Workshop Sessions
Session A1 - Creative Development and Arts-Based Research across the Curriculum Mariecke Leavitt & Dr. Mary Blatherwick (Leo Hayes High School)
Creative development in the field of education, traditionally thought of as content for the creative arts, now is crossing all curricular boundaries as innovation and higher order thinking skills become essential in the 21st century. Research into creative development and arts-based research has revealed many insights related to the field of education. We will define creative development and explore its relevance to the field of education, drawing on courses in creativity offered at UNB and examples of how teachers embrace this concept and arts- based research in their classrooms. Examples of creative work will be included. The importance of these concepts as they apply to a range of subjects and levels will be emphasized. Hopefully teachers will be inspired to explore creative development and arts-based research in their own lives and subject areas.
Session A2 - Student Voices: Creativity in Inclusive Classrooms Jennifer Keating (Leo Hayes High School)
Do you construct lessons with opportunities for students to engage with learning creatively? How comfortable are you in letting students explore their creative side? Do you consider yourself to be creative? Often teachers may be reluctant to engage in activities where outcomes are not predetermined; however, I have come to believe that informal music lessons centered on composition are essential to creating equitable and inclusive classrooms. An informal classroom can subvert traditional power dynamics, allowing students to become part of a community where personal agency is critical to group interaction. Valuing students music identities and creative agency allows everyone to contribute to the music classroom environment to the extent of their experiences and abilities. Furthermore, promoting creativity in all classrooms could assist teachers in creating equitable learning environments that build places of understanding and safety for marginalized students. While sharing the music and thoughts of students, I will discuss the importance of allowing their identities to inform their engagement with learning. The resulting implications for inclusive policy will be discussed. Although presented through a music lens, the ideas of the students and the underlying implications to the education system will be of interest to everyone.
Session A3 & A4 - Flash Memoirs Jill Davidson & Kim Stewart (Anglophone School District South)
Helping students find flashes of creative inspiration for personal writing in the world around them. During writer’s workshop, how often do you hear, “I don’t have anything to write”? Mark Turner tells us “Narrative imagining- story- is the fundamental instrument of thought. Rational capacities depend on it. It is our chief means of looking into the future, of predicting, of planning, of explaining.” Personal narrative writing can be the foundation of an effective writing program, but the challenge lies in providing students with the flashes of inspiration to spark their creativity. Flash Memoirs are personal narrative quick-writes that students can later use as the basis for longer pieces of writing. Our world is filled with mentor texts that invite students to start telling their stories and as educators it is our responsibility to find ways for this to happen in classrooms. Anything from a sweater tag to a poem to a tattoo has a story. This workshop will share examples of everyday mentor texts that ignite us as writers and invite participants to create a variety of flash memoirs. By the end of our time together, you will be inspired to “steal like an artist.”
Session A5 - Porcupine quill artistic basketry Beverly Julian & Valerie Johnson (Sweetgrassarts and cultural centre)
For the past 500 years, Mi'kmaq and Maliseet people have been using their environment for artistic expression through painting on rocks and quillwork. Shortly after contact with Europeans, the intricate art and fine detail the Mi’kmaq Quillwork was sought after and traded throughout North America and Europe. The Mi’kmaq were often referred to as the “porcupine people” because of their elaborate quill work. The quill work on birch bark was an ancient art that the Mi’kmaq specialized in. The attention to detail and sophisticated patterns made the Micmac quill work easily distinguishable compared to other Native quill work. Today that ancient artistry has almost disappeared and is only maintained by a handful of Mi’kmaq artist in Atlantic Canada. There has been an increased desire to bring this art into the classroom in the form of land based education. The proposal will look at the history of quillwork and show participants the ancient form of quillwork, how it is done and how it can be done in the classroom. This workshop is for all teachers as many of the designs use math and science concepts. www.sweetgrassartscentre.wordpress.com
Session A6 - Aurasma Chrissy Chetley & Dayna Ellis (Rothesay Netherwood School)
This session will share examples of students creating videos about their creations through the Augmented Reality app Aurasma. You will hear about students drafting their videos, recording their videos, linking their videos, and watching each other's videos using the Aurasma app. This session will share how creating these augmented reality apps have encouraged collaboration and creativity in the classroom, helped students express their works of art presenting them in new and interesting ways. This session will also give advice about the best ways to use augmented reality in the classroom as well as make suggestions about how you can use Aurasma in your own classroom.
