aisi conference 2011 report (2011) - alberta...aisi conference 2011 conference engaging minds:...
TRANSCRIPT
AISI Conference 2011 Conference
Report Engaging Minds: It’s All About the Learning
Conference Extends Learning for All The tenth annual AISI Conference took conference-style
learning to another level by making more learning more
possible more of the time for more people.
Record numbers of participants represented a true
microcosm of education in Alberta, including parents,
school age students and university students. Also, more
trustees than ever before attended.
Twenty-nine school authorities—Public, Charter,
Francophone and Private—gave presentations over the
two-day conference.
The results of a one-month-later survey clearly
demonstrated the impact the conference had on
delegates’ thinking and practice. Respondents reported
an increase in professional networking and productive
challenges to their thinking as a direct result of their
conference experience.
Research Since AISI is a research-based program,
it is not surprising that research featured prominently in
the conference. Keynote speaker Mark Anielski of
Edmonton and author of The Economics of Happiness,
presented his “genuine wealth accounting” system as a
tool for diagnosing sustainability and the conditions of
wellbeing. Dr. Bryan Kolb, of the Canadian Centre for
Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of
Lethbridge, presented the latest brain research and its
implications for learning. The University Partners led
sessions where they reported their findings from recent
research and reviews of AISI projects. District project
teams led seventy sessions where they presented results
and implications of their Cycle 4 projects, thus far.
Engagement A remarkable aspect of all AISI
conferences is the degree to which they are both led by
and customized for delegates.
This year, there were 217 presenters, almost all of
whom were project team members as well as delegates
at the conference.
Collaboration Another laudable conference
feature is the collaboration across jurisdictions that
made some remarkable sessions possible this year.
Members of the seven-district project in Zone 6 moved
from Social Studies to Mathematics resource
development in Year Two and presented their current
findings. Dr. Jim Parsons teamed with four individuals
from project teams featured in the new book Little Bits
of Goodness that he co-authored with Kelly Harding, to
tell stories of project successes across Alberta. The
newly introduced and well-received pecha kucha
thematic discussions provided an efficient and effective
template for project teams to come together to share
their findings.
Registered Delegates
Dis
tric
t R
ep
s
79
0
AISI Leaders 331
District Administrators 67
School Administrators 84
Teachers 245
Teacher Assistants 4
Trustees 48
Parents 11
Pa
rtn
ers
10
7
University Faculty 11
University Students 22
Alberta Education 48
Association of School Business Officials of Alberta 2
Alberta Teachers Association 6
Alberta School Councils Association 11
College of Alberta School Superintendents 2
Alberta School Boards Association 5
Oth
er
18
Alberta Regional Professional Development
Consortium
7
Alberta Assessment Consortium 1
Members of Legislative Assembly 2
Chinese Delegates 4
Other 4
Total Delegates 915
P a g e | 2 Conference Report 2011
Minister’s Message Minister of Education, Honourable Dave Hancock,
brought greetings to the conference on the opening
morning with a message of strong support for AISI
as a catalyst for the transformation of our
education system.
The Minister congratulated
the AISI Partners who guide
and support AISI as an
example of how education
partners can work together
to use creative and
innovative approaches that
are transforming education
in this province. He
emphasized the key role
that both collaboration and
local decision making have in educational
innovation: “Effective collaboration among
educators, administrators, parents, students and
communities is the only way to make the changes
necessary to meet the needs of our students now
and in the future.”
The Minister emphasized the central position that
research is playing and will increasingly play in the
education sector, explaining that “educational
research provides a beneficial foundation for both
students and teachers which leads to an
improvement in teaching and learning situations.”
Minister Hancock placed AISI solidly in the broader
context of Alberta Education’s engagement
initiatives and applauded AISI for focusing on
enhancing the learning environment for students
through active and collaborative learning, critical
thinking and knowledge creation and for supporting
students as individuals with unique needs and
interests.
“As always, the AISI conference highlights the best and
brightest in the province and offers me an uplift, a
validation and positive hope for the future in our school.”
Conference delegate
Connecting Research and Practice AISI recognizes that a dynamic relationship between
research and practice is an engine for innovation
and improvement. All conference proceedings—
from keynote presentations to pecha kuchas—
reflected this powerful dynamic, embracing diverse
sources of research, including clinical studies,
sociological research and practitioner-based action
research. Throughout the conference, participants
studied what is known about teaching and learning,
considering and discussing the implications for their
own practice.
