More information coming soon.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:15-16 NIV
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Chris Mattatall teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in the Faculty of Education. His research centres on how collaboration amongst teachers impacts teachers’ sense of self efficacy and how they can work together to teach reading in Elementary classrooms. He speaks nationally and internationally on topics related to the Science of Learning, how the brain learns and develops, motivation and engagement, and teaching and learning strategies that help to direct student attention, strengthen memory and build self-regulation.
He also conducts three parent workshops series in communities across Western Canada: What Every Parent Wishes Someone Had Told Them About How Their Child’s Brain Learns, Tik Tok: It’s Time to Talk About Screen Time and Our Children’s Minds and Brains, and Understanding the Teenage Brain. His website, GoodTeaching.ca is a repository of recommended strategies, practice guides, books, and articles for classroom teachers. Dr. Mattatall has been a teacher, administrator and leader in education for more than 30 years.
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The 4 Pillars of Learning
Cognitive neuroscience has shown us that all human beings share the same basic cognitive architecture; and without an understanding of how the brain learns, instruction is blind (Sweller, 2017). Indeed, holding an understanding how the human brain learns is the key to teaching well. In this session we examine the four must-know principles, or pillars, of how the human brain takes in, processes, remembers and consolidates information; and equally important, what teachers need to know in order to ready the brain to learn. Holding an understanding to these four pillars will undoubtedly have an impact on how teachers plan their lessons, utilize homework and assessment, and structure their daily class time.
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Small Teaching Strategies to Enhance Memory, Attention and Engagement
In this session we explore practical and immediately applicable ways to address the 4 pillars of learning that we talked about in the first morning session. Through a selection of ‘small teachings’ (Lang, 2021) we examine ways to direct attention, enhance memory, prime students to learn in various ways, increase engagement and motivation, and ensure our classrooms address the needs of the developing student brain. This will take two sessions.
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Small Teaching Strategies: Part 2
In this session we look specifically at student distraction and how teachers can mitigate this problem. We also talk a bit in this session about the developing teenage brain and how understanding of what teenagers need will enhance your own teaching and relationships with them. Additionally, this session aims to provide links to useful resources that you’ll find helpful in your daily teaching.
Opens: December 1, 2025
Deadline: TBA