Session B1 & B2 - Creative Classroom Communities: A Place Where All Children Can Shine Carla Kolada (Math Lead--ASD-W)
All children strive to feel a sense of belonging in their environment. A climate of true acceptance and worth develops when the context for learning is rich, creative, and highly collaborative. This presentation focuses on a wealth of meaningful strategies to promote the inclusion of all students in our classroom learning communities by considering individual strengths, interests, and opportunities for engagement. Participants will have the opportunity to make connections to their own teaching/learning contexts, explore practical strategies to implement curriculum while incorporating varied learning styles and ability levels, and also experiment with whole brain teaching strategies to increase interaction and engagement. Participants will collaborate, share, and reflect on their own views of inclusive education while gaining insight into the value of including ALL children, regardless of ability, background, culture or demographic.
Session B3 - For the love of languages Jacqueline Albinati & Mary Fraser (Rothesay Netherwood School)
The exploration of learning a second language through poetry, drama, music, and film. This session will provide strategies of how to create a collaborative learning environment. Participants will have exposure to a variety of activities that enhance second language learning. Formative and summative assessments will also be discussed throughout the session.
Session B4 - A Night at the Museum: An Alternative Research Project Cara Lee & Kathy Archer (Rothesay Netherwood School)
Every topic has the potential to be captivating and empowering for students to explore when they become a curator, architect and tour guide of a museum exhibit. It is hoped that this presentation fosters ongoing conversation among the attendees on how they envision their courses, subject areas and physical space as a way to provide students the opportunity to showcase their work and talents. The session would be structured with an overview of the project by exploring past student samples of work with audio/video footage and images used entirely as a platform for discussion. Participants will be encouraged to brainstorm individually and within small breakout groups to discuss the practical implementation that this type of project could provide for their teaching environment. Participants will receive a package that contains the outline of the project, suggested planning and scheduling and sample rubrics that could be used or altered within their school. There is also an overview of the types of technology and programs that students have successfully used over the last few years.
Session B5 & B6 - Full STEAM Ahead for PBL Aaron Lee & Craig Jollymore (Rothesay Netherwood School)
How can project-based learning create opportunities for students to create and innovate? This presentation will place the question into a current research-based context, draw actual student work from three recent middle school STEM / STEAM projects and provide participants the opportunity to brainstorm the possibilities for their own situations.
Session C1 - Creating Conversations in Classrooms and Staffrooms! Elizabeth Falco (Lizfalco Consulting)
Creating Conversations in Classrooms and Staffrooms! Join in this hands-on workshop to learn creative, brain-based facilitation tools and techniques that encourage dialogue, deepen learning and enhance collaboration among students and colleagues. Expand your facilitation repertoire with new protocols that promote engagement, build community and inspire meaningful reflection. Workshop participants will experience new strategies and have time to reflect on how to apply them to various settings. Whether you design learning experiences, lead faculty meetings, critique instructional practice or do visioning and strategic planning at the institutional level, you will leave with a better appreciation of your role as facilitator and a few new tools to build a supportive learning community. A practical workshop for teachers, team leaders, coaches, counsellors and principals - or anyone who works with groups! http://lizfalco.ca/
Session C2 - Team Teaching and Planning: A Young Teachers Perspective. Cody Alderson (Rothesay Netherwood School )
Do great minds think alike, or think for themselves? Regardless of your answer, a collaborative approach to planning and implementing lessons is a great way to push teachers outside of their comfort zones and into greater innovation. In this session you will hear from a young teacher who has benefited from a team teaching model. Examples will be discussed from a cross-curricular team teaching model, a team planning model and a pre-service teacher-mentor model.
