OAJE is not offering any mini-conferences during the 2006-2007 school year, but plan to do so next year. Please refer to the President's Message for further details.

Watch for information about upcoming mini-conferences for the 2007-2008 school year.

PAST OAJE MINI-CONFERENCES

in Peterborough Ontario on Monday, April 20, 2006 Keynote Speakers: Rod Peturson and Les Asselstine Topic: "The Connected Curriculum" Dig your way out from under the hundreds of specific expectations for your grade level. Rod and Les will share their perceptions about the really important things in the curriculum and will provide some practical planning tips that will help you cope with a crowded school day. Following the keynote speakers, there will be four breakout sessions on the topic of "The Connected Curriculum" "The Connected Curriculum" Thanks to those who attended the Mini-Conference As promised, please click here for handouts from the session
Date and Time:Friday, September 30, 2005 - 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Location: York Region DSB - Rogers Public School, 161 Sawmill Valley Drive, Newmarket, Ontario Keynote Speakers: Rod Peturson and Les Asselstine Topic: "The Connected Curriculum" 4 Workshop Sessions to follow keynote address: 1) Creating and Managing Active Classroom Environments 2) Using Literature in Science & Technology and Social Studies 3) Making the Connections: Get "KLAC'ing" 4) New Literacies and the Critical Mind We hope you enjoyed the day...please see the Autumn Newsletter 2005 for a review of the keynote and breakout sessions. Lunch/Publishers Display and Door Prizes! Cost: Members - $20.00; New Attendees - $50.00; Student Teachers - $20.00
OISE/UT in partnership with The Toronto Reading Council and The Ontario Association of Junior Educators Date: Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, 2005 Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Location: OISE/UT - 252 Bloor St. W., Toronto Ontario Day One Featured Speaker: Ralph Fletcher Topic: Literacy in the Junior Classroom - includes classroom strategies for literacy instruction and assessment, and provides ideas for helping struggling readers and writers, choosing appropriate literature for junior students and teaching literacy across the junior curriculum Target Audience: teachers, teacher leaders and administrators Day Two Keynote Speakers: David Booth, Shelley Peterson, Larry Swartz Topic: Literacy is for Boys and Girls - gain ideas, information and resources for supporting boys and girls in their reading, writing and other literacies across the primary/junior/intermediate/senior curriculum Cost: One day only - $110.00; two days - $200.00 NOTE: Ask for the OAJE Membership rate when registering For more information, please contact Andre Tremblay at 416-923-6641 ext. 2463 or atremblay@oise.utoronto.ca
Date and Time:Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 8:30 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. Location: OISE/UT - 252 Bloor St. W., Toronto Ontario Keynote Speaker: Don Fraser Topic: "Taking the Numb out of Numbers " 4 Breakout Sessions: 1) The Write Math - presenter: Cathy Marks Krpan 2) Math Connections - presenter: Mary Lynn Tessaro 3) Let's Focus on One Strand - presenter: Lucy Gianotta 4) Interactive Math - presenter: Rich Cornwell Cost: Members - $15.00 (lunch); Non-members or Membership Renewal - $50.00 (with lunch)
Held on: Thursday, October 14, 2004, 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location: Ardene Park, Stratford Ontario Keynote Speaker was Norma MacFarlane Topic: "The Role of Oral Communication in the Junior Classroom" 3 Breakout Sessions in a Hands-on Interactive Model: 1) Oral Communications in the Junior Classroom 2) The Power of Drama 3) Literacy Links to Social Studies
Held on: Wednesday, April 21, 2004, 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location: Rockhaven Motor Inn, Peterborough, Ontario Keynote Speaker was Larry Swartz Topic: "Inside, Outside: All Around the Book"- This presentation highlighted frameworks for choosing and using children's books for literacy growth. A focus on the 'talk' curriculum was featured. There were 3 Breakout Sessions: 1) "Art and Literacy: Making Great Connections" - The focus on this session was to provide participants with a package full of activities that support the integration of Language Arts and Visual Arts into the junior program. Participants had an opportunity to experience a variety of activities. A resource package was provided. Debbie Johnson, Junior Language Resource Teacher and Diana Binotto Peel, Curriculum Coordinator, Avon Maitland DSB 2) "Media Works" - You've seen them in the documents...now see them live as you interact with a variety of media 'texts'. What are they? How can you deal with them? Why should you bother? Participants found out how media literacy is used to motivate students, complement the language program and other subjects, while giving students important contemporary skills. Don Jones, Consultant, Halton DSB 3) "Writing in Mathematics" - This workshop addressed practical ways of integrating writing and other types of communication strategies into the Mathematics program. Teachers participated in a variety of activities that encourage students to learn mathematical concepts as well as explore their own mathematical thinking. Cathy Marks Krpan, OISE/UT
