Our conference brings together educators, researchers, parents, students, and policy-makers to connect with and learn from each other. This year, we explored the role of public education in creating a better world. Explore videos, notes and highlights from our annual conference.
Making Connections 2018: People for Education's Annual Conference
Keynote speaker
Maggie MacDonnell, winner of the 2017 Global Teacher Prize
Maggie MacDonnell is an inspiration for everyone who cares about education. Maggie teaches in the fly-in Inuit community of Salluit, and in 2017, was chosen from over 20,000 nominees as the winner of the $1,000,000 Global Teacher Prize. She has been recognized for her work by the Governor General and the Albert Einstein Foundation, and was recently named one of BBC’s top 100 Women. She is passionate about creating education programs that create opportunities for social mobility, empower youth, and cultivate healthy communities.
Panel discussion
Changing the way we think about equity
The public education system is one of the best places to address social inequity and improve social mobility. Can we change students’ trajectories by shifting our focus from old definitions of equity to new thinking based on students’ rights to an education that includes all of the components vital for long-term success?
Why public education?
We asked students, educators, parents, and researchers to answer the question "Why public education?"
Here is what they had to say.
Everything I know I learned in early childhood education
This session looks at how early childhood education plays a role in supporting students’ growth in areas such as physical health and well-being, emotional maturity, cognitive development, and more!
15,000 years of well-being education
Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse explores how Indigenous education aligns with key learning in areas such as health, citizenship, creativity, and social-emotional learning,
Connecting with hard-to-reach communities
How can we make the school a welcoming environment for all families? How can school councils and parent leaders help to create an engaged community?
Let’s focus on mental health, not mental illness
Students’ mental health has an impact on both their education and their long-term success. This session looks at the central role schools play in supporting student mental health.
Navigating post-secondary pathways
Even before they go to high school, students are expected to have some idea of what they want to do in terms of post-secondary education, their careers, and beyond.
The next generation
We talk about setting goals and supporting students to be successful in their futures. But what does success look like to the next generation?
Inventing a new report card
How do we translate the learning that happens in classrooms onto a report card? How can schools communicate what students are learning?
Let’s talk about race
This thought-provoking and challenging discussion explored the issues of race and equity, and their impact on public education and society.
Global competencies in the curriculum
This session looked at how global competencies are teachable and learnable, can be integrated into any subject, and can be supported by parents at home.
Moving towards a new vision for special education
How can we ensure that schools are creating a rich learning environment and supporting success for all students, no matter what their learning needs?
It's all about making connections...
Here’s what participants had to say about Making Connections 2018:
“Outstanding! This was one of the best years ever! It was an amazing learning and networking opportunity – with an ear-to-the-ground on current issues and realities in education. There’s an authenticity and sincere approach to wanting to make a positive difference to public education. Well-organized, planned, and executed! It is one of my favourite conferences. ”
“The keynote speaker and plenary panel were wonderful. I appreciated the welcoming atmosphere and open, urgent dialog.”
“I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to network. It enabled individuals from varying areas in education to come together. Individuals were provided with a platform to share ideas and voice opinions on matters that currently need to be addressed.”
Re-visit the 2017 conference. See the session notes, slides, and videos from Making Connections 2017.
Special thanks to our conference sponsors:
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