School Name: Bert Bowes Middle School

School District: SD#60 Peace River North

Inquiry Team Members: Melanie Carew: mcarew@prn.bc.ca, Moneca Conway: mconway@prn.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: mcarew@prn.bc.ca

II. Inquiry Project Information

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

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

Curricular Areas Addressed: Applied Design, skills & Technology, Career Education, Mathematics / Numeracy

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, Growth mindset, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Indigenous pedagogy, Inquiry-based learning, Social and emotional learning, STEM / STEAM, Transitions, Universal design for learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our focus was to help students ease their transition from middle school to high school, by providing them with opportunities to learn more about careers that might interest them.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: I conduct learning journeys with all of my Grade 9 Indigenous learners. These are self reflections to see where a student is now and where they see themselves in the future. We do it as an interview style where I ask the questions and jot down their answers. I have incorporated the four key questions into the Learning Journey. Looking back at the results, 90% of the students could name two adults in their current school who believe they will be a success. This tells us that we have built a connection with our students and have worked with them to find success both in and out of school.

Focus: We have been focusing on transitions for our Indigenous Learners from middle school to high school for a few years. Our team noticed it was difficult for students to leave one school where they built adult connections, and start at a new one in Grade 10 where the adults were strangers to them. Our hope was to build a connection for Grade 9 students and adults from their future high school. We connected with the Careers Coordinator on a biweekly basis and did several things with her like ADST projects, visits to the local college and fire department, and learning from an Elder. Our goal was to equip our students with skills that they could use in high school and beyond, as well as build a meaningful connection with an adult at their future school.

Hunch: Many of our students have expressed that what they were learning in the classroom was not relevant to them and what they wanted to do in the future. Our goal was to engage students and give them an opportunity to see if what they were learning in their classes was helpful with a possible career path they wanted to take. We took them to our local college where they met with nursing and trades instructors and were able to see what a college classroom looks like. Meeting with these instructors and their students was beneficial for our students to see first hand that what they were currently learning was the basis for what these students were putting into practice at the college level.

New Professional Learning: There are some resources that we have been using to help us facilitate career activities with our groups such as Skills Canada, myBlueprint, and UBC Geering Up Engineering Outreach at geeringup.apsc.ubc.ca. We also incorporated more learning from members of our local community, such as the FSJ Fire Department and Northern Lights College. We also had the privilege to share our space with an Elder who spoke about transitions in life and overcoming obstacles with our students.

Taking Action: We met with two groups of Grade 9 Indigenous students on a bi-weekly basis. These visits consisted of either ADST activities or field trips within the community. We visited their future Grade 10 campus on a number of occasions. They met with staff from various departments, visited dual-credit programs, and were able to become familiar with a new and much larger school. The ADST activities we chose to do were based on student interests. The students did woodworking, sewing/textiles, metal work, baking, etc. Students also wanted to learn more about what our local college has to offer. This was such a beneficial experience for our students to see first hand their interest in careers at a college level. When working with an Elder, students made ribbon skirts and shirts, as well as listened to the knowledge she was offering to them about her life experiences and the world around them.

Photo (left): Students with an interest in woodwork made pallet Christmas trees as gifts for family members.
Photo (middle): Students with an interest in various trades had the opportunity to visit an electrical and instrumentation classroom at Northern Lights College.
Photo (right): On September 30th, Grade 9 Indigenous learners helped out up a tipi in our school’s field and had the opportunity to hear stories from Elders.

Checking: We have been doing this inquiry for a few years now. We think that we have found success based on the continued connection Melanie has with students when they leave middle school, and the connection they continue to build with Moneca in high school. Students continue to communicate with us their struggles, as well as their achievements in school and beyond.

Reflections/Advice: We want to continue this inquiry into next year with a new cohort of Grade 9 students. We are hopeful that we can partake in more off-campus visits within the community, and build on Indigenous learning as COVID protocols has lessened recently. Our goal is that students feel a sense of belonging and importance in school and that this doesn’t change when they transition from one school to the next on their learning journey.

School District: SD#60 Peace River North

Inquiry Team Members: Jaimelia Turner: jturner@prn.bc.ca, Sarah Platzer: splatzer@prn.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: jturner@prn.bc.ca

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE

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

Curricular Area(s): Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing

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

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? By developing Tier 2 vocabulary and sentence fluency with ELL students both orally and in writing, can we enhance a sense of belonging and confidence for those students?

Scanning: At the beginning of this project, we did not fully understand the 4 questions and their significance in guiding our instruction. We did not survey the children in the fall. But, we had noticed the lack of belonging to the greater whole and low risk tolerance in our ELL students — which prompted our project. By looking at the OECD principles, we noticed a lack of socialization when learning and a limited sharing of personal experiences. Being very task oriented, the students were not always making connections between their personal lives and their school lives. We worried that we were not learning their stories, only expecting the students to absorb what we wanted them to learn.

Our ELL students avoid communicating with peers and adults outside of their comfort zone; use simple words, repetitive phrases, and sentence fragments; and speak predominantly with familiar people. They speak and write in simple or run on compound sentences, very safely, without depth or risk. As ELL support teachers, we were often asked to help students “finish their work” or explain the expectations to the ELL students so they could get their work handed in. We noticed that our opportunities for teaching meta-cognitive language strategies were limited.
We also noticed that as a LAT/SERT/ELL team we were often getting redirected to the highest needs students and not offering direct service to ELL students who appeared not to need support, but whose work was repetitive and awkward.

By avoiding conversations or writing that stretches them uncomfortably, we have observed our ELL students can become isolated in the school — hiding in plain sight. Teachers often don’t know much about their thinking, and notice that their writing is shallow and vague. As we are aware that exploring our identity and supporting well-being contributes to learning, we also wondered if home lives were so different from school that there wasn’t an adequate bridge between the two worlds and their experiences.

