I. General Information
School Name: Pemberton Secondary School
School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky
Inquiry Team Members: Emma Mullings: emullings@sd48.bc.ca
Jeff Maynard: jmaynard@sd48.bc.ca
Tabitha Leech: TLeech@sd48.bc.ca
Vivian Zhou: VZhou@sd48.bc.ca
Jodie Petruzzellis: JPetruzzellis@sd48.bc.ca
Kerri Van Doorninck: kvandoorninck@sd48.bc.ca
Tara Smith: tsmith@sd48.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: sevans@sd48.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Physical & Health Education, Science, Social Studies
Focus Addressed: Indigenous Focus (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Land, Nature or Place-based learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? We are navigating a complexity of attachment, engagement and learning at our school that has led a number of students to attend school regularly, but have limited class attendance and course completion. Attempting to reframe this not as a ‘problem’, but rather as an opportunity to rethink and re-imagine learning in our community has been our focus for this year. This work has been guided by the text Street Data.
Trouble with students not going to class but coming to school. Good connections in community spaces. Continuity of staff? Safety? Teaching passions? Different expectations for students. Different relationships in the school. Students may sacrifice stable relationships because of worries about less stable relationships.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: What we noticed from our scanning is that the complicated intersection of learning, engagement and attachment in a rural school in Lil’wat Territory is highly nuanced and even contradictory. This has included observing that some students not going to class, come to school regularly and are very connected to certain peers and some adults in the building. While they might have inconsistent attachments in the school, they typically have good connections in community spaces. We have a sense this complexity is interacting with staff relationships including the issues of continuity, workload, relationships and teacher expectations. Amidst these many nuances, in a seemly contradictory manner, students may sacrifice stable relationships because of worries about less stable relationships. As a school community, it has not been an easy endeavour to respond this situation.
Focus: By embracing what is perceived as negative and highlighting the possibility within it we can begin transformational change away from maintaining existing structures and a transactional setting for learning. We want to shift the gaze and see students who live extraordinary lives in community and are present with many strengths. Students and staff may not be aware of their gifts and may need help to identify these – school can lift the student up by highlighting and celebrating those gifts.
Hunch:
1) Inconsistent expectations from staff that don’t always have the flexibility and nuance necessary to meet student learning and social-emotional needs
2) Respectful and relevant learning connections to community and the land can increase student connection, however, this is also highly nuanced and difficult to meaningfully implement (slow, relational and long term path)
3) Increasing students’ options that are dignified and reflective to student needs and agency will improve connection and engagement
New Professional Learning:
1) Teacher collaboration both in school and through the Instructional Leadership Team
2) Nklakment Journey (Land-based program in collaboration with Lil’wat Nation educational leadership team)
3) Street Data text
4) NOIIE Conference (a larger staff team that in the past attended this year)
5) PHE Collaboration on how to centre St’at’imc ways of knowing into the new 10-12 curriculum
6) School visit to Mountain View Secondary in North Vancouver
Taking Action:
1) Spaces: an effort to foster structures spaces in the school to assist students in this learning needs
2) Land-based curricular connections: beginning of a path toward fostering respectful and relational connections to the territory in select classes
3) Drama program: re-instated the after school drama program to foster healthy student connections
4) Nklakment Journey: an invite only program for St’at’imc youth in the school to participate in land-based programming. This was led by Lil’wat Nation in collaboration with PSS and district staff.
5) Creation of a flexible ‘Choices’ program for the upcoming academic year
Checking: Something we have actively focused on this year is getting away from ‘quick fixes’ and recognizing the need to move at the speed of relationships. All of the initiatives we tried this year were met with both feelings of ‘success’ and also challenges. Overall we were able to learn, unpack and reflect on the learning along the way. Anecdotally, an overall increased feeling of safe communication among staff came out of this as people felt increasingly heard, even if this wasn’t so much about ‘fixing’ things. As a result, it feels as though we are now asking the questions, having some needed conversations and have taken some thoughtful steps on a long-term path.
Reflections/Advice:
1) There are benefits to returning to the beginning of the spiral to re-frame how we are looking at things.
2) The methodology we follow in our inquiry matters, especially if we might be unintentionally engaging in deficit theorizing as individual/institutions.
3) Humility, watchful listening and grappling with being comfortable with the uncomfortable are powerful tools for ongoing learning.