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, critical thinking, communication, problem solving)
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? If we work together to develop our collective efficacy regarding making learning visible, we will be able to build student capacity in the competencies of critical thinking and collaboration.
Students will develop as critical thinking individuals who collaborate to take ownership over their learning.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: In our initial scanning process, we asked a large sample of the students in the school the three questions that matter…“what are you learning, how is it going, where to next?” We have discovered that our students have a lot of strengths and also a few stretches. Some of their strengths are that they are great at following routines, they do well in structured environments, they are a very tight and caring community, they are all active, they are very kind, and they are compliant. Some of the stretches we have noticed are that they are often passive learners (going through the motions without always getting excited about the learning), they have difficulty persevering when things get hard, their collaboration skills aren’t always evident, they have difficulty thinking through problems and coming up with solutions on their own and have a general lack of resilience.
Focus: During our “focusing stage” process, the staff immersed ourselves in the available data. We examined every aspect, employing the “decision-making framework” to chart the ramifications of focusing on each facet—what we observed, what we value, and the actionable steps within our reach to address the issues we uncovered.
Several trends and patterns were revealed to us in our data scan. We noted strengths among our student body, including their adeptness at adhering to routines, their overall active engagement in their personal physical health, their general compliance, and their strong sense of peer connection. We also discerned trends, such as challenges in perseverance amidst adversity, difficulty in problem-solving autonomously, a lack of connection to adults, and a general lack of resilience and collaborative skills.
With the aid of the “decision-making framework” and the consequence table structure, we collectively determined that our primary focus should be on enhancing critical thinking abilities and fostering a cohesive school culture that fosters strong connections between students and faculty. These initiatives were identified as holding the greatest potential for impactful change within our educational community.
Hunch: During our “focusing stage” process, the staff immersed ourselves in the available data. We examined every aspect, employing the “decision-making framework” to chart the ramifications of focusing on each facet—what we observed, what we value, and the actionable steps within our reach to address the issues we uncovered.
Several trends and patterns were revealed to us in our data scan. We noted strengths among our student body, including their adeptness at adhering to routines, their overall active engagement in their personal physical health, their general compliance, and their strong sense of peer connection. We also discerned trends, such as challenges in perseverance amidst adversity, difficulty in problem-solving autonomously, a lack of connection to adults, and a general lack of resilience and collaborative skills.
With the aid of the “decision-making framework” and the consequence table structure, we collectively determined that our primary focus should be on enhancing critical thinking abilities and fostering a cohesive school culture that fosters strong connections between students and faculty. These initiatives were identified as holding the greatest potential for impactful change within our educational community.
New Professional Learning: Professional learning has been continuous throughout our inquiry process. We started by thoroughly reading and discussing each stage of the spiral to ensure we adhered to it with fidelity. Once we identified our primary focus, we delved into defining “critical thinking” and pinpointed the specific aspects we were most concerned with. We then reached out to a district colleague who specializes in PBIS development in schools, inviting her to present to our staff. Together, we developed an executive functioning classroom inventory by synthesizing our collective research. This included reading books such as Smart but Scattered by Peg Dawson and Organizing the Disorganized Child by Martin Kutscher, along with articles from The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard. We also explored the concept of deeper learning through In Search of Deeper Learning by Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine. As we progressed, we became curious about how to make learning more visible, leading us to explore loose parts, story workshops, and the question, “What makes you say that?”
Taking Action: We have dedicated significant time to the “Taking Action” phase of the spiral, exploring various directions while consistently returning to the core competencies of critical thinking and the self-regulation necessary to develop them. One of our key initiatives involved implementing PBIS (Positive Behavioural Interventions & Supports) in our school. We established a PBIS committee to analyze the data our team collected and to develop a shared framework. This team created a matrix that incorporates our collective values, with a focus on fostering critical thinking and self-regulation.
Additionally, we collaborated with Connie Hamilton, who introduced us to a dynamic learning rounds model. Our teaching team, now divided into two groups of seven, participates in sessions where one teacher from each group leads a lesson while the others observe. Before the lesson, the team conducts a pre-brief to outline the specific goals the lead teacher intends to address. After the lesson, the team engages in a thorough debrief, synthesizing valuable feedback from the observers. This innovative model encourages a culture of continuous improvement and collaborative professional development.
Finally, we have developed a restorative justice discipline process that guides students through recognizing their mistakes and treating discipline as an opportunity for learning rather than punishment.
Checking: We have spent time analyzing both our district and local data and have identified several trends since we began emphasizing critical thinking and self-regulated learning. Students are now less fearful and more willing to engage in the discipline process, and they are more capable of identifying adults in the building who believe in their potential for success. In classrooms that have established norms for conversation and collaboration, students can more clearly identify their roles in projects and engage in productive, thoughtful small-group and whole-class discussions.
Many classrooms have eliminated the phrase “I don’t know,” providing students with alternative responses that foster deeper dialogue with both adults and peers. This has led to more meaningful conversations across the board. Through PBIS, students have gained a clearer understanding of the values upheld by the adults in the building, enabling them to act more confidently within those expectations.
Additionally, younger students have become much more adept at describing their learning through story workshops, and this ability has extended to their self-reflections during the communicating student learning process.
Reflections/Advice: We have found that when we collaborate to clearly define our goals and take a more deliberate approach to action, we actually save time and improve our process. We have also used multiple resources in all areas of our learning and taking action and this has allowed us to create something new that works for us that is research-based.
Enduring Understandings:
If we commit to maintaining curiosity through the model of collaborative inquiry, we will continue to inspire necessary changes and adaptations.
If we work together to develop our collective efficacy, we will be able to be the influencers of student achievement.
If we learn together, we will become better together.