By supporting our diverse ELL learners, aged 4-12 years, we observed that the children were:
– often reluctant to participate in group discussions
– relied on simple social language to engage with others
– chose safe, predictable (Tier 1) words to express their ideas
– often hide their language deficits by controlling the conversations
– ignore unfamiliar vocabulary in new texts
– are very task oriented and focus on Tier 3 vocabulary but not general vocabulary
– speak and write in fragments or repetitive phrases
– are craving more connection in the school and need opportunities to express themselves

Focus: As we further develop their vocabulary and vary their sentence structures, we hoped to give the students confidence and allow them to take more risks in communication. By working in small groups and focusing on using novel vocabulary to get them to share their personal experiences, we anticipated them opening up. With focused direct instruction on Tier 2 words and sentence structure, we anticipated more risk-taking in classroom writing.

Hunch: Since our ELL students are often quiet, they are cautious about speaking in class. They are also cautious with writing assignments and whole class discussions. By remaining quiet, our students are able to hide their weaknesses. Their lack of vocabulary and understanding of complex sentence structure is a weakness they don’t even know they have. Consequently, they stick to simple or compound sentences with Tier 1 vocabulary. In classrooms, teachers are offering opportunities to brainstorm, plan writing, use graphic organizers, and edit work; but, these practices were not giving explicit instruction on how to further develop vocabulary or sentence fluency.

Through a 6 traits of writing lens, classrooms are addressing conventions, organization and ideas. They are also encouraging varied word choice but not necessarily with explicit instruction on how to integrate new vocabulary. Looking at the ELL student writing, we saw an opportunity to develop word choice and sentence fluency to give the students tools to write more, edit their own writing, challenge their use of voice, engage with literacy, and communicate more deeply.

Through a performance standards lens, our students get classroom instruction on meaning, form and basic conventions, but not as much on style and sentence structure. We suspect that there is an assumption that sentence styles and structure will develop on their own with time.

New Professional Learning:

• Tier 2 vocabulary
  • Marilee Sprenger, ASCD, 2013.
    http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/113040/chapters/What-Does-the-Research-Say-About-Vocabulary%C2%A2.aspx
• Strategies for teaching vocabulary:
  • https://sites.google.com/erlc.ca/ell/programming/building-vocabulary
• Vocabulary instruction:
  • Word Nerds: Teaching All Students to Learn and Love Vocabulary by Brenda J. Overturf, Leslie H. Montgomery, et al.
  • Building Academic Vocabulary: Teacher’s Manual by Marzano, Robert J.
  • Bringing Words to Life, Second Edition: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G. McKeown, et al.
  • Blended structure and style in Composition by James B. Webster, PhD. https://classicaleducationbooks.ca/product/blended-structure-and-style-in-composition/

We presented our proposal and shared the vocabulary words with our teaching staff, but we were unable to create authentic new learning opportunities for our colleagues. We started a team teaching partnership with one grade ½ class for a writer’s workshop, which shows promise for a UDL approach for writing.

Taking Action:
Testing: Using a random sample of students at each grade level and cohort, we tested their familiarity with vocabulary using a leveled list of words provided by our ELL district leader. We were not able to locate the source of the list but we cross referenced it with other Tier 2 suggested lists. The lists were not perfect but they did offer an increased challenge in each progressive grade.

Grouping: Due to cohorts, our grouping options were limited, so we made groups of 4-5 students, supplementing our groups with students with lower language skills. We did not explicitly explain to the students why they were selected. Just that we needed help piloting a project.

4-5 week cycle: Pulling students out of class once a week for 30 minutes, we chose 15 words and used those words in a 4 week cycle.

Week 1: Introducing words in multiple ways and using them to get students to share about themselves.
For Example: Avoid
DEFINITION – Avoid means to stay away from something.
GIVE EXAMPLES – I avoid eating avocados because they are slimy.
ASK QUESTIONS – Would you avoid eating ice cream?
ASK FOR REASONS – Why would you avoid touching spiders?
MAKE CHOICES – Which of these things would you avoid, drinking a milkshake or going to the dentist? Why?
RELATING WORDS – Why would someone avoid talking to new people? If you avoided your homework for a month, what would happen?
COMPARISON – Would you avoid playing a board game or eating a cupcake?
CHILDREN CREATE EXAMPLES – Tell us something you would avoid eating?

Self-assessing
We helped students self-assess their knowledge of a word. This action eased the discomfort of not knowing what a word means, and showed that strength is knowing what you know and don’t yet know.

• I have never heard of it before.
• I have heard it but not sure what it means or how to use it.
• I can use it but not describe its meaning.
• I can define the word and use synonyms and antonyms.

Week 2: Brainstorming in each cycle, we chose one silly, engaging photo, often photoshopped animals or beautiful scenery – intriguing images. In the second week, we shared ideas on how to use the new words to describe the photo. The words were selected from the list to work well with the photo. We loosely used a PWIM approach to generate context around the photos.

Week 3: Drafting: We also chose to discuss point of view and genre each month. At first we proposed a genre and guided the students to talk in that style of writing. We encouraged them to choose how they wanted to write — with a scribe, in a group or alone. As the year progressed, we gradually released responsibility for their own writing and increased the expectations. When the expectations increased, we added a second week to complete the writing pieces.

In the fall, our expectations were to use 6+ words from the list in their writing. This later increased to 8+.

We also introduced a variety of ways to start sentences. These strategies can be used as sentence “dress-ups”, and we found that teaching them as sentence starters got both uses.
– subject starters (most sentences already start with a subject)
– clausal starters: when, while, where, since, as, if, although
– ing word starters
– prepositional starters
– ly word starters
– very short sentences (5 words or less)

Each month we used a different genre of writing.
Story – (how the hamster got stranded at sea)
Newspaper article (missing pug)
Letter (in a bottle)
Point of view (the farmer, a child visiting the farm, the pig, the ice cream)
Descriptive (a cabin on a lake in a valley)
Persuasive (advertising a vacation property)
The writing was a bit mechanical due to the integration of new words and sentence structures. We worked to draw them back to the agreed upon subject, rereading and celebrating meeting the criteria of words and sentence starters.

Week 4 (which became Week 5): Game day. Using a variety of games, we practiced using the words and the starters in sentences. This was a BIG hit with the students. It felt a bit like family game night, and we laughed a lot.

• Jeopardy (definitions, synonyms, antonyms, use it in a sentence, true or false,
• Kaboom
• Invented board games
• Go fish/Memory

Checking: The project focused our attention as ELL teachers and gave us legitimacy in the school when pulling groups of students. As a baseline, we have vocabulary assessments, writing samples, and anecdotal observations by ELL and classroom teachers.

By getting the students to use the words in context, we facilitated learning them without memorizing the goal. We believe this took pressure off of them and made it a process oriented endeavour. This made taking risks easier and the writing process measurable.

As the year progressed, and the students were praised for self-assessing and taking risks, we noticed their willingness to ask more questions and try new words even if they might fail. And, as we made mistakes and laughed all the time, the kids took more risks.

As the months went by and we modelled how to rephrase a sentence using the different structures, the students began to model and orally edit each other’s sentences. They began self-assessing and asking for help.

The changes we noticed in students were:
– enthusiastic conversations and sharing of personal experiences
– improved personal relationships between students and ELL teachers
– increased writing volume both in small groups and in class assignments
– awareness and use of new vocabulary, noticing and mentioning when they didn’t know words
– increased use of sentences starters and dress-ups (mostly in small group settings) — we suspect that the expectations in class assignments were more complex and the students were not yet able to integrate the new writing strategies
-student satisfaction and desire to participate

“The small group practices have given them their voice”

The responses to the four questions were timid. We expect that if we had asked them in the fall and then again in the spring, we would have had less hesitancy. The themes in the responses were:
– Students appreciated the help and attention.
– They’ve gained confidence in multiple areas, gaining confidence and making friends.
– Writing more, with more details, vocabulary and variety.
– It’s okay to make mistakes. They are braver.
– They had fun in the groups.
– They named the ELL teachers often as an adult that believed in them.

Reflections/Advice: We were very successful in building deeper relationships with the ELL students. There was an excitement around the project that made other students want to participate. To flesh out our cohort groups, or as some of our ELLs moved away, we added students to our group and they also benefited.
In the small group setting, students were able to make connections, share ideas and further develop oral language. Through rich discussion and direct instruction on sentence fluency, they increased their writing output and editing skills. We did not see many examples of the sentence starters in their class writing, but they were able to use them independently in their small group project-based writing.

Although the grade 1’s were able to use the new words orally, they did not have the literacy skills to read them in the fall or reread the scribed sentences. By spring, however, they were able to reread their own sentences and retain the vocabulary words from week to week. We had several examples of students recognizing the project words in their guided reading lessons, but not yet using them in their class-based writing.

During and at the end of each day, our ELL team sat together to recap how the lessons progressed and what adaptations we each made on the fly. We then tried to incorporate each other’s ideas into the following lessons. Early in the year, we were always so excited to share what we had learned about the kids’ lives and families. We laughed so much. Later in the year, we strategically shared how we could further develop their writing and integration into their classes. We found the project not only improved the student’s relationships, but also deepened our own.

School District: SD#60 Peace River North

Inquiry Team Members: Carmen Gietz: cgietz@prn.bc.ca, Dale Boissonneault: dboissonneault@prn.bc.ca, Kory Cudmore: kcudmore@prn.bc.ca, Kristina Anderson:Kanderson@prn.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: tbraun@prn.bc.ca

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE

Grade Levels: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Area(s): Other: social emotional, behavioural

Focus Addressed: Growth mindset, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Self-regulation

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? We wanted to focus on how we support behaviour at school and consider ways to incorporate understanding of the role of lagging skills, in the ways students respond to demands and expectations, and increasing student voice specific to Functional Behaviour Assessments (FBAs) and Behaviour Intervention Plans (BIPs).

Scanning: We questioned students grades 7 through 9 at Dr. Kearney Middle School who currently had a H or R designation.

One thing we noticed was that there was a disconnect between the knowledge they were being taught in school and skills they needed outside the classroom. They determined that how well they did in school was based solely on grades, despite that most of the discipline referrals and difficulties they have had in school were more social-emotional. They seemed unaware of the connection between lagging self-regulation skills and academic success.

Students felt that there were adults who believed in them but could often only name one, although who the trusted adult was varied greatly. They determined if someone believed in them based on how the person communicated and if they were encouraged. They generally felt their teachers and staff were too busy to adequately help them.

The First People’s Principles of Learning that we referred to in the scanning process included:
Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.
Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential and relational.
Learning requires exploration of one’s identity.

Focus: Students with these designations often feel that they are inherently bad, without a deeper understanding of where the behaviour has come from. We have a fear that the way we are doing behaviour reinforces these beliefs. We also wonder if our plans do not take into account student voice, lagging skills, trauma — including intergenerational trauma, and cultural identity. We also want to create a process that also communicates to teachers the complexity of supporting these students, and shift the paradigm from one of rewards and consequences (behaviourism), to a relational approach where students have a sense of ownership and self agency. We also want to work with how these students are stereotyped and discriminated against in the school system.

