School Name: Ecole Ballenas Secondary School

School District: SD#69 Qualicum

Inquiry Team Members: Heather Deering: hdeering@sd69.bc.ca, Rochelle Levins: rlevins@sd69.bc.ca, Nikki Morton: nmorton@sd69.bc.ca, Kristin Redpath: kredpath@sd69.bc.ca, Francois Provencher: fprovencher@sd69.bc.ca; Mindy Holman: mholman@sd69.bc.ca, Jessylee Spence: jspence@sd69.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: hdeering@sd69.bc.ca

II. Inquiry Project Information

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Transitions Study

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

Curricular Areas Addressed: Other: SEL/Belonging/Connection/Language

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, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Indigenous pedagogy, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Social and emotional learning, Universal design for learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our focus is building and promoting spaces that inspire hope/belonging.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: Previously, this transition study focused on interviewing Indigenous learners. The information was clear that connection to spaces and adults/peers/community was a need, not a want. The continued conversations and intentional connection with the Indigenous learners reinforced the need for a cultural space and connection with Elders and community. Scanning has occurred through conversations with learners, families, child and youth care workers, community supports, and Indigenous liaisons. We also noticed that we needed to continue our work with building connections to classroom spaces – embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and being into the environment and curriculum. The work and learning through our district Equity Scan, which focused on learning environments and pedagogy, complemented this study.

Focus: We selected this area because it is a need for the Indigenous learners in our school community. We wanted to connect students to spaces and adults to build a sense of belonging and hope, and improve life chances for Indigenous graduates. We want all of our students to walk across the stage with dignity, purpose, and options; we realized that this was not happening for all of our learners, and we knew we needed to address this equity barrier. We also knew that non-Indigenous learners and staff needed to continue their learning around Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

Hunch: After years of isolation, we noticed a sense of apathy towards the previous reconciliation work that the Ballenas community was doing. We also noticed that the Indigenous learners were not being served adequately from the HUB space that had been created as an SEL/connection learning environment. We had a hunch that the Indigenous community of Ballenas needed to have a cultural space that was intentional and meaningful. We also needed to have consistent Indigenous liaison support and connection to an Elder. This resulted in us opening a new space and office area for the Indigenous liaisons to meet with families and offer cultural learning. The district responded to this need by hiring more support and bringing in an Elder from Cowichan. We are very hopeful that this connection will be both a positive support for our Indigenous learners and also offer a way for non-Indigenous learners to build cultural competency.

New Professional Learning: Our small but mighty team attended the NOIIE symposium – this was a first-time experience for two of our members and they appreciated the new learning and ideas brought forth from the network. One of our team members also attended FNESC conferences and workshops. There was also professional learning focused on local Indigenous nations and land-based consciousness. We all attended the Dustin Louie session that the Indigenous Education team offered, and we are consistently seeking opportunities to increase our Indigenous awareness – specifically local knowledge.

Taking Action: The Indigenous liaisons focused on meeting with families and identifying barriers and needs for Indigenous learners. We opened up a space for cultural learning and invited an Elder in every Wednesday to connect with kids. We also opened up an office space for the liaisons to have personal conversations and connections with families. Our school joined the Indigenous Youth Advisory Council (IYAC) and shared information and student voice with our district Equity Scan team. We had the Indigenous Education Principal share Professional Standard #9 with our staff, and we ensured that all classes had a FPPL poster on their walls. We know that this needs to be much more than just a poster on the wall; therefore, we are using the FPPL as a framework to guide our school plan and inform conversations. We also had the land acknowledgement added to our entrance.

Checking: Next September, we will connect with Indigenous learners to ask these questions again. We did not complete this task this year due to a variety of factors. We have heard that the new space has been very important for the Indigenous learners. If you walk into the room during FLEX Wednesdays you will see cedar weaving, beading, and other cultural activities taking place. You will also observe kids leaning in to hear the stories that the Elder is sharing. Next year, the Indigenous liaison is planning on taking kids out to harvest Devil’s Club and other plants. We made a difference for some of the learners and their families; however, as always, there is more work to be done. This work is continuous and never ‘complete’; our intention is to continue on the path of equity and ensure meaningful graduation for Indigenous learners. One action that we will take next year is reviewing the Indigenous learners’ grad paths and ensuring that any deficit thinking is challenged.

Reflections/Advice: This year we had a change in team members and admin. We spent the first few months re-scanning and re-focusing, and determined that our focus inquiry was still relevant. We also learned how important it is to listen to the kids. How could we create meaningful connections to spaces and adults without knowing what those connections and spaces needed to look like for the learners? We are also creating a place-based cohort for our grade 10/11s in response to student voice, and the need for our kids to have further options in education.

Next year, we will be meeting with all Indigenous learners and surveying/interviewing them. We will be asking the four questions, and also have some school-specific ones focused on academics and classroom environments.

School Name: Kwalikum Secondary School, Oceanside Elementary School, Pass/Woodwinds Alternate, Qualicum Beach Elementary, Springwood Elementary, Arrowview Elementary, Bowser Elementary, False Bay Elementary, Nanoose Bay Elementary, Ballenas Secondary School, Errington Elementary

School District: SD#69 Qualicum

Inquiry Team Members: Sarah Elson-Haugan: selson-haugan@sd69.bc.ca, Katie Marren: kmarren@sd69.bc.ca, Jessie Recalma: jrecalma@sd69.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: selson-haugan@sd69.bc.ca

II. Inquiry Project Information

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study

Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7), Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Areas Addressed: Applied Design, skills & Technology, Career Education, Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Physical & Health Education, 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), Growth mindset, Indigenous pedagogy, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Social and emotional learning, Transitions

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? As a team, we focused on the need for Indigenous students’ identity to be celebrated as a part of their learning journey.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: The four key questions were asked as part of our scanning of students. Many learners felt that they were not heard in their learning spaces and/or were not cared for by their teachers. Many students did not feel that the school system demonstrated the responsibility of presenting Indigenous perspectives and important cultural pieces (Standard 9).

We focused on the FPPL through exploring the concepts of identity and the importance of Indigenous knowledge in all curricular spaces.

Focus: We selected this area because the students shared their experiences of classroom learning. They shared story after story where they felt disconnected from their identity, where they felt a teacher discredited Indigenous ways of being, and where they had to substantiate their cultural knowledge to match Eurocentric worldviews. Once these students shared these experiences, we knew we had to take action.

We were hoping to help support teachers to feel connected to their Indigenous learners, while working with Indigenous learners to develop their voice and identity as Indigenous youth. By doing this, we wanted to make changes to the learning environment that would help Indigenous youth feel valued and their knowledge supported.

Hunch: Indigenous leaners were often feeling that they had to substantiate their beliefs and knowledge for teachers to value Indigenous perspectives. Likewise, Indigenous leaners did not feel comfortable in some learning spaces and struggled with the structures of some classes and schedules. Some Indigenous learners shared that they often felt “given up on” because when they would miss class or be late, they felt that they were punished and not supported.

New Professional Learning: As a team, we continued our work with Dr. Dustin Louie – we explored relationships between stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, power, and oppression. We also learned about the 3 parts of decolonization: challenging single viewpoints, disrupting expectations or requirements, and dismantling white supremacy.

We also used the FNESC resources as an easily accessible entry point for teachers to continue developing their connection with Indigenous worldviews and knowledge. Colleagues were particularly interested in further development of their learning when it felt safe and accessible. One school did the Blanket Exercise which resulted in great reflection and thoughtful practice.

Taking Action: Some of our strategies to take action included: hiring more Indigenous support people, enhancing Indigenous grade 7 transitions to high school, co-creating a Soft Alt’ program with the local First Nation, and offering professional development for all staff.

We were able to hire several more Indigenous support people, including an Elder to work on language development. This Elder has shared great teachings with Indigenous students and educators alike.

We created additional visits for Indigenous grade 7s to their future high schools. This day allowed for the Indigenous grade 7s from several feeder schools to meet one another, share a meal together, and get to know their future support people. This was the first “Indigenous Transition Days” for the district and they were a rave success.

We are working with a local First Nation to co-create a land-based alternative program for grades 9-12. The intention is for this to be an informed land-based and hands-on experiential learning space. It is not specifically for Indigenous learners, but we do know many Indigenous learners that would benefit from this form of learning. The Nation’s voice has been integral in making this possible and locally responsive. We began by meeting with First Nation families, meeting with First Nation students, and meeting with Chief of the local nation to co-design the learning environment and structure.

We worked with the local union to build relationship with their Professional development committee to help ensure that Standard 9 was at the forefront of the goals for learning. We offered to have 1/2 workshops with cultural knowledge keepers and Elders, brought in Dr. Dustin Louie, and used release time for additional opportunities for curricular development and exploration.

Checking: Some of the differences we have made have been very evident. For example, we have been able to see the comfort of the grade 7 Indigenous students as they developed friendships and community with their soon to be classmates.

Many of the changes or differences we are hoping to see are not available yet. For example, the new alternative program will be starting in the fall. However, it has been powerful to see First Nation students and families feel respected and empowered. We are hopeful that this will improve attendance and connection to school for some very vulnerable learners.

Reflections/Advice: What we learned through this inquiry is that the most important thing for learners is to feel cared for. Over and over again, students responded that they wanted teachers to notice them, be kind to them, and to respect them.

We plan to take this learning to continue developing our cultural programs across the district – carving, art, drum-making, language, etc. Likewise, we will be continuing to develop and build the new Soft Alt’ program.

Our advice would be to take one step at a time. There are no quick answers and it can be challenging when the change feels slow.

School Name: Ecole Ballenas Secondary School

School District: SD#69 Qualicum

Inquiry Team Members: Mindy Holman: mholman@sd69.bc.ca
Roman Wyllie: rwyllie@sd69.bc.ca
Paisley Hendricks: phendricks@sd69.bc.ca
Star Richardson: srichardson@sd69.bc.ca
Cheryl Beler: cbeler@sd69.bc.ca
Jessylee Spence: jspence@sd69.bc.ca
Kathryn Lindahl: klindahl@sd69.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: tcathrine@sd69.bc.ca

II. Inquiry Project Information

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Transitions Study

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

Curricular Areas Addressed: Not applicable

Focus Addressed: Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), Flexible learning, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Social and emotional learning, Transitions, Universal design for learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our focus was specifically on the characteristics of spaces/adults that were elicited from our student interviews and responses – key question/theme: How do we build/promote spaces that inspire hope/belonging?

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: We interviewed all of our students with an Indigenous background. A theme that came up repeatedly was connection – connection to spaces and connection to adults/peers/community. We realize that we are still in a time where connection to school, community, and with others is still rebuilding.

Focus: We have also been engaged in an Equity Scan as a district and as a school. Something that emerged from that work was an opportunity to focus on Learning Environments. We saw this being connected to our scanning – specifically learners’ connection to the school and spaces.

Hunch: Our hunch is that there may be specific practices that could be enhanced. Profiles will be a focus for the upcoming school year. The voices of our students need to be shared more intentionally and broadly.

New Professional Learning:

• Time together through NOIIE Group Book Study: Wayi Wah!
• Next year: books groups through collaboration (titles TBD)

Taking Action: This will be the work for next year – now that we have our question and data from responses. We need to share with staff and decide what action we will take, collectively.

Checking: There is more to come here – now that we have our focus area and we’ve elicited a lot of qualitative data re:characteristics of spaces/adults – after we begin to implement some of the suggestions (or as decided by staff) we will be able to be more thorough in our checking.

What are we checking for? How will we know? How is this supporting transitions?

Reflections/Advice: We will share this list with our staff as we begin a bigger inquiry on engagement. It took us a while, through scanning, to find this focus area.

School Name: Kwalikum Secondary School

School District: SD#69 Qualicum

Inquiry Team Members: Dallas Phillips: dphillips@sd69.bc.ca, Lori Marshall: lmarshall@sd69.bc.ca, Jennifer Lunny: jlunny@sd69.bc.ca, Tanya Gardner: tgardner@sd69.bc.ca, Jolin Meier: jmeier@sd69.bc.ca, Mallory Chester: mchester@sd69.bc.ca, Tannis Trevor-Smith: ttrevorsmith@sd69.bc.ca, Haley Finch: hfinch@sd69.bc.ca, Angela Davidson: adavidson@sd69.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: lorimarshall@sd69.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

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, Inquiry-based learning, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Social and emotional learning, Transitions, Universal design for learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? How does KSS, as a learning community, create opportunities for equity that foster a sense of belonging for all? Focus: Grade 8 and 9 Belonging and Community; Grade 10-12 Grade and Grad Transitions.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: This year, we met as a team and determined that we needed to focus on interviewing the Indigenous learners through a focused interview process. We also realized that our staff belonging and culture collaboration group was surveying the general student population, so we asked them to include questions specific to our inquiry as well. During this time, we also had staff work through the process of identifying exactly what they were doing in their classes to work towards answering the TRC’s Calls to Action. Specifically, how were they embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and being, and the FPPL, into their pedagogy and classrooms?

Focus: Analyzing the data from our scanning process reinforced the decision to continue with the Indigenous learner’s interviews, school-wide interviews, increased cultural representations, and grade-focused inquiries. Our intention was to increase our students’ sense of belonging and to continue working towards a culture that honours and recognizes historical truth and Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

Hunch: Throughout the scanning phase, we had the following hunches: Indigenous learners are missing out on some opportunities and connections, learners are not feeling as connected after COVID years, SEL is an area that needs to be addressed – particularly identity and mental health, attendance can relate to engagement, increasing Indigenous awareness needs to happen through physical and curricular representation.

New Professional Learning: Members of our transition group attended a variety of symposiums and conferences: Alt Ed, NOIIE, BCPVPA, BC CAISE, BCSSA, and FNESC. In particular, our school community has been focused on equity and Cale Birk’s Observable Impact work.

Taking Action: The Indigenous liaisons interviewed Indigenous learners. The questions that were asked were the following: Where are you from (Indigenous ancestry); What are your passions and interests; How is the school year going (Are you connected? Who are the people that make up your support network? How do you find schoolwork?); What goals and dreams do you have for your future (Tell me the biggest ones, even if they feel out of reach); Is there anything that you’d like to learn more about related to your Indigenous heritage; What are the barriers in your life that make it hard to do the things that you want; and, How can the school help you?

We continued with our curricular grade focus: grade 8’s completing an identity Heritage Project focused on identity, grade 9’s focusing on land and place-based consciousness in the curricular areas of math and science, grade 10’s all taking EFP10 and focusing on intentionally embedding language into their lesson design, and grades 11 and 12 focusing on increasing cultural awareness. All of these actions are intended to increase grade transitions.

Our students were encouraged to understand the impacts of residential schools and the effects of colonialism through courses such as BCFP12.

Full school assemblies to help bring awareness of past traumas and pathways to reconciliation. 3 Crow Productions storytelling journey Qwalena sharing Dallas Yellowfly’s journey, and the May Moose Hide Campaign. Three local Qualicum First Nations men shared their stories and encouraged students to stand up against violence and honour their identities.

A physical representation of TRC’s Calls to Action through banners and Project of Heart display.

Our staff collaboration group completed a student survey focused on belonging: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEXlKuaBC0nf5loNkawDVz64QZEijpbfCB_Mre1th0uav5mw/viewform

We participated in specialized ‘days’; however, we shared the message that these ideas need to be embedded into our whole year.

We added a Hul’qumi’num word of the day and land acknowledgement into the morning announcements.

Photo description: (Top) Project of Heart display. (Bottom) Red dress display.

Checking:

• Grade 8 – students enjoyed sharing the heritage project and indicated they learned a lot about their own families. They did say they would like to do something other than a heritage project as many had done something similar in an earlier grade.
• Grade 9 – we have limited data as to how successful, and how much, teachers focused on local land in their classes. We have more directed work to do here.
• Grade 10 – We had good success with our EFP 10 class this year, where every grade 10 student took this class. The feedback from students and teachers was positive. We hope to strengthen the resources and opportunities for students next year.
• Grade 11/12 – our teachers continue to use the FPP of learning in many curricular areas. Our students are encouraged to understand the impacts of residential schools and the effects of colonialism through courses such as First Nations 12. We also had full school assemblies to help bring awareness of past traumas and pathways to reconciliation.
• We had 4 out of 12 students show up for the Indigenous graduation ceremony. One of the local families had a member of their family graduate – the first in 10 years. Stronger family connections have been noticed by the Indigenous liaisons.

Reflections/Advice: For next year, we would like to come up with a few small initiatives that staff can be more directly involved with. We think it is important to notice, name and nurture these smaller things done in a school community – small actions can make a big difference. We also want to increase the data that we collect from our students and teachers so that we can monitor the progress/impact that this inquiry is having on our school. For the Indigenous learner interviews, we are going to add a Google form to collect the information to make the data more visible.

