Professional Development

SHiNE has provided professional development opportunities over the years to maintain, improve and expand the skills and knowledge base of our members. Through meeting topics, expert panels, information sharing and speakers, we have enhanced the quality of life of home educators, our families and our communities.

Topics have included:

• The Mentorship Role of Parenting
• Closet Tours: How we organize our homeschooling life
• Kids and the Internet
• Awesome Learning Tools and Shortcuts
• Educating and Humouring Skeptics
• Music in Home Education
• Goal Setting in Homeschooling
• Learning Difficulties and Disabilities
• An Evening with Lyle Oberg, Learning Minister
• Home Education Regulation Discussion with guests from Alberta Education, Marc Prefontaine and Bryna Clark
• Homeschooling Your Visual-Spatial Child: Maintaining Harmony While Honouring Learning Styles with Allie Golon

Local conferences that may be of interest to home educators are regularly posted on the Members' Forum

Smaller special interest groups:  Book Clubs, Jr. Adventurers and the coffee club gather regularly to share on specific topics or meet specific needs.

Summer Park Days:  Opportunities for parents to discuss and share learning resources within various subject areas like Math, Writing, Science, Social Studies, History, Geography... <more info>

Some previous Professional Development Events:

Kids and the Internet ... things parents and kids should be aware of, like viruses, chat rooms, spam, fraud, gambling, and banking online.	Summer Park Days ... provide opportunities for parents to discuss and share learning resources within various subject areas.
Learning Difficulties and Disabilities ... Christine gave a presentation on learning difficulties and disabilities including Sensory Integration Disorder, fine and gross motor difficulties, and behavioural issues which may result from frustrations in these areas.	Educating and Humouring Skeptics ... a lively discussion with our panel of "experts" and what they had to say about socialization, freedom from desks, and all other risks of learning outside the classroom.  Panel members included converted grandparents and dads, a homeschooled thirty-something adult, and a homeschooled teen.
Homeschooling Methods ... presentations have included various methods of homeschooling:  Charlotte Mason, Montessori, On-line learning, Unschooling, and Waldorf.	Into the Closet ... a glimpse into the lives and closets of some fellow homeschooling families in an open house style tour.  An enjoyable evening was spent by all with peers sharing home and family mangement ideas and tips.
Music in Home Education ... Families came out to find out some options for introducing music to our children.  Trish presented the Suzuki Method and Gudrun presented the Music for Young Children Method.	Evening with Dr. Lyle Oberg, Alberta's Minister of Learning ... Dr. Oberg met with SHiNE to discuss educational issues around home education.  This question and answer period was a unique opportunity to meet with the "man in charge" to share our views on post-secondary admission, special needs, funding, testing, policy, and of course, the home education regulations.