Math and science focus of education conference

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Effective Schools-Lifting the Spirit of the Child-Abinoojii doombinaan odaainjichaagwan is the theme of the ninth annual Partnerships in Success Education Conference, presented by the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation Education Department and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC).

Preschool and elementary teachers, education assistants and representatives from education authorities and boards of education are invited to attend the two-day national conference, being held at the Double Tree Resort and Spa in Niagara Falls from Feb. 22 to 24.

Participants can expect to attend a variety of workshops, such as effective school literature, environmental education for First Nations, making the Ontario curriculum work, leadership and empowered schools, learning through the arts, culture in the classroom, treaties and treaty rights,and math and robotics.

Through the introduction to environmental education for First Nations workshop, participants will be introduced to the environmental issues of the Great Lakes region and will have a chance to learn about the environmental philosophy of the ethics of balance that resembles traditional Native Canadian thinking.

Although this conference is aimed at educators and various authorities and boards, "our true focus is on the kids," said Max King, education director for the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (MNCFN).

"We hope the participants leave this conference renewed to face the rest of the teaching year," said King. "If they are there as an administrator-type person such as a board member or council member, we hope they come back with a better understanding and more enthusiasm for school programs. We hope everyone comes away really believing that you can make your school and the delivery of your programs more effective than what you had before. Therefore, we are trying to give them the tools so they can accomplish that."

According to King, within the two to two-and-a-half-hour time slot for each session, the facilitators are asked not to lecture, but to provide interactive activities for the participants.

"We try to limit the number of participants in each group to approximately 20 so there is more of a chance for interaction," said King.

The exploration of traditional games, song and lifestyle through the culture in the classroom workshop is an example of how the participants can interact and learn through facilitator Dan Secord, who will share ways of capturing the attention of students, from preschool age children to youth.

For a registration fee of $410 per person, participants can learn and explore new ways to make school more effective for both the teacher and the student. This fee includes accommodation and meals for two nights and the conference material.

"This is an all-inclusive fee and it's very reasonable as compared to other conferences," said King.

King said each year the MNCFN education department seeks new and interesting topics to attract participants to the conference but they try to revolve around three fairly broad ideas-culture, curriculum and governance.

"We try to make sure that we have a strong cultural component within the choices of sessions," said King. "We also try to target workshops that would allow for governance and an improvement of their governance model. We also try to target the delivery of the curriculum, in other words improving the teaching methods and so on."

Each year they try and target particular topics, King said. For example, last year they targeted illiteracy and issues surrounding illiteracy in terms of the actual curriculum concerned. This year they are targeting the numerical or the science side in terms of the curriculum issues.

"We've been doing this for nine years, therefore we assume that we will be successful again," said King. "We think that we put a quality conference together and our feedback from the participants has been very positive and that's why we contine to do it."

For more information about the conference and how to register contact Valarie King at (905) 768-7107 or by e-mail at valconference06@yahoo.ca.