School Name: École Garibaldi Highlands Elementary

School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky

Inquiry Team Members: Maggie Georgy-Embree
Claudia Viviani
Jennifer Farstad

Inquiry Team Contact Email: jfarstad@sd48.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 – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing

Focus Addressed: Literacy, Core competencies (for example, thinking, communication, personal and social), Self-regulation

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Supporting student confidence in communicating in French.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: The students said they didn’t feel comfortable in speaking French. They said they make too many mistakes and don’t know how to say things. We asked the students how we could support them. We gave them many opportunities to practice speaking French in low risk situations.

Focus: We have noticed kids don’t often speak French and are lacking the ability to communicate. Hoping to improve student confidence by providing many opportunities to practice speaking French in low risk situations.

Hunch: Students are often permitted to speak English so they are not practicing speaking French.

New Professional Learning: Attended French language workshops whenever possible. Shared learning with colleagues.

Taking Action: We purchased and found many age and ability appropriate games for our students. We prioritized game playing in class. We didn’t schedule it for after students finished ‘real work’.

Checking: We noticed a small shift. More students were speaking French. Students often remembered to speak French when speaking with a teacher.

Reflections/Advice: Allow students many low risk and supported opportunities to speak French. Games are a great way to do this. We will continue to focus on game play next year to allow students the time to practice speaking French in a low risk environment with peers.

School Name: Garibaldi Highlands Elementary School

School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky

Inquiry Team Members: Katrina Lowe: klowe@sd48.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: klowe@sd48.bc.ca

II. Inquiry Project Information

Type of Inquiry: SRL Case Study

Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)

Curricular Areas Addressed: Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Career Education, Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Physical & Health Education, Science, Social Studies

Focus Addressed: Core competencies (for example, thinking, communication, personal and social), Self-regulation

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Strengthening Self-Regulated Learning through a school-wide Spiral of Inquiry approach, grounded in Indigenous Ways of Being, in order to increase student agency, independence, engagement, and depth of thinking.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: Our staff engaged in a collaborative scanning process using multiple sources of evidence including classroom observations, student work samples, assessment data, student interviews, MDI and Student Learning Survey data, staff observations, and professional dialogue during staff meetings and collaborative inquiry sessions. We intentionally used the two key Spiral questions—”What is going on for our learners?” and “How do we know?”—to move beyond assumptions and examine patterns across classrooms. Student voice revealed that many learners were highly engaged when tasks were structured or supported but often struggled to independently initiate, sustain, or extend their learning. Students also demonstrated varying levels of confidence, perseverance, and ability to articulate their learning goals and next steps. Guided by both the OECD Principles of Learning and the First Peoples Principles of Learning, staff examined learning as relational, social, and deeply connected to identity, place, and community. This helped us recognize that supporting self-regulation required not only instructional changes but also attention to relationships, belonging, and shared responsibility for learning.

Focus: Through our scanning process, staff identified a need to strengthen student independence, perseverance, agency, and depth of thinking. Although many students were successful when expectations were clearly defined, they frequently relied on adult prompting rather than self-direction. We also noticed inconsistencies across classrooms in how Self-Regulated Learning was understood and enacted. As a result, we chose to focus on strengthening Self-Regulated Learning through inquiry while grounding our work in Indigenous Ways of Being. We hoped to see students become increasingly independent, reflective, and responsible for their learning while deepening staff understanding of inquiry as a stance rather than a process to complete.

Hunch: Our hunch was that some of the learner behaviours we were observing were being unintentionally reinforced by our own practices. We wondered whether adults were over-scaffolding learning, providing too much direction, and moving too quickly to rescue students when they experienced challenge. We also recognized that while teachers were highly reflective and committed, many lacked a shared framework for sustained professional learning. We hypothesized that if educators engaged in inquiry as learners themselves and explicitly modelled goal setting, reflection, monitoring, and adaptation, students would develop greater agency and ownership over their learning. We also suspected that inconsistent understanding of Self-Regulated Learning across classrooms was contributing to uneven experiences for students.

New Professional Learning: This year, staff deepened their understanding of Self-Regulated Learning, the Spiral of Inquiry, Indigenous Ways of Being, restorative practices, and relational approaches to teaching and learning. Professional learning was supported through ongoing collaboration with Kimberly Sinclair, district inquiry supports, Indigenous Support Workers, NOIIE resources, and professional texts related to Self-Regulated Learning and inquiry. Collaborative inquiry groups met throughout the year, using the Spiral of Inquiry as a shared framework for professional learning. Staff engaged in structured scanning, collaborative analysis of evidence, learning rounds, professional dialogue, reflection protocols, and inquiry team meetings. Shared planning templates, reflection tools, and inquiry walls were used to make both adult and student learning visible. School leaders intentionally protected time for collaborative inquiry and modelled inquiry as a stance through ongoing reflection and responsiveness.

Taking Action: Our school implemented a number of interconnected strategies to strengthen Self-Regulated Learning. All staff participated in collaborative inquiry groups and used the Spiral of Inquiry as the primary framework for professional learning. Teachers explicitly taught and modelled goal setting, reflection, perseverance, and learning strategies within classrooms. Staff co-constructed learning goals and success criteria with students and increasingly used student voice to inform instructional decisions. Common language around our PACK values and PBIS structures was established school-wide to build coherence across classrooms. We intentionally partnered with Indigenous Support Workers and community members to co-plan and facilitate learning experiences grounded in Indigenous Ways of Being. This included drumming, storytelling, land-based experiences, and collaborative arts projects. Staff also engaged in learning rounds, regular reflection during staff meetings, and ongoing cycles of evidence collection, analysis, and refinement. Throughout the year, leadership prioritized protecting collaborative time and fostering a culture where inquiry was viewed as collective, relational, and ongoing.

Checking: Evidence suggests that we made a meaningful difference for both students and staff. Teachers reported increasingly viewing inquiry as a natural part of their professional practice rather than an additional initiative. Across classrooms, staff observed increases in student independence, perseverance, engagement, and ability to articulate their learning goals. Students demonstrated greater stamina and ownership when provided with explicit structures and opportunities for reflection. Evidence was gathered through classroom observations, student work samples, staff reflections, student voice, collaborative inquiry discussions, and school and district assessment data. While we are encouraged by the progress made, we recognize that this work is ongoing. Developing self-regulated learners and sustaining inquiry as a stance requires continued attention, coherence, and collective commitment over time.

Reflections/Advice: This inquiry reinforced our belief that Self-Regulated Learning and inquiry are inseparable and that meaningful change for students begins with adult learning. We learned that when educators experience goal setting, reflection, adaptation, and evidence-informed decision making as learners themselves, they are better positioned to create conditions that foster agency in students. We also learned that inquiry is most powerful when grounded in relationships and Indigenous Ways of Being that honour reflection, relationality, and collective responsibility.

