I. General Information
School Name: George Greenaway Elementary
School District: SD#36 Surrey
Inquiry Team Members:
Angela McIvor
Lexi Palylyk
Inquiry Team Contact Email: mcivor_a@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 – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Social Studies
Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Inquiry-based learning, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, STEM / STEAM
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Connecting students to place through Indigenous pedagogy, inquiry and place-based learning.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: The focus of our inquiry was to have students foster a better understanding and connection to place. Students had the opportunity to allow for a focus around truth and reconciliation, and acknowledge the land we are on and place we all connect to. We used the Spirals of Inquiry to better understand the importance of putting the students at the center of their own learning. Doing this allowed room for collaboration and ownership when students were connecting to place.
Focus: We selected this area of focus for our students because we felt that students need to connect more to the place with true purpose, meaning and purposeful intention. We embraced this learning journey and inquiry together alongside our students.
Hunch: A few hunches that we had were the barriers that our ELL students faced when it came to writing their own personalized land acknowledgements. With support and guidance from both classroom teachers, all students were able to create their own land acknowledgements. Adapted materials were created to support all learners in their learning journey, to meet the needs of all students.
New Professional Learning: Our participation in the Spirals of Inquiry led us to a multitude of new professional learning experiences. For example, one of the participants participated in the Outdoor Learning Certification course through Take Me Outside and the Outdoor Learning Store. Another workshop provided by Take Me Outside was called ‘Developing a Sense of Place by Sparking Curiosity and Wonder’. Another professional learning opportunity was participating in the Moose Hide Campaign alongside our students. This was a great learning experience had by educators and students. This information was also passed on to our colleagues that we work alongside. During collaboration in our Library Learning Commons, together we learned how to use Book Creator to document our learning and connection to place. This led to our school’s increased need to participate in Indigenous People’s Day. Each classroom was asked to create and design a wreath for Indigenous People’s Day with a focus on a famous Indigenous artist. These wreaths are on display in our gymnasium hallway for all to enjoy during Indigenous History Month.
Taking Action: Throughout our inquiry journey, students engaged in a variety of learning tools to connect deeper to the places we work and learn together. We began our inquiry by introducing our students to Adrienne Gear’s “We are all Connected” resource. Students began by making connections to their family, their home, our community, and eventually how they connect to the land. Students researched and identified the Indigenous land in which our school, their homes and our community reside on. Through collaborative teachings, students began to think about their connections to the land. With this perspective in mind, we explored Indigenous resources in order to have each student create their own land acknowledgements. Together we shared many Indigenous stories and had meaningful conversations about the changes that can be made towards truth and reconciliation (ie. Nibi’s Water Song’). Alongside this research and exploration, students had access to loose parts and story workshop materials to create the places of which had the most meaning and connection to them. Students were then able to create these places to become part of their digital book on Book Creator, eventually reading and recording their land acknowledgements. Stemming from these land acknowledgements, was our participation in the Moose Hide campaign of which allowed students to take action around a good cause. This focused on ending violence against Indigenous and non-Indigenous women and children. Moose hide is a shared symbol to take a stand against violence and undoing the effects of Residential Schools; this was part of our continuous effort on our path to Truth and Reconciliation. Students created posters together in partners to advocate a powerful message for change! These posters and non-digital land acknowledgements will be presented and displayed in the gymnasium and hallway as we celebrate Indigenous People’s Day. Our classes will be leading the stations in the gymnasium on this day to celebrate our journey through truth and reconciliation.
Checking: Even though our learners are only 8 and 9 years old, we believe that they are much richer in their knowledge and understanding of the struggles that Indigenous Peoples had to endure, and have to endure, daily. Our path to truth and reconciliation is just beginning and I am excited to see where this takes us and our learners in the years to come. Students now have a better understanding of the Indigenous land that we work and learn on every day at school, and how we can help to take care of the land for future generations. Students are able to identify the Indigenous land in a more meaningful and purposeful way.
Reflections/Advice: After participating in this inquiry, we as educators have a better understanding on how to take this journey with our students, even when the outcome is unknown.