2026 SSTA - Level UP Learning!

We all are born knowing how to play and yet many of us have forgotten how to do just that. Play lets us learn from our failures and helps us explore the world around us with a joyful and accepting spirit. Play allows us to pretend to be on wild adventures and encourages our imaginations to soar. This does not mean play is easy; far from it. Most games and playful moments are really a series of challenges that push us to strive for something that is currently out of reach. The research is clear, play is powerful. Come learn how educators can bring this power of play into not only our schools but our lives.

This session will focus on a method for promoting meaningful full-class engagement during discussions. The Socratic Smackdown from the Institute of Play is a versatile, discussion-based humanities game designed to practice argumentation around any text or topic for students in Grades 6 through 12. It is structured as both a cooperative and competitive activity in which teams compete to earn the most points through meaningful discussion. During the activity, students take on multiple roles over several discussions, such as speaker, a scorer, and an observer providing feedback. Teachers attending the session will have an opportunity to try out the Smackdown themselves while also seeing how all of the elements fit together. Additionally, there will be time to explore how the game might be adapted for classroom debate, providing a way for all student to participate in debate regardless of their confidence or skill level. The presenter is an experienced teacher who has taught various IB courses, as well as science and social studies academic courses in junior and senior high school. Over the years, this activity, developed by the Institute of Play, has been successfully used in IB History, IB Environmental Systems and Societies, and GGS 12 classes.

"Ready to level up your teaching? AI Dungeon: The Quest for the Golden Lesson is a fun, interactive workshop where you’ll gain the skills and strategies to personalize learning for every student in your classroom using AI. This isn’t just about theory—this is about real, hands-on learning you can take back to your students the next day. In this workshop, you’ll team up with fellow educators to tackle real classroom challenges—like when students don’t start their work, feel overwhelmed, or disengage completely. Through a series of fast-paced, gamified challenges, you’ll work together to design learning tasks that meet the needs of individual students using AI to guide you. Whether your students need extra support or a bit more challenge, you’ll learn how to respond in the moment to keep everyone engaged. This year’s SSTA conference theme, ""Level UP Learning!"" couldn’t be a better fit for this session. Just like in a video game, you’ll level up your teaching with new tools, strategies, and insights that will help you make smarter decisions for your students’ success. Whether you’re new to AI or already using it in your classroom, this session will give you practical, actionable strategies that you can use immediately. By the end of this session, you’ll be able to: Design personalized learning tasks that meet the needs of your students, not the ""average"" learner Use AI to create, test, and refine instructional strategies in real-time Understand how to respond when tasks aren’t working and adjust quickly to keep students engaged Differentiate vs. Personalize: Learn how these concepts work together and why personalization is key for every student’s success Leave with a practical AI strategy to immediately integrate into your teaching Get ready to level up your teaching game! This workshop is not just about using AI—it's about using it intentionally to create learning experiences that are both meaningful and engaging for all students. If you’re looking for practical strategies, collaboration, and some fun along the way, then AI Dungeon: The Quest for the Golden Lesson is the session for you!"

Workshop participants will be introduced to the concept of a Basic Income Guarantee including viewing and discussing the first-person voice,17-minute, Canadian documentary – A Human Picture. A Human Picture follows participants in the Ontario Basic Income Pilot as they share, in their own words, how receiving a basic income affected their daily lives, stability, and sense of dignity before the program was cancelled. The documentary also brings in the voices of politicians, researchers, and business people. Roger Tatlock, a Volunteer with Basic Income Guarantee – Nova Scotia, will introduce a Basic Income Guarantee and the documentary, and provide follow up information with a brief Question and Answer period.

This past February 2026, our society, Inverness County Cares visited two schools for the blind and visually impaired in Zambia for six weeks. On our 2024 visit we spent time in the classrooms teaching teachers how to create learning manipulatives using the materials accessible in their environment. We collected the most available resources - bottle caps and turned them into literacy and math manipulatives. These schools have zero budgets for resources or anything that costs money…including text books. On our return trip this past winter we concentrated on basic games. We brought playing cards, scrabble, snakes and ladders, chess, checkers, dice, dominoes Uno, etc. and the braille equivalent for many of the games. Because of extreme poverty the children had never learned any of the childhood games of their culture or ours. Their spare time did not include games of any kind except sports. We gathered groups of students who would be mentors to the students and teachers. Following a standard book of rules for the games, we taught basic games (no screens) to the mentors, they in turn taught more and more students and teachers as well. When we returned home the joy and laughter created by games lived on. Teachers, students, families and school administrators are now enthusiastically playing the games of the pre-electronic age. These games are more than entertainment. Cognitive and Brain Health • Decision-Dense Learning: These games require players to constantly weigh risks, calculate odds, and model potential outcomes. • Executive Functioning: Numerical games involving cards or dice have been shown to significantly improve early numeracy, counting skills, and executive function. • Sharpening Skills: Playing card games keeps the mind sharp across all ages. • Pattern Recognition: Dominoes and dice games specifically strengthen pattern and number recognition, spatial reasoning, and memory. Social Benefits • Universal Bonding: These games are played globally and bridge different cultures and generations. • Emotional Resilience: They teach players how to manage the emotions of winning and losing, develop patience while waiting for turns, and follow complex instructions. • Social Interaction: These tabletop classics require face-to-face interaction, and develop social cues, communication skills, and self-esteem. Practical Advantages • Accessibility & Portability: These games are inexpensive and portable. • Digital Detox: They provide a tactile alternative to screens. • Replayability: The infinite combinations of these games ensure endless variety and high replay value. Information obtained from Google Gemini Ai.

