I. General Information
School Name: Sinkut View Elementary School
School District: SD#91 Nechako Lakes
Inquiry Team Members: Haley Dunbar: hdunbar@sd91.bc.ca
Krista Wruth: kwruth@sd91.bc.ca
Sydney Kelly: skelly@sd91.bc.ca
Mia Moutray: mmoutray@sd91.bc.ca
Robin McIntyre: rmcintyre@sd91.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: hdunbar@sd91.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Physical & Health Education, Social Studies
Focus Addressed: Self-regulation
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? We are deepening our learning to support ourselves and our learners with self-regulation strategies, so that they can take greater ownership of their learning while building trust and confidence in themselves.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: During our scanning process, staff noticed that many learners across Kindergarten to Grade 6 were experiencing challenges with self-regulation. These challenges appeared in a variety of contexts, including transitions, problem-solving, emotional responses, conflict resolution, and developing independence in learning tasks.
Using the Spiral of Inquiry framework, we engaged learners in conversations based on the “Big Four” scanning questions. Through these discussions, we discovered that most students could identify at least two adults within the school who believed in their success. This finding reflected the strong relationships that exist within our school community and provided an important foundation for learning.
However, when students were asked about what they were learning, why they were learning it, and what their next steps might be, many struggled to articulate their thinking. Learners often viewed learning as something that was done to them rather than something they actively participated in and helped shape.
Our scanning process was informed by both the OECD Principles of Learning and the First Peoples Principles of Learning. We recognized that learning is relational, reflective, and connected to well-being. By listening carefully to student voice, we identified self-regulation as an area that could positively impact learner engagement, confidence, and academic growth. As we listened to learners, we recognized that supporting self-regulation was not only about behaviour or emotional management, but also about helping students develop a stronger sense of identity, belonging, and confidence as learners. We also saw connections between self-regulation, belonging, and learners’ ability to take ownership of their learning.
Focus: We selected self-regulation as our focus because our initial scanning across K–6 classrooms highlighted consistent challenges with emotional regulation, transitions, and independent engagement in learning tasks. These challenges were often showing up in daily routines, group work, and moments of frustration or uncertainty, and they were impacting students’ ability to stay engaged and persist with learning.
We also noticed a pattern in student voice: while many learners could identify trusted adults in the school, they often struggled to describe what they were learning, why they were learning it, or what their next steps might be. This suggested that many students were not yet seeing themselves as active participants in their learning, but rather as recipients of instruction.
Through this lens, we chose self-regulation because we saw it as foundational to both well-being and academic learning. We recognized that without the ability to recognize and manage emotions, it is difficult for learners to engage deeply, reflect on their thinking, or take meaningful ownership of their progress.
We hoped that by intentionally focusing on self-regulation, learners would develop stronger emotional awareness, a broader toolkit of strategies, and increased confidence in managing everyday challenges at school. We also aimed for students to begin making clearer connections between their emotional states and their learning behaviours.
Ultimately, our goal was for learners to shift from needing significant adult support toward greater independence, resilience, and agency. We wanted them to be able to identify what they need in order to learn, use strategies to regulate themselves when challenges arise, and see themselves as capable, reflective learners who can actively shape their learning experiences. This work was also intended to strengthen belonging, relationships, and a sense of safety within the school community, recognizing that learning is deeply relational and connected to well-being.
Hunch: As a staff, we wondered whether students’ challenges with describing their learning and identifying next steps were connected to their ability to self-regulate. We reflected on our own practices and questioned how adult regulation, classroom environments, and school-wide approaches might influence learner success.
We began to consider whether strengthening self-regulation skills could help learners become more independent, resilient, and engaged in their learning. We also wondered if students’ ability to understand and manage their emotions would support them in becoming more confident learners who could reflect on their progress and take greater ownership of their learning journey. As our conversations deepened, we became increasingly curious about the relationship between educator regulation and student regulation. We wondered how our own emotional awareness, responses, and well-being influenced the conditions for learning within our classrooms and throughout our school.
New Professional Learning: Throughout the year, our staff engaged in professional learning focused on self-regulation, well-being, and social-emotional learning.
