2026 Reframing Perspectives Conference

REFRAMING PERSPECTIVES 2026 PROGRAM

OJEN Conference Discount (August 25-26th)= $75+HST
If you attended the OJEN conference, email mcameron@ohassta-aesho.education to receive your discount code.

Early Bird Discount (August 27th – October 2nd) = $80+HST

Individual Conference Fee  (October 3rd-November 6) = $100 +HST

Department/Board Rate (minimum 3 people) = $75/pp +HST
If you would like the department/board rate please email mcameron@ohassta-aesho.education

Student Fee = $25+HST

11am-12:10pm Workshop #1

Looking behind the lesson plan: OJEN’s approach to accessible legal education  Kristy Pagnutti Language: English Overview:  The Ontario Justice Education Network’s (OJEN) session will cover its best public legal education materials for young people in Ontario.  Presenters will showcase new, classroom-ready resources that engage with everyday legal issues, as well as our approach to using curriculum-linked, scenario-based and plain-language experiential learning.  Applicable courses: Civics, Law Sponsored by:

Recognizing Antisemitism Antoine Simonato Language: English Overview: Participants will approach antisemitism from a historical perspective. This will enable participants to understand the forms taken by antisemitism in Canada’s very recent past and the consequences that followed. The workshop is divided into three parts: 1. The first, more theoretical, presents the different rhetorical forms of antisemitism throughout history, and how these forms built onto each other. 2. The second is an activity based on the critical analysis of primary sources to understand how the nazis cumulated those forms in their antisemitism and how Jewish people resisted. 3. The third is an activity based on the critical analysis of primary sources to understand how antisemitism and its forms manifest themselves in Canada’s recent past (2020s). Applicable courses: Grade 10-11 History Sponsored by:

Historica Canada’s resources to support Ontario curriculum Liz Pounsett Language: Bilingual Overview: Historica Canada (HC) is a charitable organization that offers programs in both official languages that you can use to explore, learn, reflect on our history, and consider what it means to be Canadian. Our educational programs and initiatives include the Heritage Minutes, The Canadian Encyclopedia, The Memory Project Speakers Bureau and the Citizenship Challenge. In this workshop, participants will learn about HC’s numerous free bilingual resources covering Canadian history, civics and society, in both official languages. We will explore the variety of creative and inclusive tools and activities that support History and Social Science teachers in the classroom, with a focus on the new Ontario curriculum requirements (Black history in Canada, the Holocaust and the Holodomor). Participants will also have an opportunity to collaborate and participate in open discussion, sharing knowledge of and experiences with HC learning tools, as well as experimenting with how HCs resources can support students in the classroom.  Applicable courses: History, Law, Civics Sponsored by:

1:10pm-2:20pm Workshop #2

Youth Impact Lab Joanne Gosselin Language: English The Youth Impact Lab is Children First Canada’s latest initiative, a digital platform designed to educate, inspire & empower youth to become active citizens and social change leaders.  The digital platform offers a practical civic curriculum that integrates social-emotional learning, leadership, resilience, innovation, and entrepreneurship, all grounded in children’s rights. The platform currently offers our in-school programs, Being, Belonging, Becoming, and SDG Accelerator, designed for grade 7-12 teachers Applicable courses:  Civics, Law, Social Science Sponsored by:

Reconnaître l’antisémitisme Antoine Simonato Language: French Overview: Les participants aborderont l’antisémitisme selon une perspective historique. Cela leur permettra de comprendre les formes que l’antisémitisme a pris dans le passé récent du Canada et les conséquences survenues. L’atelier est divisé en trois parties : 1. La première, plus théorique, présente les différentes formes rhétoriques de l’antisémitisme à travers l’histoire, et la manière dont ces formes se sont construites les unes sur les autres. 2. La deuxième partie consiste en une activité fondée sur l’analyse critique de sources primaires afin de comprendre comment les nazis ont combiné ces formes dans leur antisémitisme et comment les juifs ont résisté. 3. La troisième partie consiste en une activité fondée sur l’analyse critique de sources primaires afin de comprendre comment l’antisémitisme et ses formes se manifestent dans le passé récent du Canada (années 2020). Applicable courses:  Grade 10-11 History Sponsored by:

Exploring diverse military history with Honouring Bravery Anthony Badame Language: English Overview: Honouring Bravery offers free hands-on and virtual pedagogical materials on Canada’s diverse military history. In this workshop we’ll use a selection of Honouring Bravery’s curriculum-connected material on the First World War to demonstrate how our resources challenge students to think critically about conflict, intervention and Canada’s role on the world stage.  Participants will also learn some authentic stories of diverse Canadian military heroes that can be used by students to gain a deeper understanding of Canada’s military history and help foster empathy and respect for all of those who have served. Applicable courses:  History Sponsored by:

Written in the Bones: an Introduction to Biological Anthropology  Amanda Cooke, PhD candidate Language: English Step into the teaching lab and experience biological anthropology firsthand. In this interactive, hands-on session, educators will explore how biological anthropologists use the human skeleton to investigate the past and build biological profiles from skeletal remains. Working with casts from our teaching collection, participants will try fundamental techniques for estimating age and sex and see how skeletal evidence can—and cannot—be interpreted. Designed as a preview of our high school outreach lab, this session offers educators an opportunity to experience the kind of hands-on learning available to visiting student groups. Participants will leave with a better understanding of human osteology, the complexities of interpreting skeletal variation, and what their students can expect when they visit our lab. Applicable courses: Social Science, Law Sponsored by:

2:45-3:55pm Workshop #3

Creating Meaningful Civic Action Projects with CIVIX Ken Boyd Language: English One of the best ways to get students engaged in the democratic process is for them to take on civic action projects. But this is easier said than done: students often don’t know where to start, and often lack the resources needed to achieve their goals. This workshop will introduce participants to CIVIX’s new Civic Action Module that provides free, turnkey resources for educators that walk students through the process of identifying issues in their community, brainstorming potential solutions, and taking action. Participants will also learn how to apply for Civic Action microgrants offered by CIVIX to help students, classes, and clubs apply for funding to implement their civic action plans. Applicable courses: Civics Sponsored by:

Exploring Historic Codes, Traditions, and Diverse Humanitarian Perspectives of Today Andrea McArthur Language: English The free lessons in this workshop are designed to use critical thinking and historical perspectives to help students explore their own images and perceptions of armed conflicts and related humanitarian issues. After brainstorming basic rules that should be followed by parties to armed conflicts, students explore how in every period of history, and throughout the world, people have created codes and applied traditions to limit the devastation caused by war. Students study these historical examples after they have examined the need for rules to regulate war and looked at the basic rules of modern international humanitarian law (IHL). Teachers leave this workshop with full access to all Humanitarian Education lesson packs from the Canadian Red Cross. Lessons complement a variety of high school subjects such as global issues, social studies, history, law, civics and language arts, and include a range of methodological tools supporting exploration of a variety of current and historic events. Curriculum maps can be requested for most subject areas. Applicable courses: Politics, History, Law, Civics Sponsored by:

Examining Extreme Ideologies: Lessons from the Holocaust Jasmine Wong Language: English In today’s global climate, the urgency of sustaining democratic societies that are pluralistic, open, and resilient to violence is more pressing than ever. Studying histories of societal descent into extremism, violence and authoritarianism, along with the human consequences of such systems reinforces the value of strong democratic systems. Join us for engaging, collaborative, and interactive lessons that model how educators can teach about extreme political and social ideologies that shaped global events during the first half of the 20th century. Participants will gain classroom-ready strategies and primary resources that enable students to explore the significance and impact of these ideologies on democracy, as well as on different individuals, groups and communities before and during the Holocaust. Applicable courses: Grade 8, 10 History Sponsored by:

OJEN Conference Discount (August 25-26th)= $75+HST

Early Bird Discount (August 27th – October 2nd) = $80+HST

Individual Conference Fee  (October 3rd-November 6) = $100 +HST

Department/Board Rate (minimum 3 people) = $75/pp +HST

Student Fee = $25+HST

Tentative Schedule:

• Gated lots: If the lot indicates that there are available spots for visitor parking, take a ticket and park in the lot. You will be asked to pay the ticket at the exit gate upon leaving the lot. 
• Lots with open gates: park in the lot and pay using Honk Mobile. Signs are posted in the lots with a QR code and instructions for how to pay. Note: unlike closed gate lots, you must pay through Honk Mobile upon arrival to the lot. 
• Rates: evening and weekend rates are a flat rate of approx. $8.00. Weekday daytime rates are a flat rate of $20.00. 
• Parking map: https://parking.mcmaster.ca/map-of-mcmaster-university/