The following is a list of upcoming events and professional development opportunities for teachers in the province of Ontario during the month of February 2011.

If you know of any events that you would like to see listed in this blog, please e-mail them to Mark Mueller at mmueller@tyndale.ca

February 9 - 10, 2012
“Reading for the Love of it Conference”
Scarborough Reading Association
Toronto, Ontario
For more information visit: www.readingfortheloveofit.com

February 17, 2012
“Dr. Douglas Fisher - Better Learning Through Structured Teaching”
Learning Forward Ontario
Toronto, Ontario
For more information visit: http://learningforwardontario.ca/events.html

February 23 -24, 2012
“National Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Conference”
Canadian Institute of Reading Recovery
Richmond Hill, Ontario
For more information visit: www.readingrecovery.org

Monday:                                1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday to Thursday:           7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Friday:                                   10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday      Closed

Please note: the Education Library will be open the following hours the week of March, 12, 2012

Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

For the latest updates on the hours, please visit the library online at www.tyndale.ca/library/special_hours.

Are you looking for the best picture books to teach about a special topic for your class? Perhaps you already have a good book and want to find another on a similar theme? Or maybe you’re just looking for a good kid’s book to read and want to find the latest award-winning title?

If you answered “YES” to any one of the questions above, then you will want to sign-up for January’s workshop on how to find children’s and young adults’ literature at the Education Library. Attendees of this workshop will learn strategies on how to search for children’s and young adults’ books by subject, grade, and award.

Sign-up sheets are located at the circulation desk at the Education Library. For more information, please contact Mark Mueller at mmueller@tyndale.ca or at Extension 2227.

Length: 25 Minutes

Monday, December 19, 2011 to
Thursday, December 22, 2011

Monday to Wednesday: 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Friday, December 23, 2011 to
Sunday, January, 1, 2012

Education Library closed

Monday, January 2, 2012 to
Sunday, January 8, 2012

Monday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

The Education Library will resume regular hours of operation when you are back from your Christmas holidays on Monday, January 9, 2012. For the latest updates on the hours, please visit the library online at www.tyndale.ca/library/special_hours.

If you know of any events that you would like to see listed in this blog, please e-mail them to Mark Mueller at mmueller@tyndale.ca

October 13 & 14, 2011

Workshop on Sensory Processing in School, Home and Community: How to make the best of every moment;
Oakville, Ontario
For more details, phone (905) 814-6329 or e-mail reachtherapy@bell.net

October 13 & 14, 2011
“Lucy Maud Montgomery at Home in Leaskdale: A Centennial Celebration 3 days of scholastic presentations”
Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario
Uxbridge, Ontario
For more information contact Kathy Wasylenky at kwasylenky@sympatico.ca or visit www.lucymaudmontgomery.ca

October 20 - 22, 2011
“Fall Conference: Inspire, Connect, Learn”
Educational Computing Organization of Ontario
Richmond Hill
For more information visit www.ecoo.org

October 21 - 23, 2011
“REACH: Drama and Dance Beyond the Classroom 41st Annual Conference”
Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators (CODE)
Blue Mountain Resort, Collingwood, Ontario
For more information visit www.code.on.ca

October 27 - 29, 2011
“Fall 2011 Leadership Conference”
Ontario Association for Mathematics Education
Toronto, Ontario
For more information visit www.oame.on.ca

October 28, 2011
“2nd Annual Assistive Technology and Personal Skills Development Conference : Strategies for Success”
KMTConsulting & Associates
Toronto, Ontario
For more information visit kmtconsultingassociates.com/conferences_1.html

October 29, 2011
“OBEA Fall Conference”
Ontario Business Educators’ Association
Toronto, Ontario
For more information visit www.obea.ca

Written by Kristin Rushowy for the Educational Reporter on October 3, 2011

Don’t call them bullies — and their targets aren’t victims.

Bound-to-be controversial in light of the recent suicide of 11-year-old Mitchell Wilson, a new approach to bullying uses a “no-blame, problem-solving response” rather than punishing aggressive kids and creating a victim mentality among those they target, say leading Canadian bullying researchers.

Joanne Cummings, a clinical child psychologist who is also a director at PREVNet (Promoting Relationships Eliminating Violence Network), a national network of researchers, said the idea behind the no-blame method is that it’s “more motivating for a child who has been aggressive.”

It also helps the bully save face, and “take responsibility for making change, and to feel good about making change, and it decreases the likelihood of feeling unfairly treated and avenge an ‘injustice’ that was done to (them).”

But is it enough? Is it fair not to “punish” bullies? Don’t their targets deserve better? Cummings says she knows the approach sounds soft, but insists it’s far more effective than punitive measures.

A recent example

Cummings points to the case of Mitchell, the Pickering boy who committed suicide last month in part because of bullying.

His parents – much to the astonishment of many – have said they would prefer that the 12-year-old boy who was charged in their son’s attack not be punished or put on probation.

Instead, they’d like him to perform community service to help people with disabilities, read their victim-impact statements and attend school regularly.

“That’ll have more effect on him than probation,” dad Craig Wilson said outside the court last week.

The family has said they are trying to “save the child, because he is just a child too.”

No punishment

In Mitchell’s case, after the alleged attacker was moved to another school, his friends began to target Mitchell, who had muscular dystrophy.

Transferring the aggressor wasn’t necessarily wrong in that situation, says Cummings, adding that she has no knowledge of the case other than what she’s read in the media.

But, in general, “the danger of a very hard-line approach is it elicits sympathy (for the aggressor) … friends felt justified in their continuation of the bullying.”

Bullying is a relationship problem and needs to be solved like any other, says York University’s Debra Pepler, considered one of Canada’s top bullying experts and a founder of PREVNet.

A good intervention — “and there’s no recipe,” said Cummings — would be to hold meetings, either with an aggressor and a victim’s parents, or even the victim, to “get some dialogue going.”

No bully

“Putting a label on them really restricts thinking,” said Pepler. “Calling them a bully suggests they are always aggressive and that’s part of who they are.” In fact, they may be bullied themselves at home, or gain respect in the schoolyard for being aggressive, she says.

Children who bully at a moderate or high rate are more likely to be delinquent or sexually harass, so “adults need to step in and help them get onto a pathway where they get the attention and leadership opportunities they want in a positive rather than a negative way.”

No victim

Children who have been targeted first require protection from being bullied — but they also often need to build self-confidence and develop positive relationships. Even kids who simply witness bullying need to know they too play a role and what they can to do stop the behaviour.

It’s not victim blaming, Pepler stressed.

Kids have the right to feel safe, and included. Often, vulnerable kids are picked on, and they need help to “recognize their strengths.” Adults also need to focus on helping other children become more empathetic.

Pepler said schools alone can’t solve the problem; bullying happens in the workplace and in the home, and adults need to model better behaviour and help children “get along in a positive way.”

‘Getting soft’ on bullies?

Aggressive kids often come from families that don’t have the ability to teach children how to interact appropriately with others, said Pepler.

“Is it a child’s fault they haven’t had the lessons they need? Maybe the parents haven’t had the opportunity or the resources to do that. You don’t know the layers behind what brings a child to be in trouble. They see the world as a hostile place.

“It’s not getting soft, it’s getting developmental. It’s putting consequences in that are going to teach the child.”

Children who bully need to realize how their actions hurt others, and also learn better social skills and how to empathize. Pepler’s research cites schools that get bullies to read stories or watch films about bullying and then write about it, or take part in conflict mediation or even be “buddied” with younger kids, activities that are monitored closely by staff.