A significant part of this learning involved the use of Open Parachute, a resource made available to all schools in SD91. Open Parachute provided practical lessons, discussion prompts, and common language that supported both students and educators in understanding emotions, coping strategies, and self-regulation. The impact of this work was reflected in one of our staff members becoming a District Champion for the resource.
We also used our collaborative inquiry time, which occurs every second Friday afternoon, to reflect on our implementation of Open Parachute and to share successes, challenges, and observations from our classrooms. These conversations helped build a common understanding of self-regulation across the school and supported us in refining our practice.
In addition, our principal deepened her learning through Compassionate Systems Leadership and has committed to further learning through participation in the Compassionate Systems Association Master Practitioner Program beginning in June 2026. This learning further supported our understanding of the connection between well-being, relationships, belonging, and learning.
Taking Action: Several actions emerged from our inquiry.
- Weekly Open Parachute lessons and classroom discussions were implemented throughout the school. These lessons helped students develop a shared vocabulary for identifying emotions, recognizing feelings within their bodies, and discussing strategies that support regulation.
- We also connected our work in self-regulation to Indigenous ways of knowing and being by emphasizing relationships, belonging, reflection, and interconnectedness. Through classroom discussions, grounding activities, and opportunities for reflection, students were encouraged to recognize their connection to themselves, others, and the world around them. This approach aligned with the First Peoples Principles of Learning, which remind us that learning is holistic, relational, reflective, experiential, and connected to a sense of place and community.
- Staff intentionally increased conversations about self-regulation, both for themselves and for their learners. Reflection on regulation became a more regular part of classroom practice and professional dialogue.
- Collaborative inquiry sessions provided opportunities for staff to share effective strategies, problem-solve challenges, and reflect on evidence of student growth.
- Towards the end of the year, staff meetings began incorporating grounding activities and mindfulness practices. Experiencing these strategies firsthand helped staff understand the importance of calming the nervous system before engaging in learning, collaboration, and decision-making.
- Throughout this work, we sought to create learning environments where students felt safe, connected, and supported in developing a greater understanding of themselves as learners.
Checking: Although our inquiry is still ongoing, we have observed encouraging signs of growth. Students are increasingly able to discuss their emotions, identify strategies that help them regulate, and recognize the impact regulation has on their learning and relationships.
Teachers have noted greater use of self-regulation language in classrooms and increased student awareness of their emotional states. Students have begun making connections between their ability to regulate and their success in learning activities, social interactions, and transitions throughout the school day.
Learner reflections provided evidence of this growth:
• “When I feel frustrated, I know I can take a break and come back when I’m ready.”
• “I learned that everyone has different feelings and that’s okay.”
• “Taking deep breaths helps me calm down when I’m upset.”
• “I can tell when my body is starting to get too busy and I know some things that help me focus again.”
These reflections suggest that students are beginning to develop both the language and awareness needed to understand their emotions and regulate their responses.
At the time of submission, we have not yet completed our end-of-year Big Four learner conversations. We look forward to gathering this information as part of our ongoing inquiry process and using it to better understand how self-regulation supports learner confidence, agency, and ownership of learning.
Reflections/Advice: This inquiry reinforced our belief that self-regulation forms a critical foundation for learning. Before learners can fully engage academically, they need opportunities to understand themselves, build emotional awareness, and develop strategies that support well-being and resilience.
One of our biggest learnings was recognizing the connection between adult regulation and student regulation. As educators, we continue to reflect on how our own emotional states, responses, and interactions influence the learning environment and the experiences of our students.
We also learned that self-regulation is deeply connected to belonging, relationships, and learner identity. When students feel safe, valued, and connected, they are better able to engage in learning and develop confidence in themselves as capable learners.
Our advice to other inquiry teams is to start small, create consistent opportunities for reflection, and establish a common language around self-regulation. Meaningful change takes time, and this work is ongoing. We see this inquiry not as completed, but as the beginning of a deeper exploration into how self-regulation supports learner agency, belonging, and success.
Moving forward, we hope to continue exploring the connections between self-regulation, learner agency, and compassionate systems. We are particularly interested in understanding how educator well-being and regulation influence student learning, belonging, and success.