Outdoor Learning Conference 2025: Full Schedule

Welcome to the 2025 Outdoor Learning Conference

3:15pm MDT

Land as Our Teacher: Learning From and With the Land, Guided by 4Rs of Indigenous Land-Based Education FULL

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm MDT

As spring unfolds and the Earth begins to offer us a wealth of gifts, we pause to reflect on the teaching of reciprocity and our responsibilities as stewards of the land. Join me as we explore 4 Rs of Indigenous land-based education (Responsibility, Respect, Relationships, and Reciprocity) and learn how to honour these teachings throughout the year. Together, we will explore the natural spaces surrounding the Banff Centre, learning how to identify plant medicines and deepen our connection with the land.
We’ll craft a healing salve using plantain, chickweed, and white yarrow—a remedy you can bring along on your nature adventures. Together, we will explore how natural remedies support our well-being and discuss ways to give back to the land through these healing practices.
By the end of this session, you will walk away with practical ideas and tools for easily integrating 4Rs of Indigenous land-based education into your school’s outdoor spaces.

Speakers

Gillianne Mundell

Indigenous Land-Based Education Teacher, Limestone District School Board

Aanii, Bozhoo, my name is Gillianne Mundell, and I am the Indigenous Land-Based Education teacher with the Limestone District School Board in Kingston, Ontario. I was born in Maniwaki, Quebec, to an Algonquin/French father and a European mother. My two sisters and I split our time... Read More →

Scot Gillam

My name is Scot Gillam, and I have dedicated the past 30 years to education, with experience as a teacher, school principal, and now as the Supervising Principal for Indigenous Education with the Limestone District School Board in Kingston, Ontario. I live in Napanee with my wife... Read More →

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm MDT
Eagle

Indigenous Ways of Knowing Workshop, Indigenous Ways of Knowing

2:00pm MDT

Beyond the Child: Exploring Land-Led Pedagogies in K-6 Outdoor Education LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT

Eagle

This interactive, outdoor workshop invites educators to explore the shift from traditional child-centered pedagogies to land-led pedagogies in outdoor education. Emphasizing the land as a teacher, this session fosters reciprocal, respectful relationships between students and the natural world. Drawing from Natural Curiosity’s Four Branches of Environmental Inquiry and Indigenous Perspectives, participants will engage in hands-on activities, group discussions, and reflection-based practices. They will also explore a spiral model of learning and assessment that is rooted in the natural cycles of the seasons. This holistic framework helps educators deepen their connection to the land and integrate seasonally attuned teaching practices into their classrooms.

Speakers

Alyson McMullen

Natural Curiosity/University of Toronto

Alyson (she/her) is of Mushkegowuk (Swampy Cree), Irish and French ancestry. She is an educator (RECE, OCT) whose work is centered around decolonizing education through land centered inquiry based practice. Alyson is a graduate of the Waaban Indigenous Teacher Education Program at... Read More →

Krista Spence

Teacher-Librarian, Land-Based Learning Teacher, Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Lab School/University of Toronto

Krista Spence, (she/her) BA, MA in Ed., RECE, Teacher-Librarian and Land-based Educator, works at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Lab School, an elementary school in downtown Toronto. Krista was the recipient of the ‘Outstanding Early Childhood Educator’ EECOM award... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT
Eagle

Indigenous Ways of Knowing Workshop

3:15pm MDT

Water Connects All Things: Combination Workshop Two Educator Guides! – Foundations of Water Education and Water in Earth Systems Certification Workshop FILLING

Friday May 9, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm MDT

Eagle

Join our Combination Certification Workshop for Foundations of Water Education and Water in Earth Systems. Participants will receive copies of the Foundations of Water Education: A Water Literacy Education Guide and the Water in Earth Systems Guide. Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in interactive, hands-on activities from the guides, focusing on water, climate change, and environmental justice. These fun, dynamic activities are designed to be both educational and engaging. Be prepared to move, learn, and have fun while gaining ready-to-use lessons that support curriculum outcomes. Participants will have pre-conference, easy-to-complete work to do to help meet workshop requirements.

Speakers

Maxine Koskie

National Education Coordinator - Project WET Canada, Canadian Water Resources Assoctation - Project WET Canada

Maxine Koskie, B.Ed., is the National Education Coordinator for Project WET Canada, bringing over 38 years of K-12 teaching experience. She has been a passionate advocate of the Project WET Program since 1996, serving as a dedicated educator, outdoor leader, and community member... Read More →

Billie Jo Reid

Canadian Water Resources Association - Project WET Canada

Billie Jo, began her career in Outdoor Education at the age of 16, becoming a canoe instructor. Since then, she has completed several canoe instructor levels and worked as a wilderness canoe tripping guide and instructor for over 25 years. She is a graduate of the Parks and Forest... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm MDT
Eagle

Environmental and Climate Change Education Workshop

9:45am MDT

Terra Divina: A Practice of Mindful Wonder, Spirituality and Gratitude for an Era of Environmental Crisis LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am MDT

Eagle

This workshop involves guided immersive connection with the earth and exploration of the power of gratitude for this wondrous, miraculous, planet. The workshop also digs into opportunities for sharing this wonder and experiences of gratitude in a range of pedagogical and social contexts. The mindful wonder, or eco-spiritual, part of the workshop will follow what author Victoria Loorz calls Terra Divina – or a “divine conversation with the sacred land.” Participants will learn about and explore the four stages of this divine experience: wander (lectio), listen (meditatio), respond (oratio) and release (contemplation). We will then share our Terra Divina experiences in a talking circle. The workshop will conclude with a group discussion about how people of all ages can be guided to celebrate eco-spirituality, wonder and the revolutionary power of gratitude.

Speakers

Dr. Jenellen Good

Associate Professor, Brock University

Jennifer Ellen (Jenellen) Good (PhD Cornell University): I am a professor at Brock University and I research the role of communication in how people relate to the “natural environment.” More specifically, I explore intersections of screens and the climate crisis, materialism... Read More →

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am MDT
Eagle

Environmental and Climate Change Education Workshop

Outdoor Learning Conference 2025