Breaking Barriers: Adolescent Literacy Summit

Join us at MRA’s Adolescent Literacy Summit, designed especially for Grade 5-12 educators, librarians, literacy leaders and school administration! This year’s theme, “Breaking Barriers”, focuses on innovative strategies to connect students with literacy in meaningful ways. Don’t miss the opportunity to collaborate with experts and gain fresh insights that will empower you to bridge the gap between students and success.

Info: Katya is an interdisciplinary artist, researcher, teacher whose critical and creative work is committed to breaking barriers through unearthing underrepresented stories, supporting relational curricular approaches, and sustaining commitment to the TRC’s Calls to Action. Katya is a settler who grew up in Winnipeg’s inner-city with ancestral connections to Ukraine and Russia. In 2026, Katya received her doctorate from the University of Manitoba, and her unique research introduces a method of “soilwork” which involves local, place-based compositions using earth-based materials in public places. Currently, she is involved in interdisciplinary partnerships between educators and nurses to mobilize the Calls for Justice of Canada's National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (2019).

Info: Katya is passionate about artivism to transform practices and support understandings of complex topics with both young children and adults. Since 2012, Katya has been honoured to collaborate with incredible Indigenous authors on several teacher’s guides with Portage & Main Press and is currently Co-editor with Christine M’Lot of the Footbridge Book Series which includes titles such as Resurgence and Renewal. Katya has experience as a classroom teacher, resource teacher, Divisional Early Years Support Teacher, and university instructor. She has won several awards including the Canadian Society for Education through Art Provincial Affiliate Award for Manitoba and Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg Certificate of Merit and continues volunteer work with Canadian Association for Young Children.

Info: Planning a senior years English course can seem like an insurmountable task. Balancing the things you need to do and the things you want to do can seem overwhelming. Using an overarching theme in a course makes that planning easier. Drawing on almost two decades of experience in a theme based classroom, Jay will share experiences and insights that highlight the power of this approach.
Jay Nickerson teaches English at Gimli High School.

Info: Dr. Valdine Björnson will outline the diagnosis and classroom indicators of dyslexia in our classrooms with particular attention paid to middle years and older students. Using the Structured Literacy framework from the International Dyslexia Association, she will address practical ideas to support our incredible students with dyslexia. Drawing from 10 years of work with adults at the University of Manitoba as a Reading Specialist with the Indigenous Student Centre and her extensive work with students with dyslexia, this session will provide a stronger sense of what dyslexia is and how we can support all learners, especially our students with dyslexia.

Info: This session is for the busy educator who knows that the new curriculum exists but hasn’t had the time to fully explore the website and resources. Together we will delve into the Framework for Learning to make connections between Mino-Pimatisiwin, the Global Competencies and Guiding Principles; ultimately leading to an exploration of the ELA curriculum document and how it could be used in your own classroom. I will take a practical approach to look at how the curriculum connects with what you are already doing and how you can use it to extend and energize your practice even further.

Stacey Bradley has worked in both rural and city schools in a high school setting for most of her 25 years of teaching experience. With a background in ELA and Social Studies curriculum as a classroom teacher, Stacey has also fulfilled numerous student and teacher support roles for Brandon School Division. She is currently a Continuous Improvement Coach at Vincent Massey High School in Brandon, Manitoba.

Info: provided onsite

Info: We will share our experiences developing a sustainable Indigenous Education program at our rural High School. The learning has focused on alternative literacies and built capacity in our students to help them live productive lives in their community. strategies that engage students in critical thinking and developing authentic, differentiated assessment tasks that allow students to demonstrate what they have learned and, in turn, experience success. (SY)
Katie and Rae have been supporting students at Niverville High School since 2022. They both came to Niverville with a variety of experiences in the classroom and facilitating specialized programing within their school divisions.

Info: Looking for accessible, creative and engaging ways to get your students talking to each other about story, texts and their reading identities? Join Tara for an interactive, hands on session where she shares her favorite metacognitive strategies that will breathe new life into literature circles, book clubs, and other small or large group discussions.
Tara is a Literacy Coach in the St. James Assiniboia School Division. In her spare time she likes to go on epic adventures with her husband and cats in their camper van. Her goal is find the most epic spots to read and work on her reading journal.

Info: Traditional novel studies often rely on discussion and independent reading, which can unintentionally widen gaps for students who struggle with reading, writing, and language. This session explores how direct instruction can be intentionally embedded within novel studies to support learners in Grades 4–10 while maintaining rich texts and high expectations. Participants will examine a structured approach to novel study design that integrates explicit instruction in vocabulary, reading comprehension, literacy concepts and writing. Classroom examples will show how teachers can proactively teach the language and thinking demands of complex texts rather than assuming students already have the tools to access them. The session includes testimony from Grade 6, Grade 7, and Grade 9 teachers, highlighting the impact on student engagement, comprehension, and written responses.

Info: Tasha Spillett, PhD (she/her/hers), stands as a luminary at the intersection of Indigenous advocacy, education, and literature. As a celebrated author, educator, and advocate, her commitment to uplifting marginalized voices shines through her literary works, scholarly endeavours, and community-led initiatives. Tasha's dedication to fostering equitable learning environments and advocating for the liberation of Indigenous women and women of colour marks her as a guiding force toward a more inclusive future.

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Host or Publisher Manitoba Reading Association