Outdoor Learning Conference 2025: Full Schedule

Welcome to the 2025 Outdoor Learning Conference

3:15pm MDT

Outdoor learning for students with complex needs: all you need is an open mind! L’apprentissage en plein air pour élèves ayant des besoins complexes: tout ce qu’il faut, c'est l'esprit ouvert! LIMITED

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

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Participants will explore what it means to experience outdoor learning without limits. Often adults focus their well-meaning attention on the barriers present in outdoor learning for students with complex physical and communicative needs. This workshop shines light on the possibilities for all our learners engaging in outdoor learning and the importance of universal design when developing outdoor learning activities. Participants will ideally come away with a fresh appreciation for the wonder and awe of the natural world, as seen by children with complex needs.

Participants exploreront ce que signifie l’apprentissage en plein air sans limites. Souvent, les adultes concentrent leur attention bienveillante sur les obstacles à l’apprentissage en plein air pour les élèves ayant des besoins physiques et communicatifs complexes. Cet atelier met en lumière les possibilités pour tous nos apprenants de s’engager dans l’apprentissage en plein air et l’importance du design universel lors du développement d’activités et d’expériences d’apprentissage en plein air. Les participants en ressortiront idéalement avec une appréciation nouvelle de l’émerveillement et de la crainte du monde naturel, tels qu’ils sont vus par des enfants ayant des besoins complexes.

Speakers

Carolyn Fornataro

Special Education Teacher that teaches Phys.Ed/Health Core French in the Outdoors, CHEO School (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario) Section 68 School

I have a passion for teaching outdoors! Prior to working in the field of Education I worked in Therapeutic Recreation for the City of Ottawa. En tant qu’enseignante d’éducation physique et de santé à l’école CHEO d’Ottawa, ma pratique s’est considérablement développée... Read More →

Carolyn Johnston

CHEO School (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario) Section 68 School

Carolyn is a kindergarten and grade 1 special education teacher in Ottawa, and loves nothing more than learning alongside children in the outdoors! Carolyn’s commitment to outdoor learning was tested when she began teaching in a school located on the campus of a large hospital... Read More →

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm MDT
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Health and Wellbeing Workshop, Health and Wellbeing

11:00am MDT

Turtle Island Time LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm MDT

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This interactive workshop is designed to immerse participants in the Okanagan Syilx teachings of the 13-moon calendar and provide insight into Indigenous perspectives on time in contrast to the colonial calendar. The session will stimulate thoughtful discussion, encourage hands-on exploration, and promote deep connection to the land.

Speakers

Michael Ross

Educator / ADHD Advocate / Film Maker, Central Okanagan Public Schools

As a settler born and raised in the Okanagan Syilx territory, Michael has been teaching outdoor and sustainability education in since 1998.From 2007-2017, he administered taking 120 grade 12 students to the Rockies for a week long expedition of self discovery.In 2018, he co-founded... Read More →

Coralee Miller

Coralee Miller is a member of Westbank First Nation and works as a Docent at the Sncewips Heritage Museum. Her main duties include booking and leading tours, both in the museum and out in the community core. Coralee’s favorite part of her job is storytelling and engaging the community... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm MDT
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Indigenous Ways of Knowing Workshop

2:00pm MDT

Slowing Down: Connecting to Nature Right Where/Who You are LIMITED

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

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In our fast-paced world, outdoor education can often mirror society’s emphasis on personal achievement and destination-focused experiences. This workshop invites outdoor educators to explore the profound benefits of slowing down and deepening our connection with nearby nature. Through guided experiences, participants will learn practical strategies for helping students develop authentic, mindful connections with nature in their immediate surroundings. These practices support emotional regulation and foster lasting relationships with the natural world. We’ll continue by exploring the ultimate accessibility of nature: our own embodied experience. By dissolving the perceived boundary between self and nature, participants will discover how the connection found in natural settings can be accessed anywhere, transforming both their personal practice and their approach to outdoor education.

Speakers

Stephanie Aleksiuk

Thimbleberry Learning

Stephanie Aleksiuk is the founder of Thimbleberry Learning, an environmental education consultancy in Calgary. She holds an MA in Environmental Education from Royal Roads University, where her research involved finding ways to support teachers to take students outside for learning... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT
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Health and Wellbeing Workshop

3:15pm MDT

Mastering the use of PHENOLOGY in your OUTDOOR classroom LIMITED

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

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Literally meaning “the science or study of appearances”, participating in phenology in your classroom is a teaching technique worth incorporating into your outdoor learning practice. Whether you’re looking for ways to take your science curriculum outdoors, need ideas for climate change education, or want meaningful approaches to help students connect with the land, this technique is one for you and your students. Explore a plethora of ideas and resources and consider your own model to make this approach work for your teaching area. Additionally, we’ll explore creative approaches to recording your phenological observations in student nature journals.

Speakers

Andrea Barnes

Environmental Education Specialist, Alberta Parks - Kananaskis Country

Andrea is passionate about teaching and learning outdoors. She has been the Formal Education Specialist with Alberta Parks in Kananaskis Country for over 20 years where she has been developing, delivering, and evaluating field experiences for students and professional development... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm MDT
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Environmental and Climate Change Education Workshop

9:45am MDT

It Starts With Us: The Role Settler Teachers Must Play in Meaningful Reconciliation LIMITED

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

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One of the things I make sure non-Indigenous people understand is we don’t need you to help heal us, we need you to fix yourselves.” (Murray Sinclair)

In this session, participants will gather and exchange experiences through activity and conversation about how they as educators are working towards respectfully and meaningfully integrating Indigenous ways of knowing into their pedagogy. I enter into this space with ultimate humility as a white settler Canadian teacher, but also as an act of genuine respect and reconciliation. To start the session, participants will take part in a few activities transferable to their own learners/clients. As a teacher who still continues to work in the classroom full-time, I hope to connect with others with a view for practical implementation of ideas, using a workshop approach to facilitate a conversation, while also providing some ideas that teachers can walk out of their classrooms and use on “Monday morning."""

Speakers

Jaime Groeller

Connect Charter School

Jaime Groeller is a settler Canadian who has been teaching for 15 years at a school with a focus on outdoor education and inquiry-based learning. This school is located in what is now often referred to as Calgary, Alberta, but is historically and currently known as Moh'kinstsis, Wîchispa... Read More →

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am MDT
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Indigenous Ways of Knowing Workshop

Outdoor Learning Conference 2025