Learning Opportunities

Based in Bowen Island, British Columbia Canada, Shelley is an inclusive education researcher, collaborator, consultant and storyteller who has worked with school districts and community organizations throughout Canada and the United States. Her interactive presentations integrate theory and effective practices of inclusion, special education, curriculum and technology. She completed an undergraduate degree in Special Education at the University of Alberta, her masters at Simon Fraser University, and is currently a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded PhD scholar at the University of British Columbia. Shelley is the author of the best-selling book One Without the Other: Stories of unity through diversity and inclusion, and an award winning SSHRC research storyteller and a TEDx speaker highlighting her work in presuming competence

Dr. Farha Sharif, Ph.D @drfarha077, twitter, Instagram
Intersectional feminist / unapologetic anti-oppression educator / educational consultant /
assistant lecturer, educational policy studies, UofA

Settler, Muslim Canadian, daughter of immigrants.
Mama to three young up and coming change agents. Academic and prof at the UofA. My areas of research and interests include anti-oppressive pedagogies, anti-racism, cultural identities, hybridity. I am an Assistant lecturer in the Department of Educational Policy Studies, University of Alberta. My main role is to work with
pre-service teachers in their understanding of culture, race, schooling and curriculum. I am committed to helping educators and community members reach their very best potential through critical dialogue and building relationships.

Some of the collaborations and consulting work I have engaged in, include school private and public school partnerships at the senior and junior level, The Alberta Teachers Association, Edmonton Public Schools, Edmonton Catholic Schools, faculties of medicine across Canada and medicalorganizations at the national level, Consultant to Director General Office Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and community organizations such as the PACE Team (Edmonton Police Service,
Community Relations Equity, Inclusion & Human Rights Branch).

Rin Lawrence is a teacher with Edmonton Public Schools and has been teaching since 2013, been a part of two Alberta school districts, and has partaken in school community GSAs & QSAs since beginning their teaching career. Rin is the chair of the Edmonton Public Schools Local 37 Diversity, Equity, and Human Rights Committee (DEHR) and the Edmonton Public Teachers Local 37 Queer-Straight Alliance. Rin's lived experience and dedication to student and staff inclusion within schools fuels their passion when speaking to the importance of GSA/QSAs in education and sexual and gender diversity inclusion.

I am a passionate and dedicated teacher who has taught K-12 Phys Ed as well as Grade 7 & 8 Sciences for the past 10 years. My professional motto is "Would you want to be in your classroom?" and it is reflected in my daily teaching. I am deeply passionate about engagement, student connection and relationships in the classroom and believe that when connected together properly, you can peak interest in all students. I also believe in innovation in the classroom where I am constantly challenging myself to put new practices into play - especially the concept of "Gamification". I was a recipient of the 2013 Alberta Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2015 Gamification of Education Project of the Year. I have also been fortunate enough to share my ideas with 2 different TEDx groups, most recently with the University of Alberta and was Alumni of the Year in 2017 for Human Kinetics at Laurentian University.

Ever Active Schools is a registered national charity designed to create and support healthy school communities. We engage and support schools through a Comprehensive School Health framework, which addresses health and education goals to improve the social outcomes of children and youth in Alberta.

Diana Boisvert est la directrice du Centre de ressources de la langue française, la représentante de l’Alberta au Conseil national de l’ACPLS et une directrice pour Canadian Parents for French Alberta. Dans le cadre de son rôle, elle est également responsable du Centre d’examen DELF-DALF de Grande Prairie. Avec 13 ans d’expérience en enseignement dans des classes d’immersion française et français de base et 5 ans en tant que directrice du Centre. Diana est passionnée par l’acquisition d’une langue seconde à travers l’approche actionnelle utilisant le Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues (CECRL). De plus, elle a été l’une des premières enseignantes de français de base à piloter les examens DELF PRIM au Canada.

Tannis is currently supporting Alberta teachers as a Professional Learning Facilitator with the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium. She recently served as a curriculum consultant for the Edmonton Catholic School Division. Throughout her 30-year career as an educator, in both Edmonton and Winnipeg, Tannis remains passionate about teaching and learning, and the need for explicit literacy apprenticeship at all levels in all subject areas. Tannis is a voracious reader who believes all students deserve access to rich, diverse reading experiences and to a safe equitable space to talk about what they see, hear, think and feel. She is on a journey to disrupt and bring clarity to the conversations that drive our planning and assessment practice.

