In the Loop – April 11, 2024

April 11, 2024

KEY RESOURCES IN LANGLEY

HONOURING TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

2024 Art, Video & Photo Contest for Indigenous Youth | Indigenous Traditional Knowledge & Medicine | More info | Printable Poster
To celebrate the rich cultural and heritage traditions of the Indigenous people of Canada, FORED is sponsoring its annual artwork, photography and video contest with $150 cash prizes for Indigenous youth, aged 5-18. This contest is a wonderful opportunity to find a mentor in the Elder community to pass down this important knowledge to Indigenous youth. Contest deadline: May 19, 2024.
Additional Traditional Knowledge Bursary: For educators or parents with older Indigenous youth possibly exploring post-secondary choices in sustainable natural resources management at BC’s Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT), FORED also sponsors a Traditional Knowledge bursary of $500 each year (since 2010), administered by NVIT.

DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
To see our full calendar of offerings, visit www.thinklangley.com

RC Garnett Demonstration Day | Friday May 17 | Register
As part of the District’s Professional Development offerings on Friday May 17, we will once again be offering Dem Day at RC Garnett on the morning of Friday May 17.  Demonstration Day at RC Garnett is an opportunity for classroom teachers to visit RC Garnett while it is in session, and observe RCG teachers in action with students. Classroom teachers from grades K to 5 will be providing instruction on a variety of relevant topics and will be demonstrating a multitude of instructional strategies and practices for attendees to take with them. Participants will be able to sign up for two different classroom sessions in the morning and then will be able to return to join the afternoon activities at their home school.  Space in each session is limited so be sure to sign up early and not miss out!

Educator Discovery Tour of Academy Farms | Friday May 17, 2024 | Register
Located at 23480-40th Avenue, Academy Farms is a local and one-of-a-kind farm that has been operating in the Township of Langley since 2021. In addition to raising unique animals such as bison and water buffalo, the farm also takes great pride in their innovative, sustainable and modern approach to agriculture. On the District Pro-D Day, Friday May 17, Academy Farms will be offering an opportunity for educators to tour the farm and learn more about the educational programs and opportunities that are available for students and classes.  The tour will run from 11 am to 12 pm with a lunch being provided by the farm immediately following the tour.  Staff interested in attending would start their day at their home school for the Ensouling our Schools Presentation with Len Pierre before heading to the farm for the start of the tour at 11 am.  They would then return back to their home school after the tour and lunch for any school-based pro-d activities in the afternoon.  Please register at the link above – deadline to register is Friday May 10.

Career Spotlight – Trades: Construction, Piping/Plumbing & Transportation
with Jerry Pol, Shelby Moon & Steve Davis | On-Demand Learning Feature
Learn about different careers in the Trades industry! Presenters include members from various trades backgrounds. Listen to speakers as they talk about their occupation/role in the Trades industry as well as their career journeys.

Workshops:

Nurturing Young Writers (K – 3) with Matt Glover – Session 3 | April. 16, 2024 I Register
One of the challenges teachers face is determining what to teach each day during a unit of study in writing workshop. Even when teachers have curricular plans and resources that give teaching possibilities, only teachers can determine what their students need each day. In this session teachers will learn and use a process for designing writing units that meet curricular goals and respond to the individual needs of their students

Occupational First Aid Level 1 (OFA1) | May. 17, 2024 I Register
The WorkSafeBC Occupational First Aid Level 1 course is an 8-hour program, including coffee and lunch breaks and is designed to provide life-saving first aid skills to workers in industry. Successful candidates must demonstrate competency in practical skills and achieve 72% or higher on a multiple-choice exam. Certification is valid for three years.

Lessons on the Land | May. 17, 2024 I Register
Our climate is changing and so is education. Be a part of the shift to learning from the land, on the land, with your students. This workshop will empower educators to teach about climate change by including experiential outdoor learning. Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) and Langley Environmental Educators Provincial Specialists Association (LEEPSA) have teamed up to provide this Professional Development Day workshop because we both believe that knowledge and nature connection can lead to positive action for the environment.

EXTERNAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Multicultural Education Opportunity | Apr 13, 2024 | Register
Multicultural Services is offering a Professional Development Training opportunity to broaden cultural understanding and enhance pedagogical skills. It is taking place in Richmond from 10:00am to 3:00pm on April 13, 2024. The program entails a comprehensive visit to prominent institutions of religious significance, namely a Muslim Mosque, Buddhist Temple, Sikh Temple, and a Hindu Temple! By immersing themselves in these diverse religious and cultural contexts, educators will have a more inclusive and empathetic approach to teaching. The cost is $99; please register and pay at the above link.

Educators’ Pro D Day in Chinatown | April 22, 2024 | Register
Like an open house, our 4 wonderful organizations – Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Chinatown Storytelling Center, Chinese Canadian Museum and Dragon Boat BC are opening up our doors for an Educators’ Experience in Chinatown on Monday, April 22nd, 2024.
Vancouver’s Chinatown is one of Canada’s most iconic neighbourhoods and an ideal site for studying the city’s history and unique diversity. Our four dynamic cultural organizations are teaming up to welcome teachers for a day of guided tours, learning, and networking. Teachers will have the opportunity to meet the programming staff at each venue and learn about the engaging programs being developed for students of all ages. Tickets are $50 per person.

Approaching Public Policy Like an Economist | May 10, 2024 | Teacher Workshops – Fraser Institute | Register
On May 10th you’ll delve into practical strategies for integrating economic principles into discussions surrounding public policy. Explore innovative teaching methods and gain invaluable insights to empower your students with economic literacy. In additional to providing a wealth of resources, we also offer a limited number of travel and substitute teacher bursaries to make these programs more accessible.
Plus, ignite your students’ passion for economics with our renowned Student Essay Contest! Encourage them to showcase their analytical prowess and innovative ideas on pressing economic issues. With exciting cash prizes and recognition opportunities, it’s a chance for your students to shine on a national platform.

CAfLN Alberta Conference 2024 – Assessment as Communication | Oct 3-5, 2024 | More info
This fall conference is taking place in Canmore, Alberta. The organizers are incredibly excited to be working with  Alberta Assessment Consortium (AAC) and the Calgary Regional Consortium (CRC)
The CAfLN Alberta Assessment Conference will draw from assessment experts nationwide! Engage with keynote speakers, including Damian Cooper, Lorna Earl, Ken O’Connor, and Katie White. Dive into breakout sessions, led by local and national classroom assessment experts, exploring diverse assessment topics including sessions on the conference theme ‘Assessment as Communication: Let’s Talk’.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF/STUDENTS/CLASSES

Local Farms Offering Tours for Classes
There are two local farms, Academy Farm and Stable Harvest Farms, that both offer unique educational farm tours for schools and classes right here in Langley.  Check out the write-ups below for more information on each of the tours available.

  • Educational Tours and Programs | Stable Harvest Farm | More info | Register
    Stable Harvest Farm is a local farm located across from the Langley Airport near Langley Secondary School.  They offer immersive, hands-on educational programs for classes grade 1-12 where students can explore topics such as soil health, pollination, water conservation, greenhouse farming and invasive species.
  • Discovery Farm Tours for K to 12 | Academy Farm | More info
    Academy Farms is a local and one-of-a-kind farm that has been operating in the Township of Langley since 2021. In addition to raising unique animals such as bison and water buffalo, the farm also takes great pride in their innovative, sustainable and modern approach to agriculture.  Academy Farms is now offering Discovery Farm Tours for classes at all grade levels – K to 12 – that is directly linked to the provincial curriculum. To learn more about the Tours and what is available as well as for information on the pre and post tour resources available to teachers, please check out the full Academy Farms brochure found at the link above.

The Trees of Portage Park – Interpretive Forest | Map
The City of Langley invites teachers to bring their classes and students to Portage Park to visit the Tress of Portage Park Interpretive Forest. The Trees of Portage Park not only allows teachers to bring students into the outdoors, the Interpretive Forest also provides an opportunity for students to learn about the different types of trees that live within our community. Every tree in the forest has an individual sign to help identify what makes it unique. Check out the map at the link above to learn more and see the full park.

PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL READINGS AND RESOURCES

Four Effective Ways to Quiet a Noisy Classroom – Jeff Horwitz | Article
Are you an elementary teacher with a highly energetic class, looking for some tried and true techniques to create a focused learning environment and get your students attention and keep them focussed, especially as we enter the spring and head towards the end of the year?  Jeff Horwitz shares some effective techniques to quiet and calm a noisy classroom, some that are silent, and a couple that are not so silent! While these techniques tend to work best with younger, primary students, they could be worth trying with older students as well!

Universal Design (UDL) in Action in the Classroom | Article
Below are two short video clips of teachers who have incorporated some simple UDL strategies into their classroom that have both helped increase student engagement and also make their work as the teacher more effective and efficient. If you are not familiar with single point rubrics, or would like to also learn more about other types of rubrics that can be used to improve and enhance your assessment practice, check out the article on rubrics from Katie Novak above.

  • “This or That” Strategy | Video
    In this example, the teacher explains how they have incorporated the “This or That” strategy with her students when doing math problems.  Incorporating this simple strategy in her instruction has allowed her to see a huge increase in student engagement through the power of providing students some choice and autonomy in their learning, while still being able to hold all students accountable for the key learning goals they are trying to meet!
  • Use of a single point rubric | Video
    In this example, the teacher talks about how the use of a single point rubric into her assessment practice has had a huge impact in helping make the learning goals clearer for students, which in turn has improved the quality of their projects, while at the same time has helped simply the assessment process for the teacher.

TECH TIPS

iPad Tool Help

  • Minecraft EDU: Interested in learning more about Minecraft? Start HERE
  • Screen Recording on an iPad: have students capture their learning. Start HERE

Meta Announces New AI Content Policy
AI Tool Report: Following criticism (back in February) from its Oversight Board (which independently reviews content moderation decisions) that its existing content policies are ‘narrow,’ ‘incoherent,’ and ‘confusing’, Meta has announced changes to its AI-generated content rules.

Key Points:

  • From May, Meta will add a ‘Made with AI’ label to a wider range of AI content—including videos, images, and audio—to differentiate deceptive content more clearly.
  • It already applies ‘Imagined with AI’ labels to photorealistic images using its Meta AI feature, but agrees with the Board’s argument that its existing approach is too narrow.
  • To avoid infringing freedom of speech, it’ll stop removing AI content unless it violates other policies (such as voter interference or bullying), instead relying on labeling.

Why you should care:

  • Meta’s shift towards adding labels to content that’s been identified as “AI-content” by the content creator or “industry standard AI image indicators”—and their decision to stop removing AI content if it doesn’t violate their policies—is designed to “provide transparency,” as the “better way to address content”, but it’s likely to lead to an increase in AI-generated content across Meta’s platforms.

 

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