first nations - mfnerc · ing conference. this year’s theme is reclaiming our future: nurturing...
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FIRST NATIONS EARLY LEARNINGCONFERENCE 2016
Reclaiming our Future: Nurturing Early Learners
March 2-3, 2016Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre
Winnipeg, Manitoba
WelcomeOn behalf of the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre,
I would like to welcome you to the second First Nations Early Learn-
ing Conference. This year’s theme is Reclaiming our Future: Nurturing
Early Learners. Our traditions saw the health, safety, and development
of our children as a communal responsibility, and this viewpoint is true
today. We recognize that nurturing our children is the gateway to a
brighter future. This conference will look at ways we can support children to be successful in life
by focusing on the early years in their development, through sharing strategies and best practices.
Respectfully,
Lorne C. Keeper
Conference Schedule8:00 Registration (Carlton Room)
9:30
Opening Prayer (Wellington Room)
Welcoming Remarks: Lorne C. Keeper, Executive Director, MFNERC
Elders Welcome: Mary Courchene and Don Robertson
10:30 Break
10:45 Keynote: Dr. Jean Clinton
12:00Lunch (Wellington Room)
Entertainment: Matthew Klyne
1:00 Workshop Session 1 (Embassy Rooms A-E)
2:15 Break
2:30 Workshop Session 2 (Embassy Rooms A-E)
8:00 Registration
9:00 Workshop Session 3 (Embassy Rooms A-E)
10:15 Break
10:30 Workshop Session 4 (Embassy Rooms A-E)
11:45 Lunch (Wellington Room)
12:45 Workshop Session 5 (Embassy Rooms A-E)
2:00 Break
2:15 Workshop Session 6 (Embassy Rooms A-E)
3:30 Closing Remarks and Prayer (Wellington Room)
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Keynote SpeakerDr. Jean Clinton
Dr. Jean Clinton has been a consultant to children and youth mental
health programs, child welfare, and primary care for almost 30 years.
She is a Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural
Neurosciences at McMaster, division of Child Psychiatry. She is also on
staff at McMaster Children’s Hospital with cross appointments in Pediat-
rics and Family Medicine, and an Associate in the Department of Child
Psychiatry, University of Toronto and Sick Children’s Hospital. Dr. Clinton
was recently appointed as an education advisor to the Premier of Ontario
and the Minister of Education.
She was a founding board member and a Fellow of Dr. Fraser Mustard’s Council for Early Child
Development. Dr. Clinton is a ZERO TO THREE International Fellow as well as a Fellow for the Child
Trauma Academy.
Her work for children has been recognized locally in Hamilton where she was nominated for Citizen
of the Year in 2005, and in 2010 Dr. Clinton received the Woman of Distinction award. She was also
honoured nationally, receiving the Naomi Rae Grant Award from the Canadian Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Dr. Clinton is renowned locally, provincially, nationally, and more recently internationally as an
advocate for children’s issues. Her special interest lies in brain development, and the crucial role
relationships and connectedness play therein. She champions the development of a national, compre-
hensive child well-being strategy including a system of early learning and care for all young children
and their families. Her greatest accomplishment remains being the mother of 5 wonderful kids who
range in age from 20 to 30 years.
Lunch EntertainmentMatthew Klyne
Singer, musician and performer, Matty Klyne lives and works in Win-
nipeg, and seeks to inspire audiences with his story. At a young age,
Matty was misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. School was a
place where he suffered many hardships. Teachers wrote him off as being
a “lazy student” who didn’t want to do his assigned work, and unat-
tainable expectations were placed on him. He felt depressed and even
considered suicide. Through all this struggle however, and with the love
and support of his family, Matty not only graduated from high school,
but an interest in music was born. Matty has since performed at many
live events, and was featured in Winnipeg’s Got Talent. Matty’s music, singing and message is always
received warmly and touches the hearts of all who hear him. Please feel free to speak to Matty after
his presentation. He will be more than happy to answer your questions.
Workshop DescriptionsAutism 101 and Strategies for SuccessPresenters: Erika Wainwright, Kelsey Purves
Wednesday 1:00pm–2:15pm Embassy A
Wednesday 2:30pm–3:45pm Embassy A
This session will offer an introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder, its characteristics, and how they
impact daily life. We will discuss strategies to support people with ASD in a variety of environments
including home, school and the community. The session will also examine the role of self-regulation in
Autism Spectrum Disorders and help to reframe participants’ perspectives on dysregulated behaviour.
