Assertive Communication

(3 hours)

This workshop teaches the key principles of communication by exploring the differences between passive, aggressive, and assertive communication styles. Participants will develop skills through a variety of exercises, role play and practice, in order to effectively communicate in their classroom, schools, union work, or personal lives.

Bafa Bafa (secondary)/Rafa Rafa (elementary)

(3 hours)

(Cross-cultural simulation game)
Participants experience what it is like to live and cope in another culture. After the simulation, presenters will facilitate a discussion with the participants on what assumptions or perceptions they made, and the behaviour they witnessed about one another’s culture. Analysis of common ground and barriers between cultures will be explored. Other similar games and classroom activities will be provided in a handout package.

Creating a Gender-Inclusive School Culture

(3 hours)

This workshop will help develop an understanding of the risks facing trans, non-binary and gender diverse students, as well as the protective factors, gain increased familiarity with terminology used by the trans, non-binary and gender diverse communities, and increased awareness of gender identity and gender expression. Best practices for supporting a student through gender transition within the school system will be covered. Although the focus is on trans, non-binary and gender diverse students, gender-inclusive schools help all students to feel safe at school.

Creating Cultures of Peace 

(3 hours)

In line with the big ideas and core competencies of the revised curriculum, this interactive workshop provides resources for teachers and their students to create peaceful learning communities, and to discuss current global realities. Activities will incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and discuss the effects of war and violence on children and youth. Lesson sequences will be provided and explored surrounding the Palestine-Israel Conflict, and Olympic Truce, which was recently revived by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to emphasize the role sport can play in building a more peaceful world.  

Creating Inclusive Spaces: Applying an Equity and Inclusion Lens to Your Local, Schools and Classrooms

(5 hours)

Available as a SURT or PSI workshop. This workshop will provide teachers with strategies to help contribute to more inclusive environments. Participants will be introduced to a number of barriers to inclusion based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, class and physical ability. They will then explore strategies and resources available on the BCTF Equity and Inclusion webpages to address these barriers. Through an inquiry model, participants will begin thinking about specific actions they can take in their classrooms, schools, locals, and communities.

Developing Allyship Skills to Break the Cycle of Cyberbullying

(3 hours)

Teachers will leave this workshop with knowledge and strategies to address students’ involvement in cyberbullying. Workshop participants will develop a stronger understanding of cyberbullying and the social media platforms where it takes place. They will learn about proactive measures to raise students’ awareness of this increasingly prevalent issue. Participants will also develop strategies to identify students who may be involved in cyberbullying and offer the appropriate support. 

Global Education: Bringing Global Perspectives into your Classroom

(3 hours)

Are you looking for new ways to energize how you teach existing units? Introducing a global perspective into your classroom can be challenging, but exciting. Bring your existing ideas, a current unit, or theme to this workshop and let us show you how to integrate, infuse, and deliver it from a global perspective at any grade level. A global education approach activates student interest as it increases personal engagement and involvement in the classroom, the surrounding community, and our world. This workshop is beneficial for K–12.

Help End Child Poverty in BC's Classrooms, Schools and Local Communities

(3 hours)

Participants will raise their awareness on poverty issues in their classrooms by using the BCTF Poverty Survey Results.  They will assess their own school's, local's and community needs. Then they will be provided with the opportunity to work in groups on a plan of action that they can be done during the workshop to address their student's needs on issues related to poverty. 

In the shoes of the bully, the bystander and the victim: Building self-awareness, social awareness, and empathy

(3 hours)

This workshop will help to develop an understanding of self-awareness, social awareness and empathy building around bullying and bystander issues. Key skills and strategies will be used to develop and understanding of the factors contributing to the different roles in relationships between bully, victim, bystander and ally. Through talking circles and reflective listening activities, ideas will be presented on how to support change through the creation of a safe and inclusive classroom. There will be opportunities to further explore the teacher’s role as an elder and mentor to students. Handouts and resources will be provided for teachers to integrate this approach into their classroom.

Incorporating Antiracist Strategies into BC's Revised Curriculum

(3 hours to full day)

This workshop looks at privilege in society and how the legacy of our colonial past has shaped our present.  It provides some youth perspectives on racism in schools, and explores strategies to recognize and eliminate racism in society, classrooms, schools, and community.

Poverty as a Classroom Issue

(3–3.5 hours)

BC is the only province in Canada without a poverty reduction plan and 20% of all our children live in poverty. This workshop helps teachers to develop an awareness of the issue of poverty and its implication for our students. It will provide challenges for teachers on the assumptions we make about children living in poverty and provide strategies for teachers on how to support children who may be experiencing discrimination at school because of their socio-economic status.

