ACCESS THIS COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE: Fostering Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving for Engaged, Resilient, and Career-Ready Students

Thanks for joining us: Fostering Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving for Engaged, Resilient, and Career-Ready Students

What a great Community of Practice!

District leaders from Palliser School Division, AB, Rocky View Schools, AB, and Eastern Townships School Board, QC dove into the essential role of critical thinking, problem-solving, and its fundamental connection to student’s educational journeys. The panel shared their experiences and approaches to building these vital skills—tools that not only elevate student engagement and well-being, but also prepare them for real-world challenges and career readiness.

We heard how district leaders are providing students the opportunity to amplify their voice, how they are encouraging students to actively participate in their learning and decision-making processes, empowering them to shape their educational experiences. By sharing their strategies and successes, panelists revealed how fostering critical skills and inclusivity creates a more vibrant and responsive learning environment, setting students up for academic, personal, and professional success.

Speaker Biographies:
Lori Meyer, Associate Superintendent of Learning, AB

Lori has been in this role with Rocky View for almost 4 years, coming to Alberta from a similar role in SK.  Lori has had the privilege of being a classroom teacher, school administrator, and registered psychologist, and she is in her 28th year of this amazing profession. Lori has planned, implemented, and supported various teaching and inclusive learning programs and is passionate about ensuring all students have access to a high-quality total experience in RVS. Additionally, community work has been a vital part of Lori’s career, partnering with numerous agencies to create and support programs that address the non-academic needs of children and their families.

Kandy Mackey, Director General, Eastern Townships School Board

Kandy Mackey is a dynamic, bilingual educator with nearly three decades of experience in educational administration at the Eastern Townships School Board, where she has served as Teacher, Principal, Director of Pedagogical Services, Assistant Director General, and now, Director General.  Since 2013, she has led the school board with a steadfast commitment to advancing student and adult learning, combining pedagogical expertise, a developmental approach, and an unwavering focus on building professional learning communities.  Skilled in data-driven decision-making, Kandy leverages insights to address educational challenges, promote positive school environments, and empower educators to drive sustainable change.  Known for her collaborative style, she has built strong partnerships across the organization to enhance student outcomes and ensure educational excellence.  As ETSB’s Change Management facilitator, inspired by the work of Pierre Collerette, Kandy is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, student-centered future for the school board.

Jason Kupery, Director of Learning, Palliser School Division

Jason Kupery has worked in Education for 24 years and counting, first as a teacher, then principal and now in Division Leadership with Palliser School Division. He is driven by helping students find their confidence and purpose through programs like career exploration, student leadership and wellness.  His enthusiasm for helping students discover their passion and potential is contagious.  Student success, both in school and beyond, are always at the top of his mind.

Register now for other webinars in our literacy webinar series.

If you have any questions, please email us directly.

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ACCESS WEBINAR NOW: Simplifying Literacy Instruction: The Three-Phase Approach of the Confident Learners Program

ACCESS WEBINAR NOW: Simplifying Literacy Instruction: The Three-Phase Approach of the Confident Learners Program

Access this webinar to explore the Confident Learners three-phase model, designed to simplify and strengthen literacy instruction. Building on the previous “show-and-tell” session, this webinar dives deeper into each phase, offering educators practical tools to guide and monitor student progress effectively. Grounded in The Learning Bar’s expert research and proven educational strategies, our model supports educators every step of the way.

Speaker Biographies:
Our Team - Simon Ketcheson
Simon Ketcheson, Product Director, Confident Learners

Simon leads the design and delivery of literacy programs focused on improving educational outcomes for students across diverse communities. Simon brings over a decade of expertise in educational product management, client success, and implementation, with a proven track record in helping organizations meet and exceed their goals.

Ericka Sutherland, Instructional Literacy Mentor

Ericka is a learning consultant in the Confident Learners program at The Learning Bar. Ericka completed master’s degrees in Literacy and Curriculum Studies from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, NS, and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS, with a focus on professional learning communities and teacher professional development.

Register now for other webinars in our literacy webinar series.

If you have any questions, please email us directly.

