Lee Holfeld uses a strengths-based teaching approach to empower all learners, including neurodiverse adults, to grow their skills and confidence. In this session, she combines her personal journey with years of educational experience to share insights on creating inclusive learning spaces and practical strategies that help everyone shine.

Learning Objectives:

• Guide CALP staff in providing a strengths-based approach to working with neurodiverse adults whether they are learners, colleagues, or yourself
• Gain insight into some of the struggles of neurodiverse learners and learn instructional strategies to bring out the brilliance in every learner
• Take away a checklist to make a learning space neurodiverse friendly, as well as some tried and true resources and tools that can be easily implemented into classes

Play isn’t just for children, it transforms adult learning, too. Through play, abstract ideas become real and relevant, turning tough concepts into hands-on experiences. Play-based approaches spark curiosity, build confidence, and strengthen problem-solving. For practitioners, they open new opportunities to engage learners and create powerful, lasting learning experiences.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore how play-based learning supports adults by making abstract ideas concrete and relevant, fostering creativity, building confidence, and opening new opportunities for meaningful learning experiences and innovative program design
• Learn fun, innovative play-based strategies that make learning meaningful and relevant, spark curiosity, strengthen problem-solving, and create engaging opportunities to support adult learners in diverse and lasting ways
• Take away fun, practical strategies, play-based facilitation techniques, adaptable activities, creative tools, and access to a digital resource library to support engaging, innovative, and lasting adult learning experiences

This session covers language and examples instructors can use to improve their digital skills lessons. The workshop aims to help instructors in teaching basic digital skills and skills for learning. 

Learning Objectives:

• Provide digital skills instructors with better ways to illuminate commonly misunderstood technical topics
• Learn how to explain digital jargon, ideas, and systems to foundational digital literacy learners using plain language and examples
• Take away a collection of terms, definitions, and practical examples to explain unfamiliar digital vocabulary to basic digital skills learners using simple language

This session introduces the ARC Framework, created through research on educators' reading practices, as a reflective tool for literacy instruction. ARC (Attention, Relational Move, Conditions in Play) helps literacy instructors examine how their teaching choices and environments influence adult learners' confidence, understanding, and engagement across settings.

Learning Objectives:

• Invite literacy instructors to use the ARC Framework as a reflective lens for their own teaching, exploring how choices and learning conditions influence learners' confidence, comprehension, and engagement
• Learn how to use the ARC Framework to analyze their own literacy instruction, identify how attention and response influence learning, and apply relational strategies to strengthen teaching practice
• Learn how to use the ARC Reflection Tool to examine their own literacy instruction. They will practice applying it during the session and receive a copy to guide ongoing reflection and planning

This interactive workshop offers practical strategies for teaching English to senior adults. Learn how to engage learners, choose meaningful materials, and create a respectful, inclusive environment. Discover best practices that reflect seniors’ real-life experiences and leave feeling confident in supporting their language learning journey.

Learning Objectives:

• Equip educators with practical strategies for teaching English to senior adults, fostering inclusive, respectful learning environments that reflect seniors’ lived experiences and support meaningful language acquisition
• Take away strategies, tools, and pre-made lesson plans to engage senior EAL learners, select meaningful materials, foster inclusive classrooms, and build learner confidence through respectful, needs-based instruction

This interactive workshop offers practical strategies for teaching English to senior adults. Learn how to engage learners, choose meaningful materials, and create a respectful, inclusive environment. Discover best practices that reflect seniors’ real-life experiences and leave feeling confident in supporting their language learning journey.

Learning Objectives:

• Equip educators with practical strategies for teaching English to senior adults, fostering inclusive, respectful learning environments that reflect seniors’ lived experiences and support meaningful language acquisition
• Take away strategies, tools, and pre-made lesson plans to engage senior EAL learners, select meaningful materials, foster inclusive classrooms, and build learner confidence through respectful, needs-based instruction

Elder’s Dave Matilpi, John Sinclair and Lucille Provost along with Youth Knowledge Keeper Robert Provost will, as a Panel, share historical stories of the West Coast, Cree and Blackfoot First Nations peoples.  The stories will include historical learning, connection to Mother Earth, the Universe and all natures creations.  This will lead to the First Nations visions for learning today.  Understanding how engaging with Indigenous/Metis/Inuit learners can be a cultural and traditional way today.  Honoring the Truth & Reconciliation Commission to heal and repair relationships through out Canada.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will learn the historical ways of teachings
• How communal Indigenous people were
• The importance of connection to the Mother Earth land, people and all the habitants
• The process of engagement with Indigenous Learners today
• How the Residential schools have impacted learning. 

*Please note that a smudge will be offered during this session

Our presentation will spotlight key themes that emerged from last year’s feedback:

1. Shifting Program Focus
2. Systemic Collaboration and Partnership Building
3. Learner Access and Outreach
4. Faculty Capacity and Resource Constraints

Building on these themes, we aim to share practical strategies for strengthening partnerships, addressing operational challenges, and leveraging data to improve learner outcomes. We will also highlight emerging trends in CALP programming, such as French language and AI training.

Community providers will share success stories from the field, and participants will be encouraged to engage in a collaborative dialogue centered on innovation, shared learning, and continuous improvement in program delivery.

Learning Objectives:

• Learners will be able to focus on elements of programming and grant administration that they may not have considered closely before
• Learners will have the opportunity to learn about promising practices and emerging themes in the CALP system
• Take away new ways of thinking about CALP Policy and programming