Team building Workshop (2 hours)
Regulating and Maintaining Connections:
The Mindset Advantage for Coaching Students in the Classroom
One of the most rewarding things for teachers to do is to connect with and inspire their students. In this groundbreaking workshop, Frank Gallant of Peak Experiences will step teachers through a set of key patterns, thinking styles and techniques he has found effective for teaching and coaching students in the classroom. Whether you teach at the elementary, middle, or high school level this workshop will provide you with new insights to help you make consistent connections with your students to get them engaged, inspired, and motivated to succeed.
Workshop Facilitator: Frank Gallant, Peak Experiences
Peak Experiences was formed in 1992 to help individuals by delivering powerful learning solutions for organizations, leaders and practitioners who have a clear stake in accelerating individual, group and organizational effectiveness. When you experience a Peak Experiences learning program, you are able to immediately apply what you learn. We provide fresh ideas, innovative training and practical skills. Frank’s area of specialty is in assisting individuals and groups to maximize their interpersonal and organizational effectiveness through customized team building, leadership development workshops and sustainable organizational development (culture change) processes
The Mindset Advantage for Coaching Students in the Classroom
One of the most rewarding things for teachers to do is to connect with and inspire their students. In this groundbreaking workshop, Frank Gallant of Peak Experiences will step teachers through a set of key patterns, thinking styles and techniques he has found effective for teaching and coaching students in the classroom. Whether you teach at the elementary, middle, or high school level this workshop will provide you with new insights to help you make consistent connections with your students to get them engaged, inspired, and motivated to succeed.
Workshop Facilitator: Frank Gallant, Peak Experiences
Peak Experiences was formed in 1992 to help individuals by delivering powerful learning solutions for organizations, leaders and practitioners who have a clear stake in accelerating individual, group and organizational effectiveness. When you experience a Peak Experiences learning program, you are able to immediately apply what you learn. We provide fresh ideas, innovative training and practical skills. Frank’s area of specialty is in assisting individuals and groups to maximize their interpersonal and organizational effectiveness through customized team building, leadership development workshops and sustainable organizational development (culture change) processes
Thursday's Sessions (1 hour) updated June 23rd
Session #1a - Story Telling: A Mentorship Approach Kim Stewart & Jill Davidson 9:00 - 10:00am School House, 1st floor
“There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories (Ursula K. Le Guin).” Whether we are telling our stories in classrooms or boardrooms, storytelling is regarded as a critical 21 Century skill. The ability to weave a narrative is deemed essential, as stories are what connect us. “Our stories are the masks through which we can be seen, and with every telling we stop the flood and swirl of thought so someone can get a glimpse of us, and maybe catch us if they can (Madeleine R. Grumet)”. We all have stories to tell and mentors, whether they are teachers, texts, or students, are key ingredients in creating an atmosphere that invites everyone into the process. When we share our stories with our students, we become co-authors, creating side-by-side with them. In this session for K-12 teachers, we will tell a story or two and share our writer’s notebooks. Participants will view a wide range of mentor texts and have the opportunity to uncover stories yet to be written.
Audience: K-12 Subject Area(s): arts, socials, languages
Session #1b - How Does Effective Mentoring Move Professional Practice? Kathleen Zed 9:00 - 10:00am School House, 2nd floor
Effective Mentoring is a powerful tool that all educators can use to support both beginning and experienced teachers in developing good pedagogical practices within the classroom. In this workshop we will look at the rise of Mentoring within the Education system, and what this tool could do for your school outcomes by improving the professional skills of educators. What are the types of Mentors? What common traits do successful Mentors have ? How does this influence student achievement? Finally we will discuss the current research on the subject of mentoring, as well as review the practical applications for all educators.
Audience: K-12 Subject Area(s): other
Session #2a - Implementation & Examples of Google Apps for PBL Matt Stevens 10:15 - 11:15am School House, 1st floor
A brief introduction to Google Services & 'Google Apps for Education' (GAFE). Followed by examples of implementation & use in a variety of settings to promote collaboration with others.
Audience: K-12 Subject Area(s): all
Session #2b - How to Create a Disaster for Learning Chris Ryan 10:15 - 11:15am School House, 2nd floor
Over the course of the 2013-2014 school year, a portion of the Riverview High School staff engaged in a real world problem scenario for students to take part in. A team of five teachers were granted department aid (funding and supply teachers) to create a scenario that can be applied in all disciplines and build wider community ties with our school. On April 24th we will stage a mock disaster at the high school to examine the effects of hurricane force storm with a 12 meter tidal surge up the Peticotiac river effectively cutting off our community from the rest of the province for 72 hours. Under the theme of “Coaching and Mentoring” I would like to present how we worked with staff and students to make this happen. From the staff perspective we needed to work with staff to help them understand how their curriculum fit with the project. Part of the department funding was tied to increasing an understanding and use of Universal Design for Learning. We have worked closely with our resource team to help teachers use this project as a means to do this. We have also enlisted a student leadership team to help us coordinate the day, write a report for the town and create a documentary film of the whole process.
