PD Corner

Congratulations on your acceptance to Inside Education’s Professional Development Program. Here are all the details you need to help you plan for this one-of-a-kind learning adventure that will inform and inspire your teaching! 

DATES, TIMES, & LOCATION
July 2-6, 2025

Program Start: Wednesday July 2, 10:00 am
Meet at Thelma Chalifoux School (2781 43a Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6T 1G7) for the PD program kick off! Cars will be left in the school parking lot for the duration of the program.

Program End: Sunday July 6 2025 - ~3 pm -  Thelma Chalifoux School (2781 43a Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6T 1G7)

*Inside Education will cover all program costs, including meals and accommodations.

TRAVEL INFORMATION
During the program, we will be lounging in style in a coach touring bus! There will be some long travel times, so feel free to bring books, ear buds, or your favorite knitting (we see you, crafty teachers!) for the bus. The bus rides are often a great chance to connect and chat with fellow participants, but also a nice way to passively process all the things you’ve learned!

Participants are responsible for coordinating their own travel to and from Edmonton. Traveling over 150 km to get to the program? See the next section to learn about mileage subsidies. 

SUPPLY TEACHER AND TRAVEL SUBSIDIES
Since this PD takes place during the first week of summer vacation, we’re assuming most of you won’t require a supply teacher subsidy (though it is there if needed!). If you’re traveling more than 150 km, you are eligible to claim a mileage subsidy. If you want to claim a mileage subsidy, you must email Laura Pekkola in advance of the program and have your travel approved. We can only cover the Supply Teacher Subsidy or the Travel Subsidy - not both. Check out our subsidy policy to learn how to submit your receipts for reimbursement and for Laura’s contact information. 

NOTE: *You must participate in the full program to receive subsidies, with reimbursement provided after the program is complete.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Inside Education will provide all accommodations. We will be staying in same-gender double occupancy rooms, but we may be able to accommodate a single occupancy room if required. 

We’ll be staying at a work camp on our first night of the program, which might be a new experience! At camp you’ll have your own room and bathroom, and we’ll be eating in their cafeteria. Please pack your own shampoo, conditioner and indoor shoes/flip flops/slippers if you don’t want to walk around in socks. You can read through the camp rules here and I will print them off for you to sign on the bus ride up to Fort McMurray. Please note that the camp is dry, which means you cannot have alcohol or drugs on you or in your luggage while at the camp. View the camp rules here.

FOOD
Inside Education will provide all meals starting with refreshments on Wednesday, July 2 and ending with lunch on the 6th. You are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle and coffee mug. Since we are traveling through some rural parts of Alberta, not all hotels or caterers may be able to accommodate specific dietary preferences or allergies. We still do everything we can to be creative and accommodate dietary restrictions.

THE PROGRAM
Check out our draft program schedule here! You’ll see a mix of speaker presentations, tours, and workshops. The goal is to introduce you to the boreal forest, how we as humans use the landscape in this natural region, and what this means for the plants and wildlife living there. Our program is still being finalized, so while you can expect the start and end times to stay the same, you may see some slight changes as we work out travel details and speaker confirmations. 

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Pack your smile and your suitcase! Check out this generalized packing list for some key things you might want to have with you - we program rain or shine with the exception of unsafe conditions. Having a small day pack for on the bus is very helpful to keep track of all your weather-ready gear and any comfort items. We expect that participants will travel with the group and attend the full program from start to finish, so please plan accordingly. 

We will be touring active oil and gas sites, so please ensure you have closed-toed shoes and long pants and sleeves made of non-flammable materials for these tours. We will be wearing coveralls and appropriate PPE on site, but having non-flammable clothing up against your skin is an extra level of safety.

You can also check out the Teacher PD section of our FAQ page for more!

IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

Inside Education is happy to help out and answer any questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 780-421-1497 or email Laura Pekkola at [email protected]. If you need to reach us on the day of the program, call/text Laura at 587-645-0985

We’ll see you soon! 

 ~ The Biodiversity in the Boreal Summer Institute Team

Agriculture in the Parkland Teacher PD

Congratulations on your acceptance to Inside Education’s Professional Development Program. Here are all the details you need to help you plan for this one-of-a-kind learning adventure that will inform and inspire your teaching! 