Our next area of inquiry will build on this foundation by exploring how a stronger sense of belonging can support accountability, participation, and well-being. Drawing on Disability Justice, restorative practices, and the First Peoples Principles of Learning, we are interested in understanding how creating communities where every learner experiences genuine belonging can become the foundation from which accountability and growth emerge.

My advice to other schools would be to treat inquiry as a stance rather than a project, to begin with adult learning, and to make time for educators to learn collaboratively. Sustainable change happens when learning is collective, relational, and grounded in the lived experiences and voices of learners.

School Name: Pemberton Secondary School

School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky

Inquiry Team Members: Emma Mullings: emullings@sd48.bc.ca
Jeff Maynard: jmaynard@sd48.bc.ca
Tabitha Leech: TLeech@sd48.bc.ca
Vivian Zhou: VZhou@sd48.bc.ca
Jodie Petruzzellis: JPetruzzellis@sd48.bc.ca
Kerri Van Doorninck: kvandoorninck@sd48.bc.ca
Tara Smith: tsmith@sd48.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: sevans@sd48.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 – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Physical & Health Education, Science, Social Studies

Focus Addressed: Indigenous Focus (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Land, Nature or Place-based learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? We are navigating a complexity of attachment, engagement and learning at our school that has led a number of students to attend school regularly, but have limited class attendance and course completion. Attempting to reframe this not as a ‘problem’, but rather as an opportunity to rethink and re-imagine learning in our community has been our focus for this year. This work has been guided by the text Street Data.

Trouble with students not going to class but coming to school. Good connections in community spaces. Continuity of staff? Safety? Teaching passions? Different expectations for students. Different relationships in the school. Students may sacrifice stable relationships because of worries about less stable relationships.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: What we noticed from our scanning is that the complicated intersection of learning, engagement and attachment in a rural school in Lil’wat Territory is highly nuanced and even contradictory. This has included observing that some students not going to class, come to school regularly and are very connected to certain peers and some adults in the building. While they might have inconsistent attachments in the school, they typically have good connections in community spaces. We have a sense this complexity is interacting with staff relationships including the issues of continuity, workload, relationships and teacher expectations. Amidst these many nuances, in a seemly contradictory manner, students may sacrifice stable relationships because of worries about less stable relationships. As a school community, it has not been an easy endeavour to respond this situation.

Focus: By embracing what is perceived as negative and highlighting the possibility within it we can begin transformational change away from maintaining existing structures and a transactional setting for learning. We want to shift the gaze and see students who live extraordinary lives in community and are present with many strengths. Students and staff may not be aware of their gifts and may need help to identify these – school can lift the student up by highlighting and celebrating those gifts.

Hunch:
1) Inconsistent expectations from staff that don’t always have the flexibility and nuance necessary to meet student learning and social-emotional needs
2) Respectful and relevant learning connections to community and the land can increase student connection, however, this is also highly nuanced and difficult to meaningfully implement (slow, relational and long term path)
3) Increasing students’ options that are dignified and reflective to student needs and agency will improve connection and engagement

New Professional Learning:
1) Teacher collaboration both in school and through the Instructional Leadership Team

2) Nklakment Journey (Land-based program in collaboration with Lil’wat Nation educational leadership team)

3) Street Data text

4) NOIIE Conference (a larger staff team that in the past attended this year)

5) PHE Collaboration on how to centre St’at’imc ways of knowing into the new 10-12 curriculum

6) School visit to Mountain View Secondary in North Vancouver

Taking Action:
1) Spaces: an effort to foster structures spaces in the school to assist students in this learning needs

2) Land-based curricular connections: beginning of a path toward fostering respectful and relational connections to the territory in select classes

3) Drama program: re-instated the after school drama program to foster healthy student connections

4) Nklakment Journey: an invite only program for St’at’imc youth in the school to participate in land-based programming. This was led by Lil’wat Nation in collaboration with PSS and district staff.

5) Creation of a flexible ‘Choices’ program for the upcoming academic year

Checking: Something we have actively focused on this year is getting away from ‘quick fixes’ and recognizing the need to move at the speed of relationships. All of the initiatives we tried this year were met with both feelings of ‘success’ and also challenges. Overall we were able to learn, unpack and reflect on the learning along the way. Anecdotally, an overall increased feeling of safe communication among staff came out of this as people felt increasingly heard, even if this wasn’t so much about ‘fixing’ things. As a result, it feels as though we are now asking the questions, having some needed conversations and have taken some thoughtful steps on a long-term path.

Reflections/Advice:
1) There are benefits to returning to the beginning of the spiral to re-frame how we are looking at things.

2) The methodology we follow in our inquiry matters, especially if we might be unintentionally engaging in deficit theorizing as individual/institutions.

3) Humility, watchful listening and grappling with being comfortable with the uncomfortable are powerful tools for ongoing learning.

School Name: Garibaldi Highlands Elementary

School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky

Inquiry Team Members: Katrina Lowe (klowe@sd48.bc.ca), Kimberly Sinclair (kimberley.macneil@ubc.ca)

Inquiry Team Contact Email: katrinamarielowe@gmail.com

II. Inquiry Project Information

Type of Inquiry: SRL Case Study

Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)

Curricular Areas Addressed: Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Writing

Focus Addressed: Literacy, Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), Formative assessment, Self-regulation

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? My focus for the year was using staff meeting time to walk teachers through inquiry to model Self Regulated Learning and inquiry so that they could feel supported and prepared in using these same strategies with their students.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: In the scanning process we asked the students the four questions that matter. What are you learning, how is it going, and where to next. I also had staff fill out a reflective tool after this scan asking the questions… What was your plan for scanning in your classroom(s)? What were you looking for? What happened? What did you see, notice, or hear? What did you think and feel about what you observed? What did you learn? What’s next? What are your questions now? What did you need to learn more about and what might you try next? We used the responses from these two tools as well as all of our quantitative data (the FSA, the OurSCHOOL survey, the student learning survey, the MDI, EDI, and CHEQ) to inform our next steps.

Focus: In the focusing stage, the staff used the consequence tables from Brooke Moore’s book and read the article “Spiral of Inquiry and Decision Maker Moves: A Rigorous Blend” to decide, using our collected data, what focus would give the biggest bang for our buck. We collectively decided to focus on using self-regulated learning strategies with our students to develop the competency of community and the literacy skills.

Hunch: If students are not seeing themselves as active participants in their learning, and as a result are not taking ownership of it, then we must recognize that the system has been unintentionally—but effectively—designed to produce this outcome. By shifting our focus toward Self-Regulated Learning, we begin to address this issue with purpose and intention, fostering environments where students can truly engage with and take responsibility for their own learning journey.

