I. General Information
School Name: Fraser Wood
School District: SD#36 Surrey
Inquiry Team Members: Anne McNamee: mcnamee_a@surreyschools.ca, Sean Chambers: chambers_s@surreyschools.ca, Cheryl Chung: chung_c@surreyschools.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: miller_e@surreyschools.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Arts Education, Science, Social Studies
Focus Addressed: Local Indigenous Knowledges, Core competencies (for example, thinking, communication, personal and social), Land, Nature or Place-based learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? At our school, the Indigenous population has decreased and we wanted the students that are Indigenous to be connected to their culture, as well as the other students in the school to understand that the Indigenous culture is amazing from all aspects.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: Using the OECD principle that emotions are integral to learning, we prioritized understanding students’ happiness, sense of safety, and connection at school. We observed that our Indigenous students demonstrated strong relationships with staff and peers, appeared confident and engaged, and expressed positive outlooks about their futures. This suggested that they felt supported and successful within the school environment.
We also drew on the First Peoples Principles of Learning, particularly that learning supports the well-being of the self, family, community, land, and ancestors, and involves the exploration of identity. While overall well-being was strong, we noticed that many students were not expressing a strong connection to their Indigenous identity or culture within the school context.
From listening to student voice, our key learning was that well-being was present, but identity connection was less visible. This highlighted an opportunity for us to create more authentic and consistent learning experiences where students could see themselves, their cultures, and their communities reflected more meaningfully in school.
Focus: We selected this area to deepen students’ understanding of Indigenous perspectives through authentic, place-based, and experiential learning. We wanted to move beyond surface-level activities and provide meaningful opportunities for students to engage with Indigenous knowledge, culture, and voices. Our goal was for students to develop respect, curiosity, and a stronger sense of connection to the land and local Indigenous communities.
Hunch: Our hunch was that previous approaches at our school may have been too disconnected or limited to isolated events, such as single lessons or assemblies, and may not have led to lasting understanding. We believed students would benefit from more direct engagement with Indigenous educators, knowledge keepers, and land-based experiences. We also suspected that staff would benefit from increased professional learning to feel more confident embedding Indigenous perspectives authentically and consistently.
New Professional Learning: Our professional learning developed through a combination of formal experiences, community connections, and ongoing, experiential opportunities throughout the year.
A key experience was attending an Indigenous-focused Professional Development Day at Grouse Mountain. The longhouse visit was particularly impactful. The Indigenous presenter’s depth of knowledge and engaging storytelling helped deepen staff understanding of local culture, history, and ways of knowing. This experience was especially meaningful because some staff had previously attended with students while others had not, leading to rich discussion and a shared commitment to prioritize this experience again despite the distance from our school.
In addition to this formal learning, we were fortunate to engage with Indigenous voices and educators directly within our school community. An Indigenous educator affiliated with the Sierra Club visited in June to guide both staff and students in place-based outdoor education and environmental stewardship. This learning helped staff see practical and accessible ways to connect Indigenous perspectives to land-based learning in our local context.
We also learned through cultural experiences that were shared school-wide. The visit from Indigenous hoop dancers, Noah and Chelsei, provided both students and staff with an opportunity to learn through storytelling, movement, and performance. These experiences contributed to our understanding of Indigenous identity, resilience, and cultural expression in a way that was engaging and memorable.
Professional learning also occurred through the process of planning and creating school-wide bulletin boards and assemblies. As a staff, we collaborated to ensure that the information we shared was respectful, accurate, and meaningful. This required us to deepen our own understanding and reflect on how Indigenous perspectives were represented across the school.
The most impactful aspect of our professional learning was the consistency of exposure to Indigenous perspectives throughout the year. Rather than relying on a single event, staff engaged in ongoing learning through direct interaction with Indigenous presenters, experiential activities, and collaborative reflection. These opportunities helped build both confidence and a stronger collective commitment to embedding Indigenous perspectives more authentically in our teaching practice.
Taking Action: Our actions focused on intentionally shifting from isolated activities to more connected, school-wide experiences that made Indigenous perspectives more visible and meaningful for all learners.
We prioritized creating multiple, consistent entry points for students across the year rather than relying on a single event. This included using assemblies as anchor moments for shared learning and ensuring that key ideas were revisited and reinforced in different contexts.
We also worked to make learning more visible across the school. By developing bulletin boards connected to assemblies and learning themes, we extended understanding beyond one-time experiences and created opportunities for ongoing reflection and discussion in classrooms and common spaces.
A key strategy was increasing authentic engagement with Indigenous voices. We intentionally brought in speakers, educators, and performers so that students were learning directly from Indigenous community members rather than only through teacher-led instruction. This helped ground learning in lived experience and strengthened its relevance.
As a staff, we were also more deliberate in connecting our professional learning to classroom and school-wide practice. Experiences such as the Grouse Mountain visit informed our planning and decision-making, ensuring that what we learned as educators translated into more meaningful opportunities for students.
Overall, our focus was on building a more cohesive and intentional approach, where Indigenous perspectives were not treated as add-ons but were increasingly woven through shared experiences, school structures, and ongoing learning.
Checking: We did see evidence that our efforts made a meaningful difference, particularly in student engagement and awareness. Students demonstrated increased curiosity and willingness to participate during school-wide learning opportunities, often asking thoughtful questions and making connections to their understanding of the land and Indigenous perspectives.
Our evidence of change was primarily observational and reflective. We noticed richer and more frequent classroom conversations, especially following shared learning experiences. Students were more able to recognize and talk about Indigenous perspectives, and there was a greater sense of familiarity and comfort with the topics being explored. Staff also reported increased confidence in addressing Indigenous content, suggesting growth in both student and educator learning.
We also considered the increased visibility and consistency of Indigenous perspectives across the school as an indicator of progress. Learning was no longer confined to a single event but was reinforced through multiple touchpoints, contributing to a stronger collective understanding.
We were encouraged by these shifts and believe we made meaningful progress toward our goal. However, we recognize that this work is ongoing. While engagement and awareness increased, our next step is to gather more intentional evidence of student learning and to ensure that Indigenous perspectives are embedded more consistently and deeply throughout everyday classroom practice.
Reflections/Advice: Through this inquiry, we learned that meaningful engagement with Indigenous perspectives requires intentionality, consistency, and authentic connections to people and place. Moving beyond isolated events toward more ongoing, visible, and experiential learning made a noticeable difference in both student engagement and staff confidence. We also recognized the importance of learning alongside our students, as staff professional growth was essential in creating more authentic and respectful learning opportunities.
One of our key takeaways is that access to Indigenous voices and lived experiences is invaluable. Opportunities to learn directly from Indigenous educators, presenters, and community members had the greatest impact on both students and staff. We also learned that even small shifts—such as increasing visibility across the school and revisiting key ideas—help build a stronger, more cohesive understanding over time.
Moving forward, our goal is to deepen this work by embedding Indigenous perspectives more consistently into everyday classroom practice, rather than relying primarily on shared events. We also aim to gather more intentional evidence of student learning to better understand our impact and guide next steps.
Our advice to other schools is to start with what is accessible and build gradually. Focus on creating multiple opportunities for learning throughout the year, rather than aiming for one perfect initiative. Prioritize authentic voices, collaborate as a staff, and be open to learning and growing together. Most importantly, approach this work with respect, curiosity, and a commitment to ongoing learning, recognizing that it is a journey rather than a one-time effort.