I. General Information
School Name: Garibaldi Highlands Elementary School
School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky
Inquiry Team Members: Katrina Lowe: klowe@sd48.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: klowe@sd48.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: SRL Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Career Education, Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Physical & Health Education, Science, Social Studies
Focus Addressed: Core competencies (for example, thinking, communication, personal and social), Self-regulation
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Strengthening Self-Regulated Learning through a school-wide Spiral of Inquiry approach, grounded in Indigenous Ways of Being, in order to increase student agency, independence, engagement, and depth of thinking.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: Our staff engaged in a collaborative scanning process using multiple sources of evidence including classroom observations, student work samples, assessment data, student interviews, MDI and Student Learning Survey data, staff observations, and professional dialogue during staff meetings and collaborative inquiry sessions. We intentionally used the two key Spiral questions—”What is going on for our learners?” and “How do we know?”—to move beyond assumptions and examine patterns across classrooms. Student voice revealed that many learners were highly engaged when tasks were structured or supported but often struggled to independently initiate, sustain, or extend their learning. Students also demonstrated varying levels of confidence, perseverance, and ability to articulate their learning goals and next steps. Guided by both the OECD Principles of Learning and the First Peoples Principles of Learning, staff examined learning as relational, social, and deeply connected to identity, place, and community. This helped us recognize that supporting self-regulation required not only instructional changes but also attention to relationships, belonging, and shared responsibility for learning.
Focus: Through our scanning process, staff identified a need to strengthen student independence, perseverance, agency, and depth of thinking. Although many students were successful when expectations were clearly defined, they frequently relied on adult prompting rather than self-direction. We also noticed inconsistencies across classrooms in how Self-Regulated Learning was understood and enacted. As a result, we chose to focus on strengthening Self-Regulated Learning through inquiry while grounding our work in Indigenous Ways of Being. We hoped to see students become increasingly independent, reflective, and responsible for their learning while deepening staff understanding of inquiry as a stance rather than a process to complete.
Hunch: Our hunch was that some of the learner behaviours we were observing were being unintentionally reinforced by our own practices. We wondered whether adults were over-scaffolding learning, providing too much direction, and moving too quickly to rescue students when they experienced challenge. We also recognized that while teachers were highly reflective and committed, many lacked a shared framework for sustained professional learning. We hypothesized that if educators engaged in inquiry as learners themselves and explicitly modelled goal setting, reflection, monitoring, and adaptation, students would develop greater agency and ownership over their learning. We also suspected that inconsistent understanding of Self-Regulated Learning across classrooms was contributing to uneven experiences for students.
New Professional Learning: This year, staff deepened their understanding of Self-Regulated Learning, the Spiral of Inquiry, Indigenous Ways of Being, restorative practices, and relational approaches to teaching and learning. Professional learning was supported through ongoing collaboration with Kimberly Sinclair, district inquiry supports, Indigenous Support Workers, NOIIE resources, and professional texts related to Self-Regulated Learning and inquiry. Collaborative inquiry groups met throughout the year, using the Spiral of Inquiry as a shared framework for professional learning. Staff engaged in structured scanning, collaborative analysis of evidence, learning rounds, professional dialogue, reflection protocols, and inquiry team meetings. Shared planning templates, reflection tools, and inquiry walls were used to make both adult and student learning visible. School leaders intentionally protected time for collaborative inquiry and modelled inquiry as a stance through ongoing reflection and responsiveness.
Taking Action: Our school implemented a number of interconnected strategies to strengthen Self-Regulated Learning. All staff participated in collaborative inquiry groups and used the Spiral of Inquiry as the primary framework for professional learning. Teachers explicitly taught and modelled goal setting, reflection, perseverance, and learning strategies within classrooms. Staff co-constructed learning goals and success criteria with students and increasingly used student voice to inform instructional decisions. Common language around our PACK values and PBIS structures was established school-wide to build coherence across classrooms. We intentionally partnered with Indigenous Support Workers and community members to co-plan and facilitate learning experiences grounded in Indigenous Ways of Being. This included drumming, storytelling, land-based experiences, and collaborative arts projects. Staff also engaged in learning rounds, regular reflection during staff meetings, and ongoing cycles of evidence collection, analysis, and refinement. Throughout the year, leadership prioritized protecting collaborative time and fostering a culture where inquiry was viewed as collective, relational, and ongoing.
Checking: Evidence suggests that we made a meaningful difference for both students and staff. Teachers reported increasingly viewing inquiry as a natural part of their professional practice rather than an additional initiative. Across classrooms, staff observed increases in student independence, perseverance, engagement, and ability to articulate their learning goals. Students demonstrated greater stamina and ownership when provided with explicit structures and opportunities for reflection. Evidence was gathered through classroom observations, student work samples, staff reflections, student voice, collaborative inquiry discussions, and school and district assessment data. While we are encouraged by the progress made, we recognize that this work is ongoing. Developing self-regulated learners and sustaining inquiry as a stance requires continued attention, coherence, and collective commitment over time.
Reflections/Advice: This inquiry reinforced our belief that Self-Regulated Learning and inquiry are inseparable and that meaningful change for students begins with adult learning. We learned that when educators experience goal setting, reflection, adaptation, and evidence-informed decision making as learners themselves, they are better positioned to create conditions that foster agency in students. We also learned that inquiry is most powerful when grounded in relationships and Indigenous Ways of Being that honour reflection, relationality, and collective responsibility.
Our next area of inquiry will build on this foundation by exploring how a stronger sense of belonging can support accountability, participation, and well-being. Drawing on Disability Justice, restorative practices, and the First Peoples Principles of Learning, we are interested in understanding how creating communities where every learner experiences genuine belonging can become the foundation from which accountability and growth emerge.
My advice to other schools would be to treat inquiry as a stance rather than a project, to begin with adult learning, and to make time for educators to learn collaboratively. Sustainable change happens when learning is collective, relational, and grounded in the lived experiences and voices of learners.