New Professional Learning: We had Kimberly Sinclair come to our school and deliver two workshops to teachers during ProD days on Self-Regulated Learning. The first session focused on what is self-regulated learning and its connection to social-emotional learning and the second focused on designing learning. Kimberly was available for the afternoon of the second workshop to work with others who wanted to begin designing learning for their students. As a whole team we have read the Spirals of Inquiry Playbook, and have worked collaboratively on each step of the spiral in a way that everyone has had the opportunity not only to contribute but also to experience inquiry. As a team we have read the article “Spiral of Inquiry and Decision Maker Moves: A Rigorous Blend” by Brook Moore, as well as several articles by Helen Timperly, Leyton Schnellert, Deb Butler, and Kimberly Sinclair.

Taking Action: Kimberly came again in the spring twice to collaborate with small teams of teachers who wanted to develop some SRL in their classrooms. We have also decided to implement PBIS in our school, based on the need to develop community. We have come up with our four values… Persistence, Accountability, Community, and Kindness. We have changed our school mascot to the T’Kaya (the wolf), which the students chose and stands for community and togetherness. We worked together with a local Squamish Nation artist named Siobhan Joseph to create our new T’Kaya. We held a traditional blanketing and honouring ceremony to officially adopt the T’Kaya and thank those who have helped us on this journey towards strengthening our community, and we (the entire school) have begun to learn the T’Kaya song and dance.

Checking: We plan on asking the students the four questions that matter again in the fall. The teachers can all name the stages of the spiral of inquiry and what our school learning plan is. Everyone can identify our school values. Everyone can name our school mascot and describe how the wolf represents us.

Reflections/Advice: Something I have learned from this inquiry is that sometimes it’s hard to teach a large group of educators about the power of inquiry. The book leading through the Spirals of Inquiry helped me immensely in this project, as well as Helen Timperly’s work on collaborative communities.

School Name: Garibaldi Highlands Elementary School

School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky

Inquiry Team Members: Katrina Lowe: klowe@sd48.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: klowe@sd48.bc.ca

II. Inquiry Project Information

Type of Inquiry: SRL Case Study

Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)

Curricular Areas Addressed: Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Career Education, Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Physical & Health Education, Science, Social Studies

Focus Addressed: Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving)

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? If we work together to develop our collective efficacy regarding making learning visible, we will be able to build student capacity in the competencies of critical thinking and collaboration.

Students will develop as critical thinking individuals who collaborate to take ownership over their learning.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: In our initial scanning process, we asked a large sample of the students in the school the three questions that matter…“what are you learning, how is it going, where to next?” We have discovered that our students have a lot of strengths and also a few stretches. Some of their strengths are that they are great at following routines, they do well in structured environments, they are a very tight and caring community, they are all active, they are very kind, and they are compliant. Some of the stretches we have noticed are that they are often passive learners (going through the motions without always getting excited about the learning), they have difficulty persevering when things get hard, their collaboration skills aren’t always evident, they have difficulty thinking through problems and coming up with solutions on their own and have a general lack of resilience.

Focus: During our “focusing stage” process, the staff immersed ourselves in the available data. We examined every aspect, employing the “decision-making framework” to chart the ramifications of focusing on each facet—what we observed, what we value, and the actionable steps within our reach to address the issues we uncovered.

Several trends and patterns were revealed to us in our data scan. We noted strengths among our student body, including their adeptness at adhering to routines, their overall active engagement in their personal physical health, their general compliance, and their strong sense of peer connection. We also discerned trends, such as challenges in perseverance amidst adversity, difficulty in problem-solving autonomously, a lack of connection to adults, and a general lack of resilience and collaborative skills.

With the aid of the “decision-making framework” and the consequence table structure, we collectively determined that our primary focus should be on enhancing critical thinking abilities and fostering a cohesive school culture that fosters strong connections between students and faculty. These initiatives were identified as holding the greatest potential for impactful change within our educational community.

Hunch: During our “focusing stage” process, the staff immersed ourselves in the available data. We examined every aspect, employing the “decision-making framework” to chart the ramifications of focusing on each facet—what we observed, what we value, and the actionable steps within our reach to address the issues we uncovered.

Several trends and patterns were revealed to us in our data scan. We noted strengths among our student body, including their adeptness at adhering to routines, their overall active engagement in their personal physical health, their general compliance, and their strong sense of peer connection. We also discerned trends, such as challenges in perseverance amidst adversity, difficulty in problem-solving autonomously, a lack of connection to adults, and a general lack of resilience and collaborative skills.

With the aid of the “decision-making framework” and the consequence table structure, we collectively determined that our primary focus should be on enhancing critical thinking abilities and fostering a cohesive school culture that fosters strong connections between students and faculty. These initiatives were identified as holding the greatest potential for impactful change within our educational community.

New Professional Learning: Professional learning has been continuous throughout our inquiry process. We started by thoroughly reading and discussing each stage of the spiral to ensure we adhered to it with fidelity. Once we identified our primary focus, we delved into defining “critical thinking” and pinpointed the specific aspects we were most concerned with. We then reached out to a district colleague who specializes in PBIS development in schools, inviting her to present to our staff. Together, we developed an executive functioning classroom inventory by synthesizing our collective research. This included reading books such as Smart but Scattered by Peg Dawson and Organizing the Disorganized Child by Martin Kutscher, along with articles from The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard. We also explored the concept of deeper learning through In Search of Deeper Learning by Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine. As we progressed, we became curious about how to make learning more visible, leading us to explore loose parts, story workshops, and the question, “What makes you say that?”

Taking Action: We have dedicated significant time to the “Taking Action” phase of the spiral, exploring various directions while consistently returning to the core competencies of critical thinking and the self-regulation necessary to develop them. One of our key initiatives involved implementing PBIS (Positive Behavioural Interventions & Supports) in our school. We established a PBIS committee to analyze the data our team collected and to develop a shared framework. This team created a matrix that incorporates our collective values, with a focus on fostering critical thinking and self-regulation.

Additionally, we collaborated with Connie Hamilton, who introduced us to a dynamic learning rounds model. Our teaching team, now divided into two groups of seven, participates in sessions where one teacher from each group leads a lesson while the others observe. Before the lesson, the team conducts a pre-brief to outline the specific goals the lead teacher intends to address. After the lesson, the team engages in a thorough debrief, synthesizing valuable feedback from the observers. This innovative model encourages a culture of continuous improvement and collaborative professional development.

Finally, we have developed a restorative justice discipline process that guides students through recognizing their mistakes and treating discipline as an opportunity for learning rather than punishment.

Checking: We have spent time analyzing both our district and local data and have identified several trends since we began emphasizing critical thinking and self-regulated learning. Students are now less fearful and more willing to engage in the discipline process, and they are more capable of identifying adults in the building who believe in their potential for success. In classrooms that have established norms for conversation and collaboration, students can more clearly identify their roles in projects and engage in productive, thoughtful small-group and whole-class discussions.