Family LiteracyPresenter: Holly Fontaine, IRC/Library Facilitator, MFNERC
Thursday 9:00am–10:15am Embassy A
Literacy surrounds us. It is speaking, listening, numbers, images, language, words, patterns and more.
Literacy includes our ability to use all of these to help us communicate, interpret and participate in the
communities where we live. The goal of this workshop is to illustrate, using hands-on activities, how
important play and creativity are in nurturing early learners. Our first teachers are parents, siblings and
core family. We will use inter-generational activities to highlight forms of literacy in play. The activities
are designed to be fun and engaging, and facilitate parental involvement within First Nations schools.
Get Out, Play and Teach!Presenter: Barret Miller, FortWhyte Alive
Thursday 10:30am–11:45am Embassy A
Thursday 12:45pm–2:00pm Embassy A
This full-day workshop will equip participants to plan and deliver hands-on, practical outdoor activ-
ities. We will discuss and practice using adventure as an educational tool, and how to use your
outdoor space most effectively. The workshop will include several views on teaching and playing out-
doors, including elements of Forest School Canada’s approach, and FortWhyte Alive’s 40 years of
high-quality outdoor experiences.
Participants will gain an understanding of how playing and learning outdoors fosters whole-child
development; gain skills at assessing, managing, and working with the risks of taking children out-
doors; be given tools to assess and use your own local outdoor spaces most effectively; and leave the
workshop with practical, ready-to-use ideas, and with the confidence and skills to get the children you
work with outside, more often.
Homemade Books Made Easy for Lifelong Love of ReadingPresenter: Arlene Flatfoot, MFNERC
Thursday 2:15pm–3:30pm Embassy A
We need to support our children to discover a lifelong love of reading. In this workshop, numerous
opportunities to acquire language skills, improve reading ability and instill a lifelong love of reading
will be discussed. Participants will have the opportunity to make homemade books using a variety of
recycling materials and then take that knowledge back to their homes and communities. When chil-
dren see books they have created themselves, to be used in almost every part of the school day, they
will feel like an active participant in the reading process.
How to Work in a Reggio Inspired WayPresenter: Sue Narozniak, Red River College
Wednesday 1:00pm–2:15pm Embassy B
Wednesday 2:30pm–3:45pm Embassy B
This workshop is for those interested in or inspired by ideas from the Reggio Approach, a system of
early education that explores ideas of partners in learning, image of child and image of teacher within
a context of respect and rights of children.
We will begin to think about how the environment, educator and children work together to co-create
inviting curriculum that is needs and interest-based. Participants will be able to reflect on how these
ideas relate to your own practice. We will also identify key concepts of the Reggio Emilia approach
to education, discuss ideas of partnerships in learning and, reflect on how the key concepts relate to
practice. This session is suitable for those who are new as well as those currently practicing Reggio
inspired curriculum.
Teatree Tells – A Child Sexual Abuse Prevention KitPresenter: Jennifer Freeman, Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Thursday 9:00am–10:15am Embassy B
Thursday 10:30am–11:45am Embassy B
Teaching safety skills in preschool and early years establishes a foundation for later learning. Research
shows that offenders are less likely to target children who present a risk of telling. In this workshop,
we will talk about the scope of the problem of child sexual abuse and the early years prevention and
intervention program, Teatree Tells. Participants will learn how to establish open communication with
children, increasing the likelihood of disclosure; establish an understanding of boundaries so children
know what to disclose; introduce the issue of secrecy around touching and picture taking; and disrupt
the process of abuse before it becomes a contact offence.
Promoting Healthy Child Development and Healthy Relationships Through Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP)Presenter: Jean Tinling, Mosaic-Newcomer Family Resource Network
Thursday 12:45pm–3:30pm (Half-day Session) Embassy B
This workshop will be an overview of the PDEP program developed by Dr. Joan Durrant, University
of Manitoba in collaboration with Save the Children. The PDEP program was designed to be for all
parents and cultures. It aims to reduce physical punishment by educating parents and caregivers about
child development. Its objective is to help parents become problem-solvers and mentors to their chil-
dren. A version of the program for teachers is in development and follows the same model of teaching
and mentoring children in an environment that promotes respect for children’s developmental level and
individuality.
