I. General Information
School Name: Lakes District Secondary School
School District: SD#91 Nechako Lakes
Inquiry Team Members: Deborah Koehn , dkoehn@sd91.bc.ca
Cheryl Peterson, cpeterson@sd91.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: blacerte@sd91.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Language Arts – Oral Language
Focus Addressed: Local Indigenous Knowledges
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our focus was to support student self-regulation, identity, and language learning by creating a safe, culturally grounded classroom where learning is guided through Nadut’en language, oral assessment, and land-based experiences.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: During the scanning phase, I focused on understanding how students experienced learning emotionally, culturally, and academically. I used daily check-ins based on the Zones of Regulation translated into Nadut’en to support students in identifying and expressing their feelings. This helped me see patterns in self-regulation, engagement, and readiness to learn.
I also listened closely to student voice and observed how students interacted within the classroom community. An Elder was present once a week, which supported cultural learning, language development, and relationship building. This helped deepen my understanding of how students learn best when connected to identity, culture, and trusted relationships.
Focus: We selected this focus because students needed support with self-regulation, emotional safety, and confidence in their learning. We also wanted to strengthen their connection to Nadut’en language, identity, and community. Our goal was to create a safe learning environment where students could guide their own learning and feel proud of who they are.
Another key focus was shifting assessment practices away from traditional pen-and-paper exams. Instead, we focused on oral assessment, presentations, and spoken language as a way for students to demonstrate learning in a more meaningful and culturally relevant way.
Hunch: Our hunch was that students would be more engaged and confident if learning was connected to their identity, language, and lived experiences. We believed that self-regulation strategies and emotional check-ins would help students feel safe and ready to learn. We also believed that language learning would become more meaningful if students could hear, speak, and use Nadut’en regularly.
We also thought that removing traditional written exams and replacing them with oral presentations, would allow students to better show their understanding. We believed this would reduce stress and increase confidence, especially when students could connect their learning to who they are and where they come from.
New Professional Learning: We focused on Indigenous language learning, self-regulation strategies, and culturally responsive assessment practices. We worked on translating emotional vocabulary into Nadut’en so students could connect language to feelings and identity.
We also explored oral assessment as a valid and powerful way of demonstrating learning. Instead of relying on written tests, students shared their understanding through presentations, spoken phrases, and conversations. This aligned with Indigenous ways of knowing and supported oral language development.
The weekly Elder visits were also a key part of professional learning, supporting language pronunciation, cultural teachings, and relational understanding. VoiceThread was used to support reflection, communication, and accountability for student contributions.
Taking Action: We implemented daily emotional check-ins using Zones of Regulation translated into Nadut’en. We built a safe and supportive classroom environment where students helped each other regulate emotions and return to a positive learning space when needed.
An Elder joined the classroom once a week to support language learning, cultural teachings, and identity development. Students learned the Nadut’en alphabet and core sounds, focusing on understanding the structure of the language before fluency.
We also integrated land-based learning by taking students outside onto the land to connect learning with place, identity, and traditional knowledge. Students participated in making traditional foods, which strengthened cultural understanding and connected language learning to lived experience. These activities helped students see that learning is not only in the classroom, but also on the land and within community practices.
We shifted assessment practices away from traditional written exams and instead used oral presentations, spoken phrases, and group sharing. This allowed students to demonstrate their learning in a meaningful way that connected directly to their identity, language, and community. Students expressed their knowledge through speaking, storytelling, and presentation, which made learning more authentic and culturally grounded.
VoiceThread was also used as a tool for reflection and accountability, where students shared and responded to each other’s learning.
Checking: We saw strong improvements in student engagement, confidence, and participation. Students became more comfortable expressing their emotions and supporting one another in the classroom community. The oral assessment approach allowed students to demonstrate learning in a way that reduced anxiety and increased confidence.
Students showed understanding when learning was connected to language, land, and identity. Land-based experiences and making traditional foods helped students connect classroom learning to real-life cultural practices. This made learning more meaningful and memorable.
Evidence from oral presentations, VoiceThread responses, and classroom observations showed growth in communication, reflection, and self-regulation. Students were more engaged when learning took place both in the classroom and on the land. The presence of the Elder also strengthened cultural connection and language use.
Overall, students responded very positively to oral and land-based learning approaches, and it became a powerful way for them to demonstrate understanding beyond traditional exams.
Reflections/Advice: This inquiry showed that learning becomes much more meaningful when it is connected to identity, language, land, and relationships. When students were given opportunities to learn through Nadut’en language, oral communication, and land-based experiences, they became more confident and engaged in their learning. The use of daily check-ins and self-regulation strategies helped students feel emotionally safe and supported in the classroom. Creating a strong sense of community allowed students to support each other and learn how to regulate their emotions in positive ways.
The involvement of an Elder once a week had a powerful impact on student learning. It strengthened cultural identity, language development, and student pride in who they are. Taking students onto the land and involving them in making traditional foods helped connect learning to real-life practices and community knowledge. These experiences made learning more authentic and helped students understand that knowledge lives in language, land, and relationships.
Shifting from traditional pen-and-paper exams to oral assessments and presentations was also very important. It allowed students to show their learning in a way that matched their strengths and cultural ways of knowing. Students were more confident when they could speak, share, and explain their thinking instead of only writing. VoiceThread also supported reflection and accountability, giving students a way to listen to their own voices and respond to others.
One challenge was the lack of existing Nadut’en language resources, which required significant time for translation, preparation, and creation of materials. However, this challenge also strengthened the authenticity of the learning because it was deeply rooted in community knowledge and lived experience.
My advice to other educators is to prioritize relationships, safety, identity, and culture before academics. When students feel safe, valued, and connected to who they are, learning naturally follows. Incorporating land-based learning, Elders, and oral assessment can transform the classroom into a space where students truly see themselves in their learning.