Speakers

Keynote

Prof. David J. Helfand
President and Vice-Chancellor, Quest University Canada
President, American Astronomical Society
Professor of Astronomy, Columbia University (on leave)

Universities, built on a nineteenth century model, are being asked to address twenty-first century problems and to educate twenty-first century students. It's not always a perfect match. I will discuss an alternative model for undergraduate education and institutional structure that we have put into practice at a university designed from scratch with these issues in mind, Quest University Canada.

Gary Kern

Director of Learning,  St. George's School, Vancouver, BC

Making the transition to a “modern” school isn’t easy; for some schools they can build an alternative model of delivery but for most schools,  the changes need to come from within.  Gary will identify the outcomes necessary to begin and accelerate the changes for learning today as well as share his perspective on the changing role and challenges facing all of our schools today.

Kristi Blakeway

DisruptED Co-Host

Principal Harry Hooge Elementary, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows SD #42

Founder Project Hello

YWCA Vancouver Woman of Distinction 2014 

 

Sean Nosek

DisruptED Co-Host

Director of Instruction; Learning and Innovation, West Vancouver SD #45

Named One of Canada's Outstanding Principals by The Learning  Partnership 2014

Breakout Presentations:

1.  Digital Badges: A New Knowledge Currency?

Charles Tsai is the Director of Learning Networks for Ashoka Canada. He leads a three year effort to engage Canadian colleges and universities in strengthening support for changemaking and social innovation. Through a series of national initiatives - including events, campaigns and special projects - Learning Networks seeks to catalyze collaboration and learning across innovation ecosystems. Charles also leads efforts to create a new knowledge currency (in the form of digital badges) for social innovation. A former reporter and producer for CNN, Charles ventured into the social sector in 2005 when he started Global Youth Fund, a charity based in Vancouver. In 2008, he joined Ashoka to oversee global campaigns supporting young social entrepreneurs. He has mentored hundreds of young changemakers through Global Youth Fund and Ashoka's Youth Venture. Charles writes about social innovation at SocialCreatives.org and Huffington Post.

Disrupting education at scale is only possible if we can challenge the current system of credentials (the way we currently recognize learning and achievement). A promising alternative can be found in digital badges, which will impact many aspects of learning, not just credentialing. How do badges work? How do we structure learning around badges? Will they become the new "gold stars" or can they help us make learning more relevant, flexible and open?

2.  SelfDesign Learning Community

Michael Maser is a co-founder, educator and 'visioneer' of the innovative and Independent (DL) SelfDesign Learning school programs in BC, now enrolling close to 2,000 BC children and youth. Michael's recent book, 'Learn Your Way! SelfDesigning the Life You Really Want, Starting Now' is now an approved healthand personal development text book for BC middle and high school courses. In 2006 Michael shared a Prime Minister's Award and a BC Ministry of Education Special Merit award with his SelfDesign co-founding colleagues for their work in pioneering SelfDesign. Michael is experienced and knowledgeable about PL approaches to learning and he has advocated in support of PL to government, school boards, educators and business and educational leaders.

In this presentation Michael will overview the SelfDesign approach to nurturing personalized learning (PL), drawing on conceptual orientations aswell as pragmatic approaches to supporting PL in a Distributed Learning environment. Michael will likewise invite audience participants to share their experiences in implementing PL approaches and also invite their questions. 

4.  Transforming Challenges into Opportunities: Reframing Schools with Declining Enrollment

Dan Miles, recognized as one of Canada's Outstanding Principals by the Learning Partnership in 2014, will tell the story of school transformation over six years at J. V. Humphries School in Kaslo; Sacha Kalabis, a visionary Vice Principal,  will tell the story of a new beginning at Salmo Secondary School.

This presentation will highlight two school communities that are experiencing deep cultural shifts as they attend to the learning needs of their students and find ways to implement innovation that matters.  Although the original impetus for change was a result of declining population and resources – these schools are now leading the way in the establishment of structures that support student driven learning.  Sometimes small schools become embroiled in the conversation about what they can’t do.  These schools chose to focus on what they can do to create a thriving school environment that engages learners every day.  Far from traditional in their approach, these schools listen carefully to the hopes of students and the community.  Highly energetic and  flexible staff and a responsive timetable make it possible to welcome learners to amazing opportunities.

5.  DisruptHEAD

Jennifer Hayes and Jenn Wisniowski, Mindful Teachers

In an increasingly complex and hectic world, mindfulness is finding ground as an effective method of stress reduction and enhanced learning. In 2013, the TCDSB piloted a Mindfulness Ambassador Council program that aims to teach the strategies of mindfulness to a teenage audience. The goal is to equip them with the ability to handle the demands of their world using healthy, proven stress management techniques. Furthermore, students are taught leadership skills as they are expected to become ambassadors of mindfulness in their school community.

Our presentation includes a definition of mindfulness, its benefits and techniques, a video which depicts the Mindfulness Ambassador Council in action at Mary Ward, and a mindfulness group meditation session. A Q&A session will follow.

  

6. Meaningful Reporting without Letter Grades

David Vandergugten

David Vandergugten M.Ed, a Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence 1997 recipient and Apple Distinguished Educator is the Acting Assistant Superintendent in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. David has taught at all levels of the public school system and has been a Provincial Technology Facilitator and speaker throughout Canada. 

In 2002 David created the Wireless Writing Program, one of the first one-to-one laptop programs in Canada. Currently David is implementing a district wide program that incorporates iPad technology and 21st Century Skills to facilitate student work in research, inquiry and action on real-world issues.   

In this session we will explore the new district wide School District No. 42 Reporting Model that does not use letter grades. 

For three years, staffs in School District No. 42 have explored a better way to communicate student learning. Our reporting design recognizes that learning is often integrated and emphasizes progress in Literacy and Numeracy as core skills across all subjects. 

For the Intermediate Grades, the Core Competencies are used to highlight and value students as individuals.  For the Primary Grades, self-regulation and learning dispositions allow us to highlight and value students as individuals in this same manner.

In this session we will review the reporting committees work, including a variety of useful tools such as communication materials for parents to support and explain this redesigned model for reporting.

7.Rethinking Education  

Amit Sandhu, Punit Dhillon, and Rattan Bagga are innovators and entrepreneurs, and the co-founders of YELL (Young Entrepreneur Leadership Launchpad) .

In this section of DisruptED, we will share a few unique stories of individuals whom had an upbringing in enterprising immigrant families that instilled the importance of entrepreneurial thinking as a foundational life skill. The Co-Founders of YELL will sheds light on their discoveries and takes us through there personal journey of building a multi-disciplinary educational platform for the delivery of entrepreneurship and leadership programs for high school students. They will explains how widespread, community supported mentorship in collaboration with passionate educators within existing school systems can truly empower the next generation of change makers and creative problem solvers. 

Three mini presentations will be given:  

Empowering the Next Generation of Problem Solvers

The Creative Destruction of Education

The Changing Paradigm with Social Entrepreneurism 

  

8. The Inquiry Hub:

A Journey in Personalized Learning, Blended Instruction and Inquiry

David Truss is Vice Principal of Coquitlam Open Learning and Inquiry Hub Secondary School, and co-founder of the Inquiry Hub. He has been in education for 16 years, with two of those years as a Principal in China, and the rest of his experience in Coquitlam. He has worked in schools from Pre-K to Adult education, and he has an interest in blended learning and the use of technology to create open, connected learning environments. His ‘Pair-a-Dimes for Your Thoughts’ blog has been his open learning journal for over 8 years: http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com

The Inquiry Hub is a technology driven, full-time blended learning school that allows Grade 9-12 learners to shape their own educational experience around personal interests and questions instead of structured classes. The school leverages online learning resources to frame curriculum and ensure students meet all required instructional outcomes while working concurrently on co-designed personal and group experiences based on their own inquiry questions. The program exemplifies the notion of personalized learning through the use of key tools, such as

independent directed study, to provide students with flexible graduation credit options. This session will introduce you to the Inquiry Hub model along with some of the key principals and processes which guide the learning experience.

9.  School as a Startup 

Darren Rowell is the Principal of Garibaldi Secondary School.  

This conversation will focus on how educators (teachers and administrators) can support innovation in schools by mirroring the process used by start ups & pop ups - start small, move fast & fail (learn) well. The conversation will look at how start ups such as AirBnB have gone from idea to worldwide success and how local Vancouver pop ups, like JDs Barbershop, are disrupting existing services & industries, as well as Darren’s experience with the growth of laptop program at THSS and throughout SD42 high schools. There will be conversation, discussion, sharing & you will do an elevator pitch.

10.  Moving Forward with High School Redesign: Lessons from The Province of Alberta
Susan Poole is a Senior Education Manager for Alberta Education supporting the work of High School Completion and High School Redesign. As a former high school principal Susan, along with her colleagues developed and implemented a Student-Centric approach to teaching and learning. Through this work she has been fortunate to experience firsthand what collaboration between schools across the province can do to bring to life the vision of Moving Forward with High School Redesign.

Moving Forward with High School Redesign (MFWHSR) is about shifting mindsets. This mindset shift leads to changes in practice to ensure that flexible learning environments are created and used to support increased student engagement in learning, improved student achievement and enhanced teacher practice.  This initiative recognizes that while the 158 participating schools share common goals, high school redesign will look different in each school, as each school's local context is different. Alberta Education works alongside jurisdictions and schools in a coaching model designed to support continuous improvement in each school. This collaborative initiative has ignited the passion of schools across the province to come together with the shared purpose of ensuring every student experiences success in high school.

11.  From Zero to Self-Directed: The A.L. Fortune Story 
Gene Doray is the Principal of A.L. Fortune in Enderby, British Columbia. He will be joined by students for this presentation. 

This presentation will explain how the staff and students of a small rural school from Enderby, B.C. embarked on a journey to transform the teaching/learning paradigm.   Facing the challenge of continued declining enrolment, the A.L. Fortune community sought to re-imagine schooling for the 21^st Century.  What began out of “necessity” has become our shared “responsibility” as we look to engage students, teachers and the community in a more personalized learning model.  Greater student voice, teacher collaboration, teacher/student co-creation of courses, and efforts to integrate curricula has created a level of excitement for the future that is unparalleled.  Change is no longer what we “do” – it is a part of who we are.