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WEBINAR: Discover Confident Learners: A Show-and-Tell of Our Transformative Literacy Program

ACCESS WEBINAR NOW: Discover Confident Learners: A Show-and-Tell of Our Transformative Literacy Program

Access this interactive “show and tell” webinar of the Confident Learners Program. This session will guide you through our unique three-phase model, highlighting how we support educators at every step to create confident, skilled readers. Through real-world examples, engaging resources, and actionable insights, you’ll see firsthand how Confident Learners simplifies complex literacy instruction, making it accessible for educators and impactful for students. Whether you’re looking to enhance your current literacy approach or explore new solutions, this webinar provides an insider’s view of a program that transforms literacy outcomes from the ground up.

Speaker Biographies:
Our Team - Simon Ketcheson
Simon Ketcheson, Product Director, Confident Learners

Simon leads the design and delivery of literacy programs focused on improving educational outcomes for students across diverse communities. Simon brings over a decade of expertise in educational product management, client success, and implementation, with a proven track record in helping organizations meet and exceed their goals.

Ericka Sutherland, Instructional Literacy Mentor

Ericka is a learning consultant in the Confident Learners program at The Learning Bar. Ericka completed master’s degrees in Literacy and Curriculum Studies from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, NS, and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS, with a focus on professional learning communities and teacher professional development.

Register now for other webinars in our literacy webinar series.

If you have any questions, please email us directly.

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WEBINAR: Teaching Children to Read: Common Questions Answered

ACCESS WEBINAR NOW: Teaching Children to Read: Common Questions Answered

Access this insightful webinar where we tackle the most common questions educators have about teaching children to read. Discover proven strategies to support learners at every stage of their reading journey. Topics include:

  • Understanding the differences between phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and phonics – and why mastering them is key to reading success.

  • Presenting the process of how children learn to automatically recognize words and build reading fluency.

  • Strategies to help children truly understand and engage with the texts they read.

By the end of this webinar, you’ll walk away with actionable insights, practical tools, and resources to help every child thrive as a reader.

Speaker Biographies:
Ericka Sutherland, Instructional Literacy Mentor

Ericka is a learning consultant in the Confident Learners program at The Learning Bar. Ericka completed master’s degrees in Literacy and Curriculum Studies from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, NS, and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS, with a focus on professional learning communities and teacher professional development.

Sandi Harrower, Instructional Literacy Consultant

Sandi is an Instructional Literacy Consultant for the Confident Learners Program with The Learning Bar, bringing extensive experience in both rural and urban educational settings across Canada and the United States.

With a rich background that spans roles as an Early Learning Supervisor and Learning Coach for Livingstone Range School Division in Southern Alberta, and over 15 years with the Calgary Board of Education as a classroom teacher, learning leader, and Early Learning Specialist, Sandi brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record in early childhood and literacy education.

Register now for other webinars in our literacy webinar series.

If you have any questions, please email us directly.

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WEBINAR: Nurturing Early Reading Readiness with the Early Years Evaluation – Pre-Reading Assessment

WEBINAR: Nurturing Early Reading Readiness with the Early Years Evaluation – Pre-Reading Assessment

Access this webinar to learn more about our newest enhancement to the Early Years Evaluation suite – the Pre-Reading Assessment (EYE-PR)! Designed to help assess and foster foundational pre-reading skills in children as they move through K to 1, the PR is now freely available to all EYE-TA clients across Canada.

In this 15-minute webinar, we introduce how the EYE-PR can be used to:

  • Screen for early reading readiness: Discover how the EYE-PR measures critical pre-reading skills, including letter recognition, phonological awareness, and phoneme-grapheme relationships.

      • Guide instruction: Learn how the EYE-PR’s strengths-based reports and classroom activities support teachers in tailoring instruction to each child’s unique literacy journey.
        • Support literacy at home: Explore engaging activities for parents and caregivers that connect learning between home and school, building a strong foundation and fostering a lifelong love of reading.

