School Name: Quarterway
School District: SD#68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith
Inquiry Team Members:Sean Walsh <sean.walsh@sd68.bc.ca>; Moya Beedie <mbeedie@sd68.bc.ca>; Heather Boyd <hboyd@sd68.bc.ca>; Julie Grant <jgrant@sd68.bc.ca>; Amanda Kroeger <AKroeger@sd68.bc.ca>; Krista Betts <kbetts@sd68.bc.ca>; Janelle Nielsen <jnielsen1@sd68.bc.ca>; Lauren Dewar <Lauren.Dewar@sd68.bc.ca>; Dominique Sullivan <Dominique.Sullivan@sd68.bc.ca>
Inquiry Team Contact Email: dominique.sullivan@sd68.bc.ca
Type of Inquiry: AESN (focus on Indigenous learners or Indigenous understandings)
Grade Levels: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Area(s): Career Education, Physical & Health Education
Focus Addressed: Aboriginal understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), First Peoples Principles of Learning, Growth mindset, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Self-regulation, Social and emotional learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? How to decrease student stress at Ecole Quarterway using the open hearts framework and Coast Salish wisdom towards nature therapy/Ecotherapy/ connections to the land?
Scanning: Observation- see a child with a panic attack everyday. Suicide protocols, office referrals, teacher burnout- Classroom environment is not regulated. French immersion has a changing demographic and higher needs than in the past. Lack of connection to the land.
Focus: How to decrease student stress at Ecole Quarterway using the open hearts framework and Coast Salish wisdom towards nature therapy/Ecotherapy/ connections to the land? How can we support basic human needs at school through a holistic first nations view of the child?
We saw anxiety levels never seen before at school and it has a major impact on student learning.
Hunch: School needs:
Increase of anxiety related behaviours k-7
Many students struggle with resilience and letting go of negative ways of thinking that impacts academics
Difficult home lives that impacts focus at school
Lack of Social Emotional intelligence
Increase incidents and referrals to the office
Increase in social exclusion and bullying
Difficulty resolving interpersonal conflict
New Professional Learning: Heart- mind online by the Dalai Lama Center https://heartmindonline.org/ is am amazing resource for lesson plan on self regulation , compassion etc. All lesson plans are science based and approved by UBC.
Elder- gave of mindful activities to re-connect to land and ethnographyNature walks, Ethnobotany, Planting
Enhanced first people science guide 5-9 http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/PUBLICATION-61496-Science-First-Peoples-2016-Full-F-WEB.pdf
Grade 5 Indian Residential Schools and Reconciliation Activity 1.3 Local Relationship with the Land http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IRSR5-Part1.pdf
Taking Action: Bought mindful and ethnobotany resources. Taught social emotional learning-lesson plans from Dalai Lama center. Attended Dalai Lama Conference- taking care of yourself. May 11th Dalai Lama center did in-service day at Quarterway. Planned hiking series for intermediate students. Nature walks for primary
Checking: As a staff, we have started to put many new practices in the classroom. The lesson plans from the Dalai Lama center have been used to promote self regulation in all k-7 classrooms. We plan to continue to work with the Dalai Lama center and we have applied to become a project school for 2018-2019 school year.
Zones has also been implemented this year due to our inquiry.
Reflections/Advice: The students love learning about their well-being and enjoy learning new strategies and many teachers report improved working and learning conditions for students. The lesson plans from Dalai Lama center are worth exploring and can be organized by developmental age and by theme. The heart-mind online lesson plans are for both educators and parents and cover items such as anxiety, conflict resolution, making friends etc.
Our new curriculum supports the first peoples principals and social/ emotional well-being in the core competencies and teachers need support and resources to meet the challenged of teaching in a wired world.