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How can we teach young learners about the Holocaust in a way that fosters understanding, empathy, and resilience? This session offers an entry point through the lens of heroism—highlighting the power of individual and collective courage in the face of unimaginable adversity. Designed for educators, this session explores powerful narratives that illuminate acts of resistance, compassion, and moral courage during the Holocaust. Through an examination of texts such as The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson, Irena’s Children by Tilar J. Mazzeo, Bartali’s Bicycle by Megan Hoyt, Fania’s Heart by Anne Renaud, Ghetto Diaries by Janusz Korczak, and the remarkable story of the Bielski brothers, participants will uncover stories that demonstrate the impact of choice and humanity in times of crisis. Grounded in best practices in Holocaust education, the session will offer pedagogical strategies to help students make meaningful connections between historical events and enduring values such as empathy, courage, and moral responsibility. Anticipate a thought-provoking and interactive session that will deepen your approach to Holocaust education and empower your students to recognize the enduring strength of kindness and ethical action.

We all are born knowing how to play and yet many of us have forgotten how to do just that. Play lets us learn from our failures and helps us explore the world around us with a joyful and accepting spirit. Play allows us to pretend to be on wild adventures and encourages our imaginations to soar. This does not mean play is easy; far from it. Most games and playful moments are really a series of challenges that push us to strive for something that is currently out of reach. The research is clear, play is powerful. Come learn how educators can bring this power of play into not only our schools but our lives.

"Ready to level up your teaching? AI Dungeon: The Quest for the Golden Lesson is a fun, interactive workshop where you’ll gain the skills and strategies to personalize learning for every student in your classroom using AI. This isn’t just about theory—this is about real, hands-on learning you can take back to your students the next day. In this workshop, you’ll team up with fellow educators to tackle real classroom challenges—like when students don’t start their work, feel overwhelmed, or disengage completely. Through a series of fast-paced, gamified challenges, you’ll work together to design learning tasks that meet the needs of individual students using AI to guide you. Whether your students need extra support or a bit more challenge, you’ll learn how to respond in the moment to keep everyone engaged. This year’s SSTA conference theme, ""Level UP Learning!"" couldn’t be a better fit for this session. Just like in a video game, you’ll level up your teaching with new tools, strategies, and insights that will help you make smarter decisions for your students’ success. Whether you’re new to AI or already using it in your classroom, this session will give you practical, actionable strategies that you can use immediately. By the end of this session, you’ll be able to: Design personalized learning tasks that meet the needs of your students, not the ""average"" learner Use AI to create, test, and refine instructional strategies in real-time Understand how to respond when tasks aren’t working and adjust quickly to keep students engaged Differentiate vs. Personalize: Learn how these concepts work together and why personalization is key for every student’s success Leave with a practical AI strategy to immediately integrate into your teaching Get ready to level up your teaching game! This workshop is not just about using AI—it's about using it intentionally to create learning experiences that are both meaningful and engaging for all students. If you’re looking for practical strategies, collaboration, and some fun along the way, then AI Dungeon: The Quest for the Golden Lesson is the session for you!"

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The workshop Africentric Representation and Resources is focused on the DBDLI's published resources and their uses, language awareness for lesson planning (e.g. why and when to use "African Nova Scotian" or "Black" or "African-descended"), how make use of other Africentric resources, and how to get your classrooms involved in the annual African Nova Scotian History Challenges. DBDLI's Africentric resources include many approved books and can be purchased on DBDLI's online bookstore and through the Nova Scotia Book Bureau. The 5-part workshop includes: 1. DBBDLI “About Us” Video 2. DBDLI Purpose, Philosophies & Language Awareness 3. BLAC Report, Achievement Gaps + Culturally Responsive Pedagogy 4. DBDLI Publications & Resources + featuring the Black History Textbooks and Teacher Guide + other CRP resources + first-person Black Halifax videos 5. ANS History Challenges About the DBDLI: The Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI) is committed to excellence in Africentric education and research. Based on core Africentric principles, the DBDLI’s activities are centered on connecting with and serving African Nova Scotian communities and students. The DBDLI identifies and addresses the gaps and educational equity issues through research, publishing and developing educational resources.

Let’s be honest: nobody signed up for teaching because they love staring at 50-slide PowerPoint presentations. So, we aren't doing that here. Welcome to a professional development session where we actually practice what we preach by playing our way through the curriculum. We all know gamification and ludopedagogy (fancy word, simple concept) are great for student engagement. But the absolute best way to understand how game-based learning works is to actually experience it yourself. In this workshop, we are ditching the lecture. Instead, you’re going to roll up your sleeves, unleash your inner gamer, and test-drive a variety of adaptable, low-prep games that work for any grade or subject. You’ll leave this session with a fully loaded teacher’s playbook, complete with ready-to-use templates and rulesets you can take to class on Monday without sacrificing your entire Sunday to prep. Bring your playful spirit and that one lesson plan you’re tired of teaching the old way. Let’s level up together!

This session introduces a youth-specific approach to education-to-career guidance that fills a missing step in many career education models. Participants will learn a step-by-step, research-aligned method for helping students move from self-understanding to pathway exploration in a developmentally appropriate way. The method integrates career development theory with psychological development, offering a clear and practical structure that can be applied in real classroom settings. Aligned with the “Level UP Learning” theme, the session will demonstrate how interactive, game-informed strategies can support student engagement while also deepening reflection and real-world connection. Participants will: Learn a structured, step-by-step method for delivering education-to-career guidance Understand how research from career development and psychology can be applied in practice Explore an interactive approach that supports engagement and student reflection Leave with practical language and strategies that can be used immediately This session is designed for educators who want a clearer, more effective way to support students in planning their future, without adding complexity to their role.

When people think of debating, they usually think of law and politics. While these civics-oriented subjects are indeed frequent subjects of competitive debate, they are far from the only ones. From science and technology to language arts and even fine arts, competitive debate touches on it all. Learn how to harness the power of debate in your own classrooms to help your students deeply analyze issues, understand different perspectives, and sharpen their public speaking skills, all while having fun in a competitive format. Perhaps you will even be inspired to start a team at your school; if so, the Nova Scotia Debating Society can help with that too!

This session invites educators to explore how understanding our own cultural histories can deepen conversations about identity, belonging, and reconciliation. While much attention is rightly given to learning Indigenous histories, educators are seldom encouraged to examine their own ancestral stories and the relationships that connected diverse communities throughout the history of Mi’kma’ki. The session will explore how Mi’kmaw communities, Acadians, African Nova Scotians, and various European settlers developed relationships that shaped the province we know today. Acadian and Mi’kmaw communities formed enduring alliances grounded in cooperation, kinship, trade, and shared knowledge of the land. African Nova Scotian communities, despite facing displacement, segregation, and systemic barriers, established relationships with neighbouring Mi’kmaw communities through shared experiences of marginalization, geographic proximity, labour, community networks, and mutual support. Scottish Highland settlers and other displaced European groups likewise relied upon Indigenous knowledge and relationships as they adapted to life in a new environment. Drawing upon culturally responsive pedagogy, place-based education, and identity development theory, participants will be encouraged to examine their own family and community histories. What languages did their ancestors speak? What stories, traditions, foods, and ways of knowing shaped their communities? How were those traditions transformed through migration, colonization, and cultural change? The session explores the idea that culture rarely disappears entirely. Fragments remain within language, celebrations, oral histories, place names, and community memory, waiting to be rediscovered and understood. Aligned with the conference theme Level UP Learning, this session encourages educators to deepen their understanding of identity by recognizing the interconnected histories that have shaped Nova Scotia. Through research-informed presentation, reflection activities, and collaborative discussion, participants will explore practical classroom approaches that help students investigate their own identities while developing respect for the diverse histories and relationships that continue to shape their communities.

We all are born knowing how to play and yet many of us have forgotten how to do just that. Play lets us learn from our failures and helps us explore the world around us with a joyful and accepting spirit. Play allows us to pretend to be on wild adventures and encourages our imaginations to soar. This does not mean play is easy; far from it. Most games and playful moments are really a series of challenges that push us to strive for something that is currently out of reach. The research is clear, play is powerful. Come learn how educators can bring this power of play into not only our schools but our lives.