        Our team - Stephanie Guignon

        Speaker Biography:

        Stephanie Guignion is a Product Manager at The Learning Bar with over a decade of experience as an early year classroom teacher. She is passionate about finding innovative ways to help educators maximize the benefits of the Early Years Evaluation

        Register now for other webinars in our literacy webinar series.

        If you have any questions, please email us directly.

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        WEBINAR: Discover the Power of OurSCHOOL Staff Survey: Capture Valid, Reliable Data to Fully Support Staff Well-being

        WEBINAR: Discover the Power of OurSCHOOL Staff Survey: Capture Valid, Reliable Data to Fully Support Staff Well-being

        Access this webinar, “Discover the Power of OurSCHOOL Staff Survey: Capture Valid, Reliable Data to Fully Support Staff Well-being,” as we delve into the unique pillars of the OurSCHOOL staff survey. We’ll explore the power of the results and showcase why having rigorous, holistic, nationally and provincially normed, timely, and accessible data is so crucial in informing major decisions that impact your staff.

        Educators must be physically, mentally, and emotionally present to connect with students and provide quality instruction. Their mental health and well-being need to be ‘in check’ for this to happen. While we cannot control everything, it is our responsibility to increase the likelihood that our staff can be healthy at work. Starting with the end in mind, how can division leaders foster a sense of belonging and autonomy so that their staff feel valued and supported? What kinds of collective efforts will foster your staff’s sense of belonging and pride in the work being done?

        It is not enough to simply acknowledge that there is a problem; division leaders can better create conditions for success when they have crucial insights into the pivotal measures that drive their staff’s well-being. This all starts with giving all of your staff a voice.

        Click here for more information about our staff well-being survey.

        OurSCHOOL Staff Survey

        Speaker Biography: Lorna Cameron

        Lorna has been with The Learning Bar now for 7 years now and was an administrator and teacher for over 20 years before joining The Learning Bar. As a member of the Customer Success team she works with school districts across Canada to support and build their skills and knowledge in the areas of data-driven planning and decision making. She comes from within the school system and has seen first hand many of the challenges that you face and has a clear understanding of what schools are doing to overcome these.

        Register now for other webinars in our Well-being Learning Series.

        If you have any questions, please email us directly.

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        WEBINAR: Embedding Well-Being in Schools and School Districts: Explore your next steps

        WEBINAR: Embedding Well-Being in Schools and School Districts: Explore your next steps

        This webinar pulls together the key learning from the 2024 Well-being Series and introduces potential next steps to help school and district leaders put their data into action.

        Over the series, we explored staff well-being and its impact on health, happiness and success in our schools for both our students and the adults who support them.  We summarised the factors that impact staff and student well-being, outlined the means of capturing data on these factors, and strategies that can support these. The question that we were seeking to answer in this webinar was, what’s next? How do we harness this learning and embed well-being in our workplaces so it becomes just the way we do things?

        Access this webinar as you look forward to the next school year. Allow us to support you in embedding your data into actionable, sustainable practices within your educational environments.

        Click here for more information about our well-being surveys and resources

        gail markin consultant

        Speaker Biography: Gail Markin

        Gail’s distinguished career in education and mental health spans roles as a social worker, family counsellor, teacher, and school counsellor, culminating in her current work as an educational consultant and mental health and wellness coach. Her leadership roles in networks like Social Emotional Learning BC and BC School Centred Mental Health Coalition, along with her involvement in the EdCan Staff Well-being Network and Compassionate Systems Leadership Network, reflect her deep commitment to well-being in educational settings.

        Gail holds two bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in psychology and education and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Leadership and Policy. Her experience includes keynote presentations, workshops on workplace well-being and a TEDx talk on the power of belonging. She is the author of ‘Beyond Self-Care: Leading a Systemic Approach to Well-being for Educators’ where she combines learning from both research and practice to support leaders with practical ideas to create well-being in their schools and districts.

        Register now for other webinars in our Well-being Learning Series.

        If you have any questions, please email us directly.

