2026 ATENS - Literacy in the Modern World

This session is intended for the tasks of ONLY the planning and hosting team(s) of the Professional Association.

By selecting this option, you will be attending the ATENS conference virtually. 

You will participate in the following workshops:

VIRTUAL MORNING SESSION 1:  9am-10:30am

Motivating your students in a complex world with professor and author Alexander MacLeod

VIRTUAL MORNING SESSION 2: 10:45am-noon

Teaching Queer Lit. Across Generations with Luke Hathaway, Atticus Hagel & Robert Lapp

Three generations of queer-identified learners and educators consider the joys and challenges of teaching literature with queer representation. Why should educators at all levels be teaching literature with queer representation? What does queer representation in literature even look like? What are the rewards and challenges of offering this material to students at various levels?

Join graduate student Atticus Hagel, Associate Professor Dr. Luke Hathaway, and Professor Emeritus Dr. Robert Lapp, as they consider the moments of challenge, connection, or inspiration that have animated their understanding of these questions.

About the panelists: Atticus J. Hagel (they/them) is a Master’s student at McMaster University in Greek and Roman Studies. They graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Nova Scotia) in 2026, majoring in Ancient Studies and Honours English Literature. Their research focuses on LGBTQIA+ identities in the ancient mediterranean and in Classical reception literature, and how biases in past research impact the conclusions regarding queer identities. Luke Hathaway (he/him) is a poet, librettist/lyricist, performer, and producer, who collaborates with artists and ensembles near and far in the work of mythopoeic storytelling; he is particularly passionate about telling the trans and queer stories that are close to his heart. With Daniel Cabena, Luke is Artistic Co-Director of the performance collective ANIMA; he is also a founding and core member of the Fractal Arts Collective, with opera creators Debi Wong and Teiya Kasahara. He teaches English and Creative Writing at Saint Mary’s University. Robert Lapp (he/him) is Professor Emeritus at Mount Allison University. Before his retirement in 2023, he was Head of the Department of English, where he taught courses in 18th- and 19th-century literature and the roots of ecological writing in Romanticism. Winner of a 3M National Teaching Fellowship in 2008, he served as President of the Society for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education from 2014 to 2017.

VIRTUAL AFTERNOON SESSION: 1:30-3pm

What is Teaching, Learning and Literacy in the Inescapable age of AI? with Adam Hinton

TBD

Three generations of queer-identified learners and educators consider the joys and challenges of teaching literature with queer representation. Why should educators at all levels be teaching literature with queer representation? What does queer representation in literature even look like? What are the rewards and challenges of offering this material to students at various levels? Join graduate student Atticus Hagel, Associate Professor Dr. Luke Hathaway, and Professor Emeritus Dr. Robert Lapp, as they consider the moments of challenge, connection, or inspiration that have animated their understanding of these questions. About the panelists: Atticus J. Hagel (they/them) is a Master’s student at McMaster University in Greek and Roman Studies. They graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Nova Scotia) in 2026, majoring in Ancient Studies and Honours English Literature. Their research focuses on LGBTQIA+ identities in the ancient mediterranean and in Classical reception literature, and how biases in past research impact the conclusions regarding queer identities. Luke Hathaway (he/him) is a poet, librettist/lyricist, performer, and producer, who collaborates with artists and ensembles near and far in the work of mythopoeic storytelling; he is particularly passionate about telling the trans and queer stories that are close to his heart. With Daniel Cabena, Luke is Artistic Co-Director of the performance collective ANIMA; he is also a founding and core member of the Fractal Arts Collective, with opera creators Debi Wong and Teiya Kasahara. He teaches English and Creative Writing at Saint Mary’s University. Robert Lapp (he/him) is Professor Emeritus at Mount Allison University. Before his retirement in 2023, he was Head of the Department of English, where he taught courses in 18th- and 19th-century literature and the roots of ecological writing in Romanticism. Winner of a 3M National Teaching Fellowship in 2008, he served as President of the Society for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education from 2014 to 2017.

In Ancient Greece, Socrates argued that moving from oral education to writing would destroy human memory. In the 1400s, universities petitioned to ban the printing press, fearing a 'harmful abundance' of information. The television, the radio, the calculator, and the internet all faced mass resistance from educators. In each case, we have seen a cycle of panic, prohibition, and—eventually—integration. Today, that 2,000-year tradition continues with the most powerful technological disruption education has ever faced in the form of Artificial Intelligence. You’re using it, your students are using it, and parents are using it. AI is now embedded into our daily lives and the very software we provide to our students. But what does this mean for the state of learning itself in 2026? How do we adapt to this rapidly shifting landscape? Most importantly: How do we capture what children know, show, and can do when knowing, showing, and doing can be automated? This session offers a new paradigm for modern education in the face of monumental change. Moving beyond the 'wow factor' of AI, we will tackle the 'how factor' of Human-Centered instruction and assessment. Grounded in established guidelines and emergent global practices, we will explore how to balance technological productivity with the essential human elements: relationships, critical thinking, and creativity. Teachers will gain practical strategies to navigate the 'Post-Plagiarism' era, shifting the focus from the final product to the learning process. We will dive into the 'Path of Acceptable Use,' providing clear frameworks for student expectations, 'AI-Resistant' assignment design, and the emergence of the 'Hybrid Teacher'—an educator who uses technology to reclaim their time for what matters most: the students. Adam Hinton is an educator for Chignecto Centre Regional Centre of Education. He is a graduate of St.FX University and holds masters in Technology Integration and Curriculum Design. He has served as a Technology Integration Consultant, Assessment and Student Success Consultant and Literacy Consultant in CCRCE.

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