Many classrooms have eliminated the phrase “I don’t know,” providing students with alternative responses that foster deeper dialogue with both adults and peers. This has led to more meaningful conversations across the board. Through PBIS, students have gained a clearer understanding of the values upheld by the adults in the building, enabling them to act more confidently within those expectations.

Additionally, younger students have become much more adept at describing their learning through story workshops, and this ability has extended to their self-reflections during the communicating student learning process.

Reflections/Advice: We have found that when we collaborate to clearly define our goals and take a more deliberate approach to action, we actually save time and improve our process. We have also used multiple resources in all areas of our learning and taking action and this has allowed us to create something new that works for us that is research-based.

Enduring Understandings:
If we commit to maintaining curiosity through the model of collaborative inquiry, we will continue to inspire necessary changes and adaptations.

If we work together to develop our collective efficacy, we will be able to be the influencers of student achievement.

If we learn together, we will become better together.

School Name: Pemberton Secondary School

School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky

Inquiry Team Members:
Steve Evans: sevans@sd48.bc.ca
Emma Mulling: emullings@sd48.bc.ca
Vania Stager: vstager@sd48.bc.ca
Vivian Zhou: vzhou@sd48.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: sevans@sd48.bc.ca

II. Inquiry Project Information

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Transitions Study

Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Areas Addressed: Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Science, Social Studies, Other: Indigenous Education

Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Community-based learning, Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), First Peoples Principles of Learning, Flexible learning, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Indigenous pedagogy, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Social and emotional learning, Transitions

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Listening to students, staff and community voices on how structural and relational issues at our school continue to foster divisions and reinforce disconnection and disengagement amongst marginalized learners.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: We started the transitions project several years ago. We scanned for areas of focus and identified these areas – elementary to middle school, middle school to grade 10 and high school to post secondary. We recognized that we also had significant divisions within our school, which become reinforced by programs of choice (French Immersion, Outdoor Ed. 10 and Ski Bike Board Academy) and senior academics. These programs/classes had/have lower participation from Indigenous students that constitute approximately 30% of the school. This limited choice in the post secondary transition.

Year 1:
We initially focused on the transition from elementary (SHE) to middle school by building more connections with SHE. We shifted to a strength-based approach and student voice in our middle school with less emphasis placed on grades and more emphasis on reflection and relationships. Structures in program design supported diverse classrooms with immersion and non-immersion students blended wherever possible. Grade 8 and 9s were in classes together allowing for intentional grouping which supported relationships and diversity. The middle school teachers worked together as a team and that had a positive effect on belonging and the middle school identity.

Year 2:
our main focus was on decolonizing and using the local Lilwat principles of learning and the First Peoples Principles. We also had diverse math classes with all students taking Math 10 FPC in an inclusive strength-based class. Anecdotally, this resulted in more diverse senior math and science classes, and more post secondary options. These changes were not consistent across the board in the Social Sciences, but the integration of a class on Social Justice and Indigenous Studies 12 assisted in opening up new academic pathways. We found that using these frameworks really worked well, and it helped with trying to centre lessons around a less colonial approach to learning. We had limited ISW cultural support this year, so it was helpful to focus on using the framework to decolonize rather than try to Indigenize the content. We were mindful of tokenism.

Year 3 (2023-24):
In our final year of this transitions project, we were encouraged to dig deeper and scale up. Our scan revealed that we had the biggest issue with students transitioning to grade 10. Our hunch was that if students were successful in grade 10, they were successful overall. When students struggled to complete classes in grade 10, it was hard to fix. We collaborated with ISWs, teachers, youth care workers, students, counsellors, admin and district staff to try to better understand the issue. We focused on voices from the margins.

Focus: Our biggest area of focus was seeking to practice what Dr. Lorna Williams has explained as “watchful listening”. This was especially important in order to show up in a good way and move at the speed of relationships, to engage in the complexities of diverse student and staff needs. There are no quick fixes, so we chose to follow a path of critical reflection which created some safe places to foster generative forms of vulnerability amongst a safe group of colleagues.

Hunch:

1) Students that have difficulty in the transition to grade 10 become increasingly disconnected as they continue to move through future grades. This shows up through attendance data, grades and student connection/engagement. If we can maintain connection and engagement for learners through the grade 10 transition, it sets them up for a more positive path and experience in school.

2) Student learning and teacher wellness and engagement are intricately linked. Meaningful staff collaboration is a force multiplier.

New Professional Learning: We felt the new learning that came out of our many NOIIE meetings/workshops, informal/formal collaborations and other school learning initiatives really supported our growth as individual teachers, and as a small team. It helped us to understand the importance of being kinder, more understanding and better at meeting students where they were at. This included doing a better job at making space for student voice and agency. A shift to more emphasis on student self reflection and self assessment (Katie White) seemed to really help support students have a greater sense of control over their learning. We found that students did much better in terms of output in this model. In terms of scaling up, we discussed and shared our assessment tools with other staff members. We also tried to advocate for more understanding of complex situations at a grassroots level, such as SBT meetings. We had several meetings with admin to share our findings and discuss possible ways forward; of particular note was our participation in both the November NOIIE workshop and the spring NOIIE Symposium. During the symposium, two additional staff from our school attended, which had a profound impact on ‘scaling up’ the work. The NOIIE conference was uplifting and reminded us of the power of “better together”. It was encouraging to see such good work and feel connected to other educators in BC and learn from them. There was a sense of making space for authentic learning, connecting to the land, listening, making space for voice and joy in celebration.

Taking Action: We considered whether the areas of difficulty and changes we could make were structural or relational. We appreciated that students were in the hallways, but they really did want an education. Often they had no idea why they couldn’t attend class that day. Their reasons for avoiding class were highly complex. The timetable didn’t always support their needs, as in grade 10 it is heavily dictated by the Outdoor Ed Program/French Immersion, and can leave some students behind. Some grade 10 students struggled in an academic grade 12 class, for example, because their timetable options were limited. It was apparent that when students had difficulties in one class, this had repercussions for their other classes. Some of these mismatched classes could have quite a negative effect. We noticed that there was a break in the continuity of relationships in our small school for many students as they transitioned to grade 10 (most of the middle school teachers didn’t teach grade 10).

It was recognized that some students in grade 10 could benefit from a new wrap around approach. Middle school is generally working well in terms of belonging, and something similar to the middle school program could benefit students. Grade 10 generally doesn’t have many options, so in theory this should be possible. However, timetabling difficulties from the Outdoor Ed Program and FI make this extremely difficult. Next year, one class of STEM 10 (science and math year long) is being piloted to see if that better supports students. A new blended STEM 11/12 and HUM 11/12 is also being offered, with an emphasis on relationships, belonging and engagement.

Checking: We are proud of the work and collaboration we did amidst a highly complex situation. As is consistently the case, this is a long-term and ongoing process. It is evident that the work we did touched many individual students in positive ways and fostered positive relationships. However, we continue to seek ways to ‘scale up’ this initiative to incorporate more structural shifts and a level of momentum that extends beyond our inquiry team.

