School Name: Cilaire Elementary
School District: SD#68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith
Inquiry Team Members:Elisa Orton – eorton@sd68.bc.ca
Angela Losch – Angela.Losch@sd68.bc.ca
Kitty Kanhoffen – Kitty.Kanhoffen@sd68.bc.ca
Robyn Grubb – rgrubb@sd68.bc.ca
Carie Wood – Carie.Wood@sd68.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: eorton@sd68.bc.ca
Type of Inquiry: NOII (focus on core competencies, OECD learning principles, etc.)
Grade Levels: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Area(s): Career Education, Other: student ownership of learning, skills, and behaviour
Focus Addressed: Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), Flexible learning, Formative assessment, Growth mindset, Self-regulation, Social and emotional learning, Transitions
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our focus was to have students and staff understand and use a common language to assess personal learning and to address learning needs.
Scanning: We had a large number of new staff members this year and we began to talk about what we were seeing with individual students, our classrooms, our school grounds (both inside and outside) and how our students were interacting with our immediate/surrounding community. We then started to collect data of what we we were seeing (visual impressions and anecdotes) around some questions: What does an ideal Cilaire look, sound, feel like. What are we currently seeing at Cilaire. What are we currently doing? what could we do with the current resources available to us?
Focus: Going through our data we found that a common thread was a lack of student ownership – of their behaviour , their impact on others and in their learning. When we talked to students they were not able to always communicate their role. We want students to be able to use language that is shared so that when assessing learning and assessing needs a common understanding is shared so that the focus is not on defining terms but on the needs/strengths of our learners.
Hunch: New staff coming in with different experiences
different staff using various programs within classrooms that were not common to the whole school
new students coming in with varied backgrounds
Students were struggling with their reflections on their work – vague comments that didn’t really allow them to demonstrate their strengths and areas that needed improvement.
New Professional Learning: We attended a workshop on the Successful Learning Traits as a staff
We purchased sets of the posters, and other visual materials so that everyone room in the school had them clearly displayed and were easy to refer to
We had colleagues share their experiences with the program – *** this dialogue between colleagues was very helpful
we have signed up as a staff to attend a second workshop in the fall to continue with the development of the traits in our school
Taking Action: Ways we are using traits in the classroom
• We have a class draw for pencils, stickers, etc. When a student demonstrates a trait, they are given a slip that they enter the draw
• Giving blue tickets
• Trait tags for necklaces
• We discussed the traits more when they were being read over the announcements.
• Connecting the traits to characters in the books we read. Beginning to use the words for self-reflection on work, habits and interactions
• Not really using them regularly at this time—do give out blue tickets—but haven’t spent time teaching, reflecting or using the traits
• Blue ticket recognition
• Class discussions
• Announcements description of the traits
• With our star of the week booklets students are using the successful learner traits and linking them to an example of why they are a star
• Not enough, but it is getting adopted more and more
What should we do next?
• Linking it to assessment /communications of learning
• More classes linking it to all levels of assessment
• Better sharing of the traits (info about the traits with parents—was shared more at the beginning of the year in weekly memos but once they were all introduced wasn’t continued)
• Continue with the professional development around and better understand how to integrate it into the classroom
• Students will know what they are to start next year what it is so it will be a quick management/motivator
• Refresher/info session for staff (maybe students)
• Adding aboriginal focus
• Creating book list that highlights traits
• Continue to discuss each trait and meaning for students and myself
• Put a picture up each week of students who won draw from blue tickets and highlight why they got it (have their words regarding the earning of the ticket)
• More incorporation of all the traits into the classroom and school—also curious what students are getting blue tickets for—is it a recognition of a single trait (i.e. Compassion or is it a clear cross range)
• Bring back to the announcements – helps with reinforcement
Checking: What should we do next?
• Linking it to assessment /communications of learning
• More classes linking it to all levels of assessment
• Better sharing of the traits (info about the traits with parents—was shared more at the beginning of the year in weekly memos but once they were all introduced wasn’t continued)
• Continue with the professional development around and better understand how to integrate it into the classroom
• Students will know what they are to start next year what it is so it will be a quick management/motivator
• Refresher/info session for staff (maybe students)
• Adding aboriginal focus
• Creating book list that highlights traits
• Continue to discuss each trait and meaning for students and myself
• Put a picture up each week of students who won draw from blue tickets and highlight why they got it (have their words regarding the earning of the ticket)
• More incorporation of all the traits into the classroom and school—also curious what students are getting blue tickets for—is it a recognition of a single trait (i.e. Compassion or is it a clear cross range)
• Bring back to the announcements – helps with reinforcement
Reflections/Advice: Things we have learned (so far)
• it is worth pursuing a common language – It takes commitment by a majority to do and it is easy to start the pursuit and just as easy to get sidetracked by new sights along the way. It isn’t the specific language that necessary – all kinds of programs out there – it is the consistent use of the same words with the same meanings that help in the development of the climate/culture we want to pursue.
• Easier to commit to an idea than it is to continue with an idea – all kinds of things get in the way of continuing an idea (whether it be resistance from others or from one’s own ingrained habits)
• Common language helps develop school culture and community
• No language/program is perfect – always going to be ‘newer’ ‘better’ programs that it is tempting to move to – need to give what we are doing more time
• We’ve only taken a small step in developing a common language at our school –