WEBINARS

The Nature of Science
By the Perimeter Institute

26th of October 2023

Science has transformed our understanding of the world. It’s also led to powerful new technologies. But, how does it actually work? Which key features define the essence of science?

This interactive workshop will explore Perimeter Institute’s latest resource, The Nature of Science. It will connect to grade 9 destreamed science and use examples from a wide range of topics to illustrate the defining features of science.

Watch the full webinar here.

Introducing Climate Change Pedagogies
By Ocean Wise

19th of October 2023

By exploring our climate change pedagogies, learn about how the land-based, emotional literacy, and transformative citizenship and activism approaches to environmental education can foster a meaningful and impactful learning experience to empower youth and appease eco-anxiety. Gain access to our education resources and workshop tool kit help you introduce these pedagogies in your classroom.

Click here for presentation slides and here for workbook.

Culturally Relevant and Responsive Assessment and Evaluation in Science
By Moses Velasco and Lisa Cole

28th of September 2023

Science and STEM education plays an important role in our society. In this session, Moses Velasco and Lisa Cole will share perspectives on the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion and the role that educators play in creating opportunities for all students. Join us as we discuss how culturally relevant and responsive assessment and evaluation practices are critical in classrooms to build teaching and learning spaces that are inclusive for diverse learners in science.

Watch the full webinar here.

Retirement Planning for Every Generation
By the Retired Teachers of Ontario/Les enseignantes et enseignants retraités de l’Ontario (RTOERO)

28th of September 2023

Join RTOERO presenters as they speak to an important aspect of our professional lives; retirement.

Watch the full webinar here.

Presented by the Science Teachers Association of Ontario.

LabXChange

Learn How to Use Harvard’s Free Online Science Education Platform

By Kristina Han

3rd of February 2021

Presenter Kristina Han is the current Site Coordinator for the Amgen Biotech Experience Program at the University of Toronto Mississauga (ABE@UTM), a collaboration between Amgen and UTM to provide materials necessary to conduct six consecutive undergraduate labs that demonstrate the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology in grades 11 and 12 classes. Kristina is also one of three Master Lab Technicians in the global ABE community, providing technical support to over 20 international program sites. Kristina has co-facilitated two previous LabXchange Professional Development sessions since August 2020, guiding participants from across the globe through the online platform. 

Harvard University’s LabXchange is a free online platform for science education that lets educators remix and share high-quality content to support differentiated, personalized learning.  LabXchange also connects learners, educators and researchers through social features such as private classes, discussion forums, and the ability to mentor or be mentored. LabXchange offers tools for students to explore molecular processes and cutting-edge technology through interactive pathways and a wide range of media types, design experiments, and learn new lab techniques using virtual simulations. The built-in tracking and assessment tools also help teachers determine student progress and success rate, with the ability for real-time engagement using the discussion forums. In this workshop, you will learn how LabXChange can support differentiated, student-centred online learning. Additionally, hear of the different ways both educators and students can use LabXChange to personalize learning and how the class features of LabXChange protects student privacy while providing opportunities for educators to collaborate.

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

Pear Deck

Increase Classroom Participation with Pear Deck

By Lina Knetsch

3rd of February 2021

Leila Knetsch is a high school science teacher of Science, Biology and Chemistry. She is striving to incorporate co-operative learning into her teaching, even in the virtual classroom. She is committed to hands-on learning and very interested in questioning and consolidation.

Do you feel like you are teaching to a wall? Is your chat filling up with comments from 3-4 students and the rest are silent? Pear Deck is the answer to that problem. There are pre-made prompts for exit cards, openers, and consolidation checks. Also, you can make your own. Student response options include; drop, drawing, opening response, etc. This is the ultimate in formative assessment! You will find yourself using this Google slide add-on long after the pandemic is over!

