Learning does not have to happen solely within the four walls of the classroom. This session will explore a multitude of experiential science learning opportunities you can do with your students! From simple, community excursions for a class block, land-based literacy opportunities with Indigenous Elders, to fully immersive overnight adventures. This session will provide multiple ideas and resources that will allow your students to construct knowledge and understanding of science in practical ways.
How much information are your students getting from standard grading practices? Does a traditional "percentage" grade really tell us which learning outcomes a student has mastered? Even when we want to make adjustments, it can seem overwhelming and scary, especially with changing curricula, increased demands and parental expectations of what indicates student success. So how do we make the transition from what we've always done to what we want to do? This session will share ideas and resources for tracking student progress, setting up an outcome based gradebook and reporting achievements that communicates learning to students and parents efficiently and effectively.
Artificial Intelligence chatbots and tools are emerging as powerful supports for teachers and can generate lesson plans, teaching content, assessment materials, and more! With this potential also comes a professional responsibility to use these tools thoughtfully, ethically and critically. In this hands-on session, we will explore the professional use of AI tools which can help save you 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 more efficient in your daily work life.
Executive Staff Officer, Professional Development, The Alberta Teachers' Association
Tiff Pino (she/her) is an Executive Staff Officer of Professional Development for the Alberta Teachers' Association. With 20 years of experience as an educator in Edmonton Catholic Schools, she has taught a variety of subjects from grades 7-12 in traditional and outreach settings... Read More →
Friday September 25, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT Ballroom A/B
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
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.