School Name: Ballenas Secondary

School District: SD#69 Qualicum

Inquiry Team Members: Nikki Morton nmorton@sd69.bc.ca
Loanna Clint lclint@sd69.bc.ca
Amanda Girgan agirgan@sd69.bc.ca
Mindy Holman mholman@sd69.bc.ca
Jessylee Spence jspence@sd69.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: Trish Cathrine/tcathrine@sd69.bc.ca

II. Inquiry Project Information

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

Curricular Areas Addressed: Other: Whole School Learning

Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Social and emotional learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our focus this year was on education leading to action and the importance of story.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Scanning: Indigenous Education and support of all learners has always been of utmost importance to who we are here at Ballenas. This year, we were able to gather again in our formal homeroom/CLC structures which is a powerful structure to support whole-school learning on a variety of topics. We knew that Indigenous Education needs to be intertwined in all of our classes, but can also be very intentional and purposeful through the vehicle of CLC. We wanted to get back to this being a part of what we do and learn during this time. We wanted the education that takes place during that time support and nudge action. We know that with education comes understanding and action – this is our goal.

Focus: Supporting student transitions – ultimately leading to graduation: dignity, purpose, options, IDENTITY – picking up where we left off after our last transition study (focus: How can increasing Indigenous cultural awareness and understandings at Ballenas contribute to holistic reconciliation and the TRC’s calls to action for education?).

Hunch: We need to continue our learning. We need to go deeper with our learning. Learning needs to support and prompt action.

New Professional Learning: Equity Scan: this year our district began an equity scan. One of the most powerful pieces for our team, from that scan, were the stories from the students. We know that we need to prioritize the sharing of these stories, and before that can happen, we need to focus on creating connection and safe environments for those stories to be shared.

Taking Action: Student conversations/student voice: We need to continue with stories from students – starting with relationships and asking important questions (i.e. what is being shared/said and what is our response?). We also need to make more time to debrief with students after specific focuses (as noted below) – what was the impact? Ripple effect?

Education/action: Intentional focus on Truth and Reconciliation and calls to action; collection of QR codes and connections to actions our community can take NOW; focus on local language and “Mi Cep Nuwilum” – you all come in – as a thread through all that we do; specific focus on land acknowledgements and why; MMIWG and Moosehide Campaign learning, visuals, and pledges.

Photos (above): A few photos from some of the visuals created this year at Ballenas Secondary.

Checking: We feel that we re-engaged in intentional learning this year. We would like to spend more time talking with students in an authentic way to get a better sense of the impact that the learning has had on them, and where they want to go/learn next. Our hope is that some students were able to take this learning and share it more broadly within their own contexts. Education leading to action.

Reflections/Advice: Our plan for next year is to continue listening to and empowering the voices of our Indigenous youth. We have connected with 26 of approximately 100 youth and asked them about the adults in their life who believed they’d be a success; all were able to name two. We also asked about THEM and their story. What do they want US to know – this is the work that we need to continue. Our advice is to slow down; take time to lean into the process and be present with our youth.

School Name: Kwalikum Secondary School

School District: SD#69 Qualicum

Inquiry Team Members: Dallas Phillips: dphillips@sd69.bc.ca, Heather Deering: hdeering@sd69.bc.ca, Lori Marshall: lmarshall@sd69.bc.ca, Jennifer Lunny: jlunny@sd69.bc.ca, Tanya Gardner: tgardner@sd69.bc.ca, Jolin Meier: jmeier@sd69.bc.ca, Mallory Chester: mchester@sd69.bc.ca, Tannis Trevor-Smith: ttrevorsmith@sd69.bc.ca, Trevor Armstrong: tarmstrong@sd69.bc.ca, Traci Nesbitt: tnesbitt@sd69.bc.ca, Christina Hardin: chardin@sd69.bc.ca, Mark Donkers: mdonkers@sd69.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: hdeering@sd69.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, 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: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), First Peoples Principles of Learning, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Indigenous pedagogy, Social and emotional learning, Transitions, Universal design for learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? How does KSS as a learning community create opportunities for equity that foster a sense of belonging for all? Focus: Grade 8 and 9 – Belonging and Community; Grade 10-12 – Grade and Grad Transitions.

III. Spirals of Inquiry Details

Click here to view a Google slides presentation that we created that represents our journey this year.

Scanning: In October, our team met to discuss the scanning process and identify our next steps. We used a placemat activity to gather our thoughts, curiosities, and wonders. When we scanned the learning environment of KSS, and what was going on for our learners, we determined that several of our students and families needed various levels of support. We also discovered that all of the kids needed to develop a sense of belonging and connection with peers and adults. We used the 4 key questions to have conversations with our learners. We specifically met with the Indigenous learners to assess how the beginning of the year was going, and ask them if they could identify two adults who believed in them.

Through the scanning phase, we were keeping our learners at the centre and focusing on the exploration of identity and wellness for all. We realized that the last few years have caused trauma and turmoil for many of our families, and our scanning revealed that many of our kids were disconnected. Building horizontal connections is an integral component of this process.

Focus: Through the scanning phase, we identified that our grade 8 and 9’s need to develop a sense of belonging and connection to this ‘place’. We also determined that our 10-12’s need to have more concrete support in identifying transition goals and supports. For the Indigenous learners, our team recognized several barriers to learning: transportation, lack of connection spaces in the building, SEL obstacles, information gaps, engagement and attendance issues, and lack of connection to some curricular areas.

The hopes and intentions of this inquiry are to create spaces for connection, identify curricular areas that need support embedding FPPL and Indigenous ways of knowing and being, and provide meaningful learning opportunities for all of our kids. We also intend to build cultural awareness and competency for all at KSS.

Hunch: In October, our learners were trying to figure out what the ‘new normal’ was, and many were still battling with the mental and socio-economic outcomes of the pandemic. For two years, our kids and staff were isolated and disconnected. Our hunch was that these conditions impacted our kids and it was our responsibility to create equitable learning environments for all our learners. We needed to identify what current conditions inhibited our learners. We identified the following: racialized language and racism impact many learners’ lived experiences; some traditional school practices inhibit learning; and, the lack of clubs and social opportunities has impacted our kid’s social/emotional development.

