I. General Information
School Name: École Garibaldi Highlands Elementary
School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky
Inquiry Team Members: Maggie Georgy-Embree
Claudia Viviani
Jennifer Farstad
Inquiry Team Contact Email: jfarstad@sd48.bc.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: Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing
Focus Addressed: Literacy, Core competencies (for example, thinking, communication, personal and social), Self-regulation
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Supporting student confidence in communicating in French.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: The students said they didn’t feel comfortable in speaking French. They said they make too many mistakes and don’t know how to say things. We asked the students how we could support them. We gave them many opportunities to practice speaking French in low risk situations.
Focus: We have noticed kids don’t often speak French and are lacking the ability to communicate. Hoping to improve student confidence by providing many opportunities to practice speaking French in low risk situations.
Hunch: Students are often permitted to speak English so they are not practicing speaking French.
New Professional Learning: Attended French language workshops whenever possible. Shared learning with colleagues.
Taking Action: We purchased and found many age and ability appropriate games for our students. We prioritized game playing in class. We didn’t schedule it for after students finished ‘real work’.
Checking: We noticed a small shift. More students were speaking French. Students often remembered to speak French when speaking with a teacher.
Reflections/Advice: Allow students many low risk and supported opportunities to speak French. Games are a great way to do this. We will continue to focus on game play next year to allow students the time to practice speaking French in a low risk environment with peers.