Professional Development for Teachers who value purpose and meaning

A 10-hour professional development course that introduces classroom teachers to the teaching and administrative potential of GenAI in their world of work. The learning integrates Critical Realist philosophy with Stronger Smarter Institute values, and is designed to transform teaching practice through high expectation relationships and Indigenous knowledges.

This groundbreaking PD invites teachers to flip the script on failure. Instead of seeing mistakes as setbacks, you’ll learn how to turn them into moments of growth, reflection, and creativity.

The course guides you step by step to design and run your own classroom “Failure Festival,” where students proudly showcase what didn’t work—and celebrate the powerful lessons that come with it.

​This course challenges the shallow, feel-good narratives that dominate environmental education today. Using a Critical Realist perspective, we cut through the anthropomorphism and tokenistic “save the planet” slogans to uncover what’s really happening—and what teachers can do about it. Instead of pretending, you’ll explore rigorous, reality-based approaches to teaching sustainability that empower students to think critically, act responsibly, and engage with the environment on deeper terms.

From climate change and gender identity to colonial histories and political tensions, today’s classrooms are filled with subjects that spark debate. Too often, teachers avoid them for fear of backlash—or oversimplify them to keep the peace. This course equips educators with the skills to engage students in tough conversations without losing balance or authority. You’ll learn how to create safe, respectful dialogue, use a Critical Realist lens to separate fact from ideology, and guide students in developing critical thinking skills around complex, messy issues.

In an age of deepfakes, AI-generated images, and synthetic news, students need more than digital literacy—they need the ability to question what lies beneath the surface.

This course equips teachers with a Critical Realist lens to help young people see through illusion, uncover hidden structures, and engage with truth in the digital age.

From AI chatbots to student data tracking, today’s classrooms are full of unseen ethical dilemmas.

This course gives teachers the tools to navigate privacy, bias, digital footprints, and equity—so they can model ethical digital practices while preparing students for a world where technology shapes every choice.