Call for Proposals
The WestCAST 2025 program planning committee invites potential presenters to conceive, design, and present sessions that address the conference theme and engage registered attendees in interactive learning.
Conference theme: "Engage"
As a part of this theme, sessions will seek to teach, share and create discussions that prompt students, researchers, and faculty to address the current needs of contemporary classrooms in Canada including:
- The shifting demographics reflected in complex student populations
- Promoting and safeguarding mental health for children, youth, and the adults who work with them
- The decolonizing and fostering of indigenous curriculum and learning environments
- The shifting role of online learning, AI and other technologies in contemporary classrooms
- The development of culturally responsive and culturally sustaining environments
- The strengthening of connections between researchers, teachers, students, and the community
- The education and recruitment of teachers in rural locations and in diverse urban settings in western Canada
Proposal review process:
All proposals will be peer reviewed by members of the WestCAST 2024 program committee using the following set of review criteria. Reviewer goals will seek to ensure quality, alignment with the conference theme, and balance of presentations.
Criteria for selection:
- Alignment with the conference theme
- Clarity of ideas
- Links to current theory, research, and/or professional literature
- Appropriate and explained methodological, theoretical, and/or pedagogical approaches
- Relevance for beginning teachers
Venue information:
- Venues contain tables and chairs that are easily moveable depending on the need for space.
- Most rooms are equipped with standard presentation technological equipment (Visual/audio) and WIFI access (view ). Any non-standard equipment should be provided by the presenter.
Session formats:
- Workshops will run for 60 minutes. The aim is to demonstrate teaching practices that reflect current educational thinking and scholarship. They should be interactive in nature, allowing participants to learn and explore current teaching theory and practices.
- Presentations will be grouped in pairs (30 minutes per presentation) according to appropriate shared theme. They will share recently completed research (conceptual or empirical) in the field of education undertaken by Education students (alone or with their professors), or Faculty members. Each presentation will be followed by an interactive period open for discussion with the audience. The full presentation slot (60 minutes) will be shared equally among two presenters so that each has 30 minutes with a suggested format of 25 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for interactive dialogue.
Other Considerations
Please note the following:
- Tuesday, February 18 is for registration and conference opening reception.
- All presentations will run between 10:30am and 4:00pm on Wednesday February 19 and 9:00am and 11:15am on Thursday February 20. Please be prepared to present on either February 19 and /or February 20.
Steps to submitting a proposal:
- Fill out the form below.
- Submit your proposal by: November 15, 2024.
- Notification Letters regarding acceptance will be sent to the lead presenter only via email by December 10th, 2024.
For further information, please connect with us at westcast_2025@sfu.ca.