TDSB Eureka Conference 2026
Session Reflections by Diana Maliszewski
Friday, February 13, 2026
8:30 - 9:15 a.m. - Registration and Marketplace
Summary: This was a great opportunity to visit the vendors, and to get set up for my session that was running during Slot C. I scoped out some tables that I returned to during the lunch hour. I also enjoyed chatting with Jennifer Acheson prior to the opening ceremonies.
9:30 - 10:45 a.m. - Opening Remarks and Keynote
Summary: The keynote was by Dr. Mahadeo Sukhai, the COO of IDEA-STEM.
3 Key Points:
1) There are three fundamental axioms. a) We live in a world saturated with STEM, b) STEM is instrumental for the future, and c) STEM literacy is very important.
2) We are all fully dimensional people with multitudes, but when someone is disabled, often the disability is placed first or placed at the center; put the person themselves at the center instead. (For instance, it's Mahadeo at the center, who is an educator, a cancer geneticist, Guyanese, autistic, blind, husband, father, Trek fan, etc.)
3) Teachers have incredible influence, especially in the Caribbean, but still so in Canada. Teachers can influence the future careers of their students, and sometimes the barriers to students in STEM aren't fixable by an IEP, but may be attitudinal or systemic. Teachers, figure out creative ways to teach concepts that don't rely solely on things being visual - make them multisensory because there is no "average" human being.
So What? Now What?
I really liked Dr. Sukhai's talk, and not just because he is also a Scarborough high school attendee like me AND comes from the same country my parents came from, who spoke about the process of taking the Common Entrance exam to get into prep school (Mapps College and Queen's College for Mahadeo, vs my dad who went from Brickdam RC School to St. Stanislaus College). He spoke to us with humor and insights. He used a lot of polls to "take the temperature" of the crowd. (I was a little concerned that so many people said that product was more important than process - then again, there were a lot of high school educators in the room! ;>). He really poked at our assumptions, such as his blank family tree and asked us what the colored portions represented. He did not let the Canadian education system rest on any laurels, because even though he said there was no support in the Caribbean for students with disabilities, the Canadian support network doesn't know how to deal with immigrants or with learners who are twice exceptional (e.g. he was a gifted prodigy who was also a low vision autistic student). My next step is to ensure I am being multisensory in my teaching approaches. I was also grateful to see that one of Dr. Sukhai's coping strategies and pillars of strength during his trying high school years was the school library and library helpers. It means my other next step is to ensure the school library at my school acts in a similar fashion to students who need something that the regular class environment might not be able to provide.
Media Artifacts:
11:00 - 12:00 noon - Session A = STEM Equity in Action: 30 Minute STEM Modules
Summary: A group called Visions of Science (https://www.vosnl.org/ ) ran a hands-on workshop demonstrating how they can help support STEM lessons that have an equity focus.
3 Key Points:
1) STEM is everywhere but many youth do not see themselves as being part of STEM careers or pathways. As they say on their website:
Persistent systemic barriers impact and exclude some youth from full participation and opportunity. Every day, we are losing out on untapped brilliance and innovation. We are missing the opportunity to harness their creativity and perspective, which can lead to groundbreaking discoveries and innovations.
2) Representation matters. The facilitators who run these after-school workshops are mostly Black and racialized youth. The themes of the activities integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion.
3) Deliberate design in prompts, materials, and methodology for exploration sets things up for success for all sorts of students.
So What? Now What?
I really enjoyed this session. I had a hard time registering and so Marsha Ireland, the program coordinator for science in TDSB and one of the conference organizers, selected this session for me to attend. I absolutely loved how they set up the materials using pre-measured resources, so that students could experiment within reason and not waste supplies. I liked their challenge cards and how the same task, such as the "EcoFizz: Making Eco-friendly Bath Bombs!" had differentiated challenge cards, such as "Design for Every Skin" (make a bath bomb formula for a specific skin type) or "Fizzy Reactor" (experiment with ratios to make different types of fizz reactions). There were three stations set up for us: the Marble Run, the Bath Bombs, and the Hair Products. The presenters were very friendly and very generous with their handouts, allowing us to take the print copies of their activities. My next step is to explore their website more and work on setting up my STEM provocations in ways similar to them so that students have multiple entry points and applications for equity. (Big thanks to one of the facilitators for taking a photo of me making my bath bomb!)
Media Artifacts:
12:15 - 1:15 p.m. - Session B = Lunch and Marketplace
Summary: I revisited several stations in the marketplace, enjoyed my tuna wrap lunch, and squeezed in an important phone call.
3 Key Points
1) First Lego League is going to be making a major shift, because Lego Spike Prime robots will no longer be produced.
2) IDEA-STEM is prototyping a game that involves people in STEM careers who also have disabilities.
3) STAO is continuing to advocate for STEM professional learning for educators across Ontario.
So What? Now What?
I promise to find April and give her some of my garlic pork during Christmas time and she'll hook me up with some black cake. (April, Mahadeo, and I had a lovely talk about what it is like having Guyanese parents.)
Media Artifacts:
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. - Session C = Cardboard as Conduit for STEM
Summary: Cardboard is a very versatile tool. I showed how using a Chomp Saw can help students use cardboard to build things that connect to Grade 7, 8, and 9 science curricula.
3 Main Points:
1) The Chomp Saw is both safe and easy to use.
2) If you use AI to help you design lesson plans, double-check with a real person who is an expert. (For instance, I had Marsha Ireland preview my examples, and the one that was generated for Grade 9 was more suitable to Grade 7.)
3) There are so many possibilities.
So What? Now What?
I was nervous about presenting to middle- and high-school science teachers, since I am neither. However, the group (28 were registered and there were at least 20 in the room) was a gracious and welcoming bunch of educators. I was absolutely WOWED with some of the things they created. Thank you to the TDSB Science Department for allowing me to borrow two of their newly purchased Chomp Saws. This meant we have four Chomp Saws for people to use and it meant shorter wait times. I gave the option of just trying out whatever they wished, or the prompt that Melanie and Mishelle provided to participants at their OLA Super Conference session two weeks ago (perfect timing!). Many chose to do their own thing and impressed me profoundly. One person made a book stand and I am DEFINITELY copying that idea - it made my teacher-librarian heart happy! Others made art, and swirls, and hands (I am going to email Kirk via our TDSB email system to converse with him; he teaches K-6 STEM and I admired his ideas, such as having reading buddies cut out the hands of their little partners using cardboard and then comparing the size and growth.) The Chomp Saw was so easy to use that, when I visited my father later that afternoon after the conference, I brought in one of the Chomp Saws and he and I made some letters together!
Media Artifacts:
(Quality time is not the same as quantity of time. Double-check those narratives!)
2:30 - 3:00 p.m. - Closing Remarks and Prizes
So What? Now What?
I missed the closing remarks because I spent the time cleaning and reassembling the classroom. The SATEC @ Porter teacher whose class I was using for my session was very appreciative of my efforts to return all the furniture to the way it was before the conference. As I trudged with my boxes of machines and materials, I was searching for the easiest way to get to the parking lot, since there are two. A wonderful high school student from David and Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute, whose names begins with an F, actually went looking for me in the hallway so that he could bring my things to my car. Mr. Kim, Robotics coach from Thomson - you'll be receiving an email from me to heap praise upon this kind young man who went out of his way to give assistance. In this world that can sometimes feel cruel and ugly, this Grade 11 student made things a little brighter.
I was also grateful to meet up with Robin McCabe. Robin and I went to teachers' college together and he is my daughter's godfather. It was a pleasant surprise to see him at the conference, and we went for tea after the conference to catch up with each other.
Media Artifacts:
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