2. Book the Workshop
All PSI workshops must be booked at least three weeks prior to the date of training using the form below.
If you have an idea, special circumstance, or request, please contact psidworkshopbooking@bctf.ca to book Professional and Social Issues (PSI) workshops.
BC Blanket Exercise: Exploring Historical Relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples
(2-3 hours)
This experiential workshop will help participants understand how colonization of the land we now know as British Columbia and Canada has impacted the people who lived here long before settlers arrived. Through this exercise participants will explore the nation-to-nation relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada, how this relationship has been damaged over the years, and how we can work toward reconciliation.
This workshop is only available in-person.
Canadian Geographic Indigenous Peoples Floor Map of Canada
(2-3 hours)
Join us for a workshop to explore the Canadian Geographic Giant map showcasing Indigenous communities, residential schools, reserves, and more. Rather than political borders, Canada is broken up into Indigenous language groups. Learn about the diverse voices and stories of Indigenous Peoples and gain a deeper understanding of the past, present, and future. Discover how to incorporate this resource into your teaching to benefit your students and in connecting with Indigenous communities and organizations in your area. A teachers' guide also accompanies this map.
This workshop is only available in-person.
Education for Truth and Reconciliation: Using the Aboriginal Lens
(3 hours)
This workshop will explore the seven “R” concepts of the Aboriginal Lens, help educators challenge the current Eurocentric practices that have silenced other ways of knowing and being, discover ways to apply the lens in a variety of circumstances, and highlight the importance of evolving our practices and demonstrating commitment to educating for reconciliation.
This workshop is only available in-person.
Employment Equity for Aboriginal Teachers Action Plan
(5 hours)
The Employment Equity for Aboriginal Teachers Action Plan workshop is a follow-up to the Introduction to Employment Equity for Aboriginal Teachers workshop. Participants will learn about facilitating discussion and problem-solving on the issues, and building an understanding of employment equity for Aboriginal teachers. This workshop provides locals with the tools to create an action plan.
This workshop is only available in-person.
Gladys We Never Knew Cross Curricular Lesson Modules for Secondary Schools
(3 hours)
Gladys Chapman, a student at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, died of tuberculosis at the age of 12. The spirit of Gladys is at the heart of this workshop that provides a cross-curricular module of lessons for teachers who want more ideas to help meet the ministry mandate of infusing Aboriginal content and perspectives at the secondary level. Like the intermediate module, participants will have the opportunity to engage with the activities and speak with the module developers. The goal of the session is to provide teachers with the resources, background, and support that will prepare them to take their students to a deeper level of truth and reconciliation education. This is a developing e-book resource.
This workshop is only available in-person.
Gladys: The Life of a Child in a BC Residential School
The short life and tragic death of a BC residential school student
An elementary and middle school teaching resource
(3 hours)
Somebody’s sister … somebody’s auntie … somebody’s daughter …
Designed for the intermediate grades, this teacher and student-friendly, ten-lesson module was written with the New BC Curriculum in mind. While learning about the true-life story of Gladys, a local Aboriginal girl from the Nlaka’pamux Nation in Spuzzum, BC, students are taken on a local, land and place-based journey of inquiry and ethical judgement. Students are encouraged to connect personally to Gladys as they work together to examine and evaluate a wide range of primary and secondary resources. The goal of this session is to provide teachers with the resources, background and support that will prepare them to take their students to a deeper level of truth and reconciliation education.
This workshop is only available in-person.
Grad Requirement: Improving Our Practice (Focus: First Peoples English with applications to BC First Peoples 12)
(half-day or full-day)
The new Indigenous Grad requirement offers teachers both opportunities and challenges. This workshop is crafted to help educators enhance their practice. Participants will receive a toolkit filled with practical strategies and resources to engage learners and encourage activism. We invite you to bring your questions and share your success stories. The workshop is available in both half-day and full-day formats.
Indigenous Perspectives
(3 hours)
This workshop briefly examines key events in settler-Indigenous relations in Canada, raises awareness of the impacts of colonialism on Indigenous people, explores Indigenous perspectives on child rearing and education, and examines our assumptions and how they impact our educational practices and what should change.
Introduction to Employment Equity for Aboriginal Teachers
(3 hours)
The letter of understanding between the BCTF and the BC Public School Employers' Association was signed over 10 years ago yet Aboriginal teachers remain vastly under-represented in our public schools. We must redress this under-representation through well-established proactive employment practices. This new workshop will revisit the challenges we must confront to address equity for Aboriginal teachers.
This workshop is only available in-person.
Project of Heart
(90 minutes)
Project of Heart is an inquiry-based, hands-on, collaborative, intergenerational, artistic journey for seeking truth about the history of Aboriginal people in Canada. This teaching resource examines the history and legacy of Indian residential schools, commemorates the lives of the thousands of Indigenous children who died as a result, and prepares students to engage in social justice activities that contribute to the developing truth and reconciliation movement.
This workshop is only available in-person.
Secret Path: Building Indigenous Allyship Honouring the Memory of Chanie Wenjak
(3 hours)
This workshop explores the story Secret Path, examines the role of an ally through Gord Downie’s contribution to Truth and Reconciliation, and investigates and applies the Principles of Allyship and the BCTF Actions of Indigenous Allyship.
Their Voices Will Guide Us
(90 minutes)
This workshop builds knowledge around Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), while reviewing historic events leading up to the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls final report. Educational resources such as Their Voices Will Guide Us are introduced, as well as The REDress Project initiative.
This workshop is only available in-person.