PDTCA 2025: Full Schedule

The PDTCA Board hopes you have an amazing Convention 2025!
Emergency Procedures Calgary Telus Convention Centre
Emergency Procedures Hyatt
Human Rights Statement
Land Acknowledgement

CALGARY TELUS CONVENTION CENTRE (CTCC) and HYATT - address

Adding the session to your Sched schedule does not mean you are pre-registered.
Pre-Registration will OPEN February 1, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. and CLOSE February 16, 2025 AT 8:00 p.m.

How to pre-register - Check the infographic For Pre-Registered sessions please use the pre-registration link in the session description.

Reason to Create a Profile in Sched
You do not need to create a profile and log in to see sessions in Sched. However, if you want to add yourself to a session to create a schedule or evaluate a session you must be logged in.

Convention at a Glance Link

Professional Responsibility
“On the two school days of your assigned teachers’ convention, you have a legal and professional responsibility to attend convention. If you are not able to make it safely to your assigned convention, however, your collective agreement may include impassable roads or inclement weather clauses that you can access. If your collective agreement does not include language specific to road conditions or weather, you may make use of the personal leave clauses of your agreement in most cases. Please be aware that using any of these types of leave may require you to pay substitute costs, forego a portion of your salary and benefits, or report to your school or another work location in your district. Refer to your collective agreement for more information. Should you require any additional information or if you need assistance interpreting your collective agreement, please contact Teacher Employment Services at 1-800-232-7208 or 780-447-9400.”
This information is also found on the Frequently Asked Questions page on the www.ataconventions.ca website. If you have any further questions regarding this, please contact Daniel.Maas@ata.ab.ca.

09:00 MST

Fun and Easy Ways to Apply Foundational Knowledge About First Nations, Metis and Inuit

Thursday February 20, 2025 09:00 - 10:00 MST

Imperial 8 - HYATT

Many teachers are hesitant to apply Indigenous culture and pedagogies into their classrooms. This session will guide teachers through some learning activities that are culturally appropriate, respectful, and easily integrated into many lessons and units. All students deserve the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of Indigenous histories, cultures, and perspectives. This session is designed to help teachers gain confidence in their ability to provide those learning opportunities for their students.

Speakers

Tahza Cardinal

Tahza Cardinal is a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 territory and spent his teenage years helping his mother create learning materials for her Cree language classes. Tahza has worked with the High Prairie School Division as an Indigenous Success Coach, focusing primarily... Read More →

Fun and Easy Ways pdf

Thursday February 20, 2025 09:00 - 10:00 MST
Imperial 8 - HYATT Hyatt

Indigenous Education (TQS/LQS 5), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content General overview for novice learners
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

10:20 MST

Activités Culturelles - Amusantes et Faciles

Thursday February 20, 2025 10:20 - 11:20 MST

Imperial 8 - HYATT

C'est couramment le cas que pas mal d'enseignants hésitent à essayer d'encourager une appréciation des valeurs et des pratiques pédagogiques des premiers peuples. Cette session démontrera aux professeurs
des activités de salle de classe qui sont sensibles aux cultures indigènes, respectueuses et faciles à intégrer dans beaucoup de leçons et activités. Chaque étudiant a le droit d'améliorer sa compréhension et appréciation de l'histoire, des pratiques et des points de vue des différentes cultures indigènes.
Cette session vise à encourager les enseignants de continuer à offrir à leurs élèves l'occasion d'en apprendre toujours plus dans ce domaine.

Speakers

Tahza Cardinal

Activités Culturelles Amusant et Faciles pdf

Thursday February 20, 2025 10:20 - 11:20 MST
Imperial 8 - HYATT Hyatt

Indigenous Education (TQS/LQS 5), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content General overview for novice learners
Presentation Language French
Is Pre-registration required No

11:40 MST

Jeux Déné dans la Classe

Thursday February 20, 2025 11:40 - 12:40 MST

Imperial 8 - HYATT

De simples jeux de musique et de chance faciles à incorporer dans n'importe salle de classe. Dans la session, on montrera aux participants comment jouer une version Déné de ces jeux de hasard et de pari et aussi comment introduire ces jeux aux étudiants.

Speakers

Tahza Cardinal

Dene Handgames (FRN) pdf

Thursday February 20, 2025 11:40 - 12:40 MST
Imperial 8 - HYATT Hyatt

Indigenous Education (TQS/LQS 5), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content General overview for novice learners
Presentation Language French
Is Pre-registration required No

13:00 MST

Dene Handgames in the Classroom

Thursday February 20, 2025 13:00 - 14:00 MST

Imperial 8 - HYATT

Handgames are a fun, simple activity that can be integrated into any classroom. In this session, participants will learn how to play a Dene version of hand games, and also how to introduce the game to students.

Speakers

Tahza Cardinal

Dene Handgames (ENG) pdf

Thursday February 20, 2025 13:00 - 14:00 MST
Imperial 8 - HYATT Hyatt

Indigenous Education (TQS/LQS 5), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content General overview for novice learners
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

14:20 MST

Rippin' It In Music

Thursday February 20, 2025 14:20 - 15:20 MST

Imperial 8 - HYATT

Paper is everywhere and now it is an instrument. Come learn how to repurpose your recycling into solo and large group ensembles. This session will focus on creating rhythm and sound with paper and other non-conventional materials. Whether you are an elementary music teacher or a general classroom teacher, this session will give you an activity that students will enjoy.