New Professional Learning: We are fortunate to have our district involved in an equity scan process. They are also promoting UDL as a framework for inclusive practices and have offered pro-d to support this initiative. Our team has had the opportunity to learn from a variety of educators including but not limited to: Carolyn Roberts, Katie White, Lisa Bosio, Shane Safir, Shelley Moore, Marie Battiste, Jo Chrona, and Beth Applewhite. A few of our members have also attended Engaging Learners in the Secondary/Middle School Years, Learning with Syeyutsus speakers series, ERASE trauma-informed safe and caring school communities, ERASE response to racism and targeted hate, and several NOIIE bursts.

Taking Action: This year, KSS has implemented several strategies to support our inquiry. Upon reflection, we have divided up our action pieces into two separate categories: personal and system/structural.

First, our learners are the heart of all of the work that we do and we know that each and every one of them have gifts to offer. We have focused on making connections with all of our learners, and we are making an action plan for next year that includes scheduled meetings with Indigenous learners. These meetings are intended to identify the path that learners are on and recognize the support that they will need to reach their goals. We may be looking at completing a P.A.T.H process for these learners. We have created a suggested timeline for this action piece. We also plan to meet with the Qualicum First Nation’s community and have an information session about graduation requirements, scheduling, groups/clubs opportunities, and other information focused on navigating the high school system to support family awareness and involvement. We are also planning on hosting an Elder’s tea each semester to help connect the local nation and KSS. So far, we are not in a position to do this due to COVID protocols.

Systemically, we have added collaboration and FLEX learning on Wednesday mornings. Our whole staff collaboration has been focused on UDL and anti-racism. We have provided opportunities for our staff to identify where they are on the wheel of privilege, and made space for conversations to support bias recognition. We are inviting our staff to embed FPPL and Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being into their pedagogy and providing resources for them to support this journey. (Thank you FNESC!) This year, we also had all grade 10 learners take EFP10 Literary Studies.

Checking: We are happy that this is a three-year inquiry process. We were not able to ask the questions to the Indigenous learners again this year. However, we were making sure that the Indigenous grade 12 learners were walking across the stage with dignity, purpose, options, and a sense of well-being.

Also, one of our collaboration groups sent out a student survey that asked several questions to all of our learners, one was the adult connection piece. We know we have work to do in this area; however, we are pleased that several learners do feel connected. Out of 432 responses, 55% can identify two adults with whom they feel connected with and make them feel like they will be successful. (23.8% Maybe/21.1% No)

Next year, our team plans on continuing to identify ways to help our grade 8 and 9’s connect to the school community and feel a sense of belonging. We also plan on supporting our student’s grade transitions; part of this is working on identifying support for mental health and SEL. The data that we are using to identify how effective our inquiry is includes the following: attendance reports, student surveys, SBT and DBT referrals, conversations with students and staff, and graduation data. We have also examined the “How are we doing?” report as a baseline.

Reflections/Advice: As a team, we have learned that it is important to pause and slow down. We have determined that we have many ideas to implement; however, we would like to refocus in September and concentrate on making connections with learners and families. We also know that the first few months are key to capturing our new grade 8’s. We are focusing on ensuring that they are aware of ways to be involved in KSS clubs/teams, and we are providing time in the schedule for all of our learners to connect through whole grade assemblies and whole school assemblies. From the data we received from our “Being Connected Survey”, we recognize that whole-school activities are deemed important to our student population.

Systemically, we are still planning to focus our whole staff collaboration on creating equitable learning environments. We are also examining our Kwalikum Kondor logo and are in conversation with local First Nations about possible rebranding. We will be inviting all of our learners to continue identifying bias and privilege.

The advice that our team has for schools with a similar interest is to keep all learners at the centre and the heart of the work and learning. Pause when it is getting overwhelming and busy and connect with the kids. Finally, prepare yourself for the equity work; attend conferences and workshops and create book clubs that center around anti-racism, white fragility/privilege, trauma-informed practice, and UDL. Find your people and reach out for support if needed. (The NOIIE team is excellent for support.)

School District: SD#69 Qualicum

Inquiry Team Members: Trish Cathrine: tcathrine@sd69.bc.ca
Ballenas Staff Members (whole staff collaboration)

Inquiry Team Contact Email: tcathrine@sd69.bc.ca

Type of Inquiry: NOIIE

Grade Levels: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Area(s): Other: This was a whole staff focus for collaborative learning; teachers then applied this learning to their own curricular areas.

Focus Addressed: Differentiated instruction, Flexible learning, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Inquiry-based learning, Universal design for learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? How do we bridge the knowing/doing gap – “knowing” about inclusion to “doing” and our understanding and use of inclusive practices? The what is “inclusion” and the “how” of inclusive practices?

Scanning: Many are aware of what inclusion is, and have different levels of understanding. Using the work of leaders in our province (Moore, Schnellert, Brownlie and others), we knew that we want to incorporate MORE inclusive practices, frameworks, and planning structures, but that we needed time and space for conversation about this and gentle support to move forward in this (teacher collaboration time with intentional focus on diverse learners and structures to support learning for ALL).

Focus: This has been a topic of conversation for the past few years within our learning services department. More diversity in classrooms has also been a discussion amongst teaching staff here at Ballenas. We are wanting to bring the two together and work on, 1) knowing our learners, 2) designing powerful learning based on big ideas with layering levels of complexity and lots of option (baked potato bar), and 3) structures as supports (and so much more).

We were hoping that our learners continue to feel included, seen, and heard in their classes, and that they experience success through the intentional use and focus on learning design, based on goals – not activities. What is the goal? How will I get there? Who can help? Where to next?

Hunch: Many are aware of what inclusion is, and have different levels of understanding. We were wanting our learning services teachers to be able to provide support in terms of planning, and really resonate with the words of Shelley Moore in regards to retro-fit supports and learning (taking things off that are already planned, instead of planning with the groups and learners and background design in mind). Our hunch was that we needed to make a shift in how we approach this, and provide time and opportunity to look at how this is done and how it impacts learning here within our community.

New Professional Learning: Using the work of leaders in our province (Moore, Schnellert, Brownlie and others), we knew that we want to incorporate MORE examples of inclusive practices and planning frameworks into our teaching and learning – we structured teacher collaboration time with this specific intention, provided background resources and support, and provided plenty of time for teachers to collaborate with the goal of planning for ALL in mind.

Resources that were helpful in this investigation included the work of Shelley Moore, class profile templates from Schnellert and Brownie, planning templates from Moore, and UDL support from Katie Novak and Jennifer Katz.

Taking Action:
1) Whole staff collaboration
– UDL vs. Differentiation
– Offering the “buffet”
– Working with the curriculum: What are the big ideas? What is essential?
– Class profiles – KNOWING your learners: strength based teaching and learning
– Whole staff brainstorming and discussion about: expression, representation, and engagement – creation of “the Ballenas buffet”
– Time for colleagues to talk and discuss UDL and design in curricular and cross curricular areas
– Sharing from colleagues about wonders, challenges, success stories …

Checking: Example 1: PE teacher teaching a variety of skills to entire class, then lets students choose based on goal/strength/area of interest to further develop. Goal(s): everyone would learn basic skills of basketball, everyone will be physically active, but students can choose: play, referee, score keep/stats and support. ALL students were active and participating. ALL students were physically active. ALL students were able to choose a particular aspect they wanted to focus on more deeply. Feeling of cohesion and inclusivity within class – everyone worked together in an area they wanted to focus on going deeper in. Repeated again with a focus on volleyball. Positive feedback from learners who felt and experienced success.

Reflections/Advice: We have only just begin to go deeper in this area.
We know that:
– Knowing our learners
– Starting with strengths
– Supporting learners through goals, not activities
– Differentiation vs. UDL
– Layering on choice, goals, options
… are all inclusive practices. We need to continue to explore these approaches and collaborate as colleagues. We would like to continue this focus and continue to share real stories of this in action. We know that teacher collaboration is essential and will continue to make this happen.

School District: SD#69 Qualicum

Inquiry Team Members: Rudy Terpstra: rterpstr@sd69.bc.ca, Trish Cathrine: tcathrine@sd69.bc.ca, Loanna Clint: lclint@sd69.bc.ca, Heather Deering: hdeering@sd69qualicum.ca, Olivia Hill: ohill@sd69.bc.ca, Kerri Christie: kchristie@sd69.bc.ca, Kathryn Standing: kstanding@sd69.bc.ca, Francois Provencher: fprovencher@sd69.bc.ca, Charlotte Campbell: ccampbell@sd69.bc.ca, Mischa Oak: moak@sd69.bc.ca, Carrie Quant: cquant@sd69.bc.ca,

Inquiry Team Contact Email: hdeering@sd69qualicum.ca

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

Grade Levels: Secondary (8-12)

Curricular Area(s): Career Education, Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Science, Social Studies

Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Differentiated instruction, First Peoples Principles of Learning, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Indigenous pedagogy, Inquiry-based learning, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Social and emotional learning

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? This year we continued our journey focusing on how increasing Indigenous cultural awareness and understandings at Ballenas contribute to holistic reconciliation and the TRC’s calls to action for education.

Scanning: As a team, and as a result of previous data and conversations with the Indigenous Education department, we asked ourselves how we could promote our allyship as a school community and what our role was in reconciliation. We focused on the education/curricular gaps for our learners, and we reflected on how we could extend Indigenous curricular and physical representation in our school to include cultural awareness and our role in holistic reconciliation. The OECD principles of learning that were a focus during this process were putting learners at the center through mini-lessons and movie viewing, and building horizontal connections through speaking engagements, pro d opportunities, and piloting units with FNESC. The First Peoples Principles of Learning that influenced all of our choices were: learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational; learning recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge; learning involves recognizing the consequences of one’s actions; and, learning requires exploration of one’s identity.

Focus: Our focus was guided by all learners (staff included) in our school community. Our hope and intention was to improve relationships, increase a sense of belonging, and encourage community awareness. While the broader goal was increasing our school and district’s awareness, our hope was that our Indigenous learners would feel a connection to their school community and feel supported in their learning; hence, increasing transition through grade 10 and onto graduation.

Hunch: As a team, we were concerned about systemic racism and the deficit model of thinking. We knew that the “perfect stranger” ideology was still prevalent with our staff, and we were/are aware of colonial frameworks in the system. It was our hope and intention that further mini-lessons and whole school activities would challenge ongoing forms of colonial narratives in our community.

New Professional Learning: Collaborative learning for our mini-lessons focused on development for all of our learners, including staff.
Book Club- Marie Battiste’s book Decolonizing Education: Nourishing The Learning Spirit: six staff members collaborated and used guiding questions to facilitate learning.
FNESC Conference: several members of the Ballenas staff attended this conference and shared their learning at a staff meeting. The focus was on promoting Indigenous Ways of Knowing & Being and recognizing Indigenization of the curriculum.
BCFP12: Piloting units for Self-Governance and Treaties through FNESC.
EFP10: Piloting units and working with Shelley Moore and FNESC on inclusive assessment strategies and learning maps. Speaking at FNESC workshops and sharing learning with colleagues from around the province and the United States.
Science 10 using FNESC resources to support Indigenization of curriculum
NOIIE Conference: several members of this NOIIE team attended this conference.
Several team members are also SOGI leads for our school and have been attending pro-d focused on inclusivity for all of our learners. In turn, this has reinforced the relationship as an ally for marginalized members of our school.

