I. General Information
School Name: Ecole Salish Secondary School
School District: SD#36 Surrey
Inquiry Team Members: Jasmin Dhillon: dhillon_jasmink@surreyschools.ca
Lorne Scott: scott_lorne@surreyschools.ca
Michael Haffner: haffner_m@surreyschools.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: dhillon_jasmink@surreyschools.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: Indigenous Education Impact Initiative
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Not applicable
Focus Addressed: Literacy, Core competencies (for example, thinking, communication, personal and social), Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Other: Decolonized Learning Opportunities
In one sentence, what is your focus for the 3-year cycle? Our inquiry centers on identifying strategies that cultivate a safe and supportive classroom community, emphasizing teacher collaboration, continuous learning growth, and the implementation of decolonized learning opportunities, through the LEAP program.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Connections to Year 1: Student engagement in learning is on the decline. With instant access to information at their fingertips, students are becoming less inclined to engage deeply with traditional instructional methods. As a result, teachers face increasing pressure to make lessons more dynamic and relevant. Today’s students are natural multitaskers who thrive when given opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning. These interactive approaches not only pull students away from their devices, but also promote deeper involvement with the material and stronger skill development.
New Educator Professional Learning: With a new team this year, there was a lot of rescanning and getting comfortable with resources we used last year. There was a lot of reflecting and collaborating with different departments and teachers (English, Socials, Science, PHE, ADST, Careers). There was community building.
Taking Action: We held LEAP cafes every month. The goal of this was for students to catchup socially, emotionally, and academically. The students and teachers really appreciated these moments of pause and reflection. We noticed that there was a lot more student engagement and attendance when the date for LEAP cafe was announced each month. It was something they looked forward to every year.
Reflections for Year 2: This year, we’ve discovered that students are eager for meaningful and engaging learning experiences. They respond enthusiastically to place-based learning and often welcome the chance to step outside the traditional classroom setting. Many of the hands-on, place-based opportunities offered through LEAP challenge conventional educational models and reflect more decolonized approaches to learning. When students are able to demonstrate growth through these experiences, it reinforces the value of continuing to create and expand such opportunities. We’ve also seen that strong relationships—between students and their peers, as well as with their teachers—are the foundation of a positive and thriving learning environment.
Plans for Year 3: Next year, we will continue to follow the students who remain in the LEAP program, while welcoming two new Grade 8 students to replace the graduating Grade 12s. Our data collection will span a two-year period and include attendance records from both LEAP and other classes, survey results, academic reports, and anecdotal insights gathered from student interviews and conversations. The LEAP team will also continue to offer engaging, place-based learning experiences to explore how these opportunities contribute to increased student success.