DATES, TIMES, & LOCATION
May 1-3, 2025

Program Start: Thursday, May 1, 10:00 am
Meet at the Sandman Hotel Red Deer (2818 Gaetz Ave, Red Deer, AB) to board the bus. The bus will be rolling at 10:15 am. Participants will be able to leave their vehicles at the Sandman for the duration of the program, at no charge.  

Program End: Saturday, May 3, 2025 - 4:30 pm -  Sandman Hotel Red Deer (2818 Gaetz Ave, Red Deer, AB)

*Inside Education will cover all program costs, including meals and accommodations.

THE PROGRAM
Check out our *UPDATED* detailed program schedule here! You’ll see a mix of speaker presentations, tours, and workshops. The goal is to introduce you to what sustainable agriculture looks like in the Parkland Region, hearing from researchers, producers, and industry experts. We are also very fortunate to be traveling to the Altario Agriculture Academy, a small school with a big story! We’ll hear from teachers and students on how they went from a tulip garden in the old outdoor hockey rink to building an academy that unites core subject classes with agriculture education. And we might get to pet some pigs as we listen too! 

Our program is still being finalized, so while you can expect the start and end times to stay the same, you may see some slight changes as we work out travel details and speaker confirmations. Most of our tours are outside, so please be ready with close-toed shoes, and dress for spring-in-Alberta weather! 

TRAVEL INFORMATION
During the program, we will be lounging in style in a coach touring bus! There may be some longer travel times, so feel free to bring books, ear buds, or your favorite knitting (we see you, crafty teachers!) for the bus. The bus times are often a great chance to connect and chat with fellow participants, but also a nice way to passively process all the things you’ve learned! 

Participants are responsible for coordinating their own travel to and from Red Deer. Traveling over 150 km to get to the program? See the next section to learn about mileage subsidies. 

SUPPLY TEACHER AND TRAVEL SUBSIDIES
We recognize it’s tricky to take time off and travel for teacher professional development, so we are offering subsidies to help offset costs. All classroom teachers qualify for the Supply Teacher subsidy.  If you want to claim a mileage subsidy, you must email Laura Pekkola in advance of the program and have your travel approved.  We can only cover the Supply Teacher Subsidy or the Travel Subsidy - not both. Check out our subsidy policy to learn about to submit your receipts for reimbursement and for Laura’s contact information. 

NOTE: *You must participate in the full program to receive subsidies, with reimbursement provided after the program is complete.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Inside Education will provide all accommodations. We will be staying in same-gender double occupancy rooms, but we may be able to accommodate a single occupancy room if required. When you confirm your attendance, there will be an opportunity for you to share your preference. 

May 1: The Sandman Hotel in Red Deer (indoor pool and fitness centre)
May 2: The Golden Prairie Lodge in Consort

FOOD
Inside Education will provide all meals starting with refreshments on Thursday, May 1  and ending with lunch on the 3rd. You are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle and coffee mug. Since we are traveling through some rural parts of Alberta, not all hotels or caterers may be able to accommodate specific dietary preferences or allergies. We still do everything to be creative and accommodate dietary restrictions, so please be sure to indicate your food preferences on the participant details form.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Pack your smile and your suitcase! Check out this generalized packing list for some key things you might want to have with you - we program rain or shine with the exception of unsafe conditions. Having a small day pack for on the bus is very helpful to keep track of all your warm gear and any comfort items. We expect that participants will travel with the group and attend the full program from start to finish, so please plan accordingly. 

You can also check out the Teacher PD section of our FAQ page for more!

IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

Inside Education is happy to help out and answer any questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 780-421-1497 or email Laura Pekkola at [email protected]

We’ll see you soon! 

 ~ The Agriculture PD Team

Forestry Teacher PD for B.Ed Students and Beginning Teachers!

DATES, TIMES, & LOCATION
September 26-28, 2024

POST-PROGRAM
Thank you, everyone, for an amazing PD program! Here’s the program schedule for posterity, and all post-program information has been sent via email. 

Connecting to the Land 

Thank you for joining Inside Education and HOWL on our Connecting to the Land professional development program! It was a remarkable experience to have such passionate and engaged educators come together to share ideas, stories and support land-based teaching and learning. We hope you gained new knowledge and networks and found this to be a meaningful personal and professional development opportunity.

Program Survey and Thank you’s:

We value your feedback and would really like to hear what you thought of the program. If you haven’t done so already please complete the post-program survey – it will only take a few moments and goes a long way to help us improve and ensure these programs are available in the future. Inside Education directed support from our program partners to cover the costs of the program, a note from you goes a long way to reminding our partners the value of these programs, we have shared their contact details in follow-up email.

