A Message about the Conference

The English Language Arts Council is excited to welcome back English Language Arts teachers (K-12 ), curriculum coordinators, and researchers for our 2022 Conference where we will Disrupt, Engage, and Empower.

We are dedicated to supporting our members through our exceptional keynotes, featured speakers, breakout sessions, workshops, and spaces to collaborate for intentional learning. We will examine teaching practices and strategies to improve students’ learning, while honouring the complexity of how students develop and are empowered by and represented in the diverse texts that they read, and thereby are engaged to confidently express themselves.

Our keynote speakers will share:

The Literacy Lessons I Learned from Hamilton

In this session Penny Kittle will discuss why the Pulitzer Prize winning play by Lin-Manuel Miranda has lessons to teach us all about passion, creativity, genre, and the process of writing. We will unpack the classroom conditions and practices that are grounded in key principles for motivation: relevance, engagement, and community.

READERS, LEADERS, DISRUPTORS:

In this session, author Robin Stevenson will discuss how stories of resistance can be used to inspire reflection and action, to show students the power of words to create change, and to empower young people to tell their own stories and make their voices heard.

In his session, author David A. Robertson will share how teachers can use storytelling as a means to take action towards reconciliation considering the perspectives of settlers and First Nations, Metis, and Inuit, in Canada.

For a safe and healthy conference experience, delegates should keep up to date with current COVID protocols in Alberta; for delegates to participate in conference events our venue the Banff Park Lodge currently requires proof of vaccination, OR a negative COVID test (within the last 72 hours), OR proof of medical exemption. Additionally, masking indoors is also required.

We know that teachers have been exceptional in meeting students’ needs despite many challenges, including teaching during a pandemic, and we look forward to being with you again while we practice, collaborate, and innovate.

Your 2022 Conference Committee