Reflections/Advice: Next steps:

-Work collaboratively with new PSS admin and ILT staff
-Expand the application of the Local Education Agreement with Lil’wat Nation to guide learning
-Implement meaningful land-based learning initiative in collaboration with Lil’wat Nation and N’quatqua (in the works)
-Increase connection, engagement and inclusivity in grade 10 through structural means

School Name: Myrtle Philip Community School

School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky

Inquiry Team Members: Katrina Lowe: klowe@sd48.bc.ca
Jane Millen: jmillen@sd48.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: klowe@sd48.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: Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Language Arts – Oral Language, Social Studies

Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), First Peoples Principles of Learning, Indigenous pedagogy, Land, Nature or Place-based learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Inquiry Question: How can engaging in creating traditional Lil’Wat and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh artifacts, as a whole school, begin us on our journey of decolonization?

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: We have a very low population of students coming from Indigenous ancestry. We want to work with our students to learn about their role as allies and their duties regarding decolonizing this setting. Our student learning survey data has indicated that most students in our school don’t feel that they are being taught the local First Nations language or culture. Judging by the lack of local First Nations artifacts in the school, we agree that this is probably the case. It is our plan to introduce drumming as a practice in our school. When we come together for assemblies and events, we think that it is important to ensure that we are incorporating local First Nations cultural practices and believe that drumming is a good place to start. Plank drums are Lil’Wat and hide drums are Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and our school is on the shared territory of these two nations. We intend to engage in making both types of drums with the help of representatives from both nations, to help us with the drum making and with the art that will adorn them.

Focus: The artists we have chosen are Splash (Aaron Moody Nelson) and Cory Douglas, both are from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh nation. We are also working with our Indigenous support worker Tanina Williams from the Lil’Wat nation. Splash, Cory, and Tanina have already been working with the teachers at our school to learn about how to teach the honouring of Indigenous art in a way that is not appropriation. We want to work with these three artists so that we have representation from each nation, but also because these artists have been engaged in the work of authentic decolonization for a long time. Students will benefit from learning more about local traditional culture and language through the arts. The students will learn to create drums and about traditional art to put on them, and then will be taught how to use them for celebration.

The school is located on the traditional shared territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Lil’Wat nations. Splash and Cody are Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Tanina is Lil’Wat. Tokenism has been a common practice: invite the individual to acknowledge territory and call it done. We are growing beyond that by trying to create a creative space to revitalize the presence of both peoples. We are not interested in pan Indigenization or celebrating a culture that is not native to the area in which it is being celebrated. Many Indigenous youth grow up not knowing their own cultural identity and art helps alleviate the stress of this. We can help students through their journey of truth and reconciliation by studying classic art pieces and using that knowledge to create something new by incorporating a part of themselves into the art.

Hunch: When students feel that they belong and have connections to their community at school or in their neighborhoods, they are part of something bigger than themselves.

Our school is a very homogeneous environment. In the entire school we only have five students who identify as being of Indigenous ancestry. Because of the lack of students of Indigenous ancestry in the school, there aren’t a lot of resources allocated here in terms of having access to knowledge-keepers and teachers of traditional ways. The school has become complacent about teaching truth and reconciliation because it is felt to be unnecessary and unsupported in this setting. Sometimes we need to be reminded that what is good for Indigenous youth is good for all, and that even though we may be of settler ancestry we still live in this place and have a duty to learn the truth in order to work towards reconciliation.

New Professional Learning: This year we spent a lot of time going slow. We learned from Splash that we can’t move forward in creating artifacts without first understanding what we are doing and making sure that we are moving forward in a good way. The teachers spent a day listening to both Splash and Cory Douglas speak about ways that they have been tokenized and that artifacts have been culturally appropriated. With these teachers we discovered some ways that we could begin teaching our students cultural art practices in a way that no one would be participating in cultural appropriation.

Taking Action: The artists and the educators will work side by side in this project. The artists will work with the teachers to help them feel prepared to teach the students about cultural appropriation vs honoring traditional art. After the teachers have worked with the artists on a plan, the teachers and the Indigenous support worker will get to work on learning how to and then making the two different types of drums with the students. Plank drums are Lil’Wat and hide drums are Sḵwx̱wú7mesh. After the drums are made, the artists will return to work with the students to facilitate them planning the art that will go on the drums. Finally, the students will paint their drums in a traditional style but incorporate their own personal background. During this project planning process, school staff has consulted with Indigenous support workers, and the artists themselves regarding the best way forward.

Checking: In the land-based art project, the students will find out that by creating traditional artifacts they can connect to the land that they live and learn on. We either do things by default or we do things by design. It is necessary for us to incorporate more of the local protocol into our buildings to move forward in a good way towards truth and reconciliation. Educators will begin to unpack how to help students move forward in learning about local Indigenous art processes and how to honor these processes without engaging in cultural appropriation. Teachers will help students to learn about the concept of cultural appropriation and the damage it has done to Indigenous communities. Educators will learn that in order to move forward with reconciliation, that we will have to take risks and be willing to be called out on our mistakes so that we can grow and become better humans, allies, and educators. Students will engage in learning about cultural appropriation, as well as other aspects of reconciliation. The Indigenous support worker will facilitate the process of two different styles of drum making as well as assisting in teaching traditional art styles. The artists will work with the students in the classroom to learn to work with the land to create paints, get inspiration, and learn from the land on which we live and learn. Finally, when the drums are finished the students will learn about ceremony and protocol, as well as traditional singing, drumming, and dancing from both nations.

Reflections/Advice: We have learned that in order to do the work properly we have to be thoughtful and cautious. We have learned that we are going to make mistakes along the way and that we may get called out for these mistakes and that’s ok. We have to learn how to feel the discomfort of the uncertainty that comes with working towards truth and reconciliation. The worst thing we can do is do nothing because we are afraid to make mistakes, and the next worst thing we can do is to be offended for being called out on the mistakes that we do make. Indigenous knowledge-keepers need a way to hold the people of settler ancestry that they work with accountable and can’t be afraid to hurt feelings when something isn’t done according to protocol. None of us have arrived; we all have work to do and keeping this in mind is the only thing that will allow us to move forward with both truth and reconciliation.

School Name: Pemberton Secondary School

School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky

Inquiry Team Members: Steve Evans (sevans@sd48.bc.ca)
Tanina Williams (TWilliams@sd48.bc.ca)
Brianne Aldcroft (BAldcroft@sd48.bc.ca)
Heather Quamme (HQuamme@sd48.bc.ca)
Stephanie Soo (ssoo@sd48.bc.ca)
Allison Deruiter (ADeRuiter@sd48.bc.ca)
Chris Britt (cbritt@sd48.bc.ca)
Jodie Petruzzellis (JPetruzzellis@sd48.bc.ca)
Emma Mullings (EMullings@sd48.bc.ca)
Cheryl Dolan (CDolan@sd48.bc.ca)

Inquiry Team Contact Email: sevans@sd48.bc.ca

II. Inquiry Project Information

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Transitions Study

Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Areas Addressed: Mathematics / Numeracy, Science, Social Studies, Other: Lil’wat Principles of Learning

Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), First Peoples Principles of Learning, Other: Lil’wat Principals of Learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Rethinking staff learning and engagement using the Lil’wat Principles of Learning, as articulated by Dr. Lorna Williams.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: As mentioned in our earlier (and very late) submission, the scanning process for us this year was extended as a result of some staffing shifts and one staff member (Steve Evans) being away at UBC pursuing a PhD in Educational Studies. This was further complicated by some health challenges from other staff members. This presented a different path that ultimately feels quite generative as it forced us to slow down, rethink relations and make new connections.

This resulted in more meaningful dialogue around aligning our learning as a school, and how that relates on a deeper level to the Lil’wat Principles of Learning, as articulated by Dr. Lorna Williams. This took place in two separate spaces: as a staff team at PSS and also through Steve’s preliminary PhD work, both in dialogue and relation with the Lil’wat Nation. These parallel paths informed our scanning process, and we believe this is helping us to re-think our pedagogical entanglements and ongoing learning. This also helped to guide us in the reflection of the guiding questions. Below are the specific Lil’wat Principles that showed up for us in different ways.

Kamúcwkalha – acknowledging the felt energy indicating group attunement and the emergence of a common group purpose
Celhcelh – each person being responsible for their own and others learning, always seeking learning opportunities
Cwelelep – recognizing the need to sometimes be in a place of dissonance and uncertainty, heightened awareness, so as to be open to new learning
Emháka7 – encouraging each of us to do the best we can at each task given to us

Due to our school being situated on unceded Lil’wat Territory, and that many of our students come from Lil’wat and St̓át̓y̓emc Nations, it feels far more relevant for us to engage in the Lil’wat Principles than the OECD principles of learning, although there is some alignment.

Focus: Our overall focus this year can be articulated as: ‘to develop kamúcwkalha so that students and staff will feel group attunement, have a common purpose, and feel safe to express their views’. For many of us, this also aligns with ‘Cwelelep’, the ability to sit comfortably uncomfortable in a place of dissonance as we work through our own complicity in colonialism in education. This focus arose out of our discussions with staff and community members. We hope that this can exist as a framework to return to as we follow a meandering path of unlearning-relearning education in a rural context, that works toward centering Lil’wat and St’at’imc epistemologies and ontologies.

Hunch: The larger reason for focusing on this path of learning, that includes Kamúcwkalha, Celhcelh, Cwelelep and Emháka7, is in recognition of the ongoing complexity, contradictions and paradoxes of seeking to rethink or ‘decolonize’ education in our rural context on Lil’wat Territory. Despite best intentions, there are a number of ongoing tensions that have been shared. The hope is to seek to understand, humbly hold and respectfully work through; recognizing that this will take many years. However, this is not to absolve ourselves as educators of a very real and present imperative to be vulnerable and exist in a space of Cwelelep. This involves a recognition that the larger complexity at play is to do with multiple ways of knowing (epistemology) and multiple ways of being (ontology); this sounds simple, but in praxis, is very complicated and permeates into a great many facets of how a school community interacts. This includes a great deal of things including how we conceptualize learning, history, science, legacies of colonization and much more. This particular focus area is an effort to foster a space to grapple with these questions, tensions and complexities. Of particular interest are a great many contributions that have been made by staff, based on their observations which can best be represented as connecting to ‘wicked problems’ or hyper complex and often systemic issues that often intersect. This includes seeking a balance between fostering safe spaces and promoting inclusion, flexibility and accountability, and re-considering how best to educate staff on trauma informed and other pedagogical practices.

New Professional Learning: Avenues of professional learning have taken place in these forms:

• Fostering a staff community through sharing knowledge and understandings around the Lil’wat Principles of Learning
• Anti-racism education
• Mentoring of new teachers
• Lil’wat cultural education (with the newly hired Lil’wat Indigenous Support Worker)
• PhD coursework (Steve Evans)

Taking Action: Areas of action and future learning specifically for education staff:

• Foster a greater understanding of how we are in relationship with the land
• Foster a deeper understanding of colonialism and its ongoing legacy
• How might we better embody the Lil’wat Principles into teaching and learning?
• Navigating the complexities of culturally relevant and meaningful individualized learning supports
• As a learning community, how do we sit with and learn to better engage in complexity?
• How might we engage with complexity to re-think our practice amidst hyper-complex issues that impact our students and community?

Checking: As previously mentioned, this was a complicated year for us, but brought with it its own teachings that feel meaningful for the path ahead. In relation to this, if we consider the teaching of Cwelelep, it becomes important that we not be satisfied and not consider our learning along a linear trajectory. Instead, if we relate our learning back to the spiral, it then folds back on itself where we can recognize our successes in opening dialogue, re-thinking engagement and perhaps fostering a space of future learning and engagement.

Reflections/Advice: This form of inquiry projects takes many different forms in different places and at different times. That has been the case for us, but has served for several of us as a background guide to be more intentional in our own learning. This could be thought of as a container from which to make space and promote dialogue. I think that where we are at now is a greater realization of the beautiful and challenging hyper-complexity of our learning community and that working toward Kamúcwkalha provides a powerful framework to guide future learning. Widening the circle and following this path is where we likely see ourselves going next.

School Name: Pemberton Secondary School

School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky

Inquiry Team Members: Steve Evans: sevans@sd48.bc.ca, Kat Ast: kast@sd48.bc.ca, Emma Mulling: emullings@sd48.bc.ca, Jodie Petruzzellis: JPetruzzellis@sd48.bc.ca, Tanina Williams: twilliams@sd48.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Name/Email: Steve Evans: sevans@sd48.bc.ca

II. Inquiry Project Information

Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Areas Addressed:

• Language Arts – Oral Language
• Language Arts – Writing
• Mathematics / Numeracy
• Science
• Social Studies

Focus Addressed:

• Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation)
• Community-based learning
• Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving)
• Experiential learning
• First Peoples Principles of Learning
• Flexible learning
• Growth mindset
• Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies
• Indigenous pedagogy
• Land, Nature or Place-based learning
• Social and emotional learning
• STEM / STEAM
• Transitions

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Continue to use and deepen cultural and land-based education to centre Lil’wat and St’at’imc ways of knowing, doing and being into the daily functioning of learning at PSS.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: As explained in our initial report, our ideas this year stemmed from meetings with staff, students, the Satisfaction Survey data, ongoing staff observation/conversations and past interviews with students. Some of the data we analyzed really impacted us, including the realization that 45% of students felt safe attending the school (norm 66%), 23% of students felt they were bullied in the previous month and only 47% of students valued schooling outcomes (norm 69%).

One challenge that we observed in our scanning process this year was the void of losing the school’s Indigenous Cultural Worker. This was a big challenge both for student relationships and connections, and also for our own learning as staff. This led to further initial barriers in incorporating culturally relevant content in a manner that was realistic for most staff. As will be discussed later, we sought some new and creative ways to navigate this, which ultimately deepened our journey. We were able to step back and embrace the First People’s Principles of Learning, and apply the concept that “learning is relational…. And…. takes patience and time”.

Focus: Our focus was to continue to use and deepen cultural and land based education to centre Lil’wat and St’at’imc ways of knowing, doing and being into the daily functioning of learning at PSS. Through this re-centring and reclaiming of space, this will create greater accountability for the educators at PSS. This can be supported by creating ongoing opportunities for teachers to get involved. Increased staff learning will benefit Indigenous students. Based on the challenges we unexpectedly encountered this year, this area of focus became all the more relevant. As mentioned in the previous section, thinking reflectively about this helped us find new, and perhaps, more sustainable ways to do this work at decolonizing education at PSS.

Hunch: Our work this year has been guided by the hunch that land heals, land can provide a stable framework, it can build resilience, foster meaning and simultaneously help us as educators to unpack our positionality. As we follow this train of thought, we consider the question “how might we shift the inclusion at our school beyond the areas of recent growth in math and science?” Our hunch is that it deeply depends on individual teacher personalities, but perhaps using the new curriculum as a structure we can apply this to guide a new model of strength-based assessment. Self-assessment could then be the jumping off point to link land education with a trauma-informed assessment practice.

New Professional Learning: This year we reached out beyond the resources typically available in our school and wider school district. This included fostering new authentic relationships with Lil’wat knowledge keepers and working with them in a number of ways which navigated areas of expertise, Covid and accessibility. This included having an elder, Sawt (Martina Pierre), Zoom into several classes one per week to give powerful lessons. It also included a day on the land with Edwin Bikadie learning about a local village site which was wiped out by the smallpox epidemic of the 1880s. We organized medical plant walks and began working with BC Parks and Lil’wat regarding changing the official name of Nairn Falls campground back to its Ucwalmicts name. This helped us to authentically learn on the land and develop a far more visceral understanding of place. This was further contributed to, by the journey that I began on this year in applying to a PhD program in Educational Studies at UBC. I hope to continue this avenue of learning between land-based learning as a path for Truth and Reconciliation in education.

Taking Action: Future Actions:
1) Start early in the year with authentic experiences that set a tone for the path ahead. Tone setting in a cultural capacity helps to break down barriers and foster safety amongst the learners. It helps to get to know each other better beyond conventional models of instruction and assessment.
2) Go even deeper. We had some powerful experiences this year, but it was still only scratching the surface.
3) There is no such thing as too much learning on the land. More intentional experiential learning is always a positive experience.

Checking: We are unsure how much of a difference we made. We were not able to collect specific data at this time, however, the surface results from this year will be available next fall. Our sense is that we had an impact on the learning for participant staff and a number of students. This would specifically be students that participate in the affected programs: many math and science classes, Indigenous Studies, Middle School, and the Indigenous Leadership program. However, these changes are not even close to enough and we are not yet satisfied. A deeper sense of success will come with realizing these shifts as entrenched within the wider culture of the learning environment.

Reflections/Advice:
1) Learning is relational
2) Land and culture heals
3) Land provides a stable framework to address a decolonizing method of assessment and instruction
4) Land can build resilience, foster meaning and simultaneously help us as educators to unpack our positionality.
5) This is a multi-year journey that requires patience
6) Start the work with those interested and you will be surprised by who will join along the way
7) Continuous reflection is important

School District: SD#48 Sea to Sky

Inquiry Team Members: Steve Evans: sevans@sd48.bc.ca
Brittani Peters: bpeters@sd48.bc.ca
Kat Ast: kast@sd48.bc.ca
Emma Mullings: emullings@sd48.bc.ca
Nina Jacobson: njakobsen@sd48.bc.ca
Bri Aldcroft: baldcroft@sd48.bc.ca
Jodie Petruzzellis: jpetruzzellis@sd48.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: sevans@sd48.bc.ca

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Transitions (focus on Indigenous learner transitions)

Grade Levels: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Area(s): Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Physical & Health Education, Science, Social Studies, Other: Indigenous Leadership

Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Community-based learning, Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), Differentiated instruction, Experiential learning, First Peoples Principles of Learning, Flexible learning, Formative assessment, Growth mindset, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Indigenous pedagogy, Inquiry-based learning, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Self-regulation, Social and emotional learning, STEM / STEAM, Transitions, Universal design for learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Addressing student transitions across grades 7-12, as a catalyst to begin decolonizing education in our community. This year, this involved addressing these key areas: 1) Teacher collaboration to support Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being; 2) Building relationships and strengthening belonging for students through Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being; and 3) Building community connections through strengthening relationships with Lil’wat and Stʼatʼimc Nation families.

Scanning: During this past unique year working around Covid protocols, the bulk of this work has been done in the context of the grade 8/9 classes and with the powerful voices from students in the Indigenous Leadership program. We also managed to push some of this work into one of the grade 10 math classes, and worked with Signal Hill Elementary for some intentional changes to the grade 7 student transition. Based on our scanning in these different settings, we gained insight into the four questions. One key realization we had in regards to the attachment and connection of Indigenous leaders at PSS, is that they can typically identify several staff in the building that believe in them. However, often these staff are not all enrolling teachers and might not necessarily be the student’s current teacher. For example, a student might feel connected to both of the Indigenous Support Workers and an Education Assistant, but feel disconnected from their current teachers. Or, they might feel really connected to their grade 8/9 teacher and the VP, but be struggling in their transition to grade 10. This led us to reflect on how to build connections in our school and how this connects to staffing. Our scanning process was heavily impacted this year by the work that was pushed by the students in the Indigenous Leadership class. The theme they explored this year was around unpacking racism and building a more vocal and inclusive presence for Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being at our school. It was powerful to have this inquiry project stem from this focal point, and a real privilege to have been a part of the process. It feels like we began to scratch the surface to see the potential path ahead, and how it can be a catalyst of wider systemic change.

Focus: Based on these observations from the Scanning Process, we are aware of the continued existence of some systemic divisions in our school. This is emblematic of the wider community and the entire country as well. As participants in a racist system, we feel as though the work as educators is to identify and begin the complicated journey of unpacking colonial structures. In doing so, we can have a positive impact on the Indigenous Learners at this school, while also benefiting the education for all of our students simultaneously. It has been powerful this year witnessing students in grades 11 and 12 begin to notice some of these subtle shifts. Breaking down systemic barriers has and will continue to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for our whole school, that is far more meaningful to learn and teach in.

