Agenda
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Friday, October 24, 2025
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9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
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Welcome | Keynote Address - Loyola Conference Hall |
9:00 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Capacity: 20
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Full Day Session 1 • Millbrook Cultural Heritage Centre | Satellite Site |
| Full day Drum Making Workshop hosted by Millbrook Cultural Heritage Museum staff. |
9:00 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Capacity: 20
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Full Day Session 2 • The Fortress of Louisbourg | Satellite Site |
| Spend the day exploring the historical site and learning from a Parks Canada guide. |
9:00 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Capacity: 20
Darcie Moore
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Full Day Session 3 • Province House, Home of the Nova Scotia Legislature | Satellite Site |
| Full Day Workshop with teacher, Darcie Moore, at Province House. The workshop is titled "Civic Engagement in Action: Connecting Classrooms to the Legislature". |
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Atlantic Jewish Council
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Half Day Session 1 • Best Practices in Holocaust Education |
| In this session, offered in partnership between the Azrieli Foundation Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program and the Atlantic Jewish Council, participants will learn about current best practices in Holocaust education – including the importance of incorporating first-hand accounts, trauma-informed teaching and how to thoughtfully select appropriate content for the classroom. |
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
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Half Day Session 2 • Immigration Simulation at Pier 21 |
| "Immigration Simulation” is a thought-provoking and interactive role-playing experience that strives to detail immigration to Canada at the start of the 20th Century with honesty and historical accuracy. It is a highly effective program that gives learners important and challenging information about Canada’s past. |
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Capacity: 30
Heather Montgomery, Bank of Canada Museum
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Session A • Economics is for everyone |
| At this session the Bank of Canada Museum will walk you through You are the Economy: a set of six new lesson plans filled with activities that take students into the heart of the economic system. In this workshop you’ll learn to think like an economist, build budgets for yourself and others, connect Canadian industries together, explore historical data on immigration and trade, decode economic graphs, take part in an investing simulation, and more. This workshop will provide you some highly interactive activities you can use right away in your social studies, careers, business or economics classes. All resources are free and available in French and English. Participants will receive a full printed version of all materials. |
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Capacity: 30
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D1 • The Forced to Fight Canadian Red Cross |
| The Forced to Fight online interactive resource connects students to multiple perspectives to help them understand what it is like for young people living in situations of armed conflict around the world. Each interactive story invites students to explore the perspectives of children affected by armed conflict and consider difficult choices known as dilemmas. Students take into account the viewpoints of everyone involved to thoroughly examine goals and possible consequences. Many choices are, by necessity, made on impulse. The stories in Forced to Fight and accompanying lessons in the Humanitarian Education Curriculum Guidebook examine an array of humanitarian issues that arise as a result of armed conflict, including the impact of armed conflict on the environment and indigenous communities, refugees and forced migration, child soldiers, and sexual and gender-based violence. With connections to interactive learning points, students learn the basic rules of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and build an understanding of how IHL aims to protect those who are not or are no longer fighting in armed conflicts. The session concludes connecting themes across a range of humanitarian education high school resources to social studies concepts. |
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Capacity: 30
Tavis Bragg and Dr. Nathan Corbett
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D2 • Educator as Architect: Designing Real-World Learning that Heals, Feeds, and Moves |
| Participants will explore how real-world, interdisciplinary learning can become a powerful tool for food security, wellness, and student agency. The session will also dive into how AI is used to track health, behaviour, and community impact, making data not just a reporting tool, but a feedback engine for growth. Educators will leave with a blueprint for launching their own integrated initiatives, including strategies for funding, partnership building, and curriculum alignment. |
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Capacity: 30
Bradan Press
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D3 • Historical Fiction in the Classroom (Social Studies 5 and 7) |
This workshop presents and discusses examples of historical fiction and primary source material that can be used as resources for teaching Social Studies 5 and 7. The examples will focus on the Fortress of Louisbourg (relevant to Social Studies 5) and the Gaels of Nova Scotia (relevant to Social Studies 7). Using the ship Hector journey of 1773 as the backdrop to early Gaelic culture, and the return of the French citizens to Fortress of Louisbourg in 1749 as a window on French and Acadian history and culture, author Margaret MacKay will give examples of how she incorporated her research and museum artifacts into her original children’s historical fiction. She will also discuss how to use Nova Scotian primary sources and historical fiction in teaching the social studies outcomes.
Margaret MacKay is a retired teacher from Pictou County and the author of two middle-grade novels: IAIN OF NEW SCOTLAND (2021) and LISETTE OF LOUISBOURG (2024), which has been shortlisted for the 2025-26 Hackmatack Award. |
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Capacity: 30
Sandra Murray
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D4 • Teacher Presentation |
| Hold for Sandra's Description |
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Capacity: 30
SMU Staff
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D5 • Professor Workshop 1 |
| Hold for professor description |
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Capacity: 30
SMU Staff
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D6 • Professor Workshop 2 |
| Hold for professor description |
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Capacity: 30
SMU Staff
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D7 • Professor Workshop 3 |
| Hold for professor description |
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
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Tour of Exhibit Hall/Snack Break-Loyola Conference Hall |
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Temma Frecker
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Session B • Teacher Sharing Session |
| I presented a similar workshop to MEd students at Acadia. It was focused on using the educational framework of a StoryPath, an extended roleplaying scenario where students become characters, create a community, and then are challenged to use their creativity and resourcefulness to address a 'real world' problem. When I presented the workshop last year, three students who had participated in a StoryPath joined me to lead table discussions and answer any questions about their experience. In the workshop, I would guide teachers through a sped up version of a StoryPath that I have developed (focused on renewable energy) while prompting them to reflect on how they might use this approach in their own classrooms. My goal would be for teachers to see how this framework could be used in a transdisciplinary way, building bridges between multiple subject areas (e.g., Social Studies, Language Arts, Science, etc.). |
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Pheilm Martin
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D8 • Picture Books as a Practice |
| Pheilm is a junior high Social Studies/Visual Arts teacher and a published children’s book author and illustrator. "In my classroom, I regularly use children’s literature as a tool to explore Social Studies outcomes. I would like to lead a practical teaching seminar at the conference that focuses on using picture books to teach topics like Indigenous perspectives, geography, migration, empathy, the World Wars, local culture, and active citizenship. This session will feature a list of children’s books, each paired with specific original teaching resources I’ve developed to accompany them. My hope is that these resources provide educators with practical strategies for teaching Social Studies in meaningful and engaging ways. |
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
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D9 • The Forced to Fight Canadian Red Cross |
| The Forced to Fight online interactive resource connects students to multiple perspectives to help them understand what it is like for young people living in situations of armed conflict around the world. Each interactive story invites students to explore the perspectives of children affected by armed conflict and consider difficult choices known as dilemmas. Students take into account the viewpoints of everyone involved to thoroughly examine goals and possible consequences. Many choices are, by necessity, made on impulse. The stories in Forced to Fight and accompanying lessons in the Humanitarian Education Curriculum Guidebook examine an array of humanitarian issues that arise as a result of armed conflict, including the impact of armed conflict on the environment and indigenous communities, refugees and forced migration, child soldiers, and sexual and gender-based violence. With connections to interactive learning points, students learn the basic rules of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and build an understanding of how IHL aims to protect those who are not or are no longer fighting in armed conflicts. The session concludes connecting themes across a range of humanitarian education high school resources to social studies concepts |
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Alan Dick
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D10 • Songs in the Social Studies Classroom |
| Using songs in traditional and non traditional ways in the classroom or session focused upon fostering a more engaging classroom. |
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
SMU Staff
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D11 • Professor Workshop 4 |
| Hold for Professor description |
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
SMU Staff
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D12 • Professor Workshop 5 |
| Hold for Professor description |
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
SMU Staff
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D13 • Professor Workshop 6 |
| Hold for Professor description |
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
SMU Staff
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D14 • Professor Workshop 7 |
| Hold for Professor description |
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
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Boxed Lunch - Loyola Conference Hall |
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Peggy Danson
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Session C • Teacher (B.Ed. Student) Sharing Session |
| Our presentation is based on the Grade 11 Canadian History curriculum and explores the deep connection between the Mi'kmaq people, their land, and the significance of traditional place names in Mi'kma'ki. It examines how Indigenous place names reflect natural geography, cultural identity, and historical ties to the land. Through discussion, mapping activities, and a short video, participants compare traditional natural borders with modern, man-made ones, gaining insight into how colonialism reshaped the landscape. The lesson encourages critical thinking about language, identity, and sovereignty, highlighting the importance of preserving and respecting Mi'kmaq place names and their meanings. |
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Ryan Bucci
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D15 • UDL and Project Based Approach |
| I would like to explore the Grade 7 and 8 Social Studies curriculum and share the UDL and project-based approach I have developed. I was fortunate to join a school piloting the new curriculum and have spent several years creating and refining module-based units for each course. An important part of the session will also focus on potential AI use cases within these courses. I have earned ambassador program roles for both MagicSchool AI and Brisk Teaching based on how I have integrated their tools into my teaching practice. |
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Robyn Brown
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D16 • Holocaust Education Resources and Reflection |
| Sharing resources Holocaust education that you can directly use in your own classroom. |
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
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D17 • Waste Management and Climate Action |
| Divert NS Learn how waste management connects to so many different areas of environmental sustainability. Divert NS will highlight a few of their newest educational resources, discussing how waste management is climate action, what we can do to reduce ocean plastics, and how our individual actions & choices related to waste reduction and management can have a huge impact. |
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Sonya Evans
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D18 • AI in the Classroom |
| Exploring technology and techniques you can directly bring back into your own classroom! "Hands On" the NS Archives! NS Archives A hands-on opportunity for teachers to learn more about our holdings and how to connect them to our online Teaching & Learning Resource. |
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Sandra Murray
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D19 • Teacher Presentation |
| Hold for Sandra's description |
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
SMU Staff
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D20 • Professor Workshop 8 |
| Hold for Professor Description |
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
SMU Staff
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D21 • Professor Workshop 9 |
| Hold for Professor Description |
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
SMU Staff
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D22 • Professor Workshop 10 |
| Hold for Professor Description |
2:45 p.m.
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Annual General Meeting - Loyola Conference Hall |