Planning for Continued Student SuccessPresenter: Cheryl Plaisier, Literacy Facilitator, MFNERC
Wednesday 1:00pm–2:15pm Embassy C
Having a complete picture of all the literacy skills your children already possess will help you as kin-
dergarten teachers and education assistants, to ensure that the literacy experiences you are planning
are focused on ensuring continued success and growth of each child. Participants in this workshop will
be provided with an overview of the Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement, the tasks in
the survey, and the use of the information collected in the planning of literacy experiences.
Three Pillars of Roots and Seeds of Empathy Presenter: Kathleen Captain Wednesday 2:30pm–3:45pm Embassy C
While exploring the Roots and Seeds of Empathy programs, participants in this workshop will learn to
understand the reasons why using Authentic Communication with preschoolers and nursery/kinder-
garten students leads to exploration of their environment and themselves. The session will also reinforce
the importance of celebrating, not what the children know, but how they feel, so that their early years’
environment provides a safety net of trust and fosters meaningful communication. Participants will
come to understand how and why acknowledging, validating and honouring a child’s questions and
answers leads to a child respecting and trusting his or her own intuitive feelings.
Alphabag ProgramPresenter: Richelle Lovegrove, Reading Clinician, MFNERC
Thursday 9:00am–10:15am Embassy C
Alphabet knowledge is a high predictor of reading success. This workshop will demonstrate how to link
the assessment of alphabet knowledge with instruction. Participants will gain knowledge in an inter-
vention program named Alphabag, which is a one-on-one multi-sensory approach to help students
increase their alphabet knowledge.
Traditional Child Rearing; Birth to PubertyPresenter: Roxanne Shuttleworth
Thursday 10:30am–11:45am Embassy C
Thursday 12:45pm–2:00pm Embassy C
This workshop will offer an overview of traditional child rearing including the roles of parents, grand-
parents, extended family and community. It will include the use and purpose of moss bags and cradle
boards. We will also look at the the expectations and role of the child in the home and in the commu-
nity, and preparation for their transition to puberty and adulthood.
ABC&D’s of Managing Children’s Behaviour Through Responsive Early Learning EnvironmentsPresenters: Mindy Sinclair, Jessica Chisholm; Early Learning Literacy Facilitators, MFNERC
Thursday 2:15pm–3:30pm Embassy C
In early learning environments, including classrooms, we need to be able to help children learn. But
what if their behaviour is preventing you (and them) from doing this? In our everyday teaching experi-
ences, whether as an educational assistant or an experienced teacher, managing children, specifically
very young children’s behaviour, can be an on-going challenge. Why is the classroom down the hall
working like a well-oiled machine and another room right next door seems to be chaotic and out of
control? This workshop is designed with child development in mind. It will explore how children learn
best and how a responsive environment created for children helps them do this. Come to the workshop
and gather information for your own school or early learning centre. There will also be an opportunity
to learn from others in round table style discussion.
A Guide for Play Based Learning in ManitobaPresenter: Gerrie Stolzand, Monica Lytwyn
Wednesday 1:00pm–2:15pm Embassy D
What is play? Play is the natural way that children learn about their surroundings. Play is engaging,
enjoyable and memorable. It is not a forced activity but, rather, spontaneous. Children choose how
and when to participate in play. When children play, they explore new skills and abilities. When they
play with other children, social groups are formed, they test out ideas with each other, and they build
new understandings. A Guide for Play-Based Early Learning in Manitoba, released in 2015, provides
a vision and a guide for various early years programs to ensure children in Manitoba from birth to age
six have the best possible start in life. In this workshop the guide will be reviewed with participants so
that they may implement the philosophy of play-based early learning in their programs.
Supporting and Strengthening Role of Educational AssistantsPresenter: Paula Parisien, Sylvia Sinclair
Wednesday 2:30pm–3:45pm Embassy D
In this workshop, educational assistants will learn to articulate their roles and responsibilities in the
school and classroom. Educational assistants play many different roles during the day. Nurturing
educational assistants’ potential and helping them learn how to take care of themselves, in order to
prevent burnout, will also be demonstrated through interactive exercises. Team building is also import-
ant and having participants connect and network with each other will also be encouraged during the
workshop.