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

Invention Education

Series III

By James McEwen

26th of January 2021

NIHF Canada and STAO/APSO were joined by special guest and National Inventors Hall of Fame Class of 2021 Inductee James McEwen. A Canadian biomedical engineer, he invented the world’s first microprocessor-controlled automatic surgical tourniquet system. Devices based on his innovations are used worldwide in close to 20,000 surgeries each day. McEwen is also an Officer of the Order of Canada and has received numerous other honours and distinctions including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Recognizing the essential role that teachers play in student success, he is also an advocate for educational initiatives that inspire young innovators. For more information on James McEwen and the National Inventors Hall of Fame (Canada), visit invent.org/Canada.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame™ (Canada) (NIHF Canada) and The Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario/ L’Association des professeurs de science de l’Ontario (STAO/APSO) offered a unique professional development opportunity on the power of innovator role models in inspiring students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM/STEM) and increasing intellectual property awareness. This was the third webinar in our Invention Education series. In this session designed for elementary school educators, participants explored how sharing the stories of world-changing inventors can inspire students to become future innovators. Research has shown, for example, that when children are introduced to inventors they can relate to at an early age, they are more likely to become innovative adults.

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

Invention Education

How to Incorporate Intellectual Property into the Classroom and Ecourage an Innovative Mindset

By Jane Kennedy & Shelley Jones

23rd of November 2020

Jane is Science educator with over twenty years of teaching experience in the Durham District School Board. In her current role as the STEM & Science Facilitator K-12 she fosters a love for inquiry based, hands-on, innovative experiential learning for students and teachers alike. Jane has served as the Program Director and Lead Coach for the NIHF Canada summer and virtual camps: Camp Invention and Camp Invention Connect. Shelley is a lawyer and trademark agent having worked both in private practice and in-house on matters relating to trademark and copyright infringement, litigation, managing global trademark portfolios, domain name disputes and anti-counterfeiting issues. Shelley currently leads NIHF Canada’s mission to inspire young inventors through innovative educational programming.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame™ (Canada) (NIHF Canada) and The Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario/ L’Association des professeurs de science de l’Ontario (STAO/APSO) presented this unique bilingual professional development opportunity on the topic of introducing intellectual property (IP) into the classroom. This was the second webinar in our Invention Education series (note that the first session was not recorded). In this session, participants discovered ways to encourage an innovative mindset and inspire their students to explore the invention process. From coming up with an idea and creating an invention while using design thinking and prototyping to valuing intellectual property and gaining entrepreneurial skills, our panellists will share tips and resources for introducing the invention process in your classroom – whether with in-person teaching, blended or remote approaches to learning. The panellists for this webinar included Jane Kennedy, STEM & Science Facilitator, Student Achievement and Curriculum Department with the Durham District School Board and Shelley Jones, Vice President with NIHF Canada in Ottawa. Jane is Science educator with over twenty years of teaching experience in the Durham District School Board. In her current role as the STEM & Science Facilitator K-12 she fosters a love for inquiry based, hands-on, innovative experiential learning for students and teachers alike. Jane has served as the Program Director and Lead Coach for the NIHF Canada summer and virtual camps: Camp Invention and Camp Invention Connect. Shelley is a lawyer and trademark agent having worked both in private practice and in-house on matters relating to trademark and copyright infringement, litigation, managing global trademark portfolios, domain name disputes and anti-counterfeiting issues. Shelley currently leads NIHF Canada’s mission to inspire young inventors through innovative educational programming.

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

STAOLive

Tech Tools to Increase Student Engagement in Science

By Laura Wodlinger

20th of November 2020

Laura Wodlinger is the Director of Secondary Resource Development at STAO and the past Professional Learning Team Chair ofSTAO2020. Laura is currently an Assistant Head of Science in the YRDSB and describes herself as a citizen scientist, amateur tap dancer, karaoke enthusiast, and full time nerd 

This webinar discussed how tech tools can make teaching easier and better without having to spend all of our time learning how to use them. The group shared the best of the best for team-building, teaching, and assessment. Tech tools such as Peardeck, EduFlow, Breakout Room Jamboards, Google Science Journal, Digital Escape Games, Kahoot, ScreenRecording, and more were discussed.

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

STAOLive: Creating Lessons that Sustain Focus

A One Stop Shop for Students (K-8)

By Graziella Sadler

28th of October 2020

Graziella Sadler taught P/J science in a blended learning environment for many years and now works in TCDSB’s VIrtual School teaching Grade 2.

This webinar is about creating fully contained lessons or units in a single document to minimize the number of clicks students need to make to access the information. We will discuss how teacher demonstrations (live or video recording) allow students to focus on the scientific method. Bring your ideas to share.

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

Keeping Science Hands On

Solutions for Delivering Experiential Learning in COVID Safety Restrictions

By Sandra Gambarotto & Sean Clark

21st of October 2020

Sandra Gambarrotto and Sean Clark are both Department Heads with the Ottawa Catholic School Board and have been actively involved in turning Public Health protocols into functional lab practices in their departments.