The workshop Africentric Representation and Resources is focused on the DBDLI's published resources and their uses, language awareness for lesson planning (e.g. why and when to use "African Nova Scotian" or "Black" or "African-descended"), how make use of other Africentric resources, and how to get your classrooms involved in the annual African Nova Scotian History Challenges. DBDLI's Africentric resources include many approved books and can be purchased on DBDLI's online bookstore and through the Nova Scotia Book Bureau. The 5-part workshop includes: 1. DBBDLI “About Us” Video 2. DBDLI Purpose, Philosophies & Language Awareness 3. BLAC Report, Achievement Gaps + Culturally Responsive Pedagogy 4. DBDLI Publications & Resources + featuring the Black History Textbooks and Teacher Guide + other CRP resources + first-person Black Halifax videos 5. ANS History Challenges About the DBDLI: The Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI) is committed to excellence in Africentric education and research. Based on core Africentric principles, the DBDLI’s activities are centered on connecting with and serving African Nova Scotian communities and students. The DBDLI identifies and addresses the gaps and educational equity issues through research, publishing and developing educational resources.

Let’s be honest: nobody signed up for teaching because they love staring at 50-slide PowerPoint presentations. So, we aren't doing that here. Welcome to a professional development session where we actually practice what we preach by playing our way through the curriculum. We all know gamification and ludopedagogy (fancy word, simple concept) are great for student engagement. But the absolute best way to understand how game-based learning works is to actually experience it yourself. In this workshop, we are ditching the lecture. Instead, you’re going to roll up your sleeves, unleash your inner gamer, and test-drive a variety of adaptable, low-prep games that work for any grade or subject. You’ll leave this session with a fully loaded teacher’s playbook, complete with ready-to-use templates and rulesets you can take to class on Monday without sacrificing your entire Sunday to prep. Bring your playful spirit and that one lesson plan you’re tired of teaching the old way. Let’s level up together!

When people think of debating, they usually think of law and politics. While these civics-oriented subjects are indeed frequent subjects of competitive debate, they are far from the only ones. From science and technology to language arts and even fine arts, competitive debate touches on it all. Learn how to harness the power of debate in your own classrooms to help your students deeply analyze issues, understand different perspectives, and sharpen their public speaking skills, all while having fun in a competitive format. Perhaps you will even be inspired to start a team at your school; if so, the Nova Scotia Debating Society can help with that too!

This session invites educators to explore how understanding our own cultural histories can deepen conversations about identity, belonging, and reconciliation. While much attention is rightly given to learning Indigenous histories, educators are seldom encouraged to examine their own ancestral stories and the relationships that connected diverse communities throughout the history of Mi’kma’ki. The session will explore how Mi’kmaw communities, Acadians, African Nova Scotians, and various European settlers developed relationships that shaped the province we know today. Acadian and Mi’kmaw communities formed enduring alliances grounded in cooperation, kinship, trade, and shared knowledge of the land. African Nova Scotian communities, despite facing displacement, segregation, and systemic barriers, established relationships with neighbouring Mi’kmaw communities through shared experiences of marginalization, geographic proximity, labour, community networks, and mutual support. Scottish Highland settlers and other displaced European groups likewise relied upon Indigenous knowledge and relationships as they adapted to life in a new environment. Drawing upon culturally responsive pedagogy, place-based education, and identity development theory, participants will be encouraged to examine their own family and community histories. What languages did their ancestors speak? What stories, traditions, foods, and ways of knowing shaped their communities? How were those traditions transformed through migration, colonization, and cultural change? The session explores the idea that culture rarely disappears entirely. Fragments remain within language, celebrations, oral histories, place names, and community memory, waiting to be rediscovered and understood. Aligned with the conference theme Level UP Learning, this session encourages educators to deepen their understanding of identity by recognizing the interconnected histories that have shaped Nova Scotia. Through research-informed presentation, reflection activities, and collaborative discussion, participants will explore practical classroom approaches that help students investigate their own identities while developing respect for the diverse histories and relationships that continue to shape their communities.

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Antisemitism Then and Now: A Professional Learning Program for Educators This foundational professional learning workshop sponsored by the Government of Canada equips educators with the knowledge and confidence to recognize and address antisemitism in today’s classrooms and school communities. Participants explore the historical roots of antisemitism and examine how enduring myths and stereotypes continue to shape contemporary discussions, online spaces, and conversations about current events. Educators will gain practical strategies to identify and respond to antisemitism, support Jewish students and colleagues, and foster inclusive learning environments grounded in equity, critical thinking, and respect. Ideal for educators seeking to better understand one of today’s most pressing and misunderstood forms of hate. Program Goals: • Strengthen educators’ understanding of antisemitism, including its historical roots, enduring libels, and contemporary manifestations, while distinguishing between what is and is not antisemitism. • Explore how antisemitism affects Jewish communities in Canada today, and how it intersects with broader social and geopolitical conversations taking place in schools and society. • Equip educators with practical strategies to support Jewish students and colleagues, challenge misinformation, and cultivate classrooms grounded in equity, safety, and belonging.