Developing Early Number SensePresenter: Virginia Birch, Ardel Smith, Georgina Moody, MFNERC
Thursday 9:00am–10:15am Embassy D
Children need to have a sense of what numbers mean, have the ability to perform mental math,
understand symbolic representations, and effectively use numbers in real life situations. Research has
found that children who have a well-developed number sense are able to succeed in early math and
beyond. Attend this workshop and learn some great hands-on activities that help children develop
early number sense. Key activities will include the following “big ideas” in counting: sequencing,
relating numerals to quantity, representing, counting, and comparing. You will also make-and-take
activities for your classroom!
Play is the Universal LanaguagePresenter: Debra Mayer, Manitoba Education Advanced Learning, ECU
Thursday 10:30am–11:45am Embassy D
At the heart of a child’s healthy learning and development is honour for the child’s family, culture and
community. Nurturing relationships and a circle of support help the child to start strong and be pre-
pared for lifelong growth, learning and success.
This workshop will look at how to set goals that are both challenging and achievable, create
child-centred learning environments, holistically integrate all areas of curriculum across developmental
domains, and align practices from preschool into the early years of school. Participants will reflect on
their own comfort level with child directed learning, take away many great ideas shared by Manitoba
educators, and consider how to infuse a culturally competent playful pedagogical approach into your
own work with young children and their families.
Hearing, Language and Speech and How Early Learning and Literacy are Affected Presenter: Mary Lou Pierrard, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Facilitator, MFNERC
Thursday 12:45pm–2:00pm Embassy D
Thursday 2:15pm–3:30pm Embassy D
Experts tell us that 90% of all brain development occurs by the age of five. If we don’t begin thinking
about education in the early years, our children are at risk of falling behind by the time they start kin-
dergarten. Vocabulary and concept knowledge provide the base for continued language growth and
the development of reading and writing skills. In this workshop, strategies to support early learning in
the classroom, and at home, will be shared.
First Nations AstronomyPresenter: Wilfred Buck, Science Facilitator, MFNERC
Wednesday 1:00pm–2:15pm Embassy E
Wednesday 2:30pm–3:45pm Embassy E
Using the MFNERC Portable Inflatable Planetarium, this interactive session will introduce participants
to cultural knowledge regarding astronomy that is different from the mainstream view. Constellations,
planets, stars, moon, sun, mythologies and legends will all be presented from a First Nations per-
spective. The workshop will include a 30-minute presentation followed by 40 minutes in the portable
planetarium.
Land Based Education in a Forest School SettingPresenter: Mavis Lewis-Webber, Brigitte Insulle, Red River College
Thursday 9:00am–10:15am Embassy E
Thursday 10:30am–11:45am Embassy E
Who will be the next generation of botanists, naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts if we do not nurture a
sense of respect, awe and wonder in young children? Forest School is an educational approach and
program of delivery that has existed since the 1950s in European countries such as Denmark, Sweden,
and England. In a Forest School, children spend time outdoors in natural settings learning through an
experiential and play based focus. Forest School within an aboriginal community is a natural fit, as
educators model mutual respect with the land and what Mother Earth shares with us.
This workshop will raise awareness of the value of land based education, and participants will develop
an awareness of the ethos and principles of Forest School, reflect on the value of connecting with
nature and share ideas on how you can get children in your care active outdoors.
Stop. What’s That Sound?Presenter: Brian Harrison, Red River College
Thursday 12:45pm–2:00pm Embassy E
Do you know what the sound environment of your early years program tells you?
This workshop will focus on one of the least considered, but highly effective clues to the quality of your
program – sound. We will consider how and when to use your ears to evaluate your play and learn-
ing environment, as well as your own practice. We will also explore ideas to create a less stressful and
more nurturing early learning climate.
Inquiry SciencePresenters: Rosely Booth, Alberto Mansilla; Science Facilitators, MFNERC
Thursday 2:15pm–3:30pm Embassy E
Inquiry science must be a basic in the daily curriculum of every elementary school student at every
grade level. For students to learn how to “do” science, they need to understand the roles of observa-
tion, imagination, and reasoning.
An elementary science program must provide opportunities for students to develop understandings
and skills necessary to function productively as problem-solvers in an increasingly scientific and tech-
nological world. Join us for a workshop that will explore these ideas and introduce participants to the
ins and outs of inquiry science instruction.
Embassy A
Embassy B
Embassy C
Embassy D
Chicago Joeʼs Restaurant
Front Desk
Carlton Room
Wellington Room
To Centennial Rooms
Front Entrance
West Entrance
Embassy E
Map