted 2Spirit people and how both have added to their erasure of roles, terminology and teachings. Participants will walk with tools and resources on how to become stronger allies and supports for 2Spirit and LGBTQ-Indigenous youth, people and communities.

Location:

Boardroom 2

Building Resiliency and Strength in Students’ Love for Anishinaabemowin

Corine Bannon, Charlotte Neckoway, Yvonne DeBruyne with special guests Amelia, Forever and Alayna

Part 1: Participants will take part in the “Long Remembering” exercise, that walks through a timeline of government impact on our Indigenous peoples of Canada. While participating, we will analyze how we have been resilient and place courage at the core of who we are as Anishinaabe people.

Part 2: We will share strategies that create resiliency in students through land-based learning in an urban setting, and what does it looks like.  We will look at Comprehensive Input as a pathway in revitalizing Anishinaabemowin.  How do we incorporate traditional knowledge in our schools that builds resiliency and courage while navigating in an urban setting.  We will also share what it means to Anishinaabe students in calling back our spirits to land, language, and traditions.

Location:

Viking

Cleaning Best Practices for Operations and Maintenance Workers

Keri Carson and Anita Weiler

Join Diversy, a Solenis Company to learn about cleaning best practices, basic cleaning procedures, safety in the workplace, infection prevention, floor care protection and maintenance and much more!

Location:

Boardroom 1

Coding in Mathematics at the Secondary Level

David Peddie

Welcome to the fascinating world of equation solving! In this presentation, we will explore a step-by-step algorithm to tackle mathematical puzzles with accuracy. Discover the benefits of integrating coding into math education and how it can enhance problem-solving skills. Learner Objectives: The following are the objectives, the participants can expect to receive from the session.

  • Benefits of coding in mathematics.
  • Coding languages are commonly used in mathematics.
  • Applying coding to solve mathematical problems.
  • Creating an algorithm using coding principles.
  • Integration of coding into math curriculum.
  • Teaching coding in mathematics classrooms.
  • Resources for learning coding in mathematics.
  • Examples of coding Projects in mathematics.

In this session attendees will get hands on practice of writing simple mathematics equations and how to write algorithm(s) before coding. The list of objectives shown above will allow participants to code in mathematics, to be better able to improve students coding skills. Participants can implement these concepts in their classrooms and personal life. Each participant must bring a laptop computer for the session.

Location:

Executive Boardroom

Empowering Education: Exploring Free Teacher Resources for Indigenous Engagement

Katie Burch and Sara Hando

Join us for an engaging session where we'll explore various free teacher resources offered through Connected North and Taking IT Global. Discover Fireside Chats, a treasure trove of over 300 interviews featuring First Nations, Métis, and Inuit role models, categorized by career or community focus. Many of these interviews come complete with Discussion Guides, making them ideal for sparking classroom-based conversations. Delve into Create to Learn, a dynamic online learning resource developed in collaboration with imagineNATIVE, featuring video tutorials on digital skills and traditional knowledge presented by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists and media creators. Additionally, explore the innovative Whose Land app, designed to help you learn about the territory in which your home or business is located, facilitate land acknowledgments, and provide insights into the treaties and agreements that shape Canada's history. Don't miss this opportunity to enrich your teaching toolkit and deepen your understanding of Indigenous perspectives and cultures.

Location:

Odin

Incorporating Music into the Classroom for the Amateur/Non-Musicial

Ryan Carr and Felipe Pereira

A workshop for any educator who has little or no experience with music to show them that everyone has the ability to make and share music with their students. Throughout the workshop we will demonstrate straightforward yet effective teaching methods that include playing an instrument or singing with students as well as how music can be used to teach a variety of subjects. There will be interactive demonstrations of methods we have found particularly effective for different age groups of students. We will show how different instruments can be incorporated into the curriculum and how powerful singing can be as an educational tool. For educators who have some experience with music we can demonstrate how to structure music programming in a manner that is progressive, effective and fun. Central to our philosophy is making music together and how it enriches our connection to music and each other. We hope that this workshop will excite any educator who has the interest to start singing and playing with their students daily!

Location:

Icelandic

Making a Pouch Bag

John Ferris

Join John from Ed-Digenous Traditions to make a Pouch Bag. Natives of Northeastern North America use bags and pouches to contain many of life’s necessities around the home site and for travel. As Native American clothing did not incorporate European- like pockets, pouches of all shapes, sized and materials served this purpose. European explorers of North America in the early 1600’s observed that Natives “Always carry with them all their goods, as well as their food and green tobacco.” (de Laet: 1967) Pouches and bags were commonly fastened to a belt around the waist. Smaller pouches may have been worn around the neck or on the wrist. Bags that were not woven were traditionally made from tanned leather, animal bladders, and all types of furred animal hides from the mole to the bear. Pouches could contain food-stuff, smoking supplies, medicine, fire-starting equipment, ammunition, and other small tools and supplies used by men and women.

Location:

Artisan Room

Putting Knowledge into Practice: Community Through Kinship and Allyship

Dr. Keri Cheechoo

The presentation “Putting Knowledge into Practice: Community Through Kinship and Allyship” will contribute to engaging Indigenous knowledge systems, oral histories, protocols, and connections to the land in a good way. This will be embodied through both a kinship and an allyship lens to engage best practices that have shaped by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators, administrators, policy makers, and parents. This presentation will provide an interactive opportunity for participants to engage with direct knowledges and will provide a framework to recognize the connections and histories of all our relations. I am an Assistant Professor who specializes in Indigenous Education, Curriculum, and Policy. I am also a certified teacher (good standing) with the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT). The target audience includes educators, administrators, policy makers, and parents. As an educator and scholar, I recognize how critical it is that we work collectively to dismantle oppressive anti-Indigenous curriculum and instead work collaboratively to forge a better future for students on their personalized academic journeys.

Location:

Scandia

Sparking Creativity: Funding the Arts in your Communities and Schools

Alana Forslund

Does your community or school want to expand their arts programming and need more funding for costs like artist fees and materials? Do you want to invite artists into your community to work with your youth? Interested in learning more about the kinds of arts activities supported through the Ontario Arts Council? This session, facilitated by the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) will cover information about funding programs that can support artists in your classroom and community spaces. During the session you will also hear about artists and projects that have been funded by the OAC. The arts are an important tool used in classrooms and communities to spark self-expression, weave community together, transmit traditional Indigenous knowledge, and inspire people of all ages. Learn how to spark creativity in your community! OAC funding programs that can support artists and arts activities include:

- Northern Arts Projects

- Indigenous Arts Projects

- Indigenous Artists in Communities and Schools Projects

- Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials

Location:

Boardroom 3