Audience: K-12 Subject Area(s): all
Session #3a - Minecraft: Video Gaming & Cross-Curricular Projects Cara Lee & Dean Vandoleweerd 12:15 - 1:15pm School House, 1st floor
Minecraft Edu presents an interesting opportunity for teachers to collaborate to design projects that relate to the “big ideas” within their curriculum. Dean Van Doleweerd and Cara Lee launched this program to both Grade 6 and 7 students to explore a series of challenges that centered on English and Social Studies themes. Our projects explored topics such as human migration and landmarks within historic cities, reconstructing castles from Shakespeare's Macbeth, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and urban planning within contemporary cities. This session will introduce the basic program, discuss possible cross-curricular options, the logistics of working with varying class sizes and how 21st century learning skills are awakened and challenged by the program. Furthermore, there is a focus on how student can document and preserve this type of multimedia project as evidence of learning.
Audience: 6-12 Subject Area(s): science, math, socials, languages
Session #3b - Standing TALL (Teachers as Leaders for Learning) Pierre Plourde 12:15 - 1:15pm School House, 2nd floor
This interactive presentation will provide the audience with an opportunity to experience a model on teacher collaboration to enhance student learning. The George Street Middle School's TALL (Teachers as Leaders for Learning) Team has effectively been used to identify school goal's and to distribute leadership responsibilities in a collaborative coaching capacity. Come learn, share and be reinvigorated with the leadership potential of your school, staff and students.
Audience: K-12 Subject Area(s): all
Session #4a - Creating an in-house PD model that works Garth Nichols & Michele Gaudet 1:30 - 2:30pm School House, 1st floor
Creating a model of relevant, embedded teacher mentoring and growth model. Borrowing from Wagner, and others, our session will demonstrate best practices, research and models that can be brought back to home schools to be implemented, and adopted. We also are hoping to generate a rich discussion around other models and practices that already exist. www.cohort21.com
Audience: 6-12 Subject Area(s): all
Session #4b - Professional Growth Model Brad Read 1:30 - 2:30pm School House, 2nd floor
As schools and classrooms around the country continue to seek a paradigm shift in the core mission of formal education, we teachers are left with the enormous and exciting task of re-inventing our professional practice. We have started seeing our classrooms not in terms of “what should our students be taught” but “how we will know when our students have learned.” This subtle, yet essential, change in the way that we perceive learning in our classrooms will require a re-imagining of the role of the teacher and of the learner. One of the most powerful models for embedding a shared and sustainable evolution in the learning culture of a school is through the development of professional learning communities. In this session we will share an understanding of elements that are critical to the success of PLCs within a school and explore a faculty Professional Growth Model that aims to change the way that students and teachers learn.
Audience: K-12 Subject Area(s): all
Session #5a - Gamification Dayna Ellis 3:00 - 4:00pm School House, 1st floor
How to use gamification to motivate students. In this environment, teachers take on the role of director, coach, mentor and facilitator. The teacher creates the environment and the students learn through playing.
Audience: K-12 Subject Area(s): all
Session #5b - The Harkness Method - Student Centered Learning Charles McEvoy "The Truth" HANDOUT ** please read prior to session
3:00 - 4:00pm School House, 2nd floor
The Harkness pedagogy is a unique teaching style pioneered at Exeter Academy. As Bell Hooks would remark, it is an engaged pedagogy. It is a truly a student-centered and discussion based strategy that has been adopted extensively throughout the US and is making inroads into Canada. With the teacher taking the backseat as merely an observer (and recorder), the students lead the discussion as they embark on the analysis of whatever reading(s) has been assigned. The Harkness ‘method’ is not so much about the table around which the discussion takes place, but the emphasis on the students to lead and partake in their own critical analysis of material. Since we learn best by doing, this module will attempt to encompass an overview of the Harkness methodology and two sample discussions. Be prepared to participate.
Audience: K-12 Subject Area(s): all
Session #6a - Using Formative Assessment for Professional Growth Ann Sherman & Sherry Rose 4:15 - 5:15pm Heritage Hall **
This session will engage participants in a discussion about how the strategies of formative assessment, including the collaborative setting of criteria to assess success, can be used for teachers' own professional growth journey.
Audience: K-12 Subject Area(s): all
Session #6b - Co-teaching in the Math Classroom Peter Tomilson & Steve Vienneau 4:15 - 5:15pm School House, 1st floor
Team Up to Put Students at the Centre of Your Classroom, is about how students have been able to respond to traditional methods of teaching and assessment. But is this what is best for them or are we just afraid to break free from what’s comfortable? Does this develop skills that are essential for 21st century learning? Sir Ken Robinson once stated, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, then you’ll never come up with anything original”. Do traditional approaches to learning serve our students well?
Audience: 6-12 Subject Area(s): math