Promoting Healthy Youth Relationships: Educating Against Gender-Based Violence

This workshop will help develop an awareness of healthy and unhealthy youth relationships and gender-based violence. It will increase our understanding of the impact of dating and sexualized violence on youth. Through the exploration of lessons and strategies to address these issues in the classroom, the workshop will enhance the capacity of schools and educators to encourage healthy youth relationships. A series of lesson plans and comprehensive resources will be provided for use in the classroom.

Reach Out, Speak Out on Homophobia and Transphobia

(3 hours)

This workshop focuses on how to be an ally and support LGBTQ+ youth within schools. Educators will develop an understanding of sexuality and gender as spectrums and will explore essential terminology and pronouns. It will increase understanding of the impact of homophobia and transphobia on youth and look at strategies and best practices to address these. The importance of GSA’s and LGBTQ+ policies will be shared. This workshop is highly recommended for educators wanting to create an inclusive school culture so that all students feel safe and included.

Responding to Racism in the Workplace and the Classroom

(3 hours)

This skills-based Antidiscrimination Response Training workshop is a powerful, practical way to promote awareness, and empathy, and to develop the skills to effectively respond to discriminatory remarks and incidents of racism, sexist, and homophobia in the classroom and the workplace.

Role and Function of the Social Justice Contact

(3–5 hours)

School-based social justice representatives working with the local’s Social Justice Committee can explore their roles and the functions they have within the school and local. They will have an opportunity to set out long- and short-term plans and explore how to work in coalition with others in their schools and community. 

Sexual Health Education: It's Fun!

This recently revised BCTF workshop provides participants with essential information about sexual health. The topic of consent is discussed in detail. Workshop participants will become familiar with several recommended resources and some fundamental strategies for teaching the mandated sexual health curriculum to BC students at all grade levels in public schools. The workshop will help teachers in accessing resources and developing lesson plans that satisfy the curriculum, as well as navigate the social and cultural context. This session is sex-positive and aims to empower educators to create an inclusive and comprehensive sexual health education program. 

Social Justice in Every Classroom

(3 hours)

How socially just is your classroom? Do you include social justice and human rights as part of your curriculum? Would you like your students to participate in social justice activities locally and globally? This workshop is designed for teachers to expand and enhance their teaching strategies for including social justice issues in the classroom. These practical activities can be used throughout the K–12 curriculum.

Strategies for Discussing Controversial Issues

(3 hours)

Discussing controversial issues with students is an important part of social justice, the inquiry process, and building the skills for students to become active, engaged and critically-minded democratic citizens. This workshop provides practical classroom strategies to discuss controversial issues in a respectful manner.

Teaching Green: Integrating Environmental Justice Issues Across the Curriculum

(90 minutes to all day)

This workshop has five modules: Creating Climate Heroes, Food Security, Water Rights, Sustainable Resource Use, and Sustainable Transportation. Please see module descriptions below for further details. Choose one or more. Available for K–12.

Creating Climate Heroes (3 hours)

Workshop participants will consider barriers to teaching about the climate change emergency and develop solutions to overcome these barriers. Teachers will also learn strategies to support students in using critical thinking skills to approach climate change through a solutions based approach.  (new name for Climate Justice)

Food Security (75–120 minutes)

Participants will explore food security and food sovereignty issues and their social justice impacts, locally and globally through activities that can be applied in their classrooms. They will take an inventory of local food security issues, and then consider local food security and its cultural intersections. The final step will be to create an action plan designed to ensure food security for the school community.

Water Rights (90–120 minutes)

Focusing on the global water crisis through a social justice lens, participants will explore the connections between water access/water privatization issues, human rights, and social justice. Through an inquiry model, teachers will consider how water resource conservation issues are relevant in the classroom, the community, nationally and globally. The workshop will provide opportunities for teachers to explore water rights teaching resources and to develop a plan to support students in taking concrete actions. 

Sustainable Resource Use (90–120 minutes)

This workshop introduces strategies to support students in exploring the social, economic and environmental impacts of exploiting our natural resources. Participants will consider how to successfully bring this topic into their classrooms by using techniques to discuss controversial issues. The workshop introduces a number of teaching resources and explores ways to link them to the revised curriculum.

Sustainable Transportation (45–60 minutes)

Participants will explore strategies to support their students in examining how transportation of goods and people has changed over time, the consequences of these changes, and the intersections between transportation and social justice. The workshop will provide opportunities for teachers to explore sustainable transportation teaching resources and to ways to link them to the revised curriculum.