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Professional Development Opportunities – Find New Perspectives

22 Feb

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”

-Albert Einstein

Meet new people, gain new experiences and open your mind to new perspectives by checking out some of these professional development opportunities…

3rd Annual Solutions For Learning Conference: NEURODIVERSITY ROCKS!

When: March 21st, 2014

Where:  International Union of Operating Engineers Banquet Hall and Conference Centre
2245 Speers Road Oakville, Ontario L6L 2X9

What:  A conference for educators working with students who have learning disabilities. (So, this conference is useful for every educator).

More Information…

The Psychology Foundation of Canada’s 40th Anniversary Conference

When: April 2nd, 2014

Where: Hilton Toronto, 145 Richmond St West, Toronto, ON, M5H 2L2

What: Explore issues related to mental health and well-being for children and families.  Every teacher needs to have a strong understanding of mental health issues as it relates directly or indirectly to our students.  An important aspect of the conference will include a morning discussion concerning resiliency and the importance of social and emotional intelligence – the perfect topic for teachers working with at-risk students!

More Information…

2014 Summit on Children & Youth Mental Health

When: April 3rd and 4th 2014

Where: Allstream Centre, 105 Princes’ Boulevard, Toronto

What: A conference for educators, health professionals, and children service professionals addressing a whole community approach to serving youth and child struggling with mental health.  Again, an educator cannot have enough information and resources on this topic!

More Information…

Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition
National Healthy Schools Conference

When: April 9th and 10th 2014

Where: Hilton Hotel and Conference Center, London, Ontario

What:  This conference addresses the resources and practices needed for a whole child approach to our students needs.  The speakers and workshops cover a broad range of topics such as mental health, literacy, violence, healthy eating, leadership skills, and physical fitness.

More Information…

Conference Information PDF

Happy New Year

1 Jan

Ken Robinson always has something to say that inspires and motivates!

Here’s to a non-conformist year driven by passion and a desire to feed your spirit!

Ken Robinson: Bring on the Learning Revolution

Ken Robinson has got it right…

3 Dec

I am an avid Stumbler and was fortunate enough to stumble upon Ken Robinson’s talk at a TED conference in 2006 titled, “Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity“.   His particular talk is one of the most popular talks on TED.com with 7,775,295 views.  He is fantastically witty and his ideas on our current school systems are ones that I share (along with 7 million other viewers).

I enjoyed his talk so much I looked Ken Robinson up online and discovered he is the author of The Element: How Finding Our Passion Changes Everything and Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative.  This summer I had the pleasure of reading The Element.

The book is full of anecdotal examples of wildly successful people who were, at one point in their lives, on a path that would have led them astray from their ‘element’.  Like his Ted talk, he links problematic structures within our school systems to the hindrances faced by the men and women discussed throughout the book.

The most powerful idea for me was in the final chapter when Ken Robinson discusses how our changed economy and relationship with technology both have radical implications for our education systems.  Are the past structures of the industrial era really preparing the next generations to be successful in their personal and working lives? Did it ever really best serve the youth who graduated the system?  Ken Robinson would argue no, which is something which resonates me.

I look forward to reading Out of Our Minds in the near future.  Have you read his books or heard his talk on TED.com?  What are your thoughts?

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson