SEATCA / SWATCA 2022 - Southern Alberta Teachers' Convention

The ASMR video, a visual form of technologically-mediated sound performance, heightens the sonic elements of often-arbitrary phenomena (including language and random objects), and in so doing, playfully challenges traditional notions of use and usefulness. This session will describe how the practice and production of ASMR embodies a form of literacy exceeding our human capacity for representational structure and meaning, and what this challenge implies for contemporary classroom life.

How can we engage the student brain in all subject areas in order to ensure that students will learn new material, connect it to what they already know and find ways to make connections to new situations? This practical session will draw from work by John Almarode, Ann Miller, Ron Ritchhartt and Julie Stern to help teachers implement strategies to move students toward deeper learning.

While nobody knows exactly where this aphorism comes from, today we use it in a self-deprecating, usually humorous way, when we realise that our mind has come to the same conclusion as our conversation partners. For educators, such declaration could describe two teaching methods that result in similar responses in our learners, as they acquire a similar piece of knowledge. But while the minds may think alike, many times, the path used to get to the same result is different.

In this session, Maria will demonstrate different ways to teach the same topic, using different paths, with similar results. Taken from her extensive teaching career and the most recent studies in teaching methodology and pedagogy, she will address the question of teaching styles and learning styles and how we can adapt our teaching so that we address the individual needs of our learners, at the same time catering to the entire group.

This session will share key findings from a series of seven Alberta pandemic rapid research activities conducted by the profession of teaching between Spring 2020 into the Winter 2022. The findings may help think through the ‘next normal’ for Alberta schools and school communities as we move into pandemic recovery.  

Each randomly sampled ATA research study scanned thousands of teachers and principals across the province and remains the only systematic and historical record of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on K-12 education in the province.

This session will provoke some considerations about the future of teaching and learning in Alberta, wellbeing for all those within the school community in the next normal, and what trends will begin to emerge in the months and years ahead in light of the emerging issues (mental health, learning loss), forces (increased diagnostic testing) and accelerating trends (inequities, emerging technologies) identified in the Alberta’s K-12 pandemic pulse research surveys.

Pandemic Pulse Research Reports: https://www.teachers.ab.ca/News%20Room/Issues/COVID-19/2020-School-Re-entry/Pages/Teacher-Pandemic-Pulse-Survey-Results--Fall-2020.aspx  

This session is one of three showcasing Professional Inquiry Projects recently completed by University of Lethbridge Intern Teachers during their secondary Internships. Bari will share his experience of using Fitness monitors to increase student accountability and assessment reliability. Clara will outline her  process of weaving stress management strategies into a Social Studies class. Ethan will describe how he prioritized effective use of mathematical language to help students become more confident and reflective learners. Each project includes practical suggestions that you can apply to your own context. Summaries of the three projects (and all projects from the Bi-annual Professional Inquiry Project Symposium) are available at www.uleth.ca/education/celebrating_inquiry.  

This session is one of three showcasing Professional Inquiry Projects recently completed by University of Lethbridge Intern Teachers during their secondary Internships. Rachel will share the Drama/ELA unit she implemented to help foster positive experiences around studying Shakespeare. Kamille (also representing her collaborator, Rayelle Joevenazzo) will provide examples of how the visual arts can enrich the exploration of specific themes in high school social studies. Jennifer will describe a research-based approach to vocabulary development that prioritized student interests. The presenters will share their process of identifying and responding to a specific need, implementing and refining various strategies with students, and reflecting on the results of their inquiry. Each project includes a website or other reference material, and you will leave the session with concrete resources you can adapt to your own context. The three projects (and all projects from the Bi-annual Professional Inquiry Project Symposium) are available at www.uleth.ca/education/celebrating_inquiry.  

University of Lethbridge Intern Teachers during their secondary Internships. Heather responded to cell phone distractions in class by seeking meaningful ways to integrate personal technology into instruction. Rei explored gamification and game-based learning in science class to increase student interest and motivation.  Karl transformed social studies textbook content into a computer-based role-playing game and collected feedback around student learning and engagement.  
 
The presenters will share their process of identifying and responding to a specific need, implementing and refining various strategies with students, and reflecting on the results on their inquiry. Each project includes a website or other ready-to-implement material, and you will leave the session with concrete resources you can adapt to your own context. The three projects (and all projects from the Bi-annual Professional Inquiry Project Symposium) are available at www.uleth.ca/education/celebrating_inquiry.