I. General Information
School Name: Colebrook Elementary
School District: SD#36 Surrey
Inquiry Team Members: Monica Chiorean: chiorean_m@surreyschools.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: chiorean_m@surreyschools.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, 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), Experiential learning, First Peoples Principles of Learning, Indigenous pedagogy, Inquiry-based learning, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Self-regulation, Social and emotional learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Exploring connections to land and place through story workshop and Indigenous knowledge.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: The 4 key questions guided the scanning process of our inquiry. Through the scanning process, we determined that students are excited to learn more about the land where they learn and play. This interest was built on our last year’s inquiry and work around the school garden. Students were interested in learning more about Sto:lo and Semiahmoo mat stories. Students were interested in learning more about the stewards of this land and their stories, and experimented with story mats and story workshop before. Our learning was guided by the First Peoples Principles of Learning, and supported by books and hands-on activities that strengthened our knowledge. Through the story mats we hoped to build on our Indigenous knowledge and continue to develop literacy and numeracy skills. We determined that the use of loose parts will allow students to demonstrate their own understanding and represent their own connections with the land.
Focus: Our focus this year was: Exploring connections to land and place through story workshop and Indigenous knowledge.
Students took interest in learning more about the land after being involved in our school garden and wanted to learn more about the Indigenous plants that grow in our school’s area. Students enjoyed our weekly outdoor walks around the school and in the park across the street. These weekly activities built their skills and knowledge.
Hunch: We used the lessons learned from our last year inquiry to strengthen our learning about land and environment. We used the data collected last year about the Indigenous plants that grow in our neighbourhood to explore new areas of Joe Brown park to identify other plants. Students enjoyed using apps to identify plants, collaborate with their big buddies and demonstrate their learning using story mats.
New Professional Learning: We used:
– Pacific Northwest plant cards to identify plants
– Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit by Jo-Ann Archibald
– Outdoor Education Learning workshops
The resources used allowed me to guide students’ learning and exploration, and kept them engaged in their learning.
Taking Action: A few of the actions we took:
– Connected with local Indigenous people and learned from them, through the First People in Residence program
– Attended PRO-d, explored FNESC resource, and the district Indigenous resources (ARC)
– Collaborated with district Indigenous helping teachers
– Explored Joe Brown park
– Collaborated with other teachers in the school and members of the community: City of Surrey-Parks and Recreations
– Used formal assessment to guide our learning and inquiry
Checking: Through this inquiry, students and staff were able to connect and share a common goal: learning more about the land our school is situated, connect with the BC curriculum, build a stronger school community and enjoy hands-on experiences in a safe and secure environment. I noticed a bit of a difference in students’ attitudes towards outdoor learning, Indigenous learning, and a boost in self-confidence and self-esteem. While this project started at a class level, it extended to a few other classes. At the end of the year everyone was happy about their accomplishments.
Reflections/Advice: This inquiry allowed myself and my students to deepen our understanding about Indigenous learning, outdoor education and the importance of hands-on opportunities to enhance students’ self-esteem and self-confidence, as well as collaborate with other members of the community. The Spiral of Inquiry allowed us to re-evaluate our goals, the progress we made, and guide our learning process and experiences. Looking forward, we are hoping to continue our journey into outdoor education and Indigenous learning, connect with the local First People and strengthen our knowledge. Students were able to develop their skills in different areas of the curriculum. The use of story mats contributed to their oral language development and story telling, as well as deepened the connections between themselves and the First Peoples Principles of Learning.