While I did attend several sessions that didn't make me contemplate a whole lot, there were a few key sessions that have led to some great intrigue on my part.
Key Highlights from the Conference Include:
- Kevin Lamaroux's excellent keynote address on "other" without guilt (in fact, experiencing "the other" makes you human) and a great definition of culture via Dr. Martin Brokenleg as "what seems normal to you"
- Dr. Ken McCluskey's insightful talk about ADHD from the perspective of the parent and the understanding that all sorts of people in all sorts of situations have gifts
- Reinterpreting negative characteristics of ADHD into positive potential:
- stubbornness as determination
- distractibility/daydreaming as creative invention
- off-the-wall behaviour as outside-of-the-box thinking
- bullying as leadership
- lying as imagination
- Teaching "about", "for" and "with" citizenship in the classroom
- Make school better for refugee students in these steps (how simple are these!)
2. be like a family
3. improve communication
4. support with school work
5. listen and respect each other
6. improve opportunity to participate in sports
7. never give up
- Be joyful in your classroom! Make an effort to express joy and happiness, but also fear, grief and sadness. Create a classroom environment that fosters the development of emotional responses.
- The amazing insight of University of Alberta Ph. D. candidate Mandy Krahn that we are human beings not human doings
There you have it folks. Thanks for reading if you did and thanks for stopping by if you didn't. Until the next time!