Skip to Main Content
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. UGDSB staff learn strategies for student success at annual Learning Fair

UGDSB staff learn strategies for student success at annual Learning Fair

August 24, 2018

GUELPH, Ontario – On August 23 and 24, hundreds of Upper Grand District School Board staff attend the board’s annual Learning Fair.

The summer tradition allows staff to ignite their practice, diving into strategies around growth mindset, innovation, thinking outside the box and more. This year’s event covered a wide range of topics, all with the goal of teaching strategies for facilitating success for all students.

This year’s keynote speakers were Lawrence Hill and Toni Morgan.

Lawrence Hill is the author of the bestselling books The Book of Negroes and The Illegal. Hill spoke to educators about creativity and unlearning in the writing process, the influence teachers have on students, and more.

On Friday, Toni Morgan spoke to a captivated crowd. Morgan was kicked out of multiple schools by the age of 17 and experienced homelessness. She chose to immerse herself in activist work. With a passion for social justice, she now advocates for issues like equity, diversity, inclusion and marginalization. She spoke to UGDSB about marginalized youth, diverse learners, and on challenging the stories we hear.

An extensive list of breakout sessions covered a wide range of topics, broken into divisions, led by incredible UGDSB staff and guest speakers.

Orlando Bowen, who works to empower youth and currently works with the UGDSB, presented on how educators can make a difference in the world. Session participants walked away with actionable ideas around fostering powerful connections with students and staff, and creating and protecting welcoming spaces where young people know they are valued and their voices matter.

Marian Small, an author and International Professional Development Consultant, presented to UGDSB staff on how to build lessons around open questions that highlight math concepts that really matter.

Nick Bertrand, an Education Officer in the Ministry of Education’s Indigenous Education Office, presented on reconciliation and the role we can play in education.

Students Allison, Caitlin, Lara and Megan presented on the Power of Youth, two mini presentations that brought the voice of students centre stage and reminded educators of their strength, optimism and ability to achieve beyond expectations.

Additional breakout sessions focused on Number Talks, the importance of numeracy, how to help students differentiate between truth and fiction (or fake news), the power of social media, effective literacy strategies, Indigenous pedagogy in math class, trauma-sensitive teaching, and much more.

Categories: News Tags: • • •