“The collection of data, both quantitative and qualitative,
is an important part of any project or program
implementation. More important, however, is what you
do with it. How do you know what data you need to
collect? Better yet, how can you take what you have and
turn it into something meaningful that will impact
student learning? Join our group learning activities as we
explore and discover together.”
Session description from a Calgary RCSSD project
Dr. Bryan Kolb explained how
learning experiences may not
only cause lasting structural
changes in the brain that allow a
person to more effectively
embrace further learning, but
can also switch on genes that
may even impact a person’s
offspring. Bryan also added to the growing
evidence regarding the differing brain development
and, consequently, learning needs of males and
females.
Mark Anielski’s sociological research showed that
more aspects of quality of life can be measured than
was previously thought. Mark
presented a holistic model that
challenges conventional measures
of individual and community
success, describing the five assets
of “genuine wealth”: human,
social, natural, built and financial.
“The AISI Conference is a great place to dialogue with
colleagues about best practices and the latest research.
AISI is what truly propels our education system to the
best in the world.” Conference delegate
AISI University Partners presented the findings of
two research reviews recently commissioned by
AISI:
Student Engagement: What Really Matters—
The research team presented initial findings
highlighting how AISI projects have helped
increase student engagement and teacher
efficacy.
P a g e | 3 Conference Report 2011
Assessment for Learning: The Real Difference
Maker—This newly published report was
distributed to all delegates and posted on the AISI
website. The report presents an analysis of
assessment for learning strategies used
successfully in twenty-four projects.
Highlights from the Cycle 3 Provincial Report were
presented by Dr. Alfred Sakyi of Alberta Education,
focusing on the key findings and learning from the
2006-09 AISI projects. The Highlights document
was distributed and also posted on the AISI website.
93 presentations
217 presenters
44 projects presented
8 partner organizations
58 showcase sessions
18 gallery walks
15 pecha kucha presentations
2 keynotes
Project teams presented on numerous action
research topics, including the following:
Personalized learning was the topic of two Calgary
School District showcase sessions presenting
instructional strategies effective in transforming
and expanding students’ learning, choice and
voice through the development of relevant,
purposeful and authentic learning opportunities
from which students can begin to imagine their
futures.
Inquiry-based learning strategies were presented
by several project teams, including those from
Calgary School District, Edmonton CSSD, Northern
Gateway and Calgary Girls’ School. The
presenters showed how exploring powerful
questions and researching topics of immediate
interest and concern to students helps them
become actively engaged and empowered to be
agents of change through active citizenship. As
well, presenters explained how students’
metacognitive awareness, depth of inquiry and
capacity to create new knowledge increase during
inquiry-based learning.
Technology as an effective tool for teaching and
learning was the topic of several presentations,
including those of Peace Wapiti, Chinook’s Edge
and Elk Island Public. Presenters showed how
online learning tools for self-checks, reflection
and collaboration can help some students
become self-directed and engaged in their
learning. The multiple uses of mobile devices and
of Google Apps provide equitable access and
timely feedback for students and create a
pathway of learning for both students and
teachers that is changing the face of classrooms.
Westmount Charter School described how a video
analysis program can be used in a differentiation
model to address a variety of learning outcomes
in Physical Education and Science. Initial results
demonstrate increased student engagement.
Inter-Jurisdictional Project The growing membership of the Zone 6 inter-
jurisdictional project now involves Horizon,
Medicine Hat Catholic, Medicine Hat School District,
Palliser, Prairie Rose, Westwind and Holy Spirit.
Members of this innovative team presented
materials developed for Math K-9 and Math 10-3
using SMARTNotebook. The team also described
the trendsetting process by which the seven
jurisdictions are breaking down jurisdictional
boundaries to collaboratively share pedagogy,
discuss learning strategies and build resources as
they work towards improving learner engagement
through innovation and creating networks that
support best practices shared across the south.
“We were struck by the vastness and variety in the AISI
projects and how the new networks we have formed will
help to build upon existing passions, interests and
partnerships.”
University student
P a g e | 4 Conference Report 2011
Students were a big conference
presence Students participated throughout the conference,
as presenters, performers and delegates. Twenty-
five students were involved in showcase sessions
from several school authorities. Eighty students
were involved in lunchtime stage performances.
