Sessions
Main Speaker
Chris Mattatall
Bio
Dr. Chris Mattatall served as the University of Lethbridge Board of Governors Teaching Chair from 2023 to 2025 and teaches undergraduate — and graduate — level courses in the Faculty of Education.
Chris speaks nationally and internationally about the Science of Learning, brain development, motivation and engagement, and strategies that strengthen attention, memory and self-regulation. He also leads parent workshops across Canada on how children and teenagers learn and develop, including the effects of social media and screen time on the brain.
His current research explores how book studies grounded in the Science of Learning can help classroom teachers develop more effective practices. His website, GoodTeaching.ca, offers recommended strategies, practice guides, books and articles for educators.
Dr. Mattatall has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, administrator and educational leader. He and his wife, Gloria, have been married for 35 years and have three grown children and two adorable granddaughters, Elliott and Georgia. Their family also includes Winston, a lovable, playful and mischievous Bernedoodle.
PhD, Cognitive Studies — Queen’s University
MEd, Learning Disabilities — University of New Brunswick
BEd, Secondary Studies: Social Studies and English — University of New Brunswick
BA, Religious Studies — Kingswood University
Session 1 - Friday, October 23, 7 pm
Doomscrolling & Deep Truth: Feeding the Human Soul with Spiritual Wisdom
Do you know someone who thinks the world is in trouble because of the bad news filling our social media feeds? Troublesome news is easy to find, and researchers identify doomscrolling as a growing public mental health concern. The old adage “you are what you eat” rings true for believers too: what we expose our minds to shapes how we feel, what we think and, ultimately, what we believe. But there is good news and great hope. Knowing that God is sovereign over all things strengthens us to be the ambassadors of truth, hope, grace and peace Christ called us to be. In this session, we explore the wisdom of the saying, “What you know determines what you see, not the other way around.”
Session 2 - Saturday, October 24, 9 am
TikTok: It’s Time to Talk About the Effects of Social Media on the Human Brain
The smartphone in your pocket has approximately 10,000 times more computing power than the computers aboard the Apollo rockets that landed astronauts on the moon. Connect it to a worldwide information system driven by algorithms that track your searches, viewing history and interests, and it becomes clear that this device is much more than a phone—it is an influencer and a behavioural-change machine. But is it safe? In this session, we explore research into the effects of screen time, smartphones and social media on children and their parents. We will also consider the growing movement away from screens and discover resources and practical ideas to help families navigate this tumultuous time.
Session 3 - Saturday, October 24, 2:45 pm
Making Ideas Stick: Teaching, Mentoring, and Leading with the Human Brain in Mind
More than 100 years ago, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus introduced the Forgetting Curve—the frustrating reality that people forget more than half of what they are taught within the first hour and over 75 per cent by day’s end. Recent studies have confirmed this dismal pattern, but with an important caveat: it reflects teaching that simply presents facts, ideas and concepts, without accounting for more effective approaches. So, what helps our teaching, mentoring and leadership stick? In this session, we consider the question from the inside out, exploring how the brain encodes and recalls information and discussing practical ways to make ideas more memorable.