Presenters
Katie Novak
The Intersection Between UDL and SEL
Education is about so much more than being “book smart.” To succeed in the 21st century, students must know how to communicate, collaborate, problem solve, and think critically. To help learners develop these skills, we must nurture the whole child academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. In this keynote, we will explore the transformative harmony of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Social Emotional Learning (SEL), creating a holistic approach that empowers every learner.
About Katie Novak:
Katie Novak, Ed.D., is an internationally renowned education consultant, author, graduate instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a former Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts. With 20 years of experience in teaching and administration, an earned doctorate in curriculum and teaching, and fourteen published books, Katie designs and presents workshops both nationally and internationally focusing on the implementation of inclusive practices, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and universally designed leadership. Novak’s work has impacted educators worldwide as her contributions and collaborations have built upon the foundation for an educational framework that is critical for student success.
Dr. Novak is the author of the best-selling books, UDL Now! A Teacher’s Guide to Applying Universal Design for Learning in Today’s Classrooms, Innovate Inside the Box, with George Couros, Equity by Design, with Mirko Chardin, and The Shift to Student-Led with Catlin Tucker.
Barbara Welsford
Diversity, UDL and Assistive Technology Tyler’s Journey!
This presentation walks you through Tyler’s Journey through school as a learner who relied on (and continues to rely on) Assistive Technology, Accessible Education Materials and team members who held high expectations, presumed potential and were committed at every level to ensure Tyler had access to information and was able to demonstrate his knowledge through alternate and flexible means. Team members throughout K-12 and NSCC with Universal Design for Learning mindsets were critical to Tyler’s success then and now!
Creating Accessible and Successful Learning Environments
Through presentation, interactive polls, case studies, videos and brief discussions we will describe how Universal Design for Learning is the foundation for MTSS (Multi-Tier System of Supports).
UDL Implementation Strategies
A number of UDL Implementation Strategies will be reviewed for the busy teachers in our education system. This session will be designed as interactive, informative and thought provoking. We will ask you to engage in polls, reflections and feedback while we plant the UDL Mindset.
About Barbara Welsford:
Barbara Welsford has been in the field of Assistive Technology for over 30 years. She is the AT Specialist for SSRCE, a certified AT Professional from RESNA in the U.S. and a certified UDL Specialist. Barbara works with students, teachers,administrators and paraprofessional determining appropriate use and application of Tier 3 Assistive Technology and also use and application of Tier 1 and Tier 2 accessible and assistive technology supports. Barbara also designs and teaches graduate courses in Assistive Technology for Acadia University and MSVU. She has been a member of the Education Standard Development team under the Accessibility Act of NS and was Coordinator of the NS Joint RCE/CSAP Accessibility Plan. She sits on the AT/UDL Lead Team for Nova Scotia and is the Accessibility Lead for SSRCE in the province.
Dr. Laura Leslie
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy: A Necessary Shift in Education
The term "Trauma-Informed" is becoming a more commonly used term in educational settings, but what does it mean to be "trauma-informed" for today's educators? This session will include a brief overview of a contemporary conceptualization of trauma, and how it relates to today's classrooms and schools. Dr. Leslie will also overview some strategies for staff in becoming trauma-informed. This general introduction to trauma-informed pedagogy will emphasize the importance of this lens being necessary for more equitable schooling for all.
*NOTE* This is a repeat session from ATEC 2023 (will include same content for those who did NOT attend last year)
About Dr. Laura Leslie
After 17 years in the classroom as a lower elementary teacher, Dr. Laura Leslie is currently practicing as a school counsellor in the HRCE. Additionally, she works as a part-time instructor in the School of Education at Acadia University. She holds a PhD in educational studies, with a focus on Trauma-informed education and Trauma-informed schools. Dr. Leslie’s areas of research and interest are in trauma-informed pedagogy, crisis response and grief, and social justice education. She lives in Timberlea, Nova Scotia with her husband and two children.
Sandra Murray
Interpersonal Skills and Boundary Setting for Today's World
In this session, various leadership strategies will be discussed, such as:
1. How to say no
2. How to pause before, during, and after setting a boundary, and what to do in that pause
3. What questions to ask to get to the bottom of a conversation to be clear about what is being said
4. Identify your core beliefs that will impact boundary setting.
About Sandra Murray:
With a Bachelor of Education, a Career Development Diploma, and a Masters in Counselling Psychology, I bring over a decade of experience as a secondary educator and consellor with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. My committment to empowering educators has led me to specialize in counselling teachers, facilitating workshops on topics such as setting boundaries, self compassion, transitioning into retirement, difficult conversations, and leadership skills.
