I. General Information
School Name: Nechako Valley Secondary School
School District: SD#91 Nechako Lakes
Inquiry Team Members: Marilou Nightingale: mnightingale@sd91.bc.ca
Travis Himmelright: thimmelright@sd91.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: dphilipenko@sd91.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: SRL Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Arts Education, Language Arts – Oral Language, Physical & Health Education, Social Studies
Focus Addressed: Self-regulation
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Self-regulation through outdoor learning.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: Many of our Grade 8 students in the North Central region struggle to learn within the four walls of a classroom. They feel the content is not relevant or applicable to their current and future lives. As many of them are comfortable and skilled in outdoor environments, we recognized the need for more hands-on learning opportunities and a shift in scenery. We wanted to use a more holistic approach and focus not only on curricular goals, but significant attention to the core competencies.
Focus: We wanted our learners to become more self-regulated in the following areas:
-Recognizing what supports they needed, when they needed them, and how to advocate for themselves.
-The ability to effectively interact with peers within and outside of their friend groups.
-Increased emotional awareness of themselves and others.
-Ability to take on and feel like they had more responsibility, and that this responsibility was important.
Hunch: We felt the Grade 8’s were not getting enough hands-on learning or the ability to share their findings orally. Classwork was almost entirely done with pen to paper or computers. We needed to bring in outdoor learning as a form of differentiation.
New Professional Learning: The resources that proved most effective in my professional learning were my colleagues themselves. I reached out to the most experienced outdoor learning educators in the district (as well as a few outside our district) and asked them what/how/why they are taking students outside. I was able to glean valuable information from these experts. I also utilized professional reading (“Mentorship in the Wild” by Court Rustemeyer, “The 175 Best Camp Games” by Kathleen, Laura, and May Fraser, “Agency to Zest” by Kath Murdoch, “Learning with the Land” by Lauren MacLean and April Pikkarainen).
Taking Action: The goal was to engage the learners in multiple “Legacy Projects” throughout the district. We have two large outdoor learning sites that students and teachers can access. We took the students out and discussed questions such as “How do you want to be remembered? How can what we do today affect those who come tomorrow? What work can we do to improve the lives of others who come after us?” We then brainstormed ways we could improve and contribute to the outdoor learning sites. This year it manifested in clearing safety concerns from a large area for capture the flag, creating two fire pits, and clearing out three areas to use as outdoor classrooms. Once we had these goals set out, we designed activities that focused on teamwork and personal and social responsibility. The culmination of the projects occurred in three collaborative sessions with a Grade 2/3 class. Students were randomly assigned “little/big buddies” and went through several activities together. The partnership was powerful as the Grade 8’s were put in a position of leadership and had to act as supports and role models for their little buddies.
Checking: Our evidence was qualitative discussions and observations of the Grade 8 students. When asked what their favourite part of outdoor learning was this year, many of them described positive experiences working with the Grade 2/3 class. They felt proud of the work they accomplished and the conversations they had with their little buddies. The Grade 8’s also became more cohesive as a learning community. They seemed to gain the ability to recognize when someone was struggling and try to support them through it. Overall, seeing the Grade 8’s come together and show a genuine care for their peers was satisfying for everyone involved.
Reflections/Advice:
My biggest pieces of learning:
-Nature is the best self-regulator
-Grade 8’s need agency and responsibility, and multi-age grouping is a great way to do this
-Improvement in the core competencies seep into every aspect of the school environment
Where I will go next:
-Keep building my skillset and getting students outside as much as possible!
Advice I’d give others:
-Find like-minded colleagues, ask questions, and take calculated risks. Starting is the hardest part.