I. General Information
School Name: John Howitt Elementary School
School District: SD#70 Pacific Rim
Inquiry Team Members: Christopher Harper: charper@sd70.bc.ca
Steven Brown: sbrown@sd70.bc.ca
Samantha Jeffery: sjeffery@sd70.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: charper@sd70.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Applied Design, skills & Technology, Social Studies
Focus Addressed: Local Indigenous Knowledges
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our project focuses on helping students learn and share local Indigenous knowledge, language, and stories through student-led social media content creation.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: Our scanning process focused on understanding our learners through observation, conversation, and student voice, guided by the questions “What’s going on for our learners?” and “How do we know?”
We found that students were curious about Indigenous culture, but had limited knowledge beyond land acknowledgements and a few animal names. They also showed they enjoy learning through non-traditional means like podcasts, YouTube shorts, and social media, and value creative, interactive approaches to learning.
In a more structured setting, 14 students identified trusted adults in their lives, highlighting strong relationships. However, some students shared that their interest in social media content creation is not always seen as real learning. This revealed a gap between students’ interests and how learning is often valued.
Our scanning was informed by the OECD Principles of Learning (learner-centred, engaging) and the First Peoples Principles of Learning (holistic, relational, connected to community).
As a result, we designed a project where students create video podcasts or social media-style posts to explore and share their learning about local Indigenous culture in a way that is meaningful and relevant to them.
Focus: We selected this area because students showed interest in Indigenous culture but limited understanding, and expressed strong engagement with digital media and content creation. We also noticed a disconnect between students’ interests and how new forms of media were not valued in school as viable sources for learning.
We hoped to increase students’ engagement, sense of relevance, and understanding of their learning by creating opportunities for them to explore Indigenous culture through creative, student-driven digital formats. Our goal was for students to feel their interests are valued while developing meaningful connections to culture, community, and learning.
Hunch: We concluded that some of our current practices may not fully reflect or value the ways students engage with learning outside of school. Traditional approaches may limit opportunities for creativity, choice, and real-world connection.
We also wondered if we have not provided enough opportunities for students to see their interests, such as digital media and content creation, as meaningful forms of learning. This may have contributed to disengagement or a perception that their strengths and personal interests are not recognized in school.
New Professional Learning: We explored how to better include student voice, choice, and digital tools in learning. This included learning how to use Audacity for audio editing, Clipchamp for video editing, and OBS Studio for recording and producing content, so students could create podcasts and videos in ways that feel authentic and engaging, while building real-world communication skills.
Taking Action: We organized the project into eight classes, breaking the process into steps such as topic introduction, research, finding images, recording voice, and editing videos. Students chose topics related to Indigenous culture, including Indigenous sports, All Native Basketball, cultural significance of animals, how to make Bannock, cedar weaving, and Métis culture, among others.
While we initially planned for podcasting, this proved too complex. We explored OBS Studio, but many students found it overwhelming as the features were too advanced to learn in a short time. Furthermore, the live streaming component did not fit the format of this project. Students instead primarily used Clipchamp to create short videos, often using AI-generated voiceovers to support their work.
As part of the process, students learned how to properly cite their information and images, building their understanding of digital literacy and responsible use of sources.
Throughout the project, students were given choices in topics and format, and had time for practice, feedback, and revision as they developed their work.
Checking: We saw evidence of change through student engagement, quality of final projects, and student feedback. The videos were a strong first attempt, and many students were initially enthusiastic about creating their own content. Students showed a better understanding of Indigenous topics compared to the start of the project, and developed skills in research and citing sources. At the same time, students gained a better appreciation for the process. Some were surprised by how much research was needed to create a short 45-second video, while others found the editing process more difficult and time-consuming than expected. For some students, this affected their overall enjoyment of the project.
Overall, we felt the project made a positive difference in engagement and relevance, but also found that the process takes more time and support than we originally anticipated. This will help us better plan and scaffold the project in the future.
Reflections/Advice: Through this inquiry, we learned that connecting learning to student interests and real-world formats can increase engagement and enthusiasm. Students were excited to create videos and appreciated having choice and ownership in their learning. At the same time, we learned that projects like this require more time, scaffolding, and support, especially when it comes to research and editing skills.
Going forward, we would spend more time breaking down the research and editing process, possibly simplifying the final product or extending the timeline. We would also look for more ways to connect with local Indigenous knowledge and community to deepen the learning experience.
Our advice to other schools would be to start small, build in time for skill development, and be flexible. While not everything went as planned, the process was valuable for both students and teachers, and provided a strong foundation to build on in the future.