Held on: Thursday, February 12, 2004, 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location: St. Jerome's Church, Brampton- Dufferin-Peel CDSB Keynote Speaker was Damien Cooper Topic: "Playing the Game: the case for rich performance tasks" - 'Students may learn a great deal, but understand very little. True evidence of understanding depends on students having opportunities to combine recently acquired knowledge and skills in new and different ways....' This session provided an overview of performance assessment and performance task design. There were 3 Breakout Sessions: 1) "I am the CEO for Marvellous Games..." - a rich performance task to meet virtually all of the Data Management and Probability expectations in the junior grades - Dan Peter, Academic Consultant for Math - Dufferin-Peel Catholic DSB 2) "Cubit Homes" - an interactive task useful for diagnostic, formative and summative assessment - Max Vecchiarino, Co-ordinator of Assessment and Evaluation, and Bruno Pullara, teacher - Dufferin-Peel Catholic DSB 3) "Michelle and Jill's Marvellous Adventure!" - explored a variety of rich performance tasks that meet a 'jungle' of math and science & technology expectations - Michelle Lang and Jill Snider, Consultants - Waterloo Region DSB
Date & Time: Thursday, October 9th, 2003, 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location: Thames Valley District School Board           London, Ontario Keynote Speaker: Rod Peturson Topic: Managing the Three-Ring Circus There were three breakout sessions: 1) "Managing Guided Reading in a Junior Classroom" - Charmaine Graves, Co-ordinator, Thames Valley District School Board 2) "Building Learning Opportunities Through Mindful Instruction" - Ingrid Agar, Grade 6 Teacher, Thames Valley District School Board 3) Networking Sessions - An opportunity to share classroom management ideas with colleagues with the help of experienced facilitators   Click here for the Fall 2003 Newsletter and session highlights .
Dates: Friday, April 11th & Saturday, April 12th, 2003 Location: OISE at the University of Toronto           371 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario Featured Speaker: Lorna Earl, OISE Topic: Assessment As Learning – Using Assessment to Enhance Student Learning Keynote Speaker: Paul Kropp, Author Topic: Encouraging All Kids to Read - Especially the Boys Thank you for attending the conference....we hope you found it helpful and enjoyable. Saturday was jam-packed with workshops by many wonderful presenters on a variety of topics and subject areas.
"Meeting the Diverse Needs of the Junior Learner"
Date Held: Thursday, February 20th, 2003 Duration: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Location: St. Francis Xavier Church, Mississauga Keynote Speaker: Mary Lou Mackie Keynote Topic: The Diverse Learner in the Regular Classroom Breakout Sessions: Planning for Differentiated Instruction - focus on Math and Language Differentiation: A Way of Thinking - focus on Reading Instruction Planning for Differentiated Instruction - focus on Social Studies Please refer to the Winter 2003 Newsletter (Publications section) to learn more about the differentiated learner from these speakers.

General Meeting:

Thursday, February 21, 2002 - St. Francis Xavier Church in Mississauga

Topic for the Day:

'Strategies for Improving Literacy Performance for the Junior Child'

(a timely and relevant subject, as over 100 dedicated junior educators attended the sessions)

Keynote Speaker

Nancy Leonard, former consultant with the York Region Board

offered fun, practical teaching and learning strategies to support the struggling junior reader.

Three Store Front Sessions:

Nancy Leonard offered more enjoyable hands-on strategies for before, during and after reading activities. Jody Major, a junior teacher from Thames Valley DSB, demonstrated how 'Literature Circles' can be a powerful learning tool: participants experienced an actual literature circle through small group discussion on a text. Jamie McQuay, a Waterloo DSB teacher and last year's O.A.J.E. Education Recognition Award recipient, described the purpose and use of increasingly-popular graphic organizers to develop student understanding of a variety of texts. Participants received an assortment of graphic organizers to take away.

Feedback from participants was very positive.

Plan to attend the Fall General Meeting. Watch for details on this website!