Hunch: Our school system, specifically the managing of behaviour through behaviour alone, perpetuates colonialism and ableism. As we tell the students what they are not doing, they often feel rushed, unheard and that we really are too busy for them. They often feel disconnected, unseen and unimportant. They often feel there is no way they can meet expectations, therefore they must be bad.

The current FBA/BIP process is from a purely behaviourist perspective; there is the prevailing thought that adults can change student behaviour by rewarding positive behaviours and punishing negative behaviours, without consideration of the individual factors of the student, including their past history (which often includes trauma) and lagging skills, especially in the areas of self-regulation. This gives the perspective to teachers that students are exhibiting challenging behaviours because they choose to, rather than viewing them as needing to develop new skills to meet expectations adaptively.

School structures tend to support unilateral problem solving, where the adults meet to decide on the problem that needs to be fixed – and how to fix it – without getting input from the student as to the barriers they face. Often our interventions are ‘prescribed’ and the same year after year, which may be because we are not taking enough time to understand the student’s unique perspective, strengths and needs, and how they are all connected.

New Professional Learning: This team worked on collaboration with individuals from Indigenous education, alternate programs, and staff involved with mainstream education. We had teachers, a school psychologist, counsellors, youth care workers and Indigenous support workers. We had people both who had been in the education system for years, as well as people who were new to the education system.

We also utilized Dr. Ross Greene’s Collaborative and Proactive Solutions model and several group members participated in training with this model this school year.

Taking Action: This is currently where we are: We are working on applying Ross Greene’s principles from his CPS model to our FBAs and BIPs. We want to help students to begin reframing their issues not as a product of being defective, but rather as their best attempts at managing the situation. This change in perspective needs to also go beyond the student to the teachers, staff and parents.

Some thoughts we have about where to go: We are hoping to start by reorganizing the meetings. We want to begin by discussing the possible lagging skills that are contributing to a student’s difficulties at school. The next step would involve the student and one of their trusted adults (chosen by the student), discussing with the classroom teacher and case manager their view of the issue. And at this point, for all the adults involved, their job is reflective listening and showing empathy and understanding. After the student agrees that we have heard them, the adults can explain their concern and collaboratively create a solution with the goal that all people at the table have to be completely okay. Ideally, there would be as much or more reflection by the adults as by the students. We want the student to communicate their perspective and their needs, as well as begin to understand how developing self-regulation skills will serve them in their life.

We are also hoping to adjust the FBAs and BIPs so that the assumption becomes “the students are doing the best they can,” rather than that they need to try harder.

Checking: We feel we have only begun. We have noticed that even the steps we have taken have led to deep conversations with peers regarding the importance of relationship building and student voice, as well as focusing on developing skills that support regulation as a foundation for our formal behavioural assessments and plans. We are hoping to continue this plan into the next year.

Reflections/Advice:

• Sharing our perspective and approach in working with these students with other educators and staff in our school.
• Creating a plan for behavioural meetings that is more aligned with plan B and ALSUP from the CPS model
• Regrouping to consider if the additions from the CPS model has had an effect on relationship building, student motivation, and development of lagging skills.

School District: SD#60 Peace River North

Inquiry Team Members: Melanie Carew: mcarew@prn.bc.ca, Moneca Conway: mconway@prn.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: mcarew@prn.bc.ca

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

Grade Levels: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Area(s): Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Career Education

Focus Addressed: 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, 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? Our focus was to assist students in finding a deeper connection to what they were learning in school, while building relationships with their peers, Indigenous Transition Coach, and their future Careers Coordinator at their upcoming high school.

Scanning: Each Grade 9 student completes a Learning Journey. The Learning Journey is a self-reflective tool used to see where students see themselves currently and how they see their futures. Within the Learning Journey, students are asked the four key questions. In asking students the questions, some had felt that what they were currently learning in school was not relatable to how they viewed their futures. Our team wanted to create a positive learning experience for our students that enabled them to see that there are many different ways of learning at school, while at the same time, building a positive connection with the students and staff from their current middle school and future high school. This encompasses the First Peoples Principles of Learning in that, “Learning is reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).

Focus: Our focus was to give the students an opportunity to do career related activities and projects that peaked their curiosities and expanded their knowledge on future occupations that they showed interests in. In collaborating with students on what workplaces and projects related to which specific careers, our hope was that they would gain a more positive outlook related to school, see its benefits, and build positive relationships with their peers, middle school Indigenous Transition Coach, and high school Careers Coordinator.

Hunch: Generally, the students who were invited to participate were students who had some level of disconnect with school. Many of them have had negative past experiences in relation to academic success, regular attendance, building connections with peers and staff, and finding relevance in what they were learning in traditional classroom settings. Our hope was to provide these students with an opportunity to explore different career settings in our local area, relate what students were learning in the classroom to occupations that interest them, while providing a safe and welcoming space.

New Professional Learning: There were a number of areas of professional learning that we explored. In particular, we participated in two virtual events. Dr. Niigaan Sinclair hosted a Zoom session titled, “Truth and Reconciliation in the Classroom.” This was helpful in providing a space for educators to learn about our country’s history and current practices related to education. Sinclair also included hands-on tools and lessons that can be used in a variety of classroom settings. Dr. Jody Carrington’s, “STAYLit! 2021,” virtual conference showcased a number of educators with valuable knowledge on education, diversity, inclusion, and connections. Both of these virtual sessions were helpful in opening a space of learning and exploring new ways of thinking in the classroom.

