PDTCA 2023

One thing we can count on is that life is full of uncertainty, change, challenges, and many distractions. When times are hard, you may prioritize the well-being of others. This session is for YOU._x000D_
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Take control by learning about science-backed strategies and practical skills that you can use to stay focused and productive — even in chaos. Get more done in less time and improve your energy and stamina to power through. Learn how to incorporate habits into the busiest schedule and get the support you need to practice daily self-care.

Exercer la profession enseignante est complexe. Plusieurs défis se dresse devant eux et contribuent à faire apparaitre des émotions désagréables. Ces dernières, bien qu'elles soient essentielles au développement d'une bonne santé mentale, peuvent parfois s'exprimer par un sentiment d'être dépassés ou incompétents, un sentiment d'incertitude omniprésent ou un sentiment d'être surchargé constamment, alimentant un état tel que le stress ou d'anxiété. Face à la situation, comment rester optimistes et motivés afin de persévérer ? Comment réussir à gérer ce type émotions négatives pour qu'elles nous aident à s'adapter aux différents enjeux quotidiens auxquels on doit faire face? Comment mieux accompagner nos élèves pour qu'ils ressentent aussi du bienêtre ? Cette conférence traitera de l’importance de cultiver le bienêtre au travail en considérant les forces et les talents que l'on mobiliser pour avoir une perspective plus positive de la situation actuelle._x000D_
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Learn to take care of yourself to better support others in teaching:_x000D_
Teaching in the current context requires a lot of adaptation and resilience. Indeed, the situation in schools is far from favoring environments conducive to the well-being of teachers and students. There is an increase in fatigue and stress among teachers. Although the situation is worrying for them with regard to the progression of student learning, it must be recognized that good support for them begins with taking care of themselves. However, teachers take little steps in this direction. However, recent research on well-being in educational institutions shows that teachers who feel well-being at work create a better climate conducive to learning. It is therefore possible to evolve in teaching and to do well in order to remain motivated and optimistic by looking to the future from a positive angle. In this context, how can we succeed in developing well-being in teaching? How can we support our students to promote their learning in this unprecedented context? How to adapt to the different daily challenges that we have to face while cultivating pleasant emotions? In an attempt to answer these questions, this conference will explore the psychopedagogy of well-being, a new field in the science of education, which looks at the development of well-being, growth and optimal functioning in individuals evolving in various educational situations., to promote better mental health among teachers.

One thing we can count on is that life is full of uncertainty, change, challenges, and many distractions. When times are hard, you may prioritize the well-being of others. This session is for YOU._x000D_
_x000D_
Take control by learning about science-backed strategies and practical skills that you can use to stay focused and productive — even in chaos. Get more done in less time and improve your energy and stamina to power through. Learn how to incorporate habits into the busiest schedule and get the support you need to practice daily self-care.

The reality of the pain and struggles that many of our students experience is becoming more apparent, and unfortunately the coping strategy of "self-harm" is becoming more common. There is a lot of fear, misunderstanding, myth, judgement and confusion surrounding why and how students self-injure and we are left wondering how best to react (or not?) and support them as they cope. This session will provide some insight into the reasons students self-harm, the various forms this behavior can take, and the best strategies for prevention and support through both their physical and emotional healing.

There is quite a buzz about mindfulness these days, but what exactly is it and how can it help you shift out of autopilot and into healthier, more intentional responses to your life both inside and & outside the classroom?

Participants will explore:
• What is mindfulness?
• Benefits of mindfulness
• Building your mindfulness muscle
• Creating a plan to improve your awareness and presence

The landscape of the statutory regulation of teacher conduct has changed in Alberta. How has it changed? What are my professional obligations? What is the new complaint process? This session will provide an overview of the new Code of Professional Conduct for Alberta teachers and related processes.

Enseigner dans le contexte actuel requiert beaucoup d'adaptation et parfois même, de la résilience. En effet, la situation dans les écoles est loin de favoriser des environnements propices au bienêtre des intervenants. On constate une augmentation de fatigue et de stress au sein des équipes-écoles, cela en partie lié à la gestion de la pandémie dans les milieux scolaires. Bien que la situation soit inquiétante concerne la progression des apprentissages des élèves et leur santé mentale, il faut se rendre à l'évidence qu'un bon accompagnement de ces dernières commence par prendre soin de soi. En effet, de récentes recherches sur le bienêtre dans les institutions éducatives démontre que les individus qui ressentent du bienêtre au travail mettent en place un meilleur climat propice aux apprentissages. Il est donc possible d'évoluer en dans ce contexte et de tirer son épingle du jeu pour rester motivé et optimiste en envisageant l'avenir sous un angle positif. Dans ce contexte, comment s'adapter aux différents enjeux quotidiens auxquels on doit faire face tout en cultivant des émotions agréables? Comment être bienveillant envers soi et envers les autres ? Pour tenter de répondre à ces questions, cette conférence explorera la psychopédagogie du bienêtre, un nouveau champ en science de l'éducation, qui se penche sur le développement du bienêtre, l'épanouissement et le fonctionnement optimal chez les individus évoluant dans divers contextes éducatifs, afin de favoriser une meilleure santé mentale au travail.

This presentation is designed specifically for teachers that have recently joined the plan.

It gives a general overview of the plan, including information about pension contributions, maintaining your spouse/beneficiary information, the eligibility requirements for a pension, purchasing leaves of absences and substitute service, and transferring service with another pension plan.

You are encouraged to sign in to your MyPension account to access your most recent plan member statement.

Le contexte entourant la règlementation légale de la conduite des enseignants en Alberta a changé. Comment a-t-il changé? Quelles sont mes obligations professionnelles? Quel est le nouveau processus de dépôt de plaintes? Cette séance fournira un aperçu du nouveau Code de conduite professionnelle des enseignants albertains et des processus qui s’y rattachent.

When it comes to dealing with stress, one size does not fit all. If you are wanting to explore new ways to cope during these unprecedented times, join us to learn about acupressure. It is a practice that has been around for over 5000 years that, for some, is a highly effective (and easy) way to help feel calmer during times of stress.
Participants will explore:
• What is “stress” for you?
• Understanding the biological & neurological impacts of stress
• How your stress affects the decisions you make and your workplace and emotional resiliency
• What is acupressure?
• 7 Stress Releasing Acupressure Points

PTSD from teaching: a real experience from a real Alberta teacher. We know how challenging teaching is and to be honest, "challenging" doesn't even begin to describe it. As teachers, we do an excellent job of advocating for our students, identifying the impact teaching conditions have on our students, and setting aside ourselves and our wellbeing in favour of our students. This practice is not sustainable. We must acknowledge our injuries and the injuries of those around us so we can begin to heal and authentically create the welcoming, caring, respectful, and safe work environments that are also necessary for learning.
This session is for you if: you feel isolated and incapable; you recognize pain in your colleagues; you don't identify as being an injured teacher; you do identify as being an injured teacher; you think you are failing; you believe there are no other options; or, you're looking for a next step.

Everywhere around us kids are just “looking for attention” starved for connection & positive adult relationships. This session speaks to the biological, psychological and developmental reasons kids seek our attention & uses theory & humor to look at the behaviors & brains of these kids & the survival games they play. Participants will learn the "Vitamin C" approach to attention seeking behavior & explore practical ways to nourish children & youth with the time & attention they seek…and deserve.

The prevailing trend for students today involves emotional safety above all. Over time, this has created a risk-averse culture, where many would rather play it safe than step out of their comfort zone to challenge themselves. This session offers practical ideas to help you model risk in a responsible manner to inspire your students to aim high and learn to practice resilience when they experience failure. Prepare to see failure in a whole new way!

If you are considering retirement within the next five years, then you’ve got some big decisions just around the corner. Make sure you’re ready for them! This presentation will go over everything you need to know about the Alberta Retired Teachers’ Association (ARTA), including programs and perks available to members and, of course, the nationally acclaimed Retiree Benefits Plan. A current retired teacher will provide important points to consider before making the leap into retirement and will touch on some personal experiences. We’ll outline the health, travel, and dental benefits ARTA offers and touch on considerations you’ll want to start thinking about as you begin to plan for your retirement. Join us to discover how ARTA can give you the support you need to begin this new, exciting adventure.

If there is one thing we have all been inundated with lately, it’s change. Constant change. When it comes to coping with change, it is important to remember there are 2 aspects: practical and emotional. Many times we are forced to dive into the practical aspect only to find that we are struggling. To help build your change resilience, it is equally as important to deal with the emotions surrounding the change.

Participants will explore:
• Emotional responses to change
• Discuss how our thoughts affect the emotion of change.
• Assess strategies to shift unhelpful thinking and tools to help with the practical side of implementing change

What do I do if…? This session covers a variety of issues on which school leaders seek advice from Teacher Employment Services (TES). We have narrowed it down to 25 top issues that school leaders address in their work. As time allows, there will also be an opportunity to ask supplemental questions regarding any pressing school leadership issues.

Find out ways to make learning fun by lightening your mood, lightening your load and lightening your approach. This session will illuminate some practical ideas for bringing more joy into your classroom. A happy, cheerful teacher will better engage and motivate students. Learn some tips for using humour and fun to engage learning in the classroom. Humour can also help us cope with the challenges of teaching. Come enjoy some laughs and rejuvenate.

This workshop will examine core causes of intergenerational trauma, challenge common myths and misconceptions, as well as explore activities to foster effective relationships with First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, families and community. Participants will explore assimilation strategies that have contributed to many current realities of Indigenous students, families and community. You will gain an increased understanding of physical, mental, social and spiritual impacts, and strength-based initiatives to contribute to the advancement of the reconciliation process.