Taking Action: Ballenas has added an Elder from Snaw-Naw-As First Nation to our team. The intention is to continue building a relationship with local nations and to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the Indigenous learners.
The Indigenous Historical Timeline has finally been installed in our Grand Hallway. Several classes have used this timeline to inform their lessons.
The focus for this year’s Remembrance Day Ceremony was women’s contributions to the war effort; our group ensured that Indigenous women were included in the speech and slideshow.
This year, Ballenas joined in recognizing MMIWG through several activities: mini-lesson created for the REDress Campaign, hanging red dresses throughout our foyer and dimming the lights for the entire week (very powerful), and participating in the Moosehide Campaign through a schoolwide walk-every learner who participated received a moosehide and card explaining the campaign. (Led by drummers from the Indigenous Education Department) We also made it very clear to students that if they would not wear the hide themselves, they needed to pass it on to a member of the Parksville community.
Ballenas had two screenings of the documentary Picking Up The Pieces: The Making of the Witness Blanket. One viewing was for staff during pro-d, and the other was offered to the Parksville community including Qualicum and Snaw-Naw-As First Nations.
Ballenas also offered a viewing for all of our learners of the IMAX film The Great Bear Rainforest. The executive producer’s son attends Ballenas, and he was available to answer questions and offer commentary after each viewing. The intention for the viewings was focusing on Indigenous world view and ecological literacy.
Over 100 Ballenas students viewed The Grizzlies movie at a local theatre. We have recently purchased the movie for our library.
Ballenas is continuously adding authentic Indigenous resources to both our teacher and student resources.
Several field trips to the Victoria Museum included the EAGLE Tour guided by local Elder Lesley McGarry.
Skype session with a lawyer regarding the pipeline controversy for three senior classes. The focus was assessing consent vs. consultation.
The music department was gifted a song by a member of the Snaw-naw-as First Nations. Performed during year-end concert and for our year-end assembly: Celebrate Ballenas.
Our French Immersion program has been working to increase Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being into their curriculum through the following manners: focusing on the FPPL to inform planning and practice; finding and incorporating French resources that challenge the colonial narrative; adding an Indigenous lens to their social studies curriculum; and, one member has been attending NOIIE/AESN conferences and become a member of this Transition study.
Working with SOGI to promote inclusion for all of our learners-Ally posters distributed to classrooms and banners in the front foyer.
This year we wanted to make a concerted effort to look at how our common/socialization spaces were being used by students. Banners and displays focusing on Indigenous history and allyship were hung in these areas. Much more needs to be done in this area.
Horizontal connections: Lummi Canoe Journey workshop July 26th-asked to speak on teacher panel or create a workshop for “Learning on the Water: Place-based and Indigenous Education in your school” at UVIC
BCFP12-piloting units for Self-Governance and Treaties-presentation at FNESC Conference August 19th.
EFP10 presentations for FNESC throughout the year. Helping to promote awareness of the course and assist teachers in implementing the curriculum. EFP10 is offered for all grade 10 learners next year, and EFP12 is offered as a choice.
A proposal is being submitted to the FNESC annual conference for 2019: a workshop regarding our journey and role in holistic reconciliation. This will also focus on how EFP10 and 12 curricula were introduced to our school and district, and mention the inclusive work guided by Shelley Moore and Jo Chrona. The intention is to share the trials and tribulations and the celebrations and successes from both a teacher and an administrator’s point of view/perspective.
Speaking at TELA with Jo Chrona, Penny Carnrite, and Lesley Gunning on Shelley Moore’s inclusion work (learning maps and assessment for EFP10) and piloting BCFP12 Self-governance and Treaties units.

Checking: Although an official survey was not completed, a general conversation with students in the BCFP12 and EFP10 courses did occur. The general opinion is that Ballenas has increased Indigenous awareness and physical representation in our school community. The students also recognize the importance of being an ally and appreciate that this is one way that they can be a part of the reconciliation process. An informal survey of our Indigenous students in these classes also suggests that they appreciate the effort that the school is doing, they see a difference in “common” knowledge with their friends, and they feel a connection to at least two teachers/staff in the school. Our intention is to have more conversations with our Indigenous learners in September to identify gaps in academic and social and emotional learning. Hopefully we will be able to include Elders from the community and our Indigenous Education Department.

Completing this stage highlights that we have had a decline in graduation rates; however, we are trying to identify where this is coming from. We may need to shift our focus to include more on mental health next year. A conversation needs to happen with the Indigenous Ed team and local nations focused on strategies and action plans for success for Indigenous learners. One thing that is unique about our district is that there is a lack of connection to local bands since most of our learners are otherwise affiliated.

Another issue that has come to light is that we need to be having conversations amongst teachers to identify what they are hearing regarding non-Indigenous learners and their apathy. (Is this real, or just coming from a particular group of students?) IHow can we involve students in the planning and implementation of mini-lessons? Ultimately, Ballenas needs to look at the scope and sequence of lessons and content.

Reflections/Advice: What we learned: As a non-Indigenous school, it is imperative to acknowledge when the colonial narrative is creeping into conversations or initiatives. Authenticity and working with Indigenous representation is key to our role in holistic reconciliation.

Next steps-working harder to build a relationship with local nations.
Continue developing a definition of ally for all of our learners (tall and small). Identify our role as ally.
Develop a plan with our Indigenous learners to help increase successful transition.
One team lead is beginning a Masters program in Educational Leadership-focus is on driving systemic change through the district. (The work with NOIIE has led to this decision/focus)

Advice: Advocacy and allyship require tenacity and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Even if you have members of your community that are fighting the work, you and your team must remain persistent and focused on the goal. If it is possible, meet once a month to discuss progress, initiatives, and next steps. Invite your whole staff to the meetings; create an inclusive learning environment for the entire staff. Provide resources to assist colleagues who are unaware or unsure of how to approach the work.