Session C3 - Community in Creative Collaboration Michael McEwing (Anglophone West School District )
In May 2015, we will be unveiling a sculptural mural for a newly-built K-8 school, Meduxnekeag Consolidated. The mural’s subject is the Appalachian Hardwood Forest (AHF), a unique strand of forest found in Beardsley Hill Nature Preserve (which is walking distance from the new school). In 2014, we worked together with the Meduxnekeag River Association to teach a group of Grade 5 students from the old school all about the AHF and its distinctive trees and vegetation. Through field trips and art classes, the students explored the AHF and created their own artistic interpretations to use as plans for the new school mural. Local artists worked with those students' artistic plans to create a collaborative mural out of wood and metal. They even incorporated wood from an endangered butternut tree that fell on the old school property. This presentation will explain the collaborative process between the students, teachers, artists, and nature conservationists to create the final work of art that will be enjoyed by the public for many years to come. It will address how community worked together so that these students could experience a unique hands-on learning experience integrating the arts and many other subjects. http://conservationcanvas.weebly.com
Session C4 - Creating Autonomous Language Learners Caroline Turnbull (Ministère de l'Éducation et du Développement de la petite enfance)
The world is changing – no surprise there, it’s been doing so forever. However, what is also changing in numerous language classrooms across Canada is the role of the student and the teacher. What if the tables were turned and students became responsible for providing evidence of learning and assessing their own language competencies based on defined, internationally accepted scales? What if we never handed out another final mark as “proof of language learning”, but instead confirmed (or not) students’ self-identified competency levels in all their language skills? What if students became more autonomous and engaged in their language learning process and were able to set their own language goals and then collaborate to achieve them? This session will share an overview of how Language Portfolios are beginning to do just that in public schools across New Brunswick.
Session C5 - But I Only Have One Computer! Laura Vail (Technology Mentor)
Teachers and students find more engagement and deeper satisfaction when they are engaged creatively and when they direct the processes and the products of learning. This can be achieved through the use of meaningful technology in the classroom. In this session participants will explore creativity building technology based activities that can all be done using only the teacher laptop.
Session C6 - The intergenerational i-Pod Project Krista Touesnard (ASD-W)
What is Well-Tuned? Well-Tuned is a program where nursing home residents listen to personalized music playlists, created with input from residents themselves as well as family, friends, nursing home staff, and music therapy experts. These playlists are loaded onto iPods so residents can connect with music they love, improving their overall health and well-being. How is this project an ‘Intergenerational’ program? York Care Centre has been using iPods and personalized playlists with residents since February of 2012. However, Royal Road Elementary school’s music program has paired up 17 of their students with 15 residents from York Care Centre. The students would gather the necessary information needed from residents and families, create the playlists, and prepare the iPods which would then be loaned to the residents in March 2015. This is extremely beneficial to the students’ learning, as through interacting with residents and their families, they will have the opportunity to learn more about the impact of music therapy on the well-being of residents. I would like to share the project and the results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONGYpmFydME
Creative development in the field of education, traditionally thought of as content for the creative arts, now is crossing all curricular boundaries as innovation and higher order thinking skills become essential in the 21st century. Research into creative development and arts-based research has revealed many insights related to the field of education. We will define creative development and explore its relevance to the field of education, drawing on courses in creativity offered at UNB and examples of how teachers embrace this concept and arts- based research in their classrooms. Examples of creative work will be included. The importance of these concepts as they apply to a range of subjects and levels will be emphasized. Hopefully teachers will be inspired to explore creative development and arts-based research in their own lives and subject areas.
Session A2 - Student Voices: Creativity in Inclusive Classrooms Jennifer Keating (Leo Hayes High School)
Do you construct lessons with opportunities for students to engage with learning creatively? How comfortable are you in letting students explore their creative side? Do you consider yourself to be creative? Often teachers may be reluctant to engage in activities where outcomes are not predetermined; however, I have come to believe that informal music lessons centered on composition are essential to creating equitable and inclusive classrooms. An informal classroom can subvert traditional power dynamics, allowing students to become part of a community where personal agency is critical to group interaction. Valuing students music identities and creative agency allows everyone to contribute to the music classroom environment to the extent of their experiences and abilities. Furthermore, promoting creativity in all classrooms could assist teachers in creating equitable learning environments that build places of understanding and safety for marginalized students. While sharing the music and thoughts of students, I will discuss the importance of allowing their identities to inform their engagement with learning. The resulting implications for inclusive policy will be discussed. Although presented through a music lens, the ideas of the students and the underlying implications to the education system will be of interest to everyone.
Session A3 & A4 - Flash Memoirs Jill Davidson & Kim Stewart (Anglophone School District South)
Helping students find flashes of creative inspiration for personal writing in the world around them. During writer’s workshop, how often do you hear, “I don’t have anything to write”? Mark Turner tells us “Narrative imagining- story- is the fundamental instrument of thought. Rational capacities depend on it. It is our chief means of looking into the future, of predicting, of planning, of explaining.” Personal narrative writing can be the foundation of an effective writing program, but the challenge lies in providing students with the flashes of inspiration to spark their creativity. Flash Memoirs are personal narrative quick-writes that students can later use as the basis for longer pieces of writing. Our world is filled with mentor texts that invite students to start telling their stories and as educators it is our responsibility to find ways for this to happen in classrooms. Anything from a sweater tag to a poem to a tattoo has a story. This workshop will share examples of everyday mentor texts that ignite us as writers and invite participants to create a variety of flash memoirs. By the end of our time together, you will be inspired to “steal like an artist.”
Session A5 - Porcupine quill artistic basketry Beverly Julian & Valerie Johnson (Sweetgrassarts and cultural centre)
For the past 500 years, Mi'kmaq and Maliseet people have been using their environment for artistic expression through painting on rocks and quillwork. Shortly after contact with Europeans, the intricate art and fine detail the Mi’kmaq Quillwork was sought after and traded throughout North America and Europe. The Mi’kmaq were often referred to as the “porcupine people” because of their elaborate quill work. The quill work on birch bark was an ancient art that the Mi’kmaq specialized in. The attention to detail and sophisticated patterns made the Micmac quill work easily distinguishable compared to other Native quill work. Today that ancient artistry has almost disappeared and is only maintained by a handful of Mi’kmaq artist in Atlantic Canada. There has been an increased desire to bring this art into the classroom in the form of land based education. The proposal will look at the history of quillwork and show participants the ancient form of quillwork, how it is done and how it can be done in the classroom. This workshop is for all teachers as many of the designs use math and science concepts. www.sweetgrassartscentre.wordpress.com
Session A6 - Aurasma Chrissy Chetley & Dayna Ellis (Rothesay Netherwood School)
This session will share examples of students creating videos about their creations through the Augmented Reality app Aurasma. You will hear about students drafting their videos, recording their videos, linking their videos, and watching each other's videos using the Aurasma app. This session will share how creating these augmented reality apps have encouraged collaboration and creativity in the classroom, helped students express their works of art presenting them in new and interesting ways. This session will also give advice about the best ways to use augmented reality in the classroom as well as make suggestions about how you can use Aurasma in your own classroom.
Session B1 & B2 - Creative Classroom Communities: A Place Where All Children Can Shine Carla Kolada (Math Lead--ASD-W)
All children strive to feel a sense of belonging in their environment. A climate of true acceptance and worth develops when the context for learning is rich, creative, and highly collaborative. This presentation focuses on a wealth of meaningful strategies to promote the inclusion of all students in our classroom learning communities by considering individual strengths, interests, and opportunities for engagement. Participants will have the opportunity to make connections to their own teaching/learning contexts, explore practical strategies to implement curriculum while incorporating varied learning styles and ability levels, and also experiment with whole brain teaching strategies to increase interaction and engagement. Participants will collaborate, share, and reflect on their own views of inclusive education while gaining insight into the value of including ALL children, regardless of ability, background, culture or demographic.
Session B3 - For the love of languages Jacqueline Albinati & Mary Fraser (Rothesay Netherwood School)
The exploration of learning a second language through poetry, drama, music, and film. This session will provide strategies of how to create a collaborative learning environment. Participants will have exposure to a variety of activities that enhance second language learning. Formative and summative assessments will also be discussed throughout the session.
Session B4 - A Night at the Museum: An Alternative Research Project Cara Lee & Kathy Archer (Rothesay Netherwood School)
Every topic has the potential to be captivating and empowering for students to explore when they become a curator, architect and tour guide of a museum exhibit. It is hoped that this presentation fosters ongoing conversation among the attendees on how they envision their courses, subject areas and physical space as a way to provide students the opportunity to showcase their work and talents. The session would be structured with an overview of the project by exploring past student samples of work with audio/video footage and images used entirely as a platform for discussion. Participants will be encouraged to brainstorm individually and within small breakout groups to discuss the practical implementation that this type of project could provide for their teaching environment. Participants will receive a package that contains the outline of the project, suggested planning and scheduling and sample rubrics that could be used or altered within their school. There is also an overview of the types of technology and programs that students have successfully used over the last few years.
Session B5 & B6 - Full STEAM Ahead for PBL Aaron Lee & Craig Jollymore (Rothesay Netherwood School)
How can project-based learning create opportunities for students to create and innovate? This presentation will place the question into a current research-based context, draw actual student work from three recent middle school STEM / STEAM projects and provide participants the opportunity to brainstorm the possibilities for their own situations.
