PDTCA 2022

Learn the basics of painting watercolor landscapes. Working on small artist trading card size paintings, you can feel confident about the painting process. You will take home 6 small landscape paintings and a small portfolio to keep your paintings in. If you have never painted with watercolor before, this is a great place to start! No experience is required!
Wow yourself and your students with these simple painting techniques!
You have a choice of how you would like to do this art class. If you wish to create the projects, you will need the supplies. There are only 20 supply packages available so it's first come first served. You can purchase the supplies by etransfer to sally@sallytowerssybblis.com. They will be mailed to you. YOU MUST ORDER THEM A FULL 2 WEEKS BEFORE the start of the conference or they may not arrive on time. The cost of the supplies is $30 including shipping. Alternatively, you can provide your own supplies. Here are the supplies you will need should you choose to bring your own:

Watercolor paints (colors similar to these are fine)
Colors we are using: Paynes grey, pthathlo blue, sap green, pyroll red, quinacridone violet, quinacridone gold, and white.
I am working with good quality M.Graham brand paints. But other brands will do but may not yield as good a result.
Brushes:
Round #10 or similar size
Water container
Palette or paper plate
Rag
Paper:
6 - 2.5x3.5” pieces of Arches 140 lb. Cold pressed watercolor paper. Other less expensive watercolor papers may not yield as good a result.
Plus three small scrap pieces to try color and technique on.
Green painters tape
A board to tape your paintings to.
A wine cork.
A couple of sheets of toilet paper.
A couple of sheets of paper towel.
Scissors
A 8.5x11” sheet of white cardstock.
Some double sided tape or glue stick.
Ruler
A pencil
Eraser

Don’t let the arrival of winter diminish your ability to get your students outside. During this 45 minute session, we will help you embrace the three magical elements of winter (Snow, Cold and Ice). This session is packed full of winter outdoor learning ideas and practical approaches to help you teach ABOUT and IN winter, with literacy and numeracy outcomes in mind. Please note that this session has been designed for K-3 teachers. You will leave feeling inspired to make winter outdoor learning part of your regular teaching rhythm.

Through this hands-on session, teachers will explore natural and recycled materials which can be used in the classroom while creating their own recycled piece of art!
We will explore ways to utilise recycled and natural materials in the classroom, linking to the Reggio Emilia approach to learning as we discuss how to be intentional about our classroom environments. Using recycled and natural materials in your classroom not only saves money in a time of tight budgets, but it also provides a fantastic platform to begin discussions of waste, recycling and sustainability in the classroom. Students will learn to be resourceful, global citizens.

Are you wondering how to engage students in environmental action or tie curriculum into your environmental passion? Join Green Calgary and CPAWS in this cross curricular workshop is designed to explore citizen science-based learning and facilitate environmental action. After overcoming the common barriers of how to develop curriculum links, identify resources, and find space or time, you will be able to expand learning beyond the classroom and help your students see real-life solutions to current environmental issues.
In this session you will discover curriculum possibilities, available citizen science applications, lessons, resources and activities to support environmental action in the classroom. After an introduction to citizen science concepts and classroom applications, we will step outside so you can discover citizen science for yourself. Dress for the weather and come prepared to have fun in the outdoors!
During this session, participants will:
-Gain an understanding of cross-curricular opportunities related to citizen science
-Know about the applications currently available to assist in implementing citizen science in the classroom
-Gain activities and citizen science knowledge to facilitate environmental action in the classroom

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues we face, and students know this. A 2020 survey of over 500 Alberta youths revealed that a strong majority of students are concerned about their future as a result of climate change and want to learn what we can do to address it. In this highly engaging session, learn how to steer clear of gloom and doom and instill confidence, optimism and connectedness in young learners by nurturing a positive relationship with nature. We’ll also demonstrate how it’s never too early to engage your students in real-world, age-appropriate climate solutions that are fun and build hope and agency as students learn how they can play a role in helping build a sustainable future. We’ll also share connections to the Alberta curriculum and many high-quality resources you can use immediately with your students.

You’ll explore ways to make student learning meaningful and memorable by using your schoolyard as a learning environment. No matter what subject, the outdoors provides the context to help students make sense of what they are learning and the world around them. We’ll explore outdoor activities that support numeracy and literacy as well as other subjects (science, art, wellness, active living). Many teachers use their schoolyard as a learning environment and there will be time to share and learn together. You’ll leave with many activities, ideas and resources you can use right away. This session is best for those teaching K to 4.

Everyone from behavioural psychologists to environmental conservationists are providing proof that time in nature, or Vitamin N, is pivotal to whole health and well-being. Everything from creativity to calmness, is cultivated by quality time spent amongst the trees, birds, creeks and clouds. CPAWS Southern Alberta agrees wholeheartedly; but don’t take their word for it. Join them for a mind/body infusion of nature play, awe and wonder; and you be the judge—connection and rejuvenation await!

Channel and celebrate your inner ‘wild child’ and learn how to teach your students to do the same! 

During this whole-person, cross-curricular session, you will discover how outside in nature we are more:
energized connected inventive
confident  balanced  & resilient 

Wild Wellness is absolutely in YOUR nature… so get outside with CPAWS and claim it!

For the 2020-2021 school year, educators were encouraged to pivot their planning and design ideas and embrace teaching and learning outdoors as a possible COVID mitigation strategy. This session showcases how one grade 3 class got wild and engaged in place-based learning by stepping into the natural areas and river corridor adjacent to their school. Discover how exploring local places transformed student understanding, deepened connections and fostered greater empathy and care towards their community, environment, neighbours and selves. Evidence will showcase how utilizing mapping and cartography, nature journaling and a trail camera enhanced the experience. Ideas for how educators can begin wilding their practice by incorporating place-based learning across curriculum will be shared.

Nature supports wellness in many ways, but not all students have equitable access to nature. Mainstream outdoor education is inaccessible, exclusive, and expensive. It perpetuates systemic racism and emphasizes white issues, white environmental heroes, and western conceptualizations of nature. Racism and racial inequalities may make youth feel ignored, unwelcome, and unprepared in outdoor education.

Join CPAWS to learn how you can provide inclusive nature connection opportunities that support your students’ wellbeing. This session will guide your role as a teacher in responding to racial inequality in outdoor education by providing tools and resources that make a difference in the classroom. CPAWS will demonstrate how to take your favourite environmental lesson plans and apply cross-cultural guidelines to make your lessons more accessible for all your students!

You’ll explore ways to make student learning meaningful and memorable by using your schoolyard as a learning environment. No matter what subject, the outdoors provides the context to help students make sense of what they are learning. How can you use the outdoors to spark their interest and provide motivation to deepen their learning? We’ll explore outdoor activities that support a variety of subjects that are the building blocks for continued classroom learning. Many teachers use their schoolyard as a learning environment and there will be time to share and learn together. You’ll leave with many activities, ideas and resources you can use right away. This session is best for those teaching grades 5 to 8.

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues we face, and students know this. A 2020 survey of over 500 Alberta youths revealed that a strong majority of students are concerned about their future as a result of climate change and want to learn what we can do to address it. In this highly engaging session, learn how to steer clear of gloom and doom and instill confidence and optimism about the future by focusing on climate solutions. In the words of climate activist Greta Thunberg, "The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change." Join us as we demonstrate how exploring real-world climate solutions is a fun and engaging way to build hope and agency in your students, equip them with the knowledge and skills to become the environmental leaders of tomorrow, and introduce them to exciting careers of the future. We’ll also share connections to the Alberta curriculum and many high-quality resources you can use immediately with your students.

The Energy And The Environment unit in Science 30 is based upon these Focusing Questions:

“How can Canadians and other members of the international community conserve energy and maintain quality of life? What are the benefits and costs of available non-renewable energy sources and of developing renewable energy sources? What is our energy future?”

This session will focus on the issues that surround many of the energy sources that humans are using. With the science behind global warming solid and climate change very much in the news, it is important that students learn about the global production and use of energy. One problem is finding data that is reliable and up to date. Things are changing faster than a textbook can be written and published.

In session, I will demonstrate several sources of up to date information that students can use to analyze humanity's global energy use.

Curious about what students really think about climate change and their future? In this student-led workshop, hear directly from high school students who are part of Alberta Youth Leaders for Environmental Education (AYLEE) on their concerns about the future, what they feel is lacking in their education, and what they want and need in their classrooms to be part of creating a sustainable future.

In this interactive session, explore the findings from three surveys that bring forward the perspectives of over 3000 Alberta students, AYLEE’s recommendations for enhanced environmental education in K-12, and learn how you can develop strong student-teacher partnerships to implement these recommendations in your classroom.

Leave the workshop with a better understanding of how Alberta’s students feel about their future and strategies for helping your students feel more positive and hopeful through direct engagement in environmental and climate solutions.

In this interactive workshop designed for teachers of all grades, explore the concept of sustainability and our relationship to the natural world through both Eurocentric and Indigenous lenses. Gain confidence that you don’t need to be an expert to start your journey into Indigenous knowledge systems and pedagogies but rather, an open mind and heart and a willingness to explore new ideas with your students. Drawing on authentic resources, learn how you can weave Indigenous perspectives into your everyday teaching in a way that engages the cognitive, physical, emotional and spiritual self and fosters deep learning around the notion of sustainability. If these ideas sound intriguing but also fill you with trepidation, this workshop is for you!

We are known as an energy province but what do any of us really know about energy and what do our students need to know to be part of the energy transition? We all need to know the basics of energy sources and uses to be part of the discussion and solutions. Energy literacy is low so how do we increase energy literacy beyond what is taught in science? This session will focus on the basics of energy, energy transition and how energy topics can be infused in subjects other than science. No matter what subject you teach, this session will provide information and ideas for you to use in your classroom. This session is best for those teaching grades 4 to 12.