Taking Action: We formed two different groups of Grade 9 students that met with their middle school Indigenous Transition Coach and the high school Careers Coordinator. Each group consisted of 7 students that met bi-weekly in our middle school’s maker space. We worked on a variety of projects throughout the school year, including: pallet Christmas trees, metal stamping/jewelry making, sewing, cake decorating, and sign making. We had also planned a number of field trips, however due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were only able to visit the hardware store, the local high school, and a farm in a nearby community. Students also met a variety of supports from their future school. High school counsellors and administration, dual credit teachers/advisors, and speciality teachers all provided students with a wealth of knowledge that would give them an advantage and familiarity of their future campus before they become students there.

Checking: It is difficult to know now if what we did was enough. This is something we will see over time. Our hope is that students take the knowledge that they gained from being in our groups and apply that knowledge in the classes they take in high school and the occupations they choose in their future. With the work that we did throughout the year, we hoped to form a positive relationship between the students, their current middle school Indigenous Transition Coach and their future high school Careers Coordinator. We also hope that having a positive relationship with an adult from their next campus will ease their transition from middle school to high school.

Reflections/Advice: We learned that this inquiry will be a work in progress for the next few years to come. We will continue to connect with the students who participated and see how much this group influences what their view on school is, their relationship with adults/peers, their success in transition from middle school to high school, and what paths they take in school and their careers.

School District: SD#60 Peace River North

Inquiry Team Members: Brenda Birley: bbirley@prn.bc.ca, Crystal Dutchak: cdutchak@prn.bc.ca, Alyson VanSnick: avansnick@prn.bc.ca, Jillian Fox: jillianfox@prn.bc.ca, Meaghan Chantrill: mchantrill@prn.bc.ca, Elaine McEachern: emceachern@prn.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: emceachern@prn.bc.ca

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE

Grade Levels: Intermediate (4-7)

Curricular Area(s): Other: Personal Awareness & Responsibility Core Competencies

Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), Experiential learning, Growth mindset, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Self-regulation, Social and emotional learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? If we teach children calming strategies like yoga and deep breathing, will they be more able to demonstrate personal awareness and responsibility?

Scanning: Early on in the school year, our brand new staff in our brand new school knew we were facing more anxiety than we had in years gone by. A pandemic that brought with it school closures, proximity restrictions, fear of the unknown and more seemed to amplify absenteeism, episodes of tearfulness, panic attacks, et al.

We invited 3 classes to engage in a survey that asked students to identify: 1. two people in this setting who believe you will be a success in life, 2. what are you learning & why it’s important, and 3. how is it going with your learning.

We decided to engage the kids in a variety of activities and lessons that would give them common language and shared understandings about competence in Personal Awareness & Responsibility (see BC Core Competencies). As well, these activities would allow kids to develop strategies that foster increased personal awareness and the ability to take responsibility for how they were feeling.

6 educators (4 classroom teachers, one Counsellor and a Learning Assistance Teacher) then planned lessons that helped us all know our brains, bodies and feelings better. At the end of the inquiry, almost 16% improvement in overall satisfaction with learning was demonstrated by students, and a significant increase in the number of students who feel that there are at least 2 staff members that believe they will succeed.

We tried to honour these First Peoples Principles of Learning throughout our lesson planning:
– “Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self…
– “Learning is holistic, reflective, experiential, relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships…
– “Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities…
– “Learning recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge (focusing on the Medicine Wheel as an anchor to our teaching)
– “Learning is embedded in …story
– “Learning involves patience and time
– “Learning requires exploration of one’s identity
-” Learning involves recognizing that some knowledge is sacred and only shared in certain situations (such as the ceremonial smudging, our Indigenous keynote for wellness days, the Jingle Dress Dance)…
• What are your next steps?

Focus: We were hoping that our students would feel less anxiety and that instead, they would feel like they had more tools in their toolbox to cope when times are hard.

Hunch: Our hunch was that if we all offered separate but complementary lessons that combined cohorts as much as COVID allows, we’d help our students evolve from Profile 3 (Personal Awareness and Responsibility), “I can make choices that help me meet my wants and needs and increase my feelings of well-being. I take responsibility for my actions.” to “I can recognize my strengths and take responsibility for using strategies to focus, manage stress, and accomplish my goals.” (Profile 4).

New Professional Learning: We learned from one another. Crystal Dutchak taught us all more about Core Competencies. Aly VanSnick & Crystal taught us all more about Brainology & Mind Up. Jillian Fox & Meaghan Chantrill taught us all more about forgiveness, kindness, compassion and empathy. Brenda Birley visited classrooms and used counselling strategies at the classroom level, and I (Elaine McEachern), offered personalized support to less than 10 kids at the top of the pyramid of interventions: 1:2 meditation (c/o Headspace) and deep breathing/box breathing strategies.

We accessed collaboration funds to plan events and lessons together. We team-taught the lessons so that all of our students and all of the teachers (in the inquiry) could learn the tools we hoped to share with the kids. I bought Headspace myself because I found it so personally useful that I knew kids would love it. I also accessed Headspace on Netflix and YouTube for free.
Finally, 4 of us were involved in the Jody Carrington (Kids These Days) book study.

Taking Action: Specific Strategies (All Team Teaching experiences were made possible by School District #60 collaboration funding @ .6/lesson x 1 Teacher on Call)
– Team Teaching 1 “Introduction to Core Competencies” (Lesson Plans available by request) so that students and teachers had shared understandings of the core comps, the profile language and how to self-assess using “I can” statements.
– Team Teaching 1 Brainology & Mind Up Introductory Lesson (Classroom Teachers then taught successive lessons independently, with support as needed).
– Team Teaching 2 Values Lessons (Kindness, Forgiveness, Compassion, Empathy)
– Headspace Meditations (Free on Netflix/YouTube (student devices) or via the paid Headspace App on teacher device) with 1-2 students in LAT office by students’ request (@ 28 sessions over 4 months), usually during recess or lunch break.
– 1 Culminating Wellness Day including a variety of wellness-themed activities including nature walks, Zentangle, bullet journaling, Maker activities, healing circles, Jingle Dress Dance & Smudging, Wellness To Me Synthesis, Core Competency Reflections, and a post-survey of the 4 NOIIE questions.

We ended up having a bit of a snowball effect. All of us did a variety

Checking: What difference did we make? We used student surveys (google forms) and Core Competency Self Assessments of the “I can” statements (Personal Awareness and Responsibility).
– All classes demonstrated growth in their personal awareness and responsibility, with 2/3 of the classes evolving from profile 3 to profile 4 and 1/3 of the cohort more fully demonstrating competence of profile 3.
– 76% of respondents in the fall indicated that their learning experiences were “good” or “very good” which improved to 88% of respondents in the spring (as well, 12 students indicated their learning was “not good” in the fall and this dropped to 1 student in the spring).
– At the end of the year, all students were able to identify what wellness meant to them. We made a wordle and some of the big words included: wellness, healthy, happy, quiet, calm, Zentangle, friends, outside, family, dog, respect, gratitude, kindness, work, sports, respect, control, alone, relax…
– The greatest improvements in students’ personal awareness and responsibility were:
-> I can persevere when times are hard (up 17%)
-> I can advocate for myself (up 19%)
-> I can show a sense of accomplishment and joy (up 12%)
-> I can plan, monitor and take steps to accomplish a goal (up 13%)
-> I can take ownership (up 10%)
However, students still indicate that they don’t feel well equipped to enact strategies to manage stress or find calm in times of stress, so that’s an area we still need to develop.

Additionally, we asked students to identify at least two adults who they felt believed in their future success. Granted, we were a new staff in a new school and many of us had just met each other for the first time. The results were humbling, with 0-17% of students identifying a teacher in the NOIIE inquiry as a trusted ally. However, at the end of the year, all members of the NOIIE inquiry demonstrated an increase in the number of students who considered them an ally, with fan favourites being Dutchak, VanSnick, Fox & Chantrill! It really exemplifies the critical importance of the connection and relationships between the classroom teacher and the students!

Reflections/Advice: In the end, we learned that you can’t spend too much time building relationships, connecting to our students and helping them navigate difficult situations. Building on attachment theory presented first by Bowlby and then elaborated on by Jody Carrington, we Primary Caregivers (teachers) taught our students to soothe and co-regulate. We did so because we know that “The more you assist a child to regulate in your presence, the less they will require someone else to regulate them in your absence.”

Classroom Teachers are a child’s safe haven. They are a place to land in times of distress. Classroom Teachers are a secure base… from which students will someday launch! We set limits, boundaries, send messages of delight and encouragement. We help our kids realize that they are capable of taking on the world. And we do so by making secure attachments via relationships so we can then teach emotional regulation. Next year, we do it all again with new students, new challenges and new opportunities, but still with the same big hearts, optimism and the invitation for even more teachers to join our NOIIE group.

School District: SD#60 Peace River North

Inquiry Team Members: Erin Gotzke: egotzke@prn.bc.ca, Mel Carew: mcarew@prn.bc.ca, Lana Clarke: lclarke@prn.bc.ca, Naomi Broadhead: nbroadhead@prn.bc.ca, Crystal Anielewicz: canielewicz@prn.bc.ca, Pat Jansen: pjansen@prn.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: egotzke@prn.bc.ca

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

Grade Levels: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Area(s): Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Career Education, Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Science, Social Studies

Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Differentiated instruction, First Peoples Principles of Learning, Flexible learning, Growth mindset, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Self-regulation, Social and emotional learning, Transitions, Universal design for learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Enhance transition from middle school to high school through increased connection with the high school transition team at the middle school level.

Scanning: We noticed a breakdown in relationship between students and their support team as they transitioned between middle school and grade 10. We recognized that the Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational, thus wanted students to develop relationship with the high school support team prior to their entry.

Focus: We noticed that there previously had been inadequate contact between the middle school students and high school transition teams. When students arrived at the high school, they found a difference between the relationships they had at their previous school and the current school. We were hoping that with more visits from the high school team, our students would start to build connections and trust-filled relationships prior to their grade 10 transition.

Hunch: Students who transition to a new school without an intact support team are less likely to experience holistic wellness. Our hope was that if we started to facilitate connections, our students would feel supported and a sense of belonging that would enable them to quickly engage in their new school environment.

New Professional Learning: We incorporated the learning principles presented by Nigaan Sinclair, based on the TRC. All staff received Climbing the Mountain: Education Reconciliation in Canada that provides an overview of the TRC, along with lesson plans that cover all subject areas. Learning from Elders continues to be our best resource.

Taking Action: Originally, our schedule was set up in such a way that students would come for academic support on a drop-in basis. We found that this did not work, as students did not want to be singled out for help or connection while in class. Thus students were not accessing the help available to them. In response to the lack of drop-in supports taking place, we scheduled students into support blocks. This also enabled us to have a scheduled time with students where high school transition teams could potentially visit and build relationships.

Checking: In spite of making time for transition visits to happen, we found it difficult, in part, due to Covid restrictions on school visitors. The high school staff was unable to join the middle school students regularly enough to establish meaningful connection. Truthfully, we were unsatisfied with how this year’s inquiry went. However, this set-back does not negate the value of our initial hunch. We have a renewed commitment to this process, in a non-pandemic year.

Reflections/Advice: Our intention is to continue this inquiry next year with more defined roles and a clearer understanding of what success will look like; for example, pre-scheduled visits, a year-long timeline to be acted upon by specific people.