I am also the proud author of "How to Create a Rural Literacy Centre Manual", a testament to my dedication to educational advacement. In my workshops, my primary objective is to equip participants with practical strategies while fostering a sense of validation, connection, and understanding. Through a humanistic approach, I aim to help teachers nurture their passion while navigating challenges. My goal is to support educators in prioritizing their well-being, enabling them to continue their vital work with renewed energy.
Shelley MacLean
Building a Toolbox of Classroom Behaviour Strategies
Do you ever feel like you spend the majority of your day in the classroom putting out fires? In the worst-case scenario, you may have a hard time getting to the lesson you have planned because you are spending most of your time addressing behaviour that interferes with the learning environment in the classroom. In the best-case scenario, you might just be looking for a few strategies to help your classroom run more effectively and efficiently. In either case, this presentation has something for you. This presentation will focus on research-supported Tier 1 strategies that you can incorporate into your daily classroom routines to help your classroom operate more smoothly and support positive student behaviour and learning.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
Describe how to use the M-A-B-Cs of behaviour to promote and support positive classroom behaviour;
Name and describe at least 5 strategies for preventing interfering behaviour and prompting positive behaviour;
Use a self-assessment rubric to identify specific classroom management strategies that may support positive changes in student behaviour;
Name and describe 2 strategies for responding to interfering behaviour in ways that promote positive behaviour change.
About Shelley MacLean:
Shelley is APSEA’s Coordinator for Autism in Education and Collaborative Learning & Development. Before joining APSEA, she worked in New Brunswick’s Anglophone West School District as a classroom teacher, guidance counselor, school administrator, and district ASD consultant, and with the NB Department of Education and Early Childhood Development as provincial Learning Specialist for ASD and Complex Cases. Shelley has served as part-time instructor for UNB’s (Fredericton) College of Extended Learning Autism Intervention Training Program and for Western University’s Master of Professional Education in Applied Behaviour Analysis program. She also provides thesis supervision for students in the Bachelor of Applied Behaviour Analysis program at George Brown College. Shelley holds bachelor’s degrees in Arts and Education, and a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology. She completed a Graduate Academic Certificate in Applied Behaviour Analysis from the University of North Texas in 2009, a certificate in Organizational Behaviour Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2018, and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) since 2010.
Sickboy
Sickboy Podcast- Heartfelt Connections: Mastering Empathy and Communication in Special Education
This keynote goes beyond traditional teaching techniques, diving deep into the heart of empathetic engagement and effective communication in the classroom. Led by the charismatic hosts of the Sickboy Podcast, this session is a blend of personal experience, expert insights, and interactive learning.
Opening with Personal Touch:
The keynote begins with the hosts sharing their own personal narratives. These stories provide a glimpse into the hosts' lives, revealing their experiences and connections with empathy and communication. This personal touch sets the stage for an authentic and engaging discussion.
Expert Insights from our community of guests:
We leverage the rich repository of knowledge from past Sickboy Podcast guests, including luminaries like Dr. Jody Carrington, Dr. Gabor Mate, Dr. Julia Samuel and many others. Their insights, drawn from psychology, education, and communication fields, are interwoven throughout the talk, offering a multi-faceted view on empathy in educational settings. These perspectives provide attendees with evidence-based strategies and theoretical underpinnings that support empathetic communication practices.
Empathy Corner: Sharing and Reflection:
A centerpiece of the keynote is the 'Empathy Corner', a dedicated segment where educators are invited to share their experiences of empathy in the classroom. Here, attendees can either share live or listen to pre-submitted stories from their peers. This segment not only humanizes the concepts being discussed but also fosters a sense of community and mutual understanding among the participants.
Deep Dive into Communication Strategies:
This will uncover specific communication strategies that are effective in special education settings. It explores how to tailor communication to meet diverse needs and how to create an environment where every student feels heard and understood. The talk addresses both verbal and non-verbal communication techniques, providing educators with a comprehensive toolkit for their daily interactions.
Interactive Elements and Practical Takeaways:
Throughout the keynote, there are interactive elements designed to engage the audience actively. These include reflective exercises and group discussions, ensuring that the learning experience is both dynamic and applicable.
