Registration details found below.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER—Sara Kraushar
Sara Kraushar is the Head of School for Heritage Christian Online School and Flex Academy. Sara has been with HCOS, a provincial online school in BC serving approximately 6500 students annually from across the province, for the past 13 years, the last 7 of which she has been Academic Head of School. In September 2023 she helped to design and launch Flex Academy, a JK-12 brick and mortar school in Kelowna, BC, serving 240 students in an innovative hybrid educational model. Sara is strongly committed to Christian education, having worked for independent schools in BC, in Kuwasha, Uganda, and is currently working to support educators with digital tools. She loves innovative and responsive approaches to teaching and learning that allow us to think of creative ways to extend the reach and effectiveness of Christian education in our changing world.
Session One: Innovation in Education: Mindset not Medium
Be honest, did you groan when you saw the keynote was from an online school? Did shudders run down your spine as you recalled participating in emergency remote learning during covid? If sitting on a Zoom screen with glassy eyes and marking papers written by Chat GPT is what you imagine online educators believe innovation in teaching and learning looks like, then don't worry! I am not here to extol the virtues of technology and online learning. My current work in brick-and-mortar, hybrid and online schools, has necessitated us asking what it looks like to embrace innovation in teaching and learning. The question was not which technology or medium to use, but how school systems, leaders, teachers, and students can develop the agile mindset needed to keep up with fast-paced change.
Session Two: When Innovation Rocks the Boat
So you’re interested in doing the work to develop a school culture that is responsive and agile, and you’re ready to start innovating in your practices. What is next? When you start to shift course, suddenly those smooth waters you have been sailing will become choppy water. Changing course, allowing for mistakes, learning, adapting and growingthese all sound good until the boat gets rocked. At times in our schools, we have unintentionally created change-induced stormy waters and needed to help stabilize, recalibrate and settle our community. How do you create security, calm, optimism and clarity in the midst of innovation? Perhaps you can learn from our journey as you set a course to innovate in teaching and learning.
Breakout blocks
There are two breakout blocks which offer a combination of super sessions and workshops on a variety of topics. Participants may choose one to attend during each block.
Super sessions are similar to workshops, but larger in size and they focus on a general/broad topic that could be applicable to teachers in any grade range/subject. The first two listed options are super sessions.
Workshops are small group opportunities to explore practical strategies for a more specific grade range/subject focus. The last six listed options are workshops.
*Please note the selection and times are tentative and may be subject to change prior to the event.
Registration Deadline: September 27, 2024
CONTACT US
Phone: 403.948.2332
Email: acsiwc_info@acsi.org