As our team continues to ‘spiral’ through the inquiry process, we have identified two areas of concern:
1: Is teacher collaboration time at Ballenas being used effectively and focused on increasing the success of our learners?
2. We are working hard at creating an inclusive and diverse learning culture, but are we meeting equity for access points? Do our students have “equitable access to what they need to be academically successful?” (“Confronting Inequity: Discourse, Structure, and Practice” The Deeper Learning Dozen p.18) What does this look like at Ballenas? Tutoring is a topic that we may need to be examining. Flex time addresses this, but are students using this effectively?

School District: SD#69 Qualicum

Inquiry Team Members:Rudy Terpstra rterpstr@sd69.bc.ca; Heather Deering hdeering@sd69.bc.ca; Jane Reynolds jreynolds@sd69.bc.ca; Olivia Hill ohill@sd69.bc.ca; Loanna Clint lclint@sd69.bc.ca

Inquiry Team Contact Email: rterpstr@sd69.bc.ca

Type of Inquiry: AESN 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, Social Studies

Focus Addressed: Aboriginal understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Differentiated instruction, Flexible learning, Inclusion and inclusive insructional strategies, Indigenous pedagogy, Social and emotional learning, Transitions

In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? This year we continues to increase the school population’s awareness of Indigenous knowledge and ways of being through school-wide mini lessons, an increase in Indigenous physical, cultural and curricular representation.

Scanning: As a team, as a result of conversations with Indigenous students last year, we asked how can we further create Indigenous awareness within our school community. We focused on the reflective and responsive nature of learning, we had conversations with local knowledge keepers and we were thoughtful about the process of creating and delivering both mini-lessons and curricular lessons. The OECD principles of learning that were a focus were stretching all students through school wide mini-lessons and curricular lessons and building horizontal connections.

Focus: This was the third year that we have been focusing on this question. While the broader goal was increasing awareness for all students; we wanted our Indigenous learners to feel an increased sense of belonging which would result in an increase in transition through grade 10 and on to graduation.

Hunch: We were concerned that many staff members were ascribing to the “perfect stranger” ideology – essentializing, stereotyping, and romanticizing Indigenous history and culture. We know that when teachers have an “I know nothing and it doesn’t have to do with me” attitude, students begin to devalue the importance of Indigenous education. Our mini-lessons were designed with the idea of challenging this perspective and educating our greater school community.

Much more learning is needed around Indigenous culture, history and contemporary contributions. People are very cautious and don’t feel comfortable teaching the subject. By developing the mini lessons, we are educating our entire community, and modelling for our staff; hopefully increasing their confidence with this area.

New Professional Learning: Collaboration as a team: Mini-lessons were designed to inform and educate both staff and students. These lessons were created collaboratively with a focus on effective strategy and ease of implementation. Lessons were designed to be participatory, with minimal direct instruction. This helped engage our learners, and reduce both prep and anxiety for teachers.

FNESC: Heather Deering has become a leader with FNESC through her work piloting English First Peoples 10 and teaching BC First Peoples 12. This has included creating learning maps with Shelly Moore, Joe Chrona and others to assess the new EFP courses. Heather’s learning and sharing across the province and at Ballenas have been an invaluable contribution to the inquiry project.

Taking Action: By far the the highlight of the year was the paddle installation ceremony at the end of the year where the welcoming and leaving paddles were revealed to the whole school community at our celebrate Ballenas year-end celebration. The artist, elder, Indigenous team and Indigenous community all participated. As well, all students had a mini-lesson on the symbolism and meaning of the paddles. They now greet everyone at the main entrance and look beautiful.

Remembrance Day highlighted Indigenous service in the wars.

We spent a large amount of money to purchase authentic Indigenous resources to support the new curriculum. For the 2018/2019 school year 5 of 8 ELA classes will take English First Peoples 10 and the other 3 classes will have significant Indigenous content as a result of these resources.

The timeline of Indigenous history is complete, but we are still waiting on maintenance to install the wood along the hallway for the timeline.

Checking: This year we surveyed our Indigenous students to find out how they thought our actions were impacting them. We asked the following:
1. Have these had an affect on how you feel about Ballenas?
2. BC First Nations Studies, English, and Social Studies among other courses at Ballenas have increased the amount of Indigenous content into the courses. Have you noticed this and how did you feel about this?
3. Ballenas has made all students of Ballenas aware of Indigenous culture by having mini-lessons in LINK (stereotypes and Halloween, recognizing that we are on the shared territory of the Qualicum and Nanoose First Nations. . . . ), highlighting Indigenous contributions to the World Wars at Remembrance Day, and the Paddle Ceremony coming this year. How do these school-wide activities make you feel about your school?
4. What can we do more of? What can we do less of? What next?

While many of our Indigenous students do not belong to our local Indigenous Nations, most responded either very effective or effective to each of the questions. Further, we received positive feedback on our initiative and this caused us to reflect on how to make the paddle installation ceremony more significant.

Reflections/Advice: We need to encourage student voice next year to ensure cultural responsiveness and continue to be in conversation with our local knowledge keepers (cultivate positive cultural identity).

Advice- be persistent and find ways to collaboratively plan methods and strategies to increase Indigenous consciousness for your community of learners. / Recognize deficit thinking in your school and develop a plan to change or challenge this misconception.

Continue to develop lessons and confidence in teachers to teach and learn. Support them with rich, varied and authentic Indigenous resources. Allow time for teacher collaboration and learning.

Next. We are also focusing on incorporating the FPPL into our Core Competencies and reflecting on how we are using the FPPL in our classrooms. We continue our journey and focus for a fourth year.