Actionable Insights:
The session concludes with actionable insights and practical strategies that educators can take back to their classrooms. The focus is on implementing empathetic communication techniques to foster a more inclusive and understanding learning environment. Attendees will leave equipped with new perspectives, practical skills, and an enriched understanding of how to make every student connection count.
About Sickboy:
North America’s Revolutionary Voice in Health and Wellness The trio who make up Sickboy – Jeremie Saunders, Taylor Macgillivary and Brian Stever – are hilarious, ridiculously insightful and determined to break down the stigmas associated with illness and disease. Sickboy began with the realization that when faced with difficult situations pertaining to health, people tighten up. They tend to get awkward and simply don’t know what to say. Taking the lead from Jeremie’s life long battle with Cystic Fibrosis, the trio helps people understand that sometimes the best way to deal with illness, disease and life is merely laughter. Through the therapy of laughter, we can begin to understand whether sick or healthy, we’re all human, and we’re all dying. So let’s talk about it.
The podcast was born in a public library recording room. Eventually, it moved into a recording studio, which was funded by a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign. Within a few weeks, Sickboy was among the top-rated podcasts in the country. Five years later, they are a CBC Podcast, using their voices to start conversations and create change in healthcare systems and homes around the world. Their talks are engaging, forward-thinking and hilarious. Let them inspire your audience and blow the conversation wide open today!
Tanya Estwick
Understanding Culturally Responsive Pedagogy *Poetic Approach*
"We are ALL educators as we are ALL students"
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy is a style of teaching both in Canada and the United States, that promotes diverse, authentic learning environments for students and staff. It is, at its heart, grounded in equity. Through poetic verse, interactive discussions and activities, this unique workshop is a learning & reflecting space for educators who want to reconsider their own cultural pedagogy. Throughout the session, an educational overview with 22 concrete tips for how to make your school environment culturally and linguistically responsive, self reflection, take-a-way, and an educator well-being check-in, will be conversed about and shared. This workshop will provide perspectives and strategies to enable people to connect learning to students’ lived experiences; ensuring ways educators can be culturally and linguistically responsive for all students.
Educators will:
*Gain a better understanding of what it is to be responsive, both culturally and linguistically
*Recognize and redress implicit biases
*Learn the importance of building relationships with students, and how to create a school environment that is culturally responsive
*Reflect on the current pedagogical approach with an equitable lens
*See how being culturally and linguistically responsive in teaching increases student success.
About Tanya Estwick:
Tanya Estwick is a Poet and works as a Consultant dealing with Equity and Race Relations Cross-Cultural Human Rights issues for The Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education. She has over twenty-two years of extensive classroom experience teaching multiple grade levels and subjects while coordinating a Cultural Academic Enrichment program for the Black Educators Association. Tanya was nationally trained to provide services in the Psychology and Education department within a Federal Prison; and she worked as an educator in Community and University Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, (S.T.E.M.) and Literacy Enrichment programs. She was the Keynote speaker for TAPHE *Provincial Conference/ Cultural Connections: Culturally Responsive Physical & Health Education in Unama’ki, Cape Breton. She aided in the anti-racist movement in Social Work, Child Protection, and the Social Services profession. Through the Nova Scotia’s Teachers Union, Tanya co-created and co-facilitated workshops with respect to “Creating a sense of safety and acceptance in today's diverse classroom.” Tanya studied in Universities across Canada and in the United States. A community person by choice & heart; a proud mother and grandmother; she is the author of a bestseller book, “The System Almost H.A.D. Me! Understanding Culturally Responsive Pedagogy... For Educators by an Educator.”
Jenn Halliday
A Parent's Perspective- Everything You Didn't Ask, But I'm Telling You Anyway
What parents of special education students would like their teachers to know.
About Jenn Halliday
Jennifer Halliday - Mom, SEPAC Chair, Service Dog Handler. Jen has navigated the world of special needs parenting and advocating for the past decade and a half. Her efforts revolve around the desire to make the world a better place for her son and people like him. Her son, Ciaran, lives with Autism and has high support needs. Jen describes herself as a “snowplow parent”. This means trying to clear the way for Ciaran, so he has a better chance to succeed, but without feeling mom right there over his shoulder. Jen also built her town’s SEPAC group from near demise and it has flourished into an inspiring community where parents connect and share success and frustrations.
A maker of mistakes and a learner by doing, Jen has some things to share that she and other parents would like educators like you to know.
A native of Cape Breton, currently living in Massachusetts, Jen is eager to give you a glimpse of her life as a special needs parent - warts and all….