Annual General Conference 2007
Dorothy Silver, lifelong learner and literacy ambassador from New Brunswick shared her learning journey with participants, followed by the inauguration of the Freda Hudson Volunteer Recognition Award, presented to Grace Saabas (nominated by RECLAIM).
This year LVQ introduced a new format, offering volunteer tutors and learners the opportunity to attend workshops in the morning and in the afternoon. This format was well received by all, and this year the range of workshops was designed to offer something for everyone. Participants attended sessions on educational kinesiology, hands-on science experiments, living on a budget, a tutor exchange, essential skills, phobias, and what makes me "me"? (see list of workshops below)
Check out all the photos from the 2007 Annual conference.
Conference Feedback Comments
- The 2007 conference was one of the best so far!
- Everything was great. I enjoyed it all.
- I really enjoyed the opportunity to take 2 workshops. They will help me in my work, tutor support and training.
- Very useful - fun- we are such nice people! The brain gym was superb! Thank you for organizing it.
- The workshops offered and the structure was the best ever! Presenting the first Freda Hudson Memorial Pin to Grace Saabas was perfect - a lovely event to have her daughters present. The daughter who spoke really conveyed it all. Excellent! About Countertop Chemistry Workshop
- Entertaining and educational; good mix of tutors and students.
- The experiment was fantastic.
- I liked doing the experience myself.
- I liked everything! It was fun. It was interesting. I enjoyed it.
- I liked how the experiment works, I like to see how chemical reaction works, and how it changed colour.
2007 Workshop Description and Schedule
T- Tutor S- Student All - General
| Workshop | Time | Presenter | Description | Category | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Brain Gym® | 10:30-12:30 | Lisa Marcovici | Brain Gym® is a series of simple and enjoyable movements that are used to enhance the capacity for whole brain learning. Educational Kinesthetics is a system for empowering learners of any age by using movement to enable reaching one’s maximum potential. During this introductory workshop you will learn about Brain Gym in a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. You will realize that learning is fun while experimenting with several Brain Gym movements and discovering different possibilities for using Brain Gym. (Wear comfortable clothing!) | T |
| 2 | What makes me “me”? | 10:30-12:30 | Deborah Parkes | What
do you know about your parents’ background? What lessons did you learn at
home? What was your neighbourhood like? What difficulties did your family
face? Who did you admire? Who made you laugh?
Explore these and other questions, learn about what makes us unique in a small, friendly group. MAXIMUM 8 PARTICIPANTS |
S |
| 3 | Science | 10:30-12:30 | Thierry Refour | If you thought science was boring, then think again! Discover the scientific method, conduct a scientific experiment using common, everyday household items in this fun and relaxing workshop. You’ll want to conduct experiments every day after this! | All |
| 4 | Planes, Spiders and Elevators; Phobias Are Easy to Treat | 10:30-12:30 | Dr. Karen White | A phobia is an excessive fear reaction to something that isn’t actually that dangerous. It can lead us to avoid common experiences such as riding in elevators, going into basements, or speaking up in a class. People with phobias experience strong fear reactions and sometimes even panic attacks. These fears can stop us from traveling or speaking in front of groups, and make us feel ridiculous! But psychologists know how to treat phobias well and quickly (without ever having to talk about your mother)! | All |
LUNCH
| Workshop | Time | Presenter | Description | Category | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Living on a shoestring budget | 1:30-3:30 | Dorothy Silver | How can we avoid bad spending habits? Unable to read until her late 40s, this stay-at-home mother and wife developed many skills that helped her care for her family on her husband’s modest income. “You may have a poor salary or income but it’s not how much you make; it’s how you use what you have.” | S |
| 6 | Tutor exchange | 1:30-3:30 | Tutors | An opportunity for tutors from across Quebec to get together and share experiences, concerns, successes, challenges, or to find out what’s happening in other councils. | T |
| 6 | Tutor exchange | 1:30-3:30 | Tutors | An opportunity for tutors from across Quebec to get together and share experiences, concerns, successes, challenges, or to find out what’s happening in other councils. | T |
| 7 | Introduction to Brain Gym® | 1:30-3:30 | Lisa Marcovici | Brain Gym® is a series of simple and enjoyable activities that allow you to get ready to learn. During this workshop you will see how you can use Brain Gym to make reading, writing and other learning skills less stressful, more fun and even enjoyable. (Wear comfortable clothing!) | S |
| 8 | Essential Skills – Just Make Them Useful to Literacy! | 1:30-3:30 | Jane Tuer | This interactive workshop will introduce you to the Essential Skills and show you how they relate to literacy and literacy students. It will also de-mystify the Essential Skills website and the various related sites to show tutors and teachers how to integrate these skills into your programs. | T |