Travel/Supply Teacher Subsidy Information:

In an effort to remove barriers to participation in our programs, Inside Education is happy to provide a travel or supply teacher teacher subsidy for participants. Please review our subsidy policy here to find out how to claim your subsidy.

Keep in Touch!

We love to see photos on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @insideeducation), and hear how this experience is shaping your teaching so please reach out us at any time! You can also check out our photos of the program in this shared Google Photo Album - feel free to comment and add your own photos as well!

Thank you for attending, and for your continued dedication to environmental education. We hope to see you on another program soon!

Jayme, Adam, Leah, & Kathryn

Grasslands Summer Institute - July 2-5, 2024

Thank you for joining us at the Grasslands Summer Institute! We hope it inspired your teaching and planted some new ideas on how to bring natural resources education to life in your classroom. Here are a few of the follow up details we promised you to help keep the momentum of the tour going.

We value your feedback and would really like to hear what you thought of the program. If you haven’t done so already please complete the post-program survey – it will only take a few moments and goes a long way to help us improve and ensure these programs are available in the future. 

Contact Lists

We’ve put together the contact information of our speakers and program partners and have sent them to you in an email. A quick thank you note, possibly noting some of your highlights over the tour, goes a long way towards making these types of programs possible! We’d ask if you could take a few moments and let them know what you thought of the program. 

Classroom Resources and Program Information

Check out our Shared Folder of Resources, included those mentioned on the program, and a few extra! Can’t remember everything we did? Check out the Grasslands Detailed Schedule here. We hope you enjoy taking a look back at the program though this Google Photo Album - feel free to comment and add your own photos as well! And take another look at our wrap-up video!

Travel Subsidy

For those traveling greater than 150 km, Inside Education has a travel subsidy of up to $500 to help offset the costs of travel - the subsidy can be used towards flights, car rentals, taxis, and/or shuttles. Travel subsidies must be approved, so please review our 2024 Subsidy Policy - Inside Education for more information!

NOTE:
*You must participate in the full program to receive the subsidy.

Stay in touch! 

We love to see photos and posts on social media (Facebook, X, Instagram  - @insideeducation) and we love to see what you’re up to over the school year too! If you have any questions about what we learned, who to connect with, or other ways we can support you, you can reach out to Jayme Nelson jnelson [at] insideeducation.ca

Thanks for an amazing adventure! 

~ Jayme, Kat, Dan, and Braeden

A+ for Energy PD - August 26 to August 27, 2024

Thank you for joining us on the A+ for Energy professional development program! We hope it sparked inspiration and offered you valuable ideas to enhance your projects for the 2024-2025 school year, bringing energy education to life in your classroom. As promised, here are some follow-up details related to the PD.

We value your feedback and would really like to hear what you thought of the program. If you haven’t done so already please complete the post-program survey – it will only take a few moments and goes a long way to help us improve and ensure these programs are available in the future.

Contact Lists

We’ve compiled the contact information for our speakers and program partners and have sent it to you via email. A brief thank you note, mentioning a few highlights from the tour, can greatly contribute to the continued success of these programs. We encourage you to take a few moments to share your thoughts and feedback with them!

Classroom Resources and Program Information

Check out our Shared Folder of Resources, including those mentioned on the program, and a few extra! Can’t remember everything we did? Check out the A+ for Energy Schedule here. We hope you enjoy taking a look back at the program through this Google Photo Album - feel free to comment and add your own photos as well!

TRAVEL SUBSIDY INFORMATION

For those traveling greater than 150 km, Inside Education has a travel subsidy of up to $500 to help offset the costs of travel - the subsidy can be used towards flights, car rentals, taxis, and/or shuttles. Travel subsidies must be approved, so please review our 2024 Subsidy Policy - Inside Education for more information!

NOTE:
*You must participate in the full program to receive the subsidy.

Keep in Touch

We love to see photos on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @insideeducation), and receive phone calls and emails to hear how this experience is shaping your teaching so please reach out Ilana at [email protected]

Thank you for attending, and for your continued dedication to energy education!

~ Ilana, Braeden, Jayme, and Kathryn

If you are looking for information/resources/contacts from past professional development programs, please email Natalie at [email protected]