Streamline assessment and enhance feedback in your classes. In this interactive session, you'll learn to design your own digital rubric in Google Classroom using your program of studies outcomes. These rubrics can then be used live during student performances and presentations saving time and paper while increasing marking efficiency. Most importantly, they offer students and parents transparent, real-time insight into their achievement. Designed for junior high and high school Fine Arts and CTS teachers—but welcoming to educators from all subject areas—this session will help you bring clarity, consistency, and confidence to your assessment practice.
Vocabulary is the single most important aspect of learning a new language! This session introduces teachers at all grade levels to the basic theory of vocabulary teaching and learning, provides a deeper explanation of the theory of vocabulary acquisition, and explores the difference between Basic Interactive Social language (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Development (CALP). The presentation culminates with an overview of effective strategies for helping English language learners effectively improve their English vocabulary.
The first years of teaching music can feel exciting, overwhelming, exhausting, and inspiring all at once. This practical and encouraging session focuses on realistic strategies for classroom management, concert preparation, assessment, organization, and teacher wellness.
Joignez-vous à nous pour un atelier interactif et stimulant où vous découvrirez plusieurs stratégies pour soutenir les élèves qui affichent des comportements difficiles. Cette séance cible en particulier les approches qui privilégient la résilience des élèves, ainsi que les stratégies visant à soutenir notre propre résilience lorsque nous réagissons face au comportement difficile de certains élèves. Par le biais d’activités, de discussions et de réflexions, nous explorerons différentes techniques qui peuvent à la fois aider les élèves qui affichent un comportement difficile, et nous aider à veiller à notre propre bienêtre.
Feeling the pressure to get your students moving but limited by a small space or large class size? This session is for you! Join us for a fun, interactive, and practical workshop where you'll experience a variety of ready-to-use physical activities that require minimal equipment and can be done in a medium-sized space, like a classroom or common area. You'll leave with a toolkit of new ideas, including: Cooperative games that promote teamwork and communication. Quick, energizing brain breaks perfect for transitioning between subjects. Creative movement challenges that encourage problem-solving and self-expression. Inclusivity-focused activities that ensure every student feels successful and engaged. This isn't a sit-and-listen session. Be prepared to get up, move around, and leave with practical strategies and a renewed sense of inspiration to get your students moving. Come discover how easy it can be to integrate dynamic physical activity into your daily routine!
Now, more than ever, there is a need to look at practices and systems that nurture the social and emotional health of all members of the school community. This workshop was developed to enhance the social-emotional skills of adults within a school environment so that they can more effectively model and teach SEL to their students. This interactive workshop can be facilitated over a series of sessions in which participants will learn and apply practical, powerful strategies to enhance social and emotional competence within themselves and their students.
This session will provide teachers with an opportunity to reflect on their understanding of provincial legislation, policy and other requirements related to teacher professional growth, promote awareness of the effective components of a professional growth plan, and share materials and tools that can be accessed to assist in the development of those plans. The session will also address the implications for teacher evaluation and permanent certification.
ATA Learning Facilitator, The Alberta Teachers' Association
Meghan is an Inclusive Education Lead and School Counsellor, and Student Services Department Head at Memorial Composite High School with Parkland School Division. She is also the co-chair of her ATA Local's PD Committee and the Vice President for the ATA Council of School Counsellors... Read More →
Saturday September 26, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am MDT Ballroom D
How can foundational shifts toward reconciliation authentically take root in our daily teaching practice? Join educators Omarla Cooke and Mya Penney for an inspiring, deeply personal session that explores the transformative power of collaboration, mentorship, and genuine friendship. Designed specifically for beginning teachers, this session moves beyond theory and policy. Through the art of storytelling and the sharing of their own lived experiences, Omarla and Mya model how diverse cultural backgrounds can weave together to enrich school leadership and classroom community. Participants will engage in holistic learning by exploring traditional Indigenous medicines and cross-cultural literature. The session concludes with a hands-on, experiential grounding activity: crafting a traditional medicine bag to serve as a meaningful, tangible guide for your future teaching practice.
Explore how to leverage visual literacy through picture books and photo analysis in Jr/Sr ELA classes. Try out different lenses when looking at a visual text and work through paired activities to help students respond personally, critically and creatively to visual prompts. Workshop attendees will leave with practical, hands-on lesson ideas to support student learning through multiple modalities.
