PDTCA 2023

Teaching sexual health can be intimidating! Talking about consent, porn, LGBTQ2S+ inclusion and sexting are all part of comprehensive sexual health education. This session will increase your confidence and ease some of your anxiety around teaching the human sexuality outcomes for grades 4-CALM. A primer on LGBTQ2S+ terminology will help you stay up to date with the evolving terminology. Expand your knowledge of the free resources available at TeachingSexualHealth.ca, an authorized Alberta Education resource, and see how much fun sex ed can be!

Alberta has a bounty of natural resources and outdoor learning environments, but nature and being in the outdoors can be defined and understood differently by many people. The same can be said about the terms 'outdoor education', 'risk', and 'risky play'. Risk is a word often thought of as a negative term, instead of a term that in the context of play and learning, can simply mean a challenge or something that is exciting or thrilling. Teachers, administrators, and many parents have taken it upon themselves to create rules that stifle or eliminate outdoor play and hinder memorable learning and positive experiences in the outdoors. This is done in an attempt to protect children, but the question that needs to be asked is, "are we doing more harm than good in the long term by keeping kids inside our school building?".
This session is intended to provide real stats and facts and allow all attendees to consider and contemplate their own levels of risk. The intent of this presentation is to provide an opportunity for all attendees to question and consider how we as teachers and parents, utilize the outdoors and whether we give our students and children enough opportunities to learn and express themselves in the "outdoor classroom". Using literature from Richard Louv and other outdoor education theorists as well as educational philosophers, this session will cause teachers to pause and ponder their teaching practices and consider how their personal pedagogy may be enhanced by utilizing the outdoors more and create learning opportunities for students that are rich and potentially more engaging and relevant than the current practices that they employ.
Giving kids their wildhood back is meant to allow children of all ages to be outdoors, disconnect from technology and simply enjoy and embrace the beauty of mother nature. As teachers, we can teach all curricula outdoors and make valuable connections between curricula if we really want to. Taking our indoor lessons outdoors, even a little bit, may provide students with extra motivation and willingness to engage in their learning more profoundly and meaningfully.

Are you confused about nutrition and healthy eating because of conflicting messages online?  You’re not alone! Join AHS registered dietitians to learn about;
·         How to critically review the credibility of social media posts
·         Why nutrition misinformation is so prevalent
·         Facts about popular nutrition myths that are common in social media
·         What messages are important to bring back into the classroom

Are students more or less interested in physical education classes today than they were in the past? How are today's teachers of physical education changing in response to the options and distractions that today's youth are engaged with? If teachers understand why students enjoy physical education, as well as why they may dislike the subject, they can improve their planning and avoid the displeasure some students have towards physical education. Teachers need to listen to their students and offer activities and learning opportunities that appeal to everyone in the classroom. Educators should also provide meaningful exposure to activities that challenge, motivate and inspire all youth to be active and strive to be healthier and ultimately happier throughout their lives.
Research indicates that engagement in physical education enhances the frequency and intensity of student physical activity (Furlong & Christenson, 2008). Given this association, an activity-promoting physical education program should be developed with consideration of the student, school context, and classroom characteristics that strengthen student engagement over time. Undoubtedly, adequate exposure to high-intensity physical activity is a key contributor to a healthy lifestyle among youth.
This session will offer research-based suggestions for teachers on how to increase student engagement in Physical Education. The intent is to also engage all participants with opportunities to share their own strategies for increasing student motivation in PE.

Curling is a lifelong sport that can promote mental health through protective factors including physical activity and social relationships. Whether you have never curled before or are a novice curling looking for some pointers, you will take away something from this session. Be prepared for some off ice instruction as well as on ice instruction and games. For those interested in the newest Olympic curling discipline, Mixed Doubles, or Curling Canada’s new initiative to grow youth curling, Triples format, we can answer your questions, too. Interested in introducing curling to elementary kids, but don’t have access to a curling rink? This session will provide those interested in that with some options too.
This session will be in Okotoks at the Okotoks Curling Club: 99 Okotoks Dr, T1S 1E6

Positive parent behaviour is linked with athletes motivation, enjoyment in sport as well as confidence and longevity in sport. This workshop will dive into building your school philosophy, why working with parents is important, creating a communication strategy and the do's and don'ts of working effectively with parents. You will leave with recommendations and best practices to put in place.

Why is one breast bigger than the other? How do I know if I am gay? Teacher, when did you start having sex? Students have lots of questions about sex and sexual health. Come to this interactive session and learn how to use the question box effectively, the different types of questions students ask, how to address slang, and how to deal with those embarrassing personal questions. Learn about the resources at TeachingSexualHealth.ca, including the FAQs and Submit a Question feature for expert advice.