Twitter: @tanrit57

An English teacher originally, Janet's career evolved over the years from classroom consultant, co-leading edtech integration across the province as a member of the 2Learn.ca and ARPDC provincial teams, to school and district leadership as the Department Head at Lillian Osborne High School and TIPS (Technology Integration and Planning Supports) Consultant with Edmonton Public Schools. A Google Certified Trainer and SMART Certified Trainer, these days Janet brings both vision and practical strategies to help support your integration of G Suite and SMART Learning Suite, reputable third-party applications, makerspaces, digital citizenship and more, within today's emergent and shifting learning spaces. In her spare time, she enjoys the four generations of her family.

Renée Michaud est consultante en mathématiques. Elle offre des formations en français et en anglais dans l’ouest canadien et au-delà. Elle présente également des sessions variées aux différents congrès annuels d’enseignants de l’Alberta, de la Colombie-Britannique tel qu’à APPIPC et nationalement à ACPI. Auparavant, elle a oeuvré comme conseillère pédagogique au sein du Consortium provincial francophone (CPFPP) et du Conseil scolaire FrancoSud pendant 11 ans et ce, après maintes années d’enseignement en immersion française à Calgary.

Sarah is the Manager of the Safe Schools Department in Surrey School District, BC’s largest, most diverse and most progressive school district.  Sarah is a regular presenter to education assistants, teachers and administrators in the district and also serves as a resource person/presenter at Safer Schools Together conferences and professional development sessions.

Bev Baker-Hofmann is a Registered Psychologist with extensive experience in supporting the positive mental health and well-being of children and youth, families and educators. With a curiosity for exploring new pathways, Bev has worked in schools and systems as a teacher, counsellor, consultant, coach, district office leader and Education Ministry interchange. Bev is now “mostly retired” but continues her quest to support her own, and others’, well-being.

vaneSSa aka The Math Guru, has a Bcom in Marketing Management, a diploma in Graphic Design, a teaching degree in secondary school math and a Masters in Math Ed with a focus on Feminist Theory!. When she is not crunching numbers she can usually at band practice or playing shows with my band, Goodnight, Sunrise.. Check out more at https://www.themathguru.ca//

Wilfred Buck is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, currently employed with the MFNERC as a Science Facilitator. He obtained his B.Ed. & Post Bacc. from the University of Manitoba.
As an educator Wilfred has had the opportunity and good fortune to travel to South and Central America as well as Europe and met, shared and listened to Indigenous people from all over the world.
He is a husband, father of four, son, uncle, brother, nephew, story-teller, mad scientist, teacher, singer, pipe-carrier, sweat lodge keeper, old person and sun dance leader.
As a Science Facilitator with MFNERC was given the mandate to “put a First Nation perspective in the sciences”. The easiest way to go about doing this, he was told, was to look up. Researching Ininew star stories Wilfred found a host of information which had to be interpreted and analyzed to identify if the stories were referring to the stars. The journey began…
“The greatest teaching that was ever given to me, other than my wife and children, is the ability to see the humor in the world”…Wilfred Buck

Goota Desmarais grew up on the south shore of Baffin Island in Cape Dorset, Nunavut.

Her early childhood was spent in a modern Inuit settlement during the winters and in a traditional camp during the summers. Goota is now an urban Inuk, living in Sherwood Park, Alberta for the past 30 years. She stays connected to her Inuit culture through frequent visits to Nunavut and her involvement on the board of the Edmonton Inuit Cultural Society and Edmontonmiut Inuit. Through her business, Inuit Connection, Goota has been educating people about Nunavut and Inuit culture for over 20 years.

She shares personal stories of growing up in the North that illustrate the unique Inuit way of life. Goota is currently working with Alberta Teacher’s Association in their Walking Together: Education for Reconciliation Project.

Tenjie has been a benefit specialist with ASEBP for five years this February, providing assistance to covered members by phone and email. She has previous experience in the health insurance industry dating back eighteen years. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling, cooking, reading and trying out new cuisines and restaurants.

Billie-Jo Grant is a proud Métis mother, educator, citizen, and leader who inspires others to have tough conversations and learn more to do better for ALL students. As the Associate Director of K-12 Education, Billie-Jo’s goal is to ensure that strong Métis education is commonplace in our education system and guarantee that Métis are no longer the “forgotten people”.

Theresa Wills, PhD, is the author of Teaching Math from a Distance, K-12: A Practical Guide to Rich Remote Instruction.  She is an assistant professor of mathematics education in the School of Education at George Mason University, where she works with inservice mathematics specialists and preservice elementary and secondary teachers.  Theresa has taught synchronous online classes and webinars since 2010 and researchers teaching practices that are adaptable to the online environment.  She is a former classroom teacher and math coach who still volunteers regularly in K-12 classrooms.

