PDTCA 2025: Full Schedule

THE PDTCA BOARD HOPES YOU HAVE AN AMAZING CONVENTION!
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES CTCC
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES HYATT
HUMAN RIGHTS STATEMENT
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

CALGARY TELUS CONVENTION CENTRE(CTCC) and HYATT - address and driving directions

PRE-REGISTRATION WILL OPEN ON JANUARY 11, 2024 AT 8:00P.M. and CLOSE FEBRUARY 11 AT 8:00 P.M.
We have decided to start pre-registration on January 11th to make sure everyone is informed of the start time and has time to check out the sessions as the first week back to school can be quite hectic.
FOR PRE-REGISTERED SESSIONS PLEASE USE THE PRE-REGISTRATION LINK BELOW THE SESSION DESCRIPTION IN SCHED. Adding the session to your Sched schedule does not mean you are pre-registered. The number in the title shows how many will be allowed to attend the session. We do allow more names to be added, but they will be on the waiting list. This is explained on the pre-registration page.
https://www.pdtca.org/pre-registration.html

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 WILL BE AVAILABLE HERE IN MID FEBRUARY
Off-Site Addresses are included.

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.

9:00am MST

Assessment in CTS - Managing the outcomes in multi-level (10/20/30) Classrooms

Thursday February 20, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST

Telus 108 - CTCC

Assessment in CTS/CTF programming and performance based programs can be complex in multi-level classrooms. This is a discussion based session geared to making our programs stronger. bring your ideas, lessons, assessment examples - we'll work together to improve what we're doing for our students.

Speakers

Robert VanderLee

CTS Woodworking, Canmore Collegiate High School

Rob VanderLee has taught in the Bow Valley with Canadian Rockies Public Schools in both Junior and Senior High classrooms. Having spent the last 17 years at Canmore Collegiate, primarily in Construction and Makerspace programming, Rob has developed some solid programming for Grades... Read More →

Thursday February 20, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
Telus 108 - CTCC

Career & Technology Studies/Foundations (TQS 3), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12) | Technology (TQS/LQS 2), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

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

10:20am MST

Hacking ADHD Motivation

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

Telus 108 - CTCC

We’ve all had those ADHD brains in our classroom who can’t motivate themselves to work without a significant fire under their butt. But we don’t have the time to stand over a child or the energy to intimidate them into finishing their work.
Stop taking away recess, begging or pleading, or sending work home (where it never gets finished anyway). Lean into what actually motivates the ADHD brain to complete tasks. We’ll discuss ways to work with the ADHD brain instead of fighting against it. You’ll empower kids to leverage the skills they do have without adding hours to your own workload.

Speakers

Kendall Delamont

Kendall holds a B.A. in Behavioural Sciences, a B.Ed., and is an ADHD Certified Educator. She has been a classroom teacher for 8 years and has worked with many students who have been diagnosed with ADHD.She was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 24, although it was first suggested... Read More →

Thursday February 20, 2025 10:20am - 11:20am MST
Telus 108 - CTCC

Inclusive Education (TQS/LQS 4), ECE (Pre K-K), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

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

11:40am MST

Creating a Neurodiverse-Affirming Classroom

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

Telus 108 - CTCC

What is neurodiversity, and how do we support our neurodiverse students?

Creating a neurodiverse-affirming classroom encourages students to work with their brain instead of working against it. When we facilitate neurodiverse-affirming classrooms, we create environments that include neurodiverse students instead of alienating them. Accommodations and modifications can become the norm without adding to our already significant workloads.

Learn easy changes you can make to your classroom next week to help support and encourage your neurodiverse students.

Speakers

Kendall Delamont

Thursday February 20, 2025 11:40am - 12:40pm MST
Telus 108 - CTCC

Inclusive Education (TQS/LQS 4), ECE (Pre K-K), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

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

2:20pm MST

The good, the bad, and the confused: Parents experiences of accessing special education services for their children with disabilities

Thursday February 20, 2025 2:20pm - 3:20pm MST

Telus 108 - CTCC

Inclusion in the regular classroom for students with disabilities is viewed as important for equality in education. Alberta Education provides resources for teachers on how to collaborate with parents and how to provide quality supports and accommodations for students. Educators work hard to support students, yet we know little about how parents in Alberta perceive the process of accessing supports and the school-home collaboration. We interviewed parents of school-aged children about their experience of accessing special education services to find out what is working, what is not working, what would help parents during the process. The goal of this session is to share the parent perspective.