This presentation is designed for teachers who are planning to retire during the current year or within the next few years.
It provides detailed information about deciding to retire, the steps to retirement process and forms, the pension options, and post-retirement considerations.
You are encouraged to sign in to your MyPension account to access your most recent plan member statement.

In our society, we often look to others for validation of our abilities. A healthier strategy is to learn to cultivate our own sense of internal confidence through our unique competencies. In this session, we’ll discuss why we suffer when comparing our accomplishments with other people and get to the bottom of why it can be so hard to own our authentic strengths. Separating worth from productivity gives students a road map to follow for their own emotional resilience journey, and helps us to feel more secure and self-reliant in the world.

This session will offer the opportunity to meet with President Schilling in a group setting to discuss matters and issues that are of importance to you and your colleagues. The session will open with a few focus questions from President Schilling followed by an opportunity to have open dialogue on topics generated by the discussion.

We live in a polarized world, with politicians shouting on Twitter, a 24-hour news cycle, selfies flooding our social media feeds and little white lies becoming the cultural norm. How do we encourage students to value truth and make healthy moral and ethical decisions with so much noise in the background? Can we be effective at this ourselves? Come learn strategies around empathy awareness, mindfulness, open-ended questions, guilt vs. shame, conditioned societal gender roles, natural consequences, creative discipline tactics that reach the heart and more.

This session will focus on how to craft a better resume for teachers and educational assistants.

This session covers the definition of sick leave, what is acceptable medical documentation for your school division, what is the effect of an evergreen clause, monitoring board practices, and the principles of privacy legislation.

Fostering and developing a braided approach in the Indigenous focused competencies and indicators continues to be a challenge for many. The following are common statements from teachers and school leaders across the province; “I don’t know what I don’t know”, “I’m afraid to say and do something offensive” and “I just don’t know where to begin”. Come and learn resources and strategies to deepen understanding of Indigenous-focused competencies in the new Teaching & Leadership Quality Standard.

This session is designed to help teachers and educational assistants develop stronger cover letters for the job application process.

Apprendre n’est pas toujours facile. Pourtant de nombreuses activités de lecture, d’écriture et de calcul peuvent se transformer en expériences amusantes et motivantes pour tous les élèves, grâce aux jeux.

Financial Wellness 101 is built to give you tools to take control of your financial life. How to start saving. Easy steps on where and when to put your money. Easy budgeting tips. On the flip side, what if things go horribly wrong? What if a member of your family gets sick? Or dies prematurely? What if there's a job action? We look at the biggest financial risks that can happen to you and how to lessen their impact.
Teachers can get so busy taking care of the needs of others that they often don’t have time to focus on their own wellness – but it’s crucial. Financial wellness is a big part of that. 40% of Canadians in a recent study who say they’re “financially unwell” are more likely to report stress associated with their money troubles. 88% of those say they’re “often” or “sometimes” worried about their finances, 49% say it distracts them at work.
What if there was a way to quickly and painlessly learn some tools – things you can set up in just a few minutes – to help alleviate that stress? The first step is knowing what some of these are – and that’s why this session was developed.
For CALM teachers, there’s an added bonus of seeing how financial wellness is presented based on hundreds of presentations to teachers over the past 40 years – you may come away with some ideas of how to communicate this to students too.

The 21st Century has brought multiple waves of innovation and world challenges into the classroom all at once. Innovative Thought 2021 (IT2021) highlights the multiple waves and how Albertan teachers can best prepare and share this information with their science and social studies students. This session will focus on five steps that have been designed and proven to challenge students to exceed expectations and better prepare them for high school and the 21-century workforce.

Do you feel worn out and emotionally spent? Is your life on fast-forward and you long to slow down and enjoy more experiences that feed your soul? In this session, we’ll focus on practical strategies for creative practices that will help you and your students intentionally connect with your humanity. With so much of our time spent online, we require a renewed awareness about our inner lives by making space for our emotions. We’ll cover journaling, meditation, nature, minimalism, juggling, art, exercise, Netflix and more (while practicing a few of these). Come prioritize your soul so you can model this calm to your students. PLEASE BRING: bring a journal, a pen/pencil, and pencil crayons or crayons to this session.

Did you know that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit traditional games are great ways to make connections to numeracy? Traditional games can provide entry points to deeper understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing and further connections to the land. Get ready to learn about resources for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit traditional games and how to create authentic learning experiences.

The new Teaching Quality Standard requires all teachers to demonstrate foundational knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit for the benefit of all students. Where should you start!? In this session, you will be introduced to short, interactive activities designed to enhance your understanding of reconciliation, resources specifically produced to build your competence and confidence; and ideas about the many paths you can pursue on your future professional Indigenous Education learning journey.

Are you interested in learning how to communicate the story of your teaching career and showcase your educational, professional, leadership and volunteer experience to pique employers’ interest? In this session, the presenter will share advice on how to edit your resume and write a strong cover letter to improve your chances of getting an interview.

The session will provide teachers with a process for collecting data on hours of work (both instructional and assignable), defining assignable time, and monitoring time assignments.