Nick recently retired after 29 years in education. The last 15 in central office senior leadership positions with Buffalo Trail Public Schools and the Grande Prairie Public School Division. He spent the last 8 years as Assistant Superintendent in either Human Resources or Curriculum. The experience in both rural and urban settings have provided the ability to address questions that impact either area. Nick taught a variety of courses over his years in the classroom, however his main focus was secondary English and Social Studies.
He received his Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta and his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Calgary. He also spent many years as a Professional Development representative for the local with the ATA, 5+ years on the Central East Alberta Teachers’ Convention as Program Chair. His belief in professional development that addresses the needs of the teacher and the learner was formed in these roles along with time as a Professional Development Facilitator with the Association.
He is excited to be able to assist teachers, school staff and Divisions with their professional learning needs.

Sandra Ciurysek is a long-time resident of the Peace Country and lives in Berwyn, Alberta. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from University of Lethbridge,  with a speciality in adult learning/teacher professional development, and a Bachelor’s of Education Degree from the University of Alberta. Sandra has an experienced background in K-12 education and was a teacher and school administrator before joining the Northwest Regional Learning Consortium as Executive Director. Sandra has been with the ARPDC for over 5 years and is an advocate for lifelong learning.

Angela retired (June 2021) from Grande Prairie Public School Division after 32 years of service as a classroom teacher, academic support, teacher librarian, administrator, AISI coordinator and the last 10 years as Director of Teaching and Learning. She has a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta and a Master of Science in Education with a focus in Elementary Literacy and Reading from Walden University.  Her desire to obtain her Masters’ degree stemmed from the desire to assist those students who were struggling to read and write. From there her passion for best practices in teaching began and continues to grow.

Angela currently teaches for the Teacher Education North Program at Northwestern Polytechnic in Grande Prairie. Here she works to inspire new teachers to be lifelong learners and to be consistent in their focus of meeting all students and their learning needs. She is passionate in supporting teachers to become confident in their abilities to promote student success by implementing research based best practices, instructional strategies and good assessment. She believes that teaching is the ability to first, know your students, and know where you need to take them by knowing your curriculum, establishing a toolbox of research based best practices and assessments and drawing on these to meet the needs of your students.  Optimum learning for all students is our goal!

I have been teaching for eight years, six of those have been in Grimshaw, Alberta. My first teaching assignment was on a remote reserve on the side of James Bay in Northern Ontario. At this teaching job I was very fortunate to learn the art of beading and moccasin/ mukluk making from an elder and knowledge keeper. I have been practicing the skills passed on to me from them for the last seven years and really enjoy sharing them with my students.

Andrew Bullen teaches Division 4 science classes in PRSD out of Manning. He has been teaching via a blended model in some capacity for 4 years and is in his 6th year of teaching.

Jon Pittman has been in the educational field for 15yrs. During that time he's spent many of those years shaping the minds of young science enthusiast and dragging the reluctant minds into the deeps of the wonders of science. Recently completing a M.Ed and focusing much of his research on indigenous ways of learning and land-based learning he is eager to share his ideas of merging indigenous ways of learning with the field of science.

Scott is a senior high English teacher at Glenmary School and a member of the English Language Arts Council. . He has taught in the Peace Country at a variety of levels for over 25 years. He enjoys music, athletic pursuits, reading, travelling and watching film!

An avid reader, Scott is also a multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter.

Nicola Quigley has been teaching music in Peace River since 1993 and she currently is the music specialist for Good Shepherd School. When she is not singing with children she spends her time singing with adults with the Peace River Community Choir and Peace Players musical productions.

Toni Craig has 17 years of experience working as an elementary school teacher and as an educational assistant in the public school system. Toni has taught a variety of students with challenging behaviour and individual needs in inclusive classroom settings. She is currently working as an Inclusive Education Coach while pursuing her Masters of Education in Teaching, Learning and Neuroscience through the University of Lethbridge.

Carole primarily teaches grade 3 at Rosary School in Manning but has also been involved in teaching grades 4-9 complementary courses such as coding, art and foods. Carole has always had an interest in computer programming and took some introductory programming courses in high school.

Is a certified teacher in 5 provinces and territories. She is a former principal with an MEd with a degree in leadership and administration. She worked as a high school teacher for 14 years and for the last 3 years she has been a home education facilitator and coordinator