School District: SD#60 Peace River North

Inquiry Team Members: Melanie Carew: mcarew@prn.bc.ca, Moneca Conway: mconway@prn.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: mcarew@prn.bc.ca

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

Grade Levels: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Area(s): Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Career Education, Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Mathematics / Numeracy, Science

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? Our focus was to help Grade 9 Indigenous students find a deeper connection between what they are learning in school and their future, that included an adult from their current middle school and future high school.

Scanning: We invited students who seemed to have a lack of connection to traditional classroom courses and the school community. We asked the students the four questions in an interview-style. We learned they were having some difficulty finding relevance in coming to school on a regular basis, and did not have a clear focus on short- and long-term goals for themselves. We wondered and asked the students what they thought we could do as a group, career-related, that they would find useful and relevant for themselves, as well as enjoyable. They wanted to do hands on activities. The students built projects individually, however assisted each other each step of the way when necessary.

Focus: We wanted to create an introduction to career options for some of our Indigenous Learners in Grade 9. This group consisted of 7 Indigenous students in Grade 9 who had a disconnect of some form from school. The different types of activities that were being explored were student driven ideas that we, as facilitators, would support and assist the group in executing. We hoped that our students saw the value of what they were learning at school and how it could be applied to their future. There was also the aspect of having one of the adult facilitators being based out of the high school. We hoped that she would be a person they would build a positive relationship with and assist with making their transition to Grade 10 smoother.

Hunch: Our school offers many different elective courses for different interests; however, we wanted to create a group that focused more on student-initiated activities and projects that relate to a variety of career options as students grow in their skills. Having a small group setting and building a safe community was also an integral part of the group. Everyone made individual projects, however we worked together to help each other complete each step of the process, so we finish as a whole group — no one is left behind.

New Professional Learning: There were a variety of different learning opportunities that we explored. Going to the National Gathering for Indspire and attending sessions related to STEM and Indigenous learning, were important professional development pieces. Also, participating in and leading maker days/groups, allowed for time to research different activities and organize projects that have purpose.

Taking Action: Before we met with our students, our team created an introductory letter stating group objectives, goals and expectations that students and parents would sign. We met 2-3 times a month in our maker space library at the middle school. Students assisted in compiling a list of ideas for projects they wanted to work on, and we decided as a team how projects would be executed. Some examples were: hand warmers, pallet Christmas trees, and pine storage boxes students filled to tell their story about themselves during a circle talk. We were planning on working with electronics and coding next by assembling a mood lamp, however due to COVID-19, the project was not started.

Checking: Our team thinks that based on the time spent with the group, relationships were forged between students and adults. We hope that this will result in a smoother transition for this group to the high school.

Reflections/Advice: We learned that in order for students to see the value in their work, it was important for them to have a voice regarding their projects. There were many student talents that were discovered through these projects. This built a sense of pride and confidence in a group that normally viewed school as a challenge. Our team would like to continue this inquiry with a new group of Grade 9 students in the fall, with different ideas on how we could enhance learning and include more students.

School District: SD#60 Peace River North

Inquiry Team Members: Melanie Carew: mcarew@prn.bc.ca, Erin Gotzke: egotzke@prn.bc.ca, Amanda Cote: amandacote@prn.bc.ca, Sarah Elson-Haugan: selson@prn.bc.ca, Carmen Davies: cdavies@prn.bc.ca, Barb Mather: bmather@prn.bc.ca, Crystal Anielewicz: canielewicz@prn.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: mcarew@prn.bc.ca

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

Grade Levels: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Area(s): Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Career Education, Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, 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), 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? Our focus for this year was to enhance transition success through more extensive connection with the high school transition team at the middle school level.

Scanning: We are continuing to use Learning Journeys (self-reflection questions) to help us navigate students’ learning in needs. The four key questions are embedded right in the journeys. Relationships continue to be a key aspect for our learners. It takes time to build trust with adults in a school and once that trust is forged, many students are more willing to learn and take risks with their learning.

Focus: We have been working on high school transitions for the past several years; however, our team wanted to start the transition process earlier and from the middle school level. We hoped that if the high school transition coaches (teachers) and Indigenous Youth Care workers were able to regularly start visiting our middle school students during their Indigenous Student Support classes after Spring Break, we would notice a smoother transition for our Grade 9 students entering into Grade 10 in the fall. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, only one visit was made.

Hunch: Our transition coaches at Bert Bowes and North Peace Secondary were regularly in communication regarding student needs once they transitioned to high school. We were finding that the middle school coach was spending a lot of time working on transition difficulties with students after they had started high school in Grade 10. We thought that if students started to build a connection with their future coaches before their transition started, it would result in a smoother transition in the fall.

New Professional Learning: We used different professional resources to connect with the classroom, such as The Decision Playbook by Lea Failing, Robin Gregory, Graham Long, and Brooke Moore. By using data collection, we hoped to learn more about students’ strengths and stretches well in advance of transitioning to Grade 10. We also anticipated that the responses within the Learning Journey would be more evolved with this new approach to transitions. Due to COVID-19, not all Grade 9 Learning Journeys were completed.

Taking Action: Our team decided that the middle school coach would continue to come to the students’ high school campus in the fall to assist in a smoother transition. We see the importance of the Learning Journeys, therefore we will continue to work on them with students until they are completed. We anticipate that answers will look slightly different than we originally expected under our current circumstances.

Checking: Due to COVID-19, our team feels that we have not accomplished what we had hoped for, and are still in the Taking Action portion of the Spiral of Inquiry. We will continue with this current transition inquiry into the next school year.

Reflections/Advice: We plan to continue to work on this current inquiry in hopes that we see a lasting effect. Our goal is to see smoother and more successful transitions from middle school to high school, for our Indigenous students.