Twenty-two university education students from
across Alberta attended the conference. They met
to discuss the implications of the conference for
their learning and gave resoundingly positive
feedback about the diverse showcase sessions, the
provocative keynote presentations and the gallery
exhibitions.
“…we have been given the impetus to continually learn
and study after exposure to such professional
commitment…Thank you. It was an amazing experience
and beneficial to our journey in pursuing our teaching
careers.”
University student
Students were very interested and impressed by the
calibre and the currency of action research
undertaken by teachers. They took away new ideas
and important perspectives on student
engagement, on empowering all learners, and on
how one provides for real and authentic
opportunities for inquiry.
“We found the conference to be a marvelous example of
the commitment of teachers to provide engaging
learning, to undertake critical and thorough research and
to build wide ranging networks meant to shape the
future of education in Alberta.”
University student
What is Pecha Kucha? Pecha Kucha 20x20 is a simple presentation format
where the presenter shows twenty images for
twenty seconds each. The presenter talks along to
the images, which forward automatically. The
format is concise, conveying the essential ideas to
participants and freeing up time for questions and
discussion.
Fifteen project teams seized this first ever
opportunity to use the pecha kucha format. Teams
came together in the following thematic sessions:
high school completion, professional learning,
parental engagement, student engagement,
literacy, and skills for learning in the 21st
century.
“I have been going for several years and am pleased to
see the quality improve each time. The projects are
increasing in quality and some really innovative stuff is
happening in Alberta.”
“It was my first AISI conference. I found it extremely well
organized. Topics/presenters were current and very
informative; lots of great ideas to think about and
implement. Overall, I found the experience very
worthwhile and plan to attend next year.
Congratulations on a well organized and thought
provoking conference!”
“This was the best AISI Conference I’ve attended. Great
balance of keynotes, sessions, and networking time.”
“This conference is one of the highlights of my
professional year! The energy and excitement are
intoxicating.”
Conference delegates
Memorial Composite High
School Mixed Ensemble,
Parkland School Division
Kirkness Elementary
School Choir, Edmonton
School District
Ardrossan Jr/Sr High School
Jazz Band, Elk Island Public
Schools
Phlip Five and a Mexican,
East Side Christian Academy
P a g e | 5 Conference Report 2011
Conference Feedback
Delegates were invited to provide two kinds of
feedback on the conference:
The conference experience
Immediately following the conference, delegates
responded to an electronic survey, rating the
conference and providing comments. A total of 94%
of respondents rated the conference as 6 or higher,
on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following is a summary of comments provided by
delegates through the electronic survey, in which they
provided commendations and recommendations for
future conferences.
Keynotes: Ø Thought provoking, inspiring, and knowledgeable speakers, particularly the keynote on brain research. Wish there
was more time for speakers to explore ideas in more depth. Perhaps the same speaker could present over two days.
Showcase Sessions: Ø Fantastic, “real world” sessions delivered by passionate and enthusiastic presenters. Encourage more depth and
participant engagement, next time. Consider some workshop-style presentations. Program descriptions must be
clear and should identify intended audience as well as theme.
Pecha Kucha Sessions: Ø Loved the new format! Very informative, fast-paced, allowing time for multiple presentations. Three presentations
in a one-hour session, back-to-back, followed by short question period might be a better format. Consider offering
repeat presentations and allowing time for movement between rooms. Schedule these sessions in the morning.
Gallery Displays: Ø Attractive, but not as informative as sessions.
Ø Student Performances
Ø Delightful! Much appreciated addition to the conference. More variety in types of performances might be nice.
Meals: Ø Hot, served, and with time to consume…an elementary teacher’s dream! Meals were delicious, but more healthy
food offerings would be appreciated. Simpler meals (i.e.: soup and sandwiches) would be fine.
Facility: Ø Comfortable and convenient, but try to resolve the issue of sound carrying between salons.
Audio Visual: Ø The sound quality in Hall A/B was good, but the screens were difficult to read. Add more screens and include a
screen with a camera shot of the speaker. Good wireless connection. Consider a Twitter hashtag next time. If
possible, provide digital projectors for all salons.
Organization: Ø Top notch! Well balanced program, but consider scheduling more time for lunch. Include a minimum ten-minute
break between sessions. Conference bags and books much appreciated. Program available on website, in advance
of conference also appreciated. Consider posting keynote handouts/articles on website, as well.
