I. General Information
School Name: Wiltse Elementary
School District: SD#67 Okanagan Skaha
Inquiry Team Members: Ashley Aoki (aaoki@sd67.bc.ca)
Inquiry Team Contact Email: aaoki@sd67.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Language Arts – Writing, Science, Social Studies
Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), First Peoples Principles of Learning, Land, Nature or Place-based learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Identifying ways to deepen my students contextual understanding of the local Indigenous Peoples ways of knowing and being while also strengthening their skills as writers.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: During the scanning process, I asked the paraprofessionals in the space (CEA’s) to support me by interviewing students. This allowed me to collect data from the students in a succinct way as a classroom teacher. Scanning alongside the paraprofessionals allowed us to have conversations about the themes we were seeing emerge, and it was also reaffirming for them to hear students validate how supported they feel by the CEAs.
We did follow the FPPL, learning takes patience and time, as the scanning process wasn’t something we wanted to rush. We allowed their to be space and time for students to establish themselves in the classroom space (about 3-5 weeks) before scanning them.
Focus: We had chosen to focus our attention on writing and how to continue embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and being into our learning practice. We chose this as those were areas that were not highlighted as frequently during the students one-on-one conversations during the scanning process.
Hunch: Something that I was ‘hunching’ about was the depth of understanding my students had as it related to Indigenous ways of knowing and being. I also was wondering how I could continue supporting my students as writers so they were less focused on the mechanics of writing (spelling and grammar) and more the overall process of writing.
New Professional Learning: After reading through several case studies, I chose to borrow the writing template created by Beach Grove Elementary. The design was simple and effective. My students had a very clear idea of what they needed to include in their brainstorming pages before they transitioned to the draft. I also leaned on the self-regulation learning cycle created by the Delta School District in partnership with Dr. Schnellert and Dr. Perry. My students and I regularly spoke about the various tenets of self-regulated learning – environment, learning intention, goal, etc. I was also shown an incredible local Indigenous plant/tree resource that I continued exploring with my students. This built my capacity and understanding of the knowledge within the lands I live on and also supported me in guiding my students. We also leaned on the resource, “How To Teach Nature Journaling” by John Muir Laws.
Taking Action: As a team, we implemented the strategic action cycle at the beginning of the school year. This allowed students to have agency over their learning and also guidelines for what self-regulation does look like. We also used the template from Beach Grove Elementary to support them with their writing in the classroom. To further and enrich their learning we began nature journaling on the land. The combination of these learning strategies boosted my students self-confidence and revealed the places my students need further support. We spoke a lot about the benefits of receiving feedback and leaned on Ron Berger’s work to continue sharpening our skills.
Checking: Several of my students made significant growth this year in the areas of writing and deepening their understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing and being. I not only received feedback from several students, I also heard feedback from parents who commented about their child’s progress this year, how much they love to write, or that their child is inviting them to now pause on the land to smell the ponderosa pine or look at a flower in bloom.
Reflections/Advice: If I could share any advice for those who are interested in this inquiry or something similar, I would say that it wasn’t one learning resource that shifted everything for my students. It was a threading of multiple excellent professional resources that shifted things. I can not stress, as well, how important it is to scan and how valuable it is to have the paraprofessionals in the space involved in the process.