Niagara College Canada

Please note this is an in-person session.

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Ever find yourself on either side of a “less-than-engaging” learning or work task – whether as the designer, facilitator, or participant? Across today’s educational landscape, challenges such as student disengagement, assessment fatigue, communication breakdowns, and change overload affect not only learners, but also educators, support staff, and administrators alike. When engagement is low, effort, meaning-making, and evaluation all become more difficult.

In this interactive session, Community Services faculty Erin Wilkie and Ann-Marie Raos introduce the Pixar Pitch technique as a playful yet purposeful reflective and problem-solving tool that provides a concise structure for organizing ideas and experiences into a coherent narrative. After using the technique in their own teaching, they show through simple storytelling prompts, how participants can re-frame common educational challenges – such as assessment design, learner motivation, workload pressures, accessibility, or institutional change –  into clear, human-centered narratives. This approach offers an engaging alternative to traditional reflection activities, presentations, or professional discussions, supporting deeper insight and shared understanding – both in and outside the classroom.

Through this session, you will:

• Apply a structured storytelling framework (Pixar Pitch) to reflect on complex challenges within educational contexts.
• Synthesize multifaceted educational issues (e.g., engagement, assessment, workload, accessibility, change) into concise, meaningful narratives.
• Communicate insights clearly and empathetically across roles (educators, support staff, administrators) using human-centered storytelling.
• Engage playful and creative thinking as a legitimate professional learning strategy to support problem-solving and innovation.
• Identify transferable applications of the Pixar Pitch technique for teaching, professional development, team reflection, or organizational dialogue.

Registration is required. All members of the campus community, including faculty, staff, and administrators, are encouraged to attend.

Please note spaces for this session are limited.