Teachers understand the challenge of supporting students through big emotions. This session acknowledges that journey and offers a path forward rooted in the latest neuroscience. Inspired by the work of Stuart Shanker, Dr. Bruce Perry, Lori Desautels, and more, you'll learn how to proactively create a classroom environment that fosters co-regulation and resilience for all. Expect practical, hands-on strategies for physical space adjustments, routine enhancements, and responsive practices. This isn't just theory; it's about equipping you with tangible tools to transform your classroom into a haven of calm, connection,
Did you get the delightful task to teach mathematics to students? Does the word "fractions" frighten you? Are you worried that you might struggle with teaching mathematics and meeting the diverse needs of your students? This session is for you!!! Whether you are teaching Grade 1 counting or Grade 12 calculus, come and learn some high leverage strategies that will allow all your young mathematicians to flourish! We will work on some intriguing and enjoyable problems, share some ways to reach the edges of your classroom and end with the power of visualization in math class. Be ready to see math come alive and experience a truly joyful math class.
We can't always be the adult at the front of the room, but how we get ready for somebody else to step in for us can take a lot of stress off of all parties involved. I've collected informed from subs from around my rural northern area to get their feedback on what they like to see and don't like to see in sub plans. I have also collected a number of sub plans from teachers across my area to build a sharing registry of what other professionals do across a range of ages and subjects. Lets get together and share some experiences, best practices, and examine common pitfalls of how we prepare for not being the teacher at the front of the room for a day.
My name is Andrew Bullen and I have been teaching Div 3 and 4 Science in rural Northern Alberta for going on 12 years now. I taught in a blended classroom before it was cool/mandated and I am, by most standards, a techy kind of guy.
Saturday September 26, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am MDT Ballroom A/B
Looking to launch a fibre arts program but not sure where to start—or how to afford it? This hands-on session is designed specifically for teachers who want practical, classroom-ready ideas they can use right away. Using simple, low-cost materials like donated fabrics, felt, and socks, you'll learn how to guide students in creating eye-catching, meaningful textile projects—without stretching your budget. We'll focus on approachable hand-stitching techniques that build student confidence and creativity, making fibre arts accessible for beginners at any grade level. Leave with ready-to-use project ideas, skill-building strategies, and the confidence to start your fibre arts program as soon as Monday. This session will be presented by the ATA Fine Arts Council.
Come and be inspired by a variety of fun STEM/STEAM/STREAM demonstrations, project ideas and FREE resources that you can use in a variety of core classes and CTF options! Learn how to take your interests or current events and morph them into cross-curricular projects that will have your students engaged in authentic learning! There will be a little bit of everything: design challenges, art projects, classroom gardens, coding and robotics, space industry innovations, online resources, Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being in STEM and so much more! Amanda, from the ATA Science Council, primarily focuses on Junior High (both in English and French), but has many ideas you can use with students of all ages.
Are you looking for no-prep and low-prep ways to engage your students? Join us for a dynamic session where we will explore 20 versatile no-prep and low-prep activities you can implement in any subject and grade level. Be ready to engage with interactive activities and explore practical applications for these strategies in your teaching context.
Executive Staff Officer, Professional Development, The Alberta Teachers' Association
Terra Kaliszuk is an Executive Staff Officer in the Professional Development program area of the Alberta Teachers' Association. She brings a passion for understanding and supporting the human journey of learning to all of her work. In her Association role, Terra leads the Association... Read More →
Cognitive Science has uncovered numerous practices that have been proven to help with deep and durable learning in any subject and for learners of every age. Participants will explore these practices as they implement new curricula into their classrooms to maximize learning and will leave with numerous specific strategies for implementing them in their classrooms. Practices included are: retrieval practice, spacing, interleaving, feedback-driven metacognition, elaborative interrogation, concrete examples and dual coding.