School District: SD#60 Peace River North

Inquiry Team Members: Samantha Stackhouse: sstackhouse@prn.bc.ca, Naomi Broadhead: nbroadhead@prn.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: selson@prn.bc.ca

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE

Grade Levels: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Area(s): Physical & Health Education

Focus Addressed: Community-based learning, Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), Experiential learning, Growth mindset, Inquiry-based learning, Self-regulation, Social and emotional learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Utilizing Yoga 12 to enhance personal, emotional, and inquiry based reflection on the mental health, physical health, and overall understanding of well-being for students ages 16/17/18.

Scanning: Students were asked to journal on the 4 Key Questions.

Students were invited to share their growth and development based upon their 4 Key Questions and the self inquiry that is promoted via a yoga practice

This growth, change, or development will be tracked by the student, to build awareness of intrapersonal skills, self awareness, and mental health understandings.

Focus: In secondary school, many students struggle with self identity, understanding, and personal connections. Frequently, school focuses on the rote education practice, but students need to be taught the skills/tools of self study to promote personal connections necessary for a healthy life. Yoga fosters these non-linear concepts, by creating space for self reflection and development that enhances the concept of success beyond the curricular outcomes.

Hunch: Education can take a dogmatic approach relaying the banking system of education, and undervaluing the personal connection necessary for deep and soulful learning. As a result, many students feel pressure to succeed, creating high levels of anxiety and unhealthy living conditions. Furthermore, some high risk students feel that the present schooling system leaves them behind and does not promote the skills that would benefit them daily – survival of mind and body.

New Professional Learning: We explored the relationship between yoga and mental health; specifically, the influence of mindfulness and self study upon students. By using the Four Key Questions as framework for self-reflection, the yoga practice would further develop positive psychological relationships to self and skills necessary for introspection. This study was based upon Jungian psychology (depth), yogic philosophy, and pedagogical/curriculum theory.

Taking Action: To take action for Yoga 12, students and teacher participated in the physical and philosophical practice of yoga.

As a result of COVID-19 the specific actions taken growth included:
– Journals for students to write about their experiences during COVID-19. Journals included: Body Mapping/Scanning, 5 Senses Activities, Reflection on Personal Growth, Place-Based Learning.
– Portfolio creation as a personal exploration of symbolism. This included creating a symbol that represented the student and finding a way to represent this concept on their portfolio.
– Physical practices hosted within the classroom space and posted to the internet for students to practice at their leisure during COVID-19.
– A Final Project that was oriented around the question of “What does Yoga mean to you?” where students were invited to create a representation/reflection via image, video, oral, written, or any other artistic expression.

These actions were deemed successful upon marking of the reflections/projects/etc. Students clearly noted their mental health and wellbeing in relation to the practice of physical/philosophical yoga. This is significant because it demonstrated a growth mindset, even in a very uncertain time. Final projects thoroughly reflected upon the necessity for physical wellness with the connection being developed to mental wellness.

Checking: It would have been exciting to see this inquiry continue in the physical classroom, but student connection and reflection was incredibly strong despite the complexities driven by COVID-19. Considering the end of the semester, I am pleased with the progress and deep learning that students exemplified. The writing/journalling on personal growth and wellness exceeded expectations. The Yoga 12 Final Projects that asked students “what Yoga meant to them”, were deeply insightful and demonstrated growth, place-based learning, connection to core competencies, and self awareness.

Reflections/Advice: This inquiry has reminded me about the simplicity of teaching. Although COVID-19 interrupted the intended function/path of this inquiry, the results were no-less impactful as I read the words produced by the students.

Moving forward, this inquiry will continue to be a stepping-stone on my journey as an educator. If others would be interested in endeavouring upon this inquiry, I encourage a deep understanding of psychological practices and the willingness to support students in a very vulnerable and personal space. Boundaries are necessary; however, it is integral for a counselling relationship to be developed and maintained with a burgeoning understanding of counselling/psychological practices.

School District: SD#60 Peace River North

Inquiry Team Members: Susan Gilmour: sgilmour@prn.bc.ca, Tracey Sawchuk: tsawchuk@prn.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: sgilmour@prn.bc.ca

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE

Focus Addressed: Using the new Early Learning Framework section “Communication and Literacies”, we will be examining the pathway “culture, family, traditions and knowledge” in both Early Learning settings and K/3 classrooms.

We were wondering what opportunities were provided that incorporate play and other hands on ways, to engage students in oral storytelling to connect to self, family and culture. Sparking our curiosity were two separate interests. One was the development of the revised BC Early Learning Framework now extending to age 8. This impacts not only the Early Learning transition to Kindergarten, but now influences student learning to grade 3. The second was one team member’s course work in Early Literacy development. The value of oral language was discussed extensively, as it relates to all aspects of literacy development

Inquiry Story: Once our case study was submitted in mid December, Tracey and I, both together and individually, took advantage of a number of professional learning opportunities in January and February. From involvement with the CCRR Playful Story Retelling and Network night, to attending POPEY and Indigenous Oral storytelling workshops and various meetings with Early Learning partners, to completing a Early Childhood Literacy course, we gathered resources that would serve us well through the inquiry process. Using this information to clarify our thinking around our inquiry, we developed our 4 key questions for learners, determined which groups would be represented within the students chosen (ELL, Indigenous, Female, Male), and decided on the tool to capture the students’ answers. As well, we were able to collaborate a few times with educators to discuss the advantages of developing oral language through play.

We had planned to interview students after spring break in April, however school closures prevented us from completing our SCAN. Once schools reopen in the new school year, we will have a better idea which students will be attending regularly and determine which ones to interview. We should have this process completed by October. We look forward to attending the next District NOIIE meeting, sharing our interview results and determining the FOCUS of our inquiry. We will be in a much better place to move forward with our inquiry in the new school year. We look forward to completing the spiral of inquiry to examine the value of, and engagement of, students in playful storytelling.