CATCA 2022

Dean and Lee have over 60 years educational experience working in Central Alberta Schools. During Dean’s 30+ years as an educator, he has gone from classroom teacher to administrator with the Red Deer Public School Division. Dean has been the Director of Education at the CACAC for the past two years. Lee has taught in the Red Deer Catholic School Division for over 30 years at the high school level. For 9 of those years, Lee worked as a high school counselor. Together, Dean and Lee are passionate about ensuring that the safety and well-being of the child is always put first. Their presentation will include interactive question answer so educators can discuss the difficult topic of child abuse.

The learning styles idea introduced and proposed by a number of innovative and pioneering educational researchers in the 70s and 80s, caused uproar amongst the hardcore, “whip-on-the-desk” teachers who have been looking for ways to dismiss and disprove it ever since. Also proposed in the 80s, Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences challenged educators, curriculum developers and administrators to reflect on how our students learn, how much information is actually transferred from teachers to learners using classic teaching methods and ultimately, how much is actually retained by the learners after 12 years of formal education. Unfortunately, decades after these innovative teaching methods were first described, teacher training programs around the world continue to promote “one-size-fits-all” lesson planning.
In this two-part session, Maria will introduce you to the Multiple Intelligences (MI) and the Learning Styles (LS) theories through examples and hands-on activities. You will make the connection between the two theories and through self-assessment and self-reflection, you will identify which sets of MI and LS reflect your own learning and teaching preference. The second part of the session, will provide you with the necessary tools to plan for and put together your own lessons using a variety of teaching techniques that will engage your learners as a group, no matter what learning method they prefer.Read the following Suggested instructions to understand how this session will run:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mr2SlC6qha9LTk2VCHRhocZ3bRQBk0cE/view?usp=sharing
and all other documents will be found here:
https://albertateachersassociation-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/catca_ata_ab_ca/EmJ0qYf8IBxIuQGMCyux9h4BSHMq8yTD58_qk-jeJOGChg?e=Kqtacm

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. For instance, we may think that learning to spell correctly can only be done by incessant repetition, endless dictation or diction practice. The same result can also be achieved by reading extensively or by listening to audio books, while reading along. The scope of the activity is the same, but the path to achieve it 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.

The benefits of multitasking are a myth. Meaningful and productive work happen in a state of deep focus. Transformational relationships and life fulfillment are also a result of this intentional attention. What is deep focus? How can you harness its power in your life? Learn strategies to break through distraction, cultivate deep focus, and experience its powerful shift in the ways you work, love, and make a difference in your community.