ATA Learning Facilitator, The Alberta Teachers' Association
Aaron is an Elementary teacher with Edmonton Catholic schools who was inspired to travel East around the world over a year's time. His family embedded themselves in different cultures in order to offer up their skills and support others. In return we hoped our children would learn... Read More →
Join us for an interactive and empowering workshop that explores strategies for supporting students through challenging behaviours. This session focuses on approaches that cultivate student resilience, as well as strategies to support our own resilience as we respond to challenging moments of student behaviour. Through activities, discussion, and reflection, we will explore a variety of techniques that support students with challenging behaviour and care for our own wellbeing, at once.
The first years of teaching can be both rewarding and overwhelming. This practical and engaging session explores how small, intentional practices can have a big impact on classroom culture, student regulation, and teacher well-being. Participants will learn simple systems that reduce decision fatigue and save energy, including visual organization strategies, routines, and transition tools. The session will also highlight easy-to-use games, classroom structure ideas, connection activities, and regulation strategies-such as using curiosity and "silly questions" to help students shift from dysregulation to engagement. Grounded in the belief that effective classrooms are built through intentional systems and strong relationships, this session will provide beginning teachers with practical tools they can implement immediately to create calmer classrooms, stronger connections, and a more sustainable teaching experience.
Middle school teachers are unique in their ability to connect with students during a crucial period of growth. In this session, we'll draw on the Guide to Middle Years Education in Alberta to better understand the needs of young adolescents and how to respond to them in meaningful ways. You'll walk away with practical, ready-to-use strategies to strengthen relationships, make learning meanignful, and create a classroom environment where students thrive and teachers survive.
My name is Vicki Leong and I have been a social studies and physical education teacher for 26 years. My entire career has been teaching middle school students and I love this age group. I thrive on inspiring young teachers to develop the confidence they need to become successful... Read More →
Session attendees will have an interactive note handout and prize incentives to participate. They will also try out different info and digital lit skills as we move through the content (icebreaker style).
PBL along side Building Thinking Classrooms is the easiest way to have hands on learning with a twist. Join this session to use cross curricular projects to cover your outcomes in junior high.
This session is designed for math teachers across elementary and middle school grade levels who are looking for practical ways to increase student engagement in mathematics. Participants will explore a variety of game-based learning strategies, interactive activities, and classroom techniques that make math meaningful, collaborative, and enjoyable for students. The session will include adaptable examples for different grade levels and abilities, along with ideas for promoting critical thinking, participation, and confidence in math. Attendees will leave with games and ideas they can use and immediately implement in their own classrooms.
Computer science and computational thinking are becoming increasingly important components of K–12 education, yet many teachers are unsure where to begin. This hands-on session introduces educators to a collection of accessible, classroom-ready tools that can be used to teach coding, problem solving, creativity, and computational thinking across subject areas. Participants will explore free resources from Code.org, visual programming through Scratch, and constructionist learning approaches using LEGO Robotics. The session will highlight practical classroom examples, curriculum connections, and strategies for implementation with students of varying experience levels. Attendees will leave with lesson ideas, resource links, and a clear pathway for introducing computer science concepts into their own teaching practice.
This interactive session will provide Additional Language teachers with a ready-to-use "toolbox" of practical, effective strategies to support language development across proficiency levels. Participants will explore what works, why it works, how to implement it, and where to start when teaching an additional language. Teachers will learn how to address the four pillars of language learning—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—within a weekly routine. The guiding principle is that we teach the language, not just about the language. Through hands-on activities and collaborative discussion, educators will explore how to meet the diverse needs of language learners, build students' confidence, and add joy and purpose to lessons. The session will highlight ways to create a meaningful learning environment where students can make strong connections and use language. These strategies will support students' readiness to use language outside the classroom. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use resources, concrete examples, and practical approaches to enhance language growth and support student success across the curriculum.
L'enseignement des correspondances graphème-phonème peut être simple et efficace! Cet atelier vous propose des stratégies éprouvées et des ressources concrètes, ancrées dans la recherche actuelle, pour soutenir le développement de la conscience phonologique et de la phonographie. Destiné aux enseignants de la maternelle à la 3e année, il offre également des pistes d'intervention ciblées pertinentes à partir de la 4e année.
Mélanie Samson-Cormier compte vingt ans d'expérience en enseignement et détient un baccalauréat et une maitrise en éducation de l'Université d'Ottawa. Elle a commencé sa carrière au Conseil scolaire francophone de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador avant de joindre le Conseil scolaire... Read More →