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        IAE Educational Practices Series: Denes Szűcs discusses the policy paper “Math Anxiety”

        NEWS

        IAE Educational Practices Series: Denes Szűcs discusses the policy paper "Math Anxiety".
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        Watch the next video in the IAE – IBE Educational Practices Video Series, co-published by IBE-UNESCO and the IAE, with support from The Learning Bar. In this video, Denes Szűcs, Reader in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, discusses his paper, “Math Anxiety. Educational Practices Series 31” and how a debilitating emotional reaction to math, known as mathematics anxiety (MA), significantly impacts student performance and career choices in math-related fields. Learn the early signs students exhibit and strategies based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and the Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT).

        Throughout this IAE – IBE Educational Practices Series, renowned scholars share insights from their transformative handbooks on educational practice. Explore the interview series to learn about improving education for all.

        These videos and associated handbooks cover a range of topics, including guiding principles for twenty-first-century learning, improving education for economically disadvantaged students, recovering from the impact of COVID-19, curriculum design, and teaching students how to become lifelong learners. Throughout this series, renowned scholars share insights from their transformative handbooks on educational practice.

        Explore the IAE – IBE Educational Practices Series to learn about improving education for all.

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        Transforming Literacy Success

        The Learning Bar announces new workshop focused on supporting school leaders create and sustain a supportive and healthy work environment

        NEWS

        The Learning Bar announces new workshop focused on supporting school leaders create and sustain a supportive and healthy work environment

        Transforming Literacy Success

        The Learning Bar has introduced a new workshop for education leaders and educators looking to build and nurture a systemic culture of wellness. The workshop entitled ‘Leading a Systematic Approach to Well-being’ recognizes the critical link between educator well-being and student outcomes. Led by Gail Markin, a renowned educational consultant with over two decades of experience, it is designed to complement and enhance existing well-being and professional development programs within educational institutions.

        Along with a framework for integrating well-being principles systematically across all levels of school operations it builds upon the core concepts of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and other well-being initiatives and offers actionable strategies that can be seamlessly integrated into current programs. This approach ensures that efforts to promote well-being are cohesive, comprehensive, and reinforce the institution’s overall goals for educator and student wellness.

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        WEBINAR: Trauma-Sensitive Leadership: Creating Caring, Safe and Supportive Learning Environments

        WEBINAR: Trauma-Sensitive Leadership: Creating Caring, Safe and Supportive Learning Environments

        The critical role of the school leader in moderating the effects of trauma is well supported by research. The trauma-sensitive leader realizes the impact of trauma; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in staff, students and their families; and responds by creating safe, supportive practices and spaces where all belong.

        As the prevalence of trauma continues to increase, becoming a trauma-sensitive leader has never been so important!

        Access this webinar, “The Trauma-Sensitive Leader: Creating Caring, Safe and Supportive Learning Environments”. Learn the core principles of trauma-sensitive schools and discover how you can immediately incorporate trauma-sensitive, research-based strategies into your current practice.

        Click here for more information about our well-being surveys and resources.

        Speaker Biography:

        Lori Bryden, Instructional Literacy Consultant, The Learning Bar

        Dr. Lori Bryden is a retired teacher, coordinator of special education, and principal of 38 years. She holds a Doctorate in Education in Curriculum and Special Education; a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instructional Technology from Acadia University; a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University; and a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University. In addition to her principal qualifications, Dr. Bryden has also earned her Supervisory Officer’s Qualifications.

        Throughout her career in education, she has effectively applied trauma-informed leadership practices, creating an inclusive atmosphere for all school community members.

        Her areas of research include trauma-informed practices, inclusion, and equity. She strongly believes that all children can achieve at a high level when provided with appropriate support. She is passionate about assisting school teams to create safe and supportive learning environments.

        An executive member of the Ontario Council of Special Educators, Dr. Bryden has also worked with the Ontario Ministry of Education, developing a comprehensive model for Collaboration in Special Education. She co-wrote the application to the Ontario Ministry of Education for a classroom for students with attachment disorder.

        Dr. Bryden’s professional development on trauma, includes Level 1 Training in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Trauma-Informed Certification from the Community Resilience Initiative.

        Register now for other webinars in our Well-being Learning Series.

        If you have any questions, please email us directly.

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