Speakers

Katharine Elliott

Rachel Pagaling

Doctoral Student, University of Calgary

Rachel Pagaling holds an MSc in School Psychology and is completing her PhD in School Psychology. Her research interests include the well-being of students with disabilities, school-based mental health, and supporting educational staff.

Reha Sandhu

Reha Sandhu is a MSc student in the School and Applied Child Psychology program in the Werklund School of Education. Her research interests are in inclusive education for students with disabilities and transitioning to post-secondary.

Dr. Meadow Schroeder

Assistant Professor, University of Calgary

Meadow Schroeder holds a PhD in School Psychology and is an Associate Professor in the Werklund School of Education. Her research interests include the well-being of students with disabilities transitioning to post-secondary and self-regulated learning.

Thursday February 20, 2025 2:20pm - 3:20pm MST
Telus 108 - CTCC

Counselling & Student Support (TQS/LQS 4), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12) | Fostering Effective Relationships (TQS/LQS 1), Div1 (Gr 1-3), Div2 (Gr 4-6), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

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

9:00am MST

Beyond the Red Pen: Making humanities marking manageable

Friday February 21, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST

Telus 108 - CTCC

This session will provide participants with a variety of strategies for managing the often onerous marking load of a humanities teacher in Jr. or Sr. High. The advice presented will move beyond generic time management and organization and focus on specific tips and pointers that can be easily incorporated into any teacher’s assessment practice. Information is based on lived classroom experience and will be presented in a light-hearted and down-to-earth manner.

Speakers

Greg Overguard

Rocky View Schools

Greg Overguard is a high school social studies teacher with Rocky View Schools with 15+ years of classroom experience. He holds a Masters degree in Social Studies Curriculum and Pedagogy and has led many professional learning sessions and activities. A frequent participant in the... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
Telus 108 - CTCC

Assessment (TQS 3), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12) | Curriculum & Pedagogy (TQS 3), Div3 (Gr 7-9), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

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

10:20am MST

I Need More Energy To Work!

Friday February 21, 2025 10:20am - 12:40pm MST

Telus 108 - CTCC

The work-energy theorem is fundamental to physics and is the basis of understanding many mechanical systems. [In Physics 30 we extend it to systems involving electric fields as well.] Teachers will perform a simple experiment that illustrates this theorem and builds intuition for Physics 20 students. The materials are inexpensive, and the design is simple enough that students will know precisely what is happening and can concentrate on the algebra. We will discuss similar experimental designs, extending this idea to different types of energy exchanges.

Speakers

Barry Edgar

Physics

Barry taught for Edmonton Public Schools for 40 years before retiring at the end of the 2013 school year (14 years in junior high math and science, and 26 years in high school general science and physics).He believes that students get most out of a classroom that is activity based... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 10:20am - 12:40pm MST
Telus 108 - CTCC

Science (TQS 3), Div4 (Gr 10-12) | Assessment (TQS 3), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

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

1:00pm MST

One Step At A Time

Friday February 21, 2025 1:00pm - 3:20pm MST

Telus 108 - CTCC

Teaching physics often begins with kinematics. Interval timers allow students to approximate velocities and accelerations. Science 10 is a great place to introduce the use of interval timers. In this session, teachers will experiment with several types of interval timers – from biological to mechanical to electrical to digital. We will discuss pros and cons of each of these types.

Speakers

Barry Edgar

Physics

Friday February 21, 2025 1:00pm - 3:20pm MST
Telus 108 - CTCC

Science (TQS 3), Div4 (Gr 10-12) | Curriculum & Pedagogy (TQS 3), Div4 (Gr 10-12)

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