Preconference Workshops

Half day in-depth workshops in smaller group settings are being offered prior to the opening of the conference.

Thursday, October 7
9:00am – 12:00pm

AI Jerome Berryman, PhD
An Introduction to Godly Play
Director, Center for Theology of Childhood, author of Godly Play: An Imaginative Approach to Religious Education.

Demonstration and explanation of the Godly Play method and material by its creator.

A2 Linda Silverman, PhD
Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner
Psychologist, author, researcher, and internationl expert
on giftedness. Director of the Gifted Development Center
in Denver.

Participants will learn ways to identify and nurture right-hemispheric (visual-spatial) abilities at school and at home. Highlights of these abilities include spirituality, intuition, empathy, creativity, holistic thinking, and three-dimensional perception.

A3 Jack Miller, PhD
Education and the Soul
Professor of Education, University of Toronto, author of numerous books including Education and the Soul: Towards a Spiritual Curriculum.

This workshop addresses the question of what spiritual learning is and how it is similar and different from our traditional conceptions of learning. In the workshop participants will explore aspects of spiritual learning such as attention, letting go, compassion, and humility, and learn to apply these in a classroom setting.

A4 Litany Burns
Nourishing the Sixth Sense of Children
Master intuitive, teacher, consultant and author of The Sixth Sense of Children.

An experiential workshop for families, children, and friends of children to discover and refine intuitive talents. Practical approaches will be offered that can be applied in school settings and at home.

1:00-4:00pm

B1 Phil L’Hirondelle (Mechuskosis)
The Medicine Wheel and the Cycle of Life
Member of the Cree Nation; First Nations Liaison with the Canadian government to bring scientists together to work with native Elders.

Participants will be taken through a Native American medicine wheel ceremony that involves wisdom teachings on the cyclical nature of everything.

B2 Joseph Chilton Pearce
The Model Imperative in Spiritual-Biological Unfolding
A leading voice for children for thirty years and author of Crack in the Cosmic Egg and The Biology of Transcendence.

This workshop will explore three interdependent, reciprocal, and ongoing needs of the human spirit: audio-visual communication, nurturing, and play. Discussion will be on how our lifelong spiritual, mental, and physical development depends on this triad of needs, and how this depends on appropriate models from the environment.

B3 Ellen Tadd
Chakras Reconsidered: A New Interpretation of an Ancient System
Spiritual counselor, clairvoyant, and author of Death and
Letting Go.

Using her remarkable capacities for seeing into the world of spirit, Ellen will offer a unique first-hand exploration of the chakras as a tool for parenting, counseling, and educating children.

B4 Rachael Kessler
The Soul of Education
Founder and director of the PassageWays Institute, and author of The Soul of Education: Helping Students Find Connection, Compassion and Character at School.

An experiential introduction to the principles and practices of the PassageWays model for nurturing the inner life in schools. Focus will be on methods for helping students develop learning readiness as individuals and as a classroom community: focus, concentration, engagement, and communication for meaning and connection. Methods will include play, stillness and reflection, inquiry and deep listening practice.

Picture of Child on a Swing
Photo by Michael Eller