Bruce Wainman

tbd

Talk Title - X reality and the concorde fallacy in education. 

Megan Sumeracki

Tbd

Talk Title - Applying the science of learning from the laboratory to the classroom 

Veronica Yan

Tbd

Talk Title - A toolkit for building better learners 

Megan Sumeracki & Yana Weinstein

tbd

Wokshop (Whole Group): Strategies for effective learning - The learning scientists workshop

Shoshana Jacobs

Advances in technology and in our understanding of how students learn most effectively are contributing to changes in the way we teach in higher educational institutions (HEIs). In addition to disciplinary knowledge, students must acquire transferable skills including communication, problem solving, team-work, knowledge translation and transfer, and leadership. Teaching these skills requires a collaborative classroom that places students in an environment that recreates the real world without forcing them into a ‘sink or swim’ scenario. In our activity, participants will be introduced to IdeasCongress (ICON), a transdisciplinary learning environment available at the University of Guelph. During the workshop you will take part in some of the activities we run at the beginning of the ICON course, probing thought about discipline-specific thinking, biases, knowing your audience, and self-reflection. Be prepared to harness your illustration skills and visual perceptions that reflect your primary field of study.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
· Connect the importance of KTT as a tool to the key transferable skills required by students in a post-secondary education. 
· Reflect on how they might creatively hack their academic framework to teach more transferable skills. 
· Lead their own students in short activities related to learning basic skills in active listening and empathy.

Workshop (Stream 1) - Ideas congress (ICON): A transdisciplinary learning environment for experiential learning

Amy Pachai

The primary goal of testing is to measure the extent to which students have learned the facts, concepts, procedures, and skills that have been taught in the course. In many university courses, instructors use multiple choice questions (MCQs) for some or all of the student assessment. However, many of the questions used by instructors contain critical flaws and most will do no more than test factual recall. Fortunately, writing high-quality MCQs is a learnable skill.

In this hands-on workshop, we will:
· Learn about how to employ the best practices and avoid common pitfalls of writing measurably effective MCQs. 
· Explore how theories of learning such as Bloom’s revised taxonomy can help us determine the level at which a question should be written. 
· Practice writing MCQs and providing valuable feedback to peers.

Workshop (Stream 2) - Writing multiple choice questions to create effective tests

Irina Ghilic

In today’s university setting, initial learning happens during lectures. Students attend a class and try to encode as much of the new information as possible. Most students keep a record of the lecture information via notes. However, not all notes are created equal. Taking good notes is really important, since students cite “notes” as their main source of study material. During the workshop, we will discuss various types of notes and their success (based on note taking literature), tips and tactics for taking notes, and various strategies to aid students become aware of their own note taking proficiency.

Throughout the workshop, participants will learn:
· Background cognitive research on note taking and studying of notes.
· Self-regulated learning and metacognitive awareness is crucial to taking good notes (and studying, in general). 
· There are multiple ways to take notes and prepare for a note taking session.

Workshop (Stream 2) - Note taking: How research can better inform practice

Laura Cole

The key to an engaging presentation delivery starts with intentional preparation and practice. Research has shown us how our brain naturally functions and we can use these strengths as the foundation for our techniques and strategies. Think Before You Speak is designed to harness these strengths to support preparation, practice and delivery.

In this workshop we will:
· Discover practical tools to prepare for a presentation that works with our brain’s natural strengths. 
· Learn delivery techniques to avoid reading scripted word-for-word notes to allow you to connect with your audience during delivery. 
· Explore proven strategies to stay calm and mindful during delivering to allow your mental energy to be used for your message, not your nerves.

Workshop (Stream 3) - Think before you speak

Joe Kim

During the course of a busy term, we are pulled in multiple directions with increasing demands for our time and attention. Without a game plan, confusion, procrastination and “busy work” dominate over moving toward higher goals. Research from psychology can provide effective strategies to choose priorities that separate signal from noise, focus attention to engage in deep work, and develop habits that invest limited resources on what really matters.

In this workshop we will:
· Explore how understanding the cognitive architecture of the mind leads to developing a working plan to handle daily challenges with optimized solutions. 
· Develop a culture for productivity that promotes deep work and movement towards a goal. 
· Learn about digital tools to integrate into workflows to shift our resources to important tasks like strategic planning which also deserve attention.

Workshop (Stream 3) - Focusing on what really matters: A reset for workplace productivity