I. General Information
School Name: Kwantlen Park Secondary
School District: SD#36 Surrey
Inquiry Team Members:
Monique Prevost: prevost_m@surreyschools.ca
Neetu Dhaliwal dhaliwal_n@surreyschools.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: prevost_m@surreyschools.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Applied Design, skills & Technology
Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Community-based learning, Experiential learning, First Peoples Principles of Learning, Flexible learning, Formative assessment, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Indigenous pedagogy, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Self-regulation
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Connecting to place and land around the school, as well as practices of local Indigenous Peoples.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: I started by asking who’s land we were on and what plants and customs are from the area of our school. Some knew the names of the people who’s land the school is on, but they were not connected in any way to the land. As we went out, they started to realize their disconnect and asked questions. Learning is lifelong and we took it day by day to build on the experiences. I noticed that repetition and patience was important, and that the learning could not be rushed.
Focus: Focus was on connecting to land and place around the school. The hope was that the students would learn about the Indigenous plants and want to spend more time with them outside (it’s hard to get teenagers out for a walk…). I hoped that through using the plants in food preparation and textile use, they would develop a sense of calm and open their eyes to their surroundings. In addition, I had to remind myself and trust the the plants and experiences were doing the teachings.
Hunch: So much of our school system still follows the westernized way of teaching, learning, and demonstrating learning. As a classroom teacher it is hard to move away from this and open up opportunities for experiential learning, along with trusting in the process. I had to constantly remind myself that the beads, foods, plants, and stitches were doing the teaching.
New Professional Learning: I centered everything that I could in connecting to place and the Indigenous peoples who were the original stewards of the land. I used books by local authors (about plants, traditions, textiles, foods…), spent time with our Aboriginal Youth Care Workers, went to cultural events on my own time (Squamish Cultural Centre, Hoobiyee, Drum and Story telling with Elders) and made connections with food vendors at local markets. I found the book “Teaching Where You Are” by Shannon Leddy and Lorrie Miller at the perfect time in my journey. It is geared towards educators and talks about the importance being honest and doing our own decolonization work. It also talked about removing the clock from learning as learning takes time, more than a class or semester will allow. This was another reminder to trust in the process and believe that ideas are being planted and will continue to grow.
Taking Action: The focus was in a grade 11/12 First Peoples Food and Textiles class. We did all hands on learning and experiences. We started by beading red dresses in honour of MMIWG2S. The first dress was sold and the proceeds where donated to a local organization. The second was dress kept and worn as the class participated in a school walk. As the seasons changed and wild foods became available (nettle, fiddle heads, maple blossoms, morels, wild leeks…) we cooked with them or observed them growing around the school. The class made Bannock on numerous occasions to share in cultural celebrations. The Indigenous Department at our school holds an Indigenous Grad Blanket Ceremony for graduating students. This year the grads received blankets that were hand stitched around the edge by the class. This allowed for a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of blankets for the class, and the grads received blankets that were truly from their school community. Through all of this, protocol was followed (with the help of our school’s youth care workers) and learning was shared through discussion instead of written feedback. We helped grade 7 students from our feeder schools make ribbon skirts or vests as access to regalia is still a barrier for many Indigenous youth. The feedback and success was measured on the face of the students when they put their regalia on for the first time with pride.
Checking: My classroom became and safe refuge. Over the semester I had students from the class popping in before school, at lunch, and after school just to say “hi”. The class started asking to go for walks outside and wanted to know what the next available food was going to be. Students who had been very reserved, were starting to participate in class more. They realized that learning is lifelong and it can look different from what they had originally thought.
I noticed that what I was doing in the one class started to spill into my other classes, which showed that my teaching was growing and evolving. I would share what I was doing with other teachers and we would find ways to adapt it to their subject and classes. Upon reflection, I am satisfied with what we did in the amount of time we had, but learning and teaching are lifelong, so I will continue this work.
Reflections/Advice: Be brave and find another educator who shares your passion. If you believe in it for yourself, then you need to share it with your students. A lot of what I did in the classroom was possible because of the collaboration piece with Neetu. Working with someone in a different department was very valuable and enriching. We shared story books and media resources with each other and collaborated on how they could be used in a Home Economics and English classroom. At times I felt like I was not doing enough or not doing everything I had wanted to or how I wanted to. However, in sitting to write this reflection, I realized just how much I accomplished and am proud of the work we have done.