A week of learning! Network update, BCSSA conference and more...

The last week has been filled with engaged professional learning and collaboration, with the BCSSA conference last Thursday and Friday, and then a great Network Leaders meeting on Saturday in Vancouver. 

If you missed the BCSSA conference, you can check out the presentations here. Keynote presentations included Andy Hargreaves (see his new book Uplifting Leadership), Michael Fullan (visit his website for articles, books and videos), and Yong Zhao (speaking about creativity and education reform – see more here).  Network leader Terry Taylor – Superintendent of Schools at SD 10 (Arrow Lakes) – shared learning from the district’s Reconciliation Through Art focus. It’s amazing work that you need to check out!

During the Network meeting on Saturday, leaders from across the province shared and celebrated stories, learning, challenges, goals, questions and triumphs so far this school year. We spent time listening to one another and offering insights from our own practice. We discussed that idea that inquiry takes time, and that our questions and projects evolve as we continue to scan our environments, act on our hunches, and learn from our students and colleagues.  

Network meetings are always buzzing with collaboration, ‘a ha’ moments, and supportive sharing of ideas. In the spirit of the Network, members leave their roles at the door, and we come together openly to share and learn from one another – to really move our practice forward.  But something about this gathering felt even more powerful. Perhaps it’s because we articulated how grateful we were to have a supportive environment in which to learn and re-learn the Spiral of Inquiry, and in so doing, reminded ourselves that we need to be working hard to nurture those supportive environments back in our respective regions of the province. I think many of us left the meeting feeling more inspired to continue this important work, and encourage new colleagues to recognize the good work they are already engaged in and support each other in enriching and deepening what we are already curious about as educators.  

And now the Network is growing again! Judy and Linda are in England this week at the Whole Education Network conference. A group of schools there will be building a network based on Spirals of Inquiry! We’ll share more about this project as the work progresses, and some members from this group will be attending the Network Symposium here in Vancouver in May 2015.  

Inquiry question templates now available

Among the key features of the Network from its very inception is that participation in networked inquiry is always open and always voluntary.  We also expect school teams to include principals, vice principals, teachers, support staff and cultural workers – with everyone leaving their formal role at the door to enter into inquiry with genuine curiosity and a spirit of teamwork. We also know that micro grants go a long way to both saying ‘thank you’ and to providing a tangible form of recognition for sharing school level work with a broader audience.  We believe that it is critically important to create a space for school teams from across districts to meet with one another – both face-to-face and on-line. This year is no exception.

This year, there are four areas of inquiry in which schools can become involved.  Templates for each of the four inquiry areas are available on our website (click on the links below).  

·         AESN – focus on enhancement agreements

·         AESN –student level inquiries

·         AESN– focus on student transitions

·         NOII– Learning Principles

The deadline for all inquiry proposals is December 15^th. For more information about each of the four areas of inