Fall 2015 Professional Development Workshops For Early Childhood Educators

Transcription

1 Fall 2015 Professional Development Workshops For Early Childhood Educators Funding for these workshops is made possible through the Early Childhood Development Agreement coordinated by Early Childhood Development Services, Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Mount Saint Vincent University 166 Bedford Highway Halifax, NS, B3M 2J6 Child and Youth Study Department

2 Early Childhood Administrator - Continuing Education Course Now accepting applications for the upcoming course; September 2015 May 2016! Hear what participants are saying about the program: The overall programme exceeded my expectations because of the level of professionalism that was attained throughout the course I have rekindled my commitment to the field of early childhood education and development and have a renewed determination to make a difference I became more confident in my profession and myself This program has allowed me to see where I am able to take my career. I have always been a hard worker but this course showed me that I was able to accomplish a lot more than I ever thought myself capable of The skills we learned were not only relevant to a career in child and youth but to any field. I feel more confident in my ability to manage groups of people I would recommend this programme to any early childhood educator who wishes to aspire to a Directors position I believe all of us should be required to take the course The exercises and assignments are not overly difficult and they are relevant to the field, which makes it much easier to work through. The amount of growth I experienced personally and professionally during the past year because of the connections made with colleagues as well as the instructors and personal dedication to helping foster an even higher quality program for the children in my community could not have been accomplished in any other way during such a short amount of time. For more information or an application form, Please see our insert, or visit our website; 2

3 Early Childhood Education Assistance & Continuing Education Programs The Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Early Childhood Development Services, has a recruitment and retention strategy to encourage more individuals into the field, and to assist those already in the early child care sector to deliver quality licensed child care services in Nova Scotia. They offer two programs to provide financial support; the Early Childhood Education Assistance program offers a debt reduction incentive, and the Continuing Education Program offers reimbursement for continuing education courses offered through the early childhood training institutions in Nova Scotia. For more information on these programs, please visit their website: ALL REGISTRATION IS NOW ONLINE Please visit our website and follow the links to register for workshops. CONFIRMATION & CANCELLATION POLICY: Participation is not confirmed until payment is received. Confirmation receipt will be sent by upon receipt of payment. All fees are non-refundable but you may allow an alternate person to attend in your absence. Please allow 48 hours advance notice if making a substitution, otherwise a $5.00 administration fee is required for a revised certificate of attendance. CERTIFICATES: A Certificate of Attendance (including number of workshops contact hours) is given out for all workshops or workshop series. Participants must attend the full scheduled workshop session in order to receive a certificate. Workshop information & online registration is on our website: A light lunch is provided for all full day MSVU and offsite location workshops. 3

4 Fall 2015 Workshops at a Glance Children Making Choices 6 PD hours Saturday September 26, am - 4pm Presenter: Kevin MacKenzie Inclusion Matters (2 parts) 12 PD hours Saturday September 12 & Saturday October 3, am - 4pm Presenter: Kathy Black Inspiring Spaces & Environments 6 PD hours Saturday October 3, am-4 pm Presenter: Liz Hicks Understanding Childhood Trauma in the Early Years 6 PD hours Saturday October 3, am - 4pm (Sydney, NS) Presenters: Susan Adams & Judy Elliot Applying the Principles & Practices of Therapeutic Clowning to Build Rapport with Children & Families 2.5 PD hours Wednesday October 14, :30 pm-9 pm Presenter: Cleve Sauer Promoting Resilience & Self-Regulation in Children 6 PD hours Saturday October 17, am - 4pm (Antigonish, NS) Presenter: Susan Adams & Colin Morrison Implementing Loose Parts in the Preschool Setting: A How-To 2 PD hours Tuesday October 20, pm Presenter: Caileigh Flannigan The Forest is for Everyone: Forest Schools as Inspiration for Your Program 3 PD hours Saturday October 24, :00 am - 12 noon Presenter: Natalie Phillips Inspiring Spaces & Environments 6 PD hours Saturday October 31, am-4 pm Presenter: Liz Hicks Emergent curriculum & Documentation (2 parts, 5 hrs each)10 PD hours Saturday November 7 & November 21, am - 3 pm each day Presenters: Justin Wood & Matthew Sampson Improving PowerPoint Skills for Advanced Presentations (for Beginners) 2.5 hours, 9:30 am 12 pm, Saturday, November 14, Presenter: Bora Kim Documentation Formation 3 hours, 1:00 4:00 pm, Saturday, November 14, 2015 Presenter: Bora Kim Improving PowerPoint Skills for Advanced Presentations (Intermediate) 2.5 hours, 6:00 pm 8:30 pm, Thursday, November 19, 2015 Presenter: Bora Kim Communicating Success: Building Stronger Relationships Between Educators, Families & Communities 6 PD hours Saturday November 28, am - 4pm Presenters: Colin Morrison & Karen Carey Play at Work, Work at Play: Building Relationships Through Play 5 PD hours Saturday December 5, am - 3pm Presenter: Lender Bowles

5 Kevin MacKenzie Presenting Children Making Choices Children Making Choices Date: Saturday September 26, 2015 Halifax Time: : 9 am- 4 pm Cost: $60 Total PD hours: 6 hours Location: Evaristus Hall room 112 Presenter: Kevin MacKenzie Description: Children Making Choices teaches caregivers about the basics of neurobiology involved in self regulation, co-regulation, & environmental regulation. Basically - how do we set children up to succeed? What is our role in creating conditions for calmness & pro-social behaviour? How do we meet the needs of so many children at once!? Participants gain specific tools & techniques created to build relationships & arrange the environment in order to help children recognize & regulate their emotions, & make the best choices possible. Specific activities will be shared that can be used to help children increase body awareness, recognize emotions, choose actions instead of reactions, calm their bodies & express themselves from a body-based, emotionally regulated place. Presenter Biography: Kevin MacKenzie is a dynamic, emotive speaker. He has been sharing his passion for storytelling, listening, creativity, & movement for 15 years. Kevin has been invited to present in Brazil, Cuba, England, Ecuador, Mexico & the United States in English & Spanish. His method is simple: get people moving, laughing, playing & connecting. Having grown up with undiagnosed ADHD, Kevin himself prefers active learning, simple, meaningful concepts, hands on exercises & self expression to a whole lot of yada yada yada. So that is how he guides learners. Kevin challenges participants to take risks & be real. His ability to provide a safe environment for self expression comes from his two best teachers: his background in early childhood education, & his work with youth at risk. Currently, Kevin is working on a pilot project researching emotional regulation in preschoolers. He is developing a resource guide for ECEs on how to use environments, relationships & activities to help children grow in self regulation skills. 5

6 Inclusion Matters Date: Saturday September 12 & Saturday October 3, 2015 Halifax Time: : 9 am- 4 pm Cost: $100 Total PD hours: 12 hours Location: Evaristus Hall room 401 both days Presenter: Kathy Black Description: Early childhood educators are responsible for providing consistent quality care to young children. Their role is to nurture & care for children with a wide range of needs & disabilities, yet many are not prepared to handle challenging behaviors. This 2 day workshop is designed to offer educators information & strategies to cope with challenging behaviors, & to prevent disenrollment in child care. Participants will use Functional Behavior Assessment to assess & understand challenging behaviors. A behavior support plan will be developed to help reduce challenging behavior in the classroom. Presenter Biography: Kathy Black has been in the field of early childhood education for over 25 years. Kathy worked as an early childhood teacher for 15 years, & continues to stay connected with the early childhood sector, when facilitating early childhood workshops. Throughout her career as an Early Childhood Development Officer & Licensing Officer, Kathy has had an opportunity to view a variety of early childhood environments across the province. Inspiring Spaces & Environments - Bus Tour Date: Saturday October 3, 2015 OR Saturday October 31, 2015 Time: : 9 am - 4 pm Cost: $50 Total PD hours: 6 hours Location: Evaristus Hall room 111 both dates Presenter: Liz Hicks Description: This full-day workshop will introduce the participants to principles of inspiring spaces & a chance to talk with Centre Staff about their values in the classrooms & listen to a presentation from these Staff that will feature their thought processes behind their environments as well as explain & talk about their passions for their practice. Three early learning centres will be visited for the purpose of viewing how their indoor & outdoor play spaces which have been designed to provide children with a sense of curiosity & expand play options. Three early learning centres will be visited for the purpose of viewing how their indoor & outdoor play spaces which have been designed to provide children with a sense of curiosity & expand play options. These Centres are Alexandra Children s Centre (multi age program), Forest Kids Early Learning (Nature & outdoor based program) & Beaver Bank Children s Centre (an emergent program). Discussions & ideas on ways in which environments could inspire children, parents & the community will occur before the tour & during the tour. (participants will be provided with a box lunch, & will be bussed to the centres, departing & returning to MSVU) Presenter Biography: Liz Hicks has over 31 years working within the early childhood field, as an elementary school teacher, administrator of & teacher in a part day program for 23 years, 5.5 years as an inclusion facilitator for Partnerships for Inclusion, part time faculty with NSCECE, & she is also a private consultant working with various Centres in H.R.M providing professional development in a variety of topics, environmental & inclusion rating scales, & program coordination. Her passion is to help educators (& administrators) find & develop their potential, so they can help children find & develop their potential. 6

7 Understanding Childhood Trauma in the Early Years Date: Saturday October 3, 2015 Sydney, NS Time: : 9 am- 4 pm Cost: $50 Total PD hours: 6 hours Location: Days Inn, 480 Kings Road, Sydney, NS Presenters: Susan Adams & Judy Elliot Description: Childhood Trauma impacts how children grow & develop. It influences the way children see & react to the world & people around them. This workshop will provide participants with information regarding the impact of complex trauma on brain development as well as social, emotional, & behavioral functioning. We will look at strategies that can be implemented to work with children impacted by trauma & how to support the growth of trauma sensitive environments. Presenter Biographies: Susan Adams, BA.,B.Ed.,M.Ed & Judy Elliot, BA., B.Ed., MA have over 50 years experience between them working with children & youth in the Mental Health field, in both classroom & group settings. They have developed & facilitated skill building & process groups, & worked extensively with families & schools to support children & youth in their emotional & social growth, & academic success. Susan & Judy recognize the important role that caregivers & educational staff have in the child s life, & the need to work as a team on their behalf. They strongly believe that all aspects of a child s growth are enhanced by positive strategies, interaction, & planning. Applying the Principles & Practices of Therapeutic Clowning to Build Rapport with Children & Families Date: Wednesday October 14, 2015 Time: 6:30 pm-9pm Cost: $25 Total PD hours: 2.5 hours Location: Evaristus Hall room 112 Presenter: Cleve Sauer Description: Clowns in hospital settings (& other types of care facilities) help children & families cope with stressful & potentially frightening experiences. Many different tools & techniques are used by therapeutic clowns (including music, magic, games, humour, & imaginative play), but the core responsibility of a therapeutic clown is to develop supportive helping relationships with children & their families. This workshop will introduce participants to clown approved tips, tricks, tools, & approaches that can be used by anyone who works professionally with children. This workshop will be of particular benefit to Early Childhood Educators who want to learn creative ways to foster rapport & meaningful relationships with children & families. Presenter Biography: Cleve Sauer holds a BA in Psychology (York University), a BSW (Dalhousie University) & an MSW from Memorial University. As the alter-ego of Buddington the therapeutic clown, Cleve established the IWK Health Centre s therapeutic clown program in 2006 & remains the only hospital-based therapeutic clown in Atlantic Canada. Cleve s practice involves the application of creative psycho-social therapeutic approaches rooted in humour, music & play to help children & their families cope with the stress of illness & hospital experiences. Cleve frequently presents on his work to professionals interested in his unique skills & perspectives on engaging & supporting young people. 7

8 Promoting Resilience & Self-Regulation in Children Date: Saturday October 17, 2015 Time: 9 am- 4 pm Cost: $50 Total PD hours: 6 hours Location: Maritime Inn, 158 Main Str, Antigonish, NS Presenters: Susan Adams & Colin Morrison Description: This workshop will focus on what is meant by resilience & how we can promote resilience in children. Particular attention will be paid to how the development of positive self-regulation skills can provide children with coping & protective strategies to deal with adversity & stress. Presenter Biographies: Susan Adams, BA.,B.Ed.,M.Ed has over 30 years experience working as a therapeutic teacher in the mental health field. She has developed & run groups for children in a number of areas. Colin Morrison BA., has over 20 years experience working with children & youth in the mental health field. Colin has coordinated care for families & children in the Child & Family Day Treatment Program at the IWK. He has extensive experience in developing & running groups with children in the area of emotional regulation. Colin & Susan have seen the positive benefits for children when they are provided education, strategies & support in self-regulation skills. Implementing Loose Parts in the Preschool Setting: A How-To Date: Tuesday October 20, 2015 Time: 7-9 pm Cost: $20 Total PD hours: 2 hours Location: Evaristus Hall Room 401 Presenter: Caileigh Flannigan Description: Loose parts empower imagination & creativity & are an easy & cheap way for educators to implement play into learning activities. Play with loose parts provides children with opportunities to promote skill advancement & learning in all areas of development. This workshop will focus on best practices on the implementation of loose parts in a preschool setting. Emphasis will be placed on educator- child interaction, risk-taking, & choice of materials. Presenter Biography: Caileigh Flannigan is a Master s Graduate of the Child & Youth Study program at Mount Saint Vincent University. She has researched outdoor play, loose parts, & children s play behaviours. She is a child psychotherapist & play practitioner who is pursuing certification as a Certified Play Therapist under the Canadian Association for Child & Play Therapy (CACPT). Her interests are incorporating play techniques & psychotherapy for children with behavioural issues, anxiety, depression or who have experienced trauma or neglect. The Forest is For Everyone: Using Forest School Principles to Inspire Your Program Date: Saturday October 24, 2015 Time: : 9 am 12 noon Cost: $25 Total PD hours: 3 hours Location: Evaristus Hall Room 358 Presenter: Natalie Phillips Description: This workshop is designed to inform & inspire early childhood educators who would like to include more nature into their programming. The workshop will contain vital information for ECEs regarding the impact nature has on the mental & physical health of children & adults. Participants will discuss challenges in bringing children to nature & possible solutions. There will also be opportunities to engage in practical activities that can be utilized in any setting to connect children with nature. Presenter Biography: Natalie Phillips has been an early childhood educator since She has worked with young children in Halifax, sharing with them the many different parks & trails that reside within the city. She is currently completing her Master of Arts in Child & Youth Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University, with a focus on encouraging adults to share nature with young children. She is very excited to begin training this spring, to become a Forest School Practitioner. 8

9 Emergent Curriculum: How do you make it work for you? (part 1) AND Documentation (part 2) Date: Saturday Nov. 7, 2015 and Saturday Nov. 21, 2015 Time: 9 am 3 pm Cost: $90 for both workshops/ $50 per workshop if only taking part 1 OR part 2 Total PD hours: 5 hours each day Location: Evaristus Hall room 401 both days Presenters: Justin West & Matthew Sampson Description: Emergent Curriculum: How do you make it work for you? (part 1) Saturday Nov. 7, 2015 Time: 9 am 3 pm Cost: $50 each, or $90 both parts 1 and 2 As educators who are interested in the concepts of emergent curriculum planning but who are not yet clear as to what emergent planning involves or what it should look like, the transition can be confusing & intimidating. Justin & Matthew will share projects & insights with examples of how they worked with children - this will include lots of discussion & hands on learning. This workshop will also look at the environment as an additional teacher. Important considerations are made around the use & organization of space & materials. Children s lives are reflected within the classroom & learning is visible. A classroom that uses an Emergent Curriculum is aesthetically beautiful, it fosters creativity & promotes wonder & curiosity in both children & adults. During this session participants will explore the concept of the environment as an additional teacher & discover innovative ways to inspire & support children s learning through the use of space & materials. Documentation (part 2): Saturday Nov. 21, 2015 Time: 9 am 3 pm Cost: $50 each, or $90 both parts 1 and 2 PLEASE NOTE: Although this is the second half of the emergent curriculum workshop, it is not mandatory to have had the first session, as this workshop is designed to help with documentation & making children s thinking visible. When we observe children closely & listen to their ideas, we begin to develop a greater understanding of what they know & how they perceive the world around them. Observing, documenting & interpreting children s learning is among the most valuable skills a teacher can develop. It reveals the teaching & learning process for both children & Educators. It can help teachers make informed decisions, develop closer relationships with children, support authentic assessment, enable children to reflect on their own work & make learning visible in the classroom. During this workshop we will examine basic principles & consider a variety of approaches to documenting children s work. Bring your photos, because this work shop will help participants with their questions! Presenter Biographies: Matthew Sampson works in the school age program at PGHCC. Matthew has worked in the field of Early Learning & care for 14 years, he has been at PGHCC for the past 11 years. Matthew recently graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University with a degree in Child & Youth. Matthew was the recipient in 2011 of the ECLC award for practice. Matthew also facilitates & mentors an Emergent Curriculum study group in Halifax. Matthew also is a specialist in curriculum & environment design, & has travelled nationally to help redesign spaces. This fall Matthew will be continuing his education with the Mount to obtain his masters degree in Child & Youth Justin West is currently starting his business as a private consultant for the early childhood field. For the past eight years, Justin worked as an afterschool teacher & inclusion consultant at Peter Green Hall Children s Centre. Justin has been in the profession for 14 years, is a graduate of NSCAD with his Bachelor of Fine Arts, & has received his Masters of Art Education from Boston University. Justin infuses creative expression into his daily practice. In 2013 Justin received the Prime Ministers Award for Excellence in Early Learning & Care. 9

10 Improving PowerPoint Skills for Advanced Presentations (Beginner OR Intermediate) Dates: Beginner Session: Saturday November 14, 2015 Time: 9:30 am 12 noon Cost: $25 Dates: Intermediate Session: Thursday November 19, 2015 Time: 6 8:30 pm Cost: $25 PD hours each session: 2.5 hrs Location, both sessions; Evaristus Hall room 308C (2nd floor of Evaristus Hall, up centre steps) Presenter: Bora Kim Description: Do you need to present your work &/or workshops to parents/families, the public, students & other educators? In conjunction with creating a great organized presentation, PowerPoint can play a powerful role in appealing to audiences & enhancing the quality of presentations. These workshops will provide you with an opportunity to explore useful PowerPoint skills that help you create simple but effective & attractive PowerPoint presentations. Also, incorporating free online resources to PowerPoint will be introduced. The workshop will be held in a computer lab & Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 will be utilized. The Beginner session (Saturday Nov. 14, :30 am 12 noon) will focus on the basics of Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 that can be incorporated in presentations as well as documentations that visualize children s learning processes (Expanded skills for documentations will be explored through the workshop Documentation Formation session). The Advanced session (Thursday Nov. 19, 6-8:30 pm) will embrace advanced skills & functions of Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 for presentations. *Please ensure that you leave your current/accessible address at the time of registration. The presenter will contact you via before the workshops in order to deliver the most appropriate workshops for the participants. Presenter Biography: Bora Kim holds a BA in Early Childhood Education & she is pursuing her Masters in the Child & Youth Study program at Mount Saint Vincent University. She has experience as a research assistant, a lead researcher, & an early childhood educator. Bora recognizes the importance of pedagogical documentation & outdoor play within the field of early childhood education. She is passionate about studying effective ways to implement documentation & presentations into practice utilizing Microsoft PowerPoint. Documentation Formation Date: Saturday November 14, 2015 Time: 1pm 4pm noon Cost: $25 Total PD hours: 3 hours Location: Evaristus Hall room 308C (2nd floor of Evaristus Hall, up centre steps) Presenter: Bora Kim Description: Documentations that convey children s learning processes play important roles such as promoting reflection among educators, provocation of dialogue between educators, children, & parents/families, education to parents/families on appropriate ways to support children s learning, & invitation to educators, parents/families & community members to be partners of children s learning process. However, creating documentations can be time consuming & cluttered documentations may not appeal to others, & therefore, may not help them focus on the gist of the documentations. How can such documentations be produced in an effective way? How can documentations be well formatted so that they can visually appeal to the target audience? In order to answer these questions, some practical formatting skills from Microsoft PowerPoint (2013) will be explored. This workshop will occur in a computer lab & participants will have an opportunity to try different formatting skills. *Please ensure that you leave your current/accessible address at the time of registration. The presenter will contact you via before the workshops in order to deliver the most appropriate workshops for the participants. Presenter Biography: Bora Kim see above 10

11 Communicating Success: Building Stronger Relationships Between Educators, Families & Communities Date: Saturday November 28, 2015 Time: 9 am-4pm Cost: $50 Total PD hours: 6 hours Location: Evaristus Hall room 401 Presenter: Colin Morrison & Karen Carey Description: Research has shown that education for children & treatment for behaviour is most effective when teachers, parents, students & community providers are all working closely in collaboration. However, early childhood educators in today s world experience increasing demands with limited resources, & often feel unprepared or lack proven strategies & skills to effectively engage parents. This workshop is designed to help early childhood educators develop skills & strategies in effective communication with parents, & an opportunity to develop awareness regarding the unique needs & competing stressors encountered by both families & students. Presenter Biographies: Colin Morrison has over 20 years experience working with children and youth in the mental health field. Colin has served primarily as case coordinator for families and children in the Child and Family Day Treatment Program at the IWK. He has extensive experience in developing and running groups with children, particularly in the area of emotional and self regulation. Karen Carey has over 15 years experience working with children and youth in the mental health field. Karen has served as a case coordinator with Child and Family Day Treatment in the past, and currently serves as a Transition Support Worker with the IWK Complex Case Team. She has developed specific parenting programs in the past targeted at children with complex behavioural issues, and has extensive experience as Incredible Years Parenting group facilitator. Colin and Karen have seen positive and long lasting benefits for children AND families when they are provided education, strategies, guidance, empathy, and support. They see effective communication and open collaboration as the key ingredients in supporting positive futures for the children and families under their care. Play at Work, Work at Play: Building Relationships Through Play Date: Saturday December 5, 2015 Time: 9 am 3 pm Cost: $50 Total PD hours: 5 hours Location: Evaristus Hall room 401 Presenter: Lender Bowles Description: This workshop will focus on the importance of play and development and how professionals can use play based techniques as a relationship building tool, and a potential method for healing. Through discussion and hands on activities, participants will rediscover the joy of play and how their play skills are a valuable career asset. Presenter Biographies: Lender Bowles has over 16 years working with at-risk children and youth in residential treatment. He has always incorporated play and performance in his work. While pursuing his masters in Child and Youth Study, he realized the significance of play and how it could be used in forming positive relationships. Lender s thesis titled Work at Play- Play at Work: Play Based Relationship Building in Child and Youth Care is intended as a guide for current and future child and youth care professionals. His view is that every adult needs to rediscover play for a healthier and happier life. His favourite quote attributed to Plato is, You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. 11

12 ALL REGISTRATION IS NOW ONLINE Please visit our website and follow the links to register for workshops For additional information or to receive a copy of our electronic brochure please contact: Rhonda Rees Professional Development Coordinator Department of Child and Youth Study (902) rhonda.rees@msvu.ca 12