Speakers

Janell Toews

Janell Toews is a teacher out of Canmore who has been teaching for 18 years. She was nominated for the Musicounts Teacher of the Year Award at the 2022 Junos. She is passionate about music and drama. She currently teaches elementary music, guitar, drumming, jazz, concert band... Read More →

Thursday February 20, 2025 14:20 - 15:20 MST
Imperial 8 - HYATT Hyatt

Music & Band (TQS 3), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content General overview for novice learners
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

09:00 MST

Word Study and vocabulary - Building Thinking Classroom style

Friday February 21, 2025 09:00 - 10:00 MST

Imperial 8 - HYATT

Discover innovative ways to integrate Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) strategies into your word study and vocabulary instruction in LA, Science and Social Studies. This hands-on session focuses on using word study like "Words Their Way" and other effective vocabulary study techniques to enhance content understanding.
What to Expect:

Word Study in Action: Explore BTC activities that make word study engaging and meaningful.
Vocabulary Deep Dive: Learn strategies to enrich vocabulary learning in Science and Social Studies.
Content Integration: Experience practical applications of BTC methods to boost student comprehension in content areas.

Speakers

Joshua LaFleur

Learning Specialist, Rocky View Schools

Joshua is a learning specialist coaching teachers around literacy instruction, language acquisition, and supporting English as an Additional Language learners. He regularly facilitates professional learning and is a doctoral candidate focusing on equity, diversity, and inclusion in... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 09:00 - 10:00 MST
Imperial 8 - HYATT Hyatt

Language Arts (TQS 3), Div2 (Gr 4-6)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content Intermediate content
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

10:20 MST

Building Thinking Classrooms in Language Arts and Literacy

Friday February 21, 2025 10:20 - 11:20 MST

Imperial 8 - HYATT

Immerse yourself in an interactive session tailored for teachers looking to enhance their Language Arts and Literacy instruction with Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) methodologies. Experience hands-on activities focusing on morphology, sentence writing, and story writing.
What to Expect:

Morphology Magic: Engage in BTC activities that deepen understanding of word structure and meaning.
Sentence Crafting: Learn innovative strategies for teaching sentence construction and variation.
Story Writing: Discover how to inspire creative and structured storytelling in your students.

Speakers

Joshua LaFleur

Learning Specialist, Rocky View Schools

Friday February 21, 2025 10:20 - 11:20 MST
Imperial 8 - HYATT Hyatt

Language Arts (TQS 3), Div2 (Gr 4-6)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content Intermediate content
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

11:40 MST

Unlocking Musical Magic: Join the Calgary Orff Chapter for Creative Division Two Adventures

Friday February 21, 2025 11:40 - 12:40 MST

Imperial 8 - HYATT

Come join the Calgary Orff Chapter as we dive into fun and engaging activities that will foster student creativity in your music lessons! In this session, geared toward Division Two, participants will have the opportunity to explore music and movement through games, language and play. The Calgary Orff Chapter is a local non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to providing high quality professional development opportunities for music teachers.

Speakers

Becki Leipert

Teacher, Calgary Board of Education

Becki Leipert is a music specialist with CBE. She has taught elementary music for many years to elementary students within Calgary private and public schools. Becki received her Bachelor of Music (in Music Education) and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Saskatchewan... Read More →

Andrea Bohan

Teacher

Andrea Bohan has been a Music Specialist for the last 15 years. She has a Bachelor of Music and Education from the University of Lethbridge. This is where she was first introduced to the Orff Schulwerk method and her love of teaching Elementary Music began. Since then Andrea has attended... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 11:40 - 12:40 MST
Imperial 8 - HYATT Hyatt

Music & Band (TQS 3), Div2 (Gr 4-6)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content Intermediate content
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

13:00 MST

Writing with Picture Book Mentor Texts - Building Thinking Classroom Style

Friday February 21, 2025 13:00 - 14:00 MST

Imperial 8 - HYATT

Join us for an engaging, hands-on session that explores how to use Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) strategies to teach writing through picture books. Learn to leverage mentor texts to enhance your students' writing skills and creativity.

What to Expect:

Mentor Texts Magic: Discover how picture books can serve as powerful mentor texts for writing instruction.
BTC Writing Strategies: Engage in BTC activities that make writing lessons dynamic and effective.
Creative Application: Plan and create writing lessons that use picture books to inspire and guide student writing.

Speakers

Joshua LaFleur

Learning Specialist, Rocky View Schools

Friday February 21, 2025 13:00 - 14:00 MST
Imperial 8 - HYATT Hyatt

Language Arts (TQS 3), Div2 (Gr 4-6)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content Intermediate content
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No

14:20 MST

Amazing Games from Physical Education Social Media

Friday February 21, 2025 14:20 - 15:20 MST

Imperial 8 - HYATT

Social media is an excellent professional development tool. Come to this session to learn some amazing new games that I discovered while following physical education teachers from across the globe. The games have been tried and tested with my own students (K-4, but can be adapted to higher grades) and have proven to be some of the new favorite games students are asking to play. Come prepared to be active during the session and walk away with activities you can use with your students next week.

Speakers

Sonia Sheehan

Sonia Sheehan is a physical education teacher in the Calgary area. Sonia has been teaching for 24 years and is currently the Vice President of Communications on the Health and Physical Education Council, HPEC. of the ATA. Sonia enjoys sharing her passion of teaching physical educ... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 14:20 - 15:20 MST
Imperial 8 - HYATT Hyatt

Physical Education (TQS 3), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9)

Session has participant fee No
Level of content Intermediate content
Presentation Language English
Is Pre-registration required No