SEATCA 2025 - Southeastern Alberta Teachers' Convention

Never the same session twice! We will spin the wheel to pick a letter and then give a generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) product, hack, extension, resource or something just plain fun and interesting. This fast-paced session will provide at least one OMG! moment for everyone, from beginner to tech ninja! We will unpack tools for use with all ages and subject areas, in-person and/or online.

Come to chat, learn and share all things Grade 2!! We are two Grade 2 teachers wanting to collaborate with you! Let's talk new curriculum, using technology within our daily lessons and anything else that is in our Grade 2 world.

ASL - Intermediate This course is geared toward educators with some familiarity with ASL who would like to take it to the next level. After reviewing the basics, we will go deeper into the grammatical and syntactical structures of ASL, directional verbs, locational/spatial markers, and narrative organization. Participants will leave this session able to tell a joke or simple story in ASL.

In the AERA’s Youth Teams in Education Research program, a team of four high school students from Alberta will report on a study examining (a) how newcomer students’ lived experiences can inform best education practices and (b) how the mandated COVID-19 social isolation affected the mental health/ well-being of newcomer students during resettlement. These two interrelated issues have sparked an increased research demand to recognize and address newcomer families’ unique barriers and challenges (Zaidi et al., 2019), and the roles advocacy and activism play in their quest for acceptance and viability in their new homeland. The study was guided by the perspective that these challenges related to race, culture, language, or religion that newcomer adolescents experience can sometimes be overcome by confronting them (Anderson et al., 2019). In addition, the study was informed by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, which intensified any pre-existing racial or cultural injustices, and further exacerbated the inequalities already being experienced by racialized students in their educational and social lives (James, 2021). An educational research team with 22 visible minority students (50 percent from 1.5 Generation Canadians of African or Southeast Asian descent and 50 percent from newcomers) participated in four bi-weekly focus groups. Using Pimenta’s (2005) “Collaborative Action Research” approach, the discussions included student participants reflecting on how their personal narratives can pave the way for future students and how they can use this opportunity to be a leader in their school and community. The data revealed a variety of challenges, pressures, and inequalities that newcomer students face including (a) the lack of recognition and awareness about religion (e.g., holiday observances and prayer times), (b) self and family pressure to perform, (c) racism, (d) fear of backlash for cultural/ religious events, and (e) lack of involvement/ connection to the school. In addition, data uncovered about the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated an exacerbated level of resultant stress and racist encounters, further complicating their lives. Based on this data, and the themes identified from a survey (given to all the newcomer and 1.5 generation students), students were invited to join a working group of their choice where they created multimodal responses to the highlighted issues. These included a social media campaign and province-wide advocacy initiatives to further inform and highlight challenges and barriers. Drawing on the findings, an Advisory Board was created, including five volunteer participants from the focus groups. Here, they identified urgent issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion and suggested proactive measures. The research offers a critical contribution to the field, based on Rodriguez’s (2022) model that enables a better understanding of three distinct, but related levels: the micro (classroom, school), the meso (community), and the macro (provincial and/or national level practices and policies). This multilevel analysis gives us the opportunity to hear and react to students’ stories of racialization, stress, and isolation, and how these affect their mental and physical well-being. 2 Additionally, it informs how best educational practices still need to be addressed for newcomer students and pre-/inservice educators.

Using generative AI tools in our classrooms poses ethical and practical challenges that need to be addressed. How can we ensure that the generated content is accurate, appropriate, and respectful? How can we protect the privacy and security of our students and ourselves? How can we evaluate the quality and impact of the generated content? We will explore this shifting landscape and provide samples of what it might look like for students to learn alongside AI, especially considering that most AI tools have an under-18 limit. We will look at creative and impactful classroom applications for some of the AI tools that you may be hearing about.

In this session, we dive into the innovative world of Canva Education to enhance your teaching experience. Discover how Canva can revolutionize your lesson and resource planning, allowing you to spend less time organizing and more time engaging with your students. Learn how Canva can be the central hub for delivering the entire learning experience to your students, from lessons to assignments. Engage your students with thousands of FREE ready-to-teach lessons and resources. Get ready to unlock the full potential of Canva Education and transform the way you teach! To maximize hands-on learning it is recommended that you bring a personal device such as a Chromebook to this session.

Come to chat, learn and share all things Grade 2!! We are two Grade 2 teachers wanting to collaborate with you! Let's talk new curriculum, using technology within our daily lessons and anything else that is in our Grade 2 world.

Attention all Colony Teachers! Come join us as we unpack pedagogy, planning and assessment practices, & curriculum planning for the multi-grade ELL environment. If you have something to share, please bring it along as we will have time to collaborate with our peers!

A brief summary of experiences and practices that I wish I had learned earlier, particularly focused on managing challenging behaviour. This is a more fun/sharing oriented session that encourages colleagues to reflect on their practice, to change the things that are critical and changeable, and to accept some dimensions that are ever-present in the business.

This session will focus on three key areas: differentiation, planning, and question creation. We will explore how AI can assist teachers in providing differentiated instruction to meet the diverse learning needs of students. This includes personalized learning plans and adaptive assessments that can be efficiently generated through AI technology. Furthermore, we will discuss how AI can streamline the planning process for teachers, enabling them to organize and design engaging lessons more effectively. We will explore various AI tools and resources available to assist with curriculum development and instructional design. Lastly, we will delve into the benefits of using AI in question creation. We will explore how AI algorithms can help teachers generate a wide range of high-quality questions, ensuring a more comprehensive assessment of student understanding and critical thinking skills.

ASL - Intermediate This course is geared toward educators with some familiarity with ASL who would like to take it to the next level. After reviewing the basics, we will go deeper into the grammatical and syntactical structures of ASL, directional verbs, locational/spatial markers, and narrative organization. Participants will leave this session able to tell a joke or simple story in ASL.

As a teacher you set the stage for quality learning through student engagement, questioning, discussions, etc. The focus of this workshop will be to strengthen your classroom skills to better enable your students to learn, retain, and apply concepts. Many brain-based classroom tested strategies will be presented. Time will be given for you to reflect and apply information to your teaching style.

Embark on a creative journey with Canva's Magic Studio in this session crafted for educators. Unleash the potential of AI with hands-on exploration of Magic Design for tailored posts and presentations, and Magic Write for text generation. Dive into Magic Media to convert text to captivating visuals and explore Magic Edit, Magic Grab, Magic Expand for seamless image editing. This session empowers educators to efficiently integrate Canva's AI technology into their teaching materials, enhancing creativity and engagement. To maximize your learning experience it is recommended that you bring a personal device such as a Chromebook to this session and have some prior experience using Canva (not required).

Did you know you can do much more than just view curriculum on new.LearnAlberta.ca? This session will explore how you can make new.LearnAlberta.ca work for you. You’ll see how to view a scope and sequence, find sample lesson plans, explore professional learning supports, and learn how to use Boards, a teacher planning tool.  Participants are invited to bring a digital device to this session.

Target Audience: K-6 Teachers, K-6 Administrators

Artificial intelligence tools have emerged for teachers which can generate lesson plans, teaching content, assessment materials, and more! In this hands-on session, we'll explore some of these tools and their uses which can save you hours of valuable time so you can focus more deeply on your students' needs. We will share a process for generating, evaluating, applying, and reflecting on the materials generated which keeps you in the drivers' seat as the designer of incredible learning experiences as professionals while at the same time allowing you to be far more efficient in your daily work life. Bring a device if you can! Free digital resource will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring a device.

Did you know that many of the strategies for supporting students with learning disabilities are actually beneficial for ALL learners? Join Michelle and Shyloh-Dawn for this session as they explore universal strategies that you can implement with your entire class that are helpful to all learners, especially those with learning disabilities. Michelle and Shyloh-Dawn will review the tiers of support, discuss why universal strategies are necessary and beneficial to all learners, demonstrate some universal strategies, and facilitate an exploration of how you can implement effective universal strategies into your classroom on Monday.