1% 1% 1% 2% 2%
7%
20%
36%
21%
11%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Pe
rce
nt
of
Re
spo
nd
en
ts
Overall Satisfaction with the Conference
P a g e | 6 Conference Report 2011
The impact of the conference
A second round of feedback was collected one month later, when delegates were invited to provide reflections about
the ongoing impact the conference made on their thinking and practice. The high response rate (28%) and the positive
responses are indications of the powerful and lasting impact the conference had on delegates.
Conference Goal: To inspire innovation and facilitate knowledge mobilization about effective strategies and
practices
As a result of something you learned at the conference, has
your thinking been stimulated/challenged? Has your
practice been influenced/changed?
“The AISI conference has always had elements that have
challenged my thinking.”
“I have found the AISI conferences to be the single, most
important conference that I attend each year.”
“I was really inspired by the presentation on meta-cognition.
Since the conference, I have had my students journal their
thinking. This has been an excellent teaching tool.”
Conference Goal: To encourage lateral networking across school authorities
Have you made connections with someone you met at the
conference to talk about AISI projects? From your school…
from your own school district…from another school
district…from the university?
“Even though our school divisions across Alberta are unique in
their challenges and must create unique solutions, there is so
much that we can learn from each other. Collaboration and
building relationships are absolutely critical pieces to the AISI (and
education!) puzzle.”
“This conference allows collaboration between districts and is
essential in extending our thinking.”
Conference Goal: To engage participants in professional dialogue before, during, and after the conference.
Have you passed ideas along to others since attending this
conference?
“We have taken a number of the engagement ideas presented at
the conference to staff meetings here, and are looking forward to
working them into our own implementation plans.”
“I was able to take ideas from the AISI Conference to my
daughter’s school and inform other parents about AISI in general
as well as the initiatives in our district and beyond.”
68%
24%
8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
stimulated or challenged
influenced or changed
not yet
7%
30%
35%
4%
24%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
school school district
another district
university not yet
91%
9%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
Yes No
P a g e | 7 Conference Report 2011
Wordle based on delegate comments on the Reflections on the Impacts of the AISI Conference Survey
The New AISI Website and Post-Conference
Resources The new AISI website went live on March 14
th. The
website provides optimal and easy access to
information and resources to support the work of AISI.
It includes video clips from AISI projects, a new
Publications Search Tool, as well as current newsletters
from school authorities. The website informs
stakeholders and communities about AISI projects and
the research that is underway or completed. Early
feedback from users describes the new website as very
inviting, with a user-friendly format and upbeat look
and feel. The site is structured for different users:
Project Leaders, Educational Researchers, and Parents
and Community.
“AISI makes such a difference in supporting student success
in their learning programs. AISI facilitates teacher and
teacher-leader capacity. AISI inspires and engages school
and system leaders to challenge existing paradigms and
engage differently with students, families and key service
providers. AISI is transforming education in Alberta!”
Conference delegate
Post-conference resources are accessible on the new
website. Video-recordings of the keynote
presentations, many showcase sessions, along with
handouts, and all the pecha kuchas are available to
support delegates as they engage in professional
dialogue and continued learning after the
conference.
Post-conference resources: http://education.alberta.ca/admin/aisi/leaders/conferences.aspx
P a g e | 8 Conference Report 2011
Appreciation Sincere appreciation is expressed to everyone who contributed to
the AISI Conference 2011:
The Minister
Keynote Speakers
Education Partners Steering Committee
Student Performers
Showcase Presenters
Session Hosts
Gallery Walk Contributors
Conference Delegates
AISI Conference Committee
School Research and Improvement Branch
School Research and Improvement Team
To cite this report:
Alberta Education. Alberta Initiative for School Improvement. (2011).
AISI Conference 2011 Engaging Minds: It’s All About the Learning—
Conference Report. Edmonton, AB.
This report is available on the AISI website at
http://education.alberta.ca/aisi
Contact Us
School Research and Improvement
Branch
Alberta Education
44 Capital Blvd.
10044 – 108 Street
Edmonton, AB T5J 5E6
Telephone: (780) 427–3160
Fax: (780) 415–2481
Copyright © 2011, the Crown in Right of Alberta, as represented by the
Minister of Education.
Permission is given by the copyright owner for any person to reproduce
this publication or any part thereof for educational purposes and on a
nonprofit basis.