Session C1 - Creating Conversations in Classrooms and Staffrooms! Elizabeth Falco (Lizfalco Consulting)
Creating Conversations in Classrooms and Staffrooms! Join in this hands-on workshop to learn creative, brain-based facilitation tools and techniques that encourage dialogue, deepen learning and enhance collaboration among students and colleagues. Expand your facilitation repertoire with new protocols that promote engagement, build community and inspire meaningful reflection. Workshop participants will experience new strategies and have time to reflect on how to apply them to various settings. Whether you design learning experiences, lead faculty meetings, critique instructional practice or do visioning and strategic planning at the institutional level, you will leave with a better appreciation of your role as facilitator and a few new tools to build a supportive learning community. A practical workshop for teachers, team leaders, coaches, counsellors and principals - or anyone who works with groups! http://lizfalco.ca/
Session C2 - Team Teaching and Planning: A Young Teachers Perspective. Cody Alderson (Rothesay Netherwood School )
Do great minds think alike, or think for themselves? Regardless of your answer, a collaborative approach to planning and implementing lessons is a great way to push teachers outside of their comfort zones and into greater innovation. In this session you will hear from a young teacher who has benefited from a team teaching model. Examples will be discussed from a cross-curricular team teaching model, a team planning model and a pre-service teacher-mentor model.
Session C3 - Community in Creative Collaboration Michael McEwing (Anglophone West School District )
In May 2015, we will be unveiling a sculptural mural for a newly-built K-8 school, Meduxnekeag Consolidated. The mural’s subject is the Appalachian Hardwood Forest (AHF), a unique strand of forest found in Beardsley Hill Nature Preserve (which is walking distance from the new school). In 2014, we worked together with the Meduxnekeag River Association to teach a group of Grade 5 students from the old school all about the AHF and its distinctive trees and vegetation. Through field trips and art classes, the students explored the AHF and created their own artistic interpretations to use as plans for the new school mural. Local artists worked with those students' artistic plans to create a collaborative mural out of wood and metal. They even incorporated wood from an endangered butternut tree that fell on the old school property. This presentation will explain the collaborative process between the students, teachers, artists, and nature conservationists to create the final work of art that will be enjoyed by the public for many years to come. It will address how community worked together so that these students could experience a unique hands-on learning experience integrating the arts and many other subjects. http://conservationcanvas.weebly.com
Session C4 - Creating Autonomous Language Learners Caroline Turnbull (Ministère de l'Éducation et du Développement de la petite enfance)
The world is changing – no surprise there, it’s been doing so forever. However, what is also changing in numerous language classrooms across Canada is the role of the student and the teacher. What if the tables were turned and students became responsible for providing evidence of learning and assessing their own language competencies based on defined, internationally accepted scales? What if we never handed out another final mark as “proof of language learning”, but instead confirmed (or not) students’ self-identified competency levels in all their language skills? What if students became more autonomous and engaged in their language learning process and were able to set their own language goals and then collaborate to achieve them? This session will share an overview of how Language Portfolios are beginning to do just that in public schools across New Brunswick.
Session C5 - But I Only Have One Computer! Laura Vail (Technology Mentor)
Teachers and students find more engagement and deeper satisfaction when they are engaged creatively and when they direct the processes and the products of learning. This can be achieved through the use of meaningful technology in the classroom. In this session participants will explore creativity building technology based activities that can all be done using only the teacher laptop.
Session C6 - The intergenerational i-Pod Project Krista Touesnard (ASD-W)
What is Well-Tuned? Well-Tuned is a program where nursing home residents listen to personalized music playlists, created with input from residents themselves as well as family, friends, nursing home staff, and music therapy experts. These playlists are loaded onto iPods so residents can connect with music they love, improving their overall health and well-being. How is this project an ‘Intergenerational’ program? York Care Centre has been using iPods and personalized playlists with residents since February of 2012. However, Royal Road Elementary school’s music program has paired up 17 of their students with 15 residents from York Care Centre. The students would gather the necessary information needed from residents and families, create the playlists, and prepare the iPods which would then be loaned to the residents in March 2015. This is extremely beneficial to the students’ learning, as through interacting with residents and their families, they will have the opportunity to learn more about the impact of music therapy on the well-being of residents. I would like to share the project and the results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONGYpmFydME