GETCA 2025

Join this wet felting class to find the answer to all your felting questions. Learn about different felting methods and the many uses of wool in the world. Discover simple ways to incorporate wool into your class as you make a wet-felted 3D flower. In our felting classes, joyous energy is abundant as children touch, create with, sniff and marvel at wool every day. Every student is successful and creates a vibrant, lasting, unique piece of art. Now it's your turn! Barbara Leighton of the Leighton Art Centre believed people should try every art medium before they decided if they were artists or not. You may not be a painter - are you a ceramicist, a jeweler, a fibre artist? What's your medium? Come try something new!

In the pursuit of equitable education, the AP Afro-Canadian Diaspora Seminar serves as a vital initiative aimed at creating pathways to post-secondary success for underserved and marginalized students. Developed through a collaboration between the Centre for Global Education and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Future Launch, alongside Edmonton Public Schools, Halifax Regional, and Peel and Toronto District School Boards, this seminar focuses on the Afro-Canadian diasporic experience while emphasizing accessibility and inclusion. This session will explore how the ADC Seminar not only fosters critical skills that prepare students for higher education but also actively engages students from diverse backgrounds in an interdisciplinary learning journey. Participants will learn about innovative strategies to integrate the seminar’s themes into their classrooms, ensuring that the African diasporic narrative is not only represented but celebrated within the curriculum. By centering marginalized voices and experiences, the AP ADC Seminar aims to inspire students to see themselves as capable and confident contributors to their communities and the global landscape. Through engaging discussions and collaborative problem-solving, educators will be equipped with practical tools to support their students in navigating the complexities of post-secondary education. Join us as we embark on this important journey to empower all students, particularly those from underserved backgrounds, to realize their potential and thrive in their educational pursuits.

Join this wet felting class to find the answer to all your felting questions. Learn about different felting methods and the many uses of wool in the world. Discover simple ways to incorporate wool into your class as you make a wet-felted 3D flower. In our felting classes, joyous energy is abundant as children touch, create with, sniff and marvel at wool every day. Every student is successful and creates a vibrant, lasting, unique piece of art. Now it's your turn! Barbara Leighton of the Leighton Art Centre believed people should try every art medium before they decided if they were artists or not. You may not be a painter - are you a ceramicist, a jeweler, a fibre artist? What's your medium? Come try something new!

War is a complex and emotionally difficult subject to cover deeply and effectively in class, but it can be done in a caring, engaging, and inspiring manner that promotes enduring lessons learned. During this Canadian military history education session hosted by Valour Canada, attendees will observe different strategies and tactics teachers can employ in their classroom to increase student buy-in and more effectively educate about Canada's military history. Pedagogically speaking, the audience will see how hands-on, experiential learning (using scenarios presented to the students) can be used to elicit deeper critical thought from participating students. Methods for integrating discussion about positive citizenship will also be explored during this session. At least two of the following activities will be demonstrated for the audience: The Sinking of Llandovery Castle (WW1; Gr. 4 and up), The Battle of Vimy Ridge (WW1; Gr. 4 and up), and D-Day: Operation Neptune (WW2; Gr. 8 and up). All resources referenced during this presentation are freely available online.

First Nations people are the fastest growing demographic in Canada, and many classrooms teachers feel they are under-equipped to dive into the subject matter of the troubled history of the Canadian Governments interactions with the indigenous peoples of Canada. In an era where the The Indian Act and Numbered Treaties, and the history of colonialism's impact on indigenous peoples is getting much more coverage in both class and society, I'll try to provide information, historical context, and resources to help teachers navigate what can be intimidating subject matter.

In this session, participants will learn about current best practices in Holocaust education – including the importance of using first-hand accounts, incorporating trauma-informed pedagogical strategies and selecting appropriate content and methodologies for the contemporary Canadian classroom. Participants will leave with a better understanding of how to teach the Holocaust with a meaningful, appropriate and sensitive approach, in addition to a plethora of free resources that are ready to use.

Join this wet felting class to find the answer to all your felting questions. Learn about different felting methods and the many uses of wool in the world. Discover simple ways to incorporate wool into your class as you make a Kandinsky inspired wool picture. In our felting classes, joyous energy is abundant as children touch, create with, sniff and marvel at wool every day. Every student is successful and creates a vibrant, lasting, unique piece of art. Now it's your turn! Barbara Leighton of the Leighton Art Centre believed people should try every art medium before they decided if they were artists or not. You may not be a painter - are you a ceramicist, a jeweler, a fibre artist? What's your medium? Come try something new!

Propaganda! If there is one thing that most adults would agree on here in early 2025, it’s this: Never before in world history has propaganda been more ubiquitous and well-designed . . . in fact, the tools of the trade are now so advanced that increasing numbers of thoughtful people are beginning to wonder how much they really ‘know’ and how much of the past they accurately understood. And if that’s the case for adults, how can we expect students to be competent at thinking critically about what they observe, hear, or read? During this Canadian military history education session, attendees will observe how Canadian war posters from the First and Second World Wars can be used in their classroom to educate about propaganda, engage critical thinking, and further develop digital literacy skills. All resources referenced during this presentation are downloadable free-of-charge at ValourCanada.ca

Join this wet felting class to find the answer to all your felting questions. Learn about different felting methods and the many uses of wool in the world. Discover simple ways to incorporate wool into your class as you make a Kandinsky inspired wool picture. In our felting classes, joyous energy is abundant as children touch, create with, sniff and marvel at wool every day. Every student is successful and creates a vibrant, lasting, unique piece of art. Now it's your turn! Barbara Leighton of the Leighton Art Centre believed people should try every art medium before they decided if they were artists or not. You may not be a painter - are you a ceramicist, a jeweler, a fibre artist? What's your medium? Come try something new!

Economics is for everyone! Join the Bank of Canada Museum to walk you through a new set of six lesson plans and try them out for yourself. The activities include budgeting simulations, economic comic strips, charts and graphs on the Canadian economy, a data tool to explore immigration and trade, investing debates and more. This workshop will build up your own comfort level in teaching economic concepts in middle to high school social studies, geography, financial literacy and economics.

Are you struggling to develop your student’s academic social studies writing skills? This is the session for you! We will be focusing on paragraph structure building towards essay writing and interpreting sources and developing critical written responses leading to the source analysis. The scope and sequence from grade 7 to high school written tasks will be examined. We will be providing powerpoint lessons, tasks, templates and exemplars for a variety of different grades and abilities.