Being part of the public school system, which operates as a part of the provincial government and is controlled largely by staff of settler heritage, it is necessary for us to work at unpacking our positionality. First Nations which run schools such as XCS (Lil’wat Nation) are in a position to indigenize, as they are controlled and led by Indigenous people. As an institution, SD 48 will focus on decolonizing. In doing so, we will address colonial power structures and narratives in relation to our teaching practice, course schedule, schedule, etc. This is a messy, challenging, and long process. As has been repeatedly communicated by the First Nations Education Steering Committee, there is a great moral imperative in doing this work. It will ultimately benefit all of our students.

Hunch: There are a great many hunches that we came to in reflection of our learning from this year. They all connect, however, to an overall realization that the students that we work with experience several different complicated transitions throughout their education (i.e. Elementary School to the PSS Middle School, Middle School to the PSS Secondary School, and then on to their post-secondary path). Within this, however, there are multiple other transitions such as between French Immersion/English, the grade 10 Outdoor Education Program, movement between XCS (Lil’wat Nation School), and the impact of streaming that takes place across Math, Science and Social Studies in grade 10-12. As students move through these many transitions, there are barriers that Indigenous students specifically experience that are systemic in nature. In some cases this can lead to disconnection and disengagement as students move through the senior grades. This ultimately impacts the desired outcome that all students will finish grade 12 with dignity, purpose and options. We have identified numerous opportunities within these transitions to address these barriers and have managed to tackle some of them. Over the past 3 years we have been actively addressing the transition from grade 7, and through the grade 8/9 Middle School Program. Pushing this momentum into the grade 10-12 program is proving to be far more challenging. This is connected to a variety of factors, such as the impact of different programs of choice to enrich learning, but also promote streaming. The students also typically shift to working with an almost completely different staff team than they had in grades 8/9. Across these barriers and amongst others we have identified the impact of “prestige” as a being a major factor. At the NOIIE conference this year, Dr. Amelia Peterson talked about the importance of recognizing prestige as a barrier to inclusion. Prestige refers to the way that we view certain careers, schools, and courses as higher values than others. For example, we think of math and sciences as more prestigious than arts and humanities. Exclusive entry supports prestige.
In unpacking these hierarchies we noticed that students finish school with different tickets. There is nothing in the new curriculum that supports certain courses to be exclusive, and yet we see this happening on the ground. Programs such as academic courses can have barriers to entry and success. This can be mitigated by fully implementing the new competency based curriculum, but we still have some ways to go with this. The timetable can be a barrier at a small school. Programs like the outdoor education program are awesome, but also exclusive and can drive the time table (there’s a financial piece and an application process). We notice similar structures existing in senior Math, Science, Social Studies and French Immersion courses.

New Professional Learning: This past year we participated in a variety of professional learning opportunities; some of these were formally structured events, and others were more collaborative and informal. As is so typically the case, it was the more collaborative and informal experiences that proved to be the most powerful. The list below is a sample of these experiences and represent things that various staff on our team participated in. We unfortunately did not all have these experiences, but we were able to collaborate and reflect on the collective learning together.

1) Working with Carol Fullerton on increasing the inclusion in numeracy education
2) Afternoon with Edwin Bikadi from the Lil’wat Nation. This session was focused on land-based education for a small group of staff, with the emphasis on an ancient St’at’imc village site. It also involved the unpacking of collective trauma from the small pox epidemic in the late 19th Century and how that can guide us in our work to decolonize education today. I cannot understate the power of this experience.
3) Ongoing learning through the Indigenous Leadership Program at PSS and across the district. This specifically included the 24 Hour Drum event that took place in a remote Covid friendly manner this year.
4) Reviewed the work of Monique Grey Smith.
5) Planned and participated in a school wide workshop on decolonizing education — guided by the resource Decolonize First, by Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee.
6) Followed up with staff book club discussion on the same resource — Decolonize First, by Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee.
7) Separate (but connected) Inquiry Project on Decolonize Education, that specifically looked at STEM (at PSS).
8) Ongoing Middle School staff team collaborative teaching model to deepen decolonization.
9) Mentorship from Indigenous Support Staff, Brittani and Larissa.
10) Attendance in the NOIIE Conference 2021.

Taking Action: The following actions proved to have desired impacts on facilitating the desired areas of change to support Indigenous student transitions:
1) Working continuously on collaborative teaching across grades 8/9
2) Facilitating further inclusion in math education by removing math 10 AW, thus increasing student options
3) Increasing the visibility and position of the Indigenous Leadership Program, to push against systemic racism and provide an empowering voice in the school and community
4) Launch a cross-curricular Indigenous Studies class that is attractive to all students of diverse learning needs (offered next school year)
5) Incorporate experiential education and learning on the land as much as possible — this was not necessarily always in a very planned way, but often very subtle so as to be also more universally accessible
6) Increase the staff understanding and use of the role and knowledge of the Indigenous Support Working staff to support students
7) Arranging more intentional communication and staff visits between Signal Hill Elementary and PSS, to ease the transition for students into grade 8

Checking: We gained some really powerful feedback this year in talking to some grade 11s and 12s that were cognoscente of the shifts that had been happening over the past couple years. This aligned with what we were also beginning to see this year. Some specific markers included increased student participation in senior math and physics, increased participation and exposure of the Indigenous Leadership program, increased connection and student integration in grade 8/9, and students anecdotally sharing increased feelings of attachment and connection to staff in the building. However, we are aware that we have only just begun and that the actions we have taken have merely been a scratching of the surface of what is possible and morally imperative. As happens in the inquiry process, these successes have led to better articulation of the other challenges that we had not yet really noticed. We are very much not satisfied with this work — this is why we hope to continue this path for another 3 years to further catalyze change within our school.

Reflections/Advice: The following is a list of some of our preliminary plans to continue our work next year and beyond:
1) Strengthen student transitions between Signal Hill Elementary, XCS and PSS. We began teacher visits this year and strengthened other systems, such as student tours, and hope to push this bigger next year. This will be facilitated by our former principal moving to Signal Hill, along with another staff member. We also began using the Indigenous Leadership Program to bridge these schools to positive effect. We hope to further expand this next year.
2) Further strengthen the role of the Indigenous Leadership program in the school.
3) Build up and ensure that a Land-based Indigenous Studies class operates along with the Indigenous Language class (Ucwalmicwts).
4) Push the increased math inclusion from grade 10 into grades 11 and 12.
5) Expand teacher collaboration in grades 8/9, while also bringing in more teachers across all grades.
6) Push the changes in inclusion that began in math into other areas including outdoor education, science and social studies. This would involve breaking down prestige that serves as a barrier to inclusion.
7) Integrate staff that have predominantly been involved in the new grade 8/9 program into grades 10-12; this will ensure a continuity of care amongst the students as they transition, and also help to facilitate increased inclusion and connection in the senior grades.