Join Collette and Bev to build an understanding and gain suggestions of the structures and routines to make it possible to work with small groups in the regular classroom reading block. The kinds of assessment data and how to use it to form small groups and set goals for students to meet their learning needs will be shared. Once you have your assessment based goals, ideas and resources will be shared to help you visualize what the small group time could look like.

In this interactive session we will walk through the process of a critical inquiry projects by participating in one. We will also look at how skills can be developed early on in the year with specific focus on how Thinking Routines (Ritchart and Church) can be adapted for use in a k - 2 classroom. You should leave this session with ready to use ideas that are fast and easy to implement on Monday morning.

In our half day session we want to invite any teachers in their first few years of teaching to bring a mentor along with them and come in engage in learning around differentiation in the classroom including strategies, structures and mindset shifts around differentiation.

Providing inclusive environments is clearly outlined in the TQS as a professional requirement for all teachers. But what are the different types of learners? Is a learning disability the same as a cognitive delay? What is a "slow learner"? What is a coded student? If you're unsure about the answers to any of these questions, join Michelle and Shyloh-Dawn for this session focusing on three distinct types of learners you likely have in your classroom. You'll reflect on our professional obligation to provide inclusive learning environments to all learners, learn about the IQ bell curve and how it relates to education and learning differences, and differentiate between learning disabilities, cognitive delays, and "slow learners".

Punitive measures for students in education are showing through the research that students often become reoffenders of harm and it is significantly reduces their chances of graduation; especially for marginalized students. FNMI and indigenous peoples of Australia have used talking circles and community circles to repair harm for centuries. Restorative Practices focuses on building relationships and repairing harm after it is caused which is an essential component of the TQS/LQS. The use of talking circles and positive questioning can change the way students feel valued, supported and developed into ethical, responsible, and accountable citizens. It starts with showing students even making mistakes they are loved and have a valuable place in our schools. I will introduce a brief history of RP in school, model and guide circle conversations demonstrations and finish with implementation strategies (Policy and practice for school teachers, staff and leaders).

Middle school teachers play a pivotal role in the lives of their students, guiding them through a critical phase of development. They provide not only academic instruction but also emotional support, mentorship, and a safe environment for learning. However, in the midst of nurturing young minds, it's essential for educators to prioritize their own well-being. Our session is designed to help middle school teachers strike a balance between caring for their students and themselves. We'll explore practical tips and tricks for self-care, stress management, and maintaining a work-life balance. Discover strategies for creating an environment of success in your middle school classroom, focusing on classroom management, engaging teaching methods, and fostering positive teacher-student relationships. Middle school teachers are unique in their ability to connect with students during a crucial period of growth. Understanding this uniqueness and learning to harness its power is at the core of our session. By the end, you'll leave with actionable ideas to make your middle school classroom an amazing space for both you and your students, ensuring that the caring cycle continues harmoniously.

Have you noticed something changing between early middle school and later secondary school grades? After years of observing the shift in classroom dynamics, I took intentional action to support learners who struggle to ‘sit still and get to work’. Many students struggle with the behaviors academic streaming implies and seemingly requires, but it doesn’t have to be like this: teachers can implement practices that create dynamic engagement and rely on, instead of fight against, those creative, boisterous, and enthusiastic energies! In this session, I’ll share strategies and project exemplars that have changed the classroom dynamics of my 20 and 30 –1 classes by working to support, instead of struggle with, the need students have to move, speak, and learn in ways that are not strictly or silently textual. I’ll share approaches and plans that showcase the benefits of energetic, dynamic learners through interactive, experiential, situation, and multimodal process and product forms. Walk away from this session with new ways to support learners who struggle with static coursework by prioritizing conversational, hands-on learning. Your students will begin to see their capabilities and learning superpowers: no longer ‘villains’ who just can’t sit still, but rather heroes of and in their own learning.