I. General Information
School Name: Bear Valley School
School District: SD#82 Coast Mountains
Inquiry Team Members:
Terri Scott: terri.scott@cmsd.bc.ca
Cari Hopkins: cari.hopkins@cmsd.bc.ca
Ian Wen: ian.wen@cmsd.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: terri.scott@cmsd.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: Numeracy & Literacy Project
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Physical & Health Education, Science, Social Studies
Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Community-based learning, Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), Differentiated instruction, Experiential learning, First Peoples Principles of Learning, Flexible learning, Growth mindset, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Inquiry-based learning, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Self-regulation, Social and emotional learning, STEM / STEAM, Universal design for learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our focus was communication skills, collaborative problem solving and cross-grade team building.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: We surveyed the students in the fall to explore their attitudes and beliefs. We watched them working together in cross-grade groups and realized that they had trouble expressing their needs and ideas to children who were not their own age. Many misunderstandings occurred due to mixed messaging and an inability to empathize and understand the perspective of their audience. We also noticed, coincidentally, that we as professionals were sometimes guilty of that when older staff and new teachers were sharing ideas. We all needed to improve!
Focus: We were hoping to build leadership skills in our students from kindergarten to Grade 7, while also capitalizing on our unique natural surroundings. Additionally, we were hoping to build staff cohesiveness and allow for a more open sharing of ideas and experience between teaching staff.
Hunch: We were noticing difficulties at lunch and recess between students, especially with students in the middle grades (Grades 3 to 5). It seemed as though they did not feel connected to students in the lower and upper elementary. This lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. We wanted to find a way to connect students in all grades through a single, all-encompassing project.
New Professional Learning: We drew on each other’s professional and personal experience. We used survival guides and nature guides for our area. We researched outdoor education through websites (Canadian Institute of Forests CIF-IFC.org, Tree Valley Academy treevalleyadademy.com, OutsidePlay.org). We also read “In Our Own Words: Bringing Authentic First Peoples Content to the K-3 Classroom” from the FNESC.
Taking Action: We decided to create a survival scenario for students in Grades K to 7. Students were put in mixed-grade groupings and told to expect daily challenges. The first challenge was to discuss survival in a theoretical way with all members of the group. They had to decide what their needs would be and in what order they should address their priorities. Next they were given their assignment; to find a way to survive after a vehicle breakdown in a remote, wooded area. Students had to discuss all aspects of the incident; their feelings, worries, needs, plans. This was shared with the whole group with drawings and notes on chart paper. Students then explored their ideas further in their journals. The next challenge was to choose a “useful” item from a wide selection of objects provided to them. These items would be the ones in the “car” at the time of the incident. Each child had to justify and defend their choice to group members and then write about its possible uses in their journals. (For example, a recorder could be used as a digger, an emergency whistle, a straw, or a hammer). The next challenge was for each group to find their site. We incorporated learning from our Salmonids in the Classroom program. Each group was asked to use a compass and a scent to find their way home to their “crash site” where they would build their shelter. An orienteering course was provided to each group with a corresponding scent. If they followed the course correctly, they should find a container with the matching scent. After finding their site, we provided each group with a tarp, some bungee cords, and 50 feet of rope. Over the next two weeks, the groups’ challenge was to create a shelter that could protect and comfort up to 6 children. This is the point at which we began to see increasing frustrations due to their lack of communication skills and empathy. We began to mediate discussions with the entire group about issues and possible solutions. These were heart-filled discussions that opened students up to the possibility of others’ perspectives. After this, we began to see a change in students’ attitudes and behaviours. Students spoke more kindly to each other and were more understanding. Some, more reluctant students stepped up to accept more challenges while others, who were previously over assertive, stepped back to allow more people to take the reins. The fort building assignment ended with a collaborative film-making project. Students were tasked with creating a movie trailer which outlined and highlighted their survival challenges and goals. These movie trailers were showcased at a year-end celebration of learning with students, families, and staff.
Checking: Following this project, we reconnected with our group of learners. They all saw each other as people they could rely on. They cheered each other on and had real conversations. Groups helped other groups and shared ideas respectfully. We had no office referrals for behaviour during the duration of our project, or even after it concluded. We would like to try similar projects again next year to see if we can create long-term change for our learners. We also grew as professionals. We can share ideas more freely and are becoming a more cohesive team. We can take risks with each others’ support.
Picture description: The photos show the parts of our project; the planning phase, finding the site, and building a shelter. They were taken in Stewart by Terri Scott.
Reflections/Advice: Next time, we would like to start earlier in the year and have a plan that encompasses even more learning goals. We would like to continue to build the capacity of our educational team so that we can creatively support learners to respect themselves, others, and their environment. As for advice we could give to other schools, it is important to build comfort with the topic and the natural environment prior to attempting such a project. Utilizing many different resources (pictures books, novels, films, documentaries) about survival and adventure is helpful to build background knowledge and attitudes. It is also important for staff to work on smaller, mixed-grade projects before attempting such a large endeavour so students have a chance to get to know one another.