While the current learning environment might inspire some teachers to toss out their lab manuals, you are here because you want more for your students! This workshop will guide participants through the process of evaluating labs for feasibility under the current limitations and adapting inquiry experiences so that students can continue to learn through hands-on activities. Specific examples will be provided from labs that have been conducted with grade 9 science and grade 12 chemistry, but the lessons learned so far are applicable across all sub disciplines of the sciences.

For more information or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

How to Teach Science in a COVID-19 Environment

Within Various Instructional Models in Canada

By James Palcik

7th of October 2020

James Palcik, Director of Education, Safety and Compliance at FLINN Scientific Canada. James has spent his entire career within the science education market in North America. During that time, he has been conducting science safety PD sessions and making trusted recommendations to schools, school districts, and provinces on their science, STEM and safety resources (including manuals, standard operating procedures, PD programming, new teacher induction programs, etc.) as a trusted third-party expert. James is passionate about providing students with hands-on, engaging activities in the lab to inspire future innovation especially when these actions manage to engage student learning and facilitate teacher instruction simultaneously.

FLINN has developed a framework from various educational and health authorities that will provide guidance on teaching Science and STEM. This webinar explored the following topics during the session: Re-opening Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Considerations for safe-school opening, Hygiene & PPE Considerations in Schools, Sanitizing & Disinfection, Suggestions for Teaching Science in Covid-19, Remotely offering science / STEM programs safely, Preventative Measures to Take in Science Labs, Classrooms and Shared Spaces, and Science Department Product Order Planning. The session was moderated by STAO for the benefit of science educators in Canada looking forward to offering the continuity of learning in their science programs.

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

Evidence for Climate Change

By Kelly Foyle, Tonia Williams

22nd of April 2020

Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most important issues facing our students. Today we will explore the basic science behind climate change and share a series of easy demos you can do with your students, in-person, online, or have students try themselves. The Evidence for Climate Change resource that will be shared is the product of collaboration between classroom teachers, Perimeter Institute researchers, and climate scientists.

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

Blended Learning

Inclusion Practices Using Technology

By Suzanne Saraya

8th of April 2020

Blended learning has become a de facto form of schooling across educational institutions worldwide. However, there is a misconception that blended learning is simply a combination of online instruction and classroom work. Take a deep dive into blended learning with a focus on STEM. We will be talking about the key elements that need to be accounted for, best practices for using blended learning effectively – whether with students, teachers, or parents – and ways to avoid common pitfalls. We will finish by modelling a lesson with Gizmos.

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

Early STEM Education

The Foundation of Academic Success

7th of April 2020

High-quality, early-learning environments provide children with a structure in which to build upon their natural inclination to explore, to build, and to question. Research confirms that early STEM skills are a great predictor of later academic success overall. This webinar will allow participants to discover how Science4Us, ExploreLearning’s K-2-focused program, can help you teach and promote STEM early on, while integrating English literacy through short stories, hands-on and digitally interactive activities, and much more!

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

Enhancing the STEM Curriculum

Enhancing Education with Virtual Simulations

2nd of April 2020

ExploreLearning’s interactive online inquiry-based simulations, Gizmos, are a perfect solution for schools looking for ways to enhance their STEM curriculum and build 21st century skills for students. ExploreLearning Gizmos help teachers take advantage of research-proven instructional strategies and let students of all ability levels develop deep conceptual understanding. Teachers can supplement and enhance instruction with powerful visualizations of science and mathematics concepts. Students can manipulate key variables, generate and test hypotheses, and engage in extensive “what-if” experimentation.

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.

STEM Inquiry Teaching Practices

And the effect of mindset

By Suzanne Saraya

30th of March 2020

Science Educators dream of classrooms where teachers encourage scientific inquiry and exploration, letting students draw their own conclusions rather than guiding them to an answer. Classrooms where teachers are facilitators that foster independent and creative thinking and exploration. In this presentation you will discover how STEM educator mindsets can impact the adoption of more open and authentic forms of inquiry in classroom instruction and how STEM leaders’ feedback can support a growth mindset and develop true, concrete understanding of Science, using simulations like Gizmos.

For more information, or to access the full presentation & webinar, click here.