Webinar: See Us, Learn Us: A New Perspective on Teaching Identity, Belonging and the Black Canadian Experience by Nelson

Nelson

See Us, Learn Us: A New Perspective on Teaching Identity, Belonging and the Black Canadian Experience

This engaging and interactive on-demand webinar series will provide you with new perspectives on strengthening identity and belonging at school through teaching and learning about the Black Canadian experience.

This five-part series uses video, music, spoken word, and practical resource ideas to engage participants and build the confidence that is needed to address the current realities of Black Canadians across school and district communities.

Engaging in this series will help all educators and staff across districts to: acknowledge that racism is a current and systemic problem; educate themselves about overt racism and the impact of racial microaggressions; take meaningful steps to persist through challenges and mistakes through a journey of learning and growth, with mutual respect and appreciation for the diversity and richness within Black Canadian communities.

All participants will receive an individualized professional learning certificate upon completion of this series.

This five-part series is available for individual registration or can be purchased for school-wide or district use. Contact your Nelson representative here.

Meet The Presenters

Greg Birkett

Greg Birkett is a published co-author (Black History: Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas – Emond Montgomery Publications, The Great Black North Poetry Anthology-Frontenac House Poetry) and recognized educator (Governor-General Award for Teaching Excellence Finalist, 2011, A.H.E.N. Excellence in Teaching Award winner, 2016). He has written curriculum for the Ontario Ministry of Education and has served as a curriculum consultant for the OBHS (Ontario Black History Society) in the past. Greg is a Senior Writer for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Kids website and has also written freelance for the Toronto Star. He has appeared on CityTV News and Breakfast Television, Global News, and CTV News to discuss issues pertaining to anti-Black racism, its impact on the education system, and strategies to address these ongoing challenges. Greg is a poet and playwright. Two plays that Greg wrote, Do You Remember Me and Pieces of a Black Woman’s Soul, were performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Sandbox Theatre in downtown Toronto respectively. Greg Birkett is the co-developer and co-presenter of See Us, Learn Us: Teaching the Black Canadian Experience, a nationwide webinar for educators and education stakeholders in partnership with Nelson Education. He has and continues to create material and resources for Nelson’s digital learning eco-system Edwin.
Coleen Birkett

Coleen Birkett is an educator with over twenty years of classroom experience. In addition to teaching, Coleen has, as a freelance writer, written many articles for community publications. She has also coauthored the textbook Black History: Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, which is in use in school boards throughout the GTA, Nova Scotia and Bermuda. Additionally, Coleen is instrumental in providing leadership in the development, organization, and facilitation of very successful educational forums for youth during Black Heritage month. Coleen’s experience as an educator is quite diverse as she has taught in Central America, Toronto, and Bermuda in both public and private schools. She has developed and presented workshops to educators in West Africa and Bermuda. Additionally, Coleen was selected to be a member of an evaluation team to assess the eligibility of a private school in New York for accreditation. In 2009, she was a recipient of the Award for Excellence in Teaching for her work in Bermuda. Miss Birkett has also worked as an Instructional Coach for the Toronto District School Board’s Literacy and Numeracy initiative. Coleen is a co-developer and co-presenter of See Us, Learn Us: Teaching the Black Canadian Experience, a nationwide webinar for educators in partnership with Nelson Education. Coleen is currently involved in writing resources for Nelson Education based on the material presented in the See Us, Learn Us Webinar.

Sessions in this Series

Session 1: Early Black Presence in Canada

The recorded presence of Black people in Canada dates to the 1600s. This session will focus on forging an identity in a new environme... View more
Session 2: Black Canadian Communities

Many diverse Black Canadian communities emerged across Canada starting in the early 1900s and continuing to the present. This session... View more
Session 3: Anti- Black Racism and Resistance

From enslavement until present, systemic anti-Black racism has been prevalent in Canada but it has always been met with intentional a... View more
Session 4: Black Canadian Culture

Black Canadian communities are very diverse. As a result, there is an emerging culture comprised of elements from the many Black popu... View more
Session 5: Black Canadian Excellence

Black Canadians have made significant contributions to Canada in ways that defy the stereotypes often portrayed in the media. This s... View more

See Us, Learn Us: A New Perspective on Teaching Identity, Belonging and the Black Canadian Experience

See Us, Learn Us: A New Perspective on Teaching Identity, Belonging and the Black Canadian Experience

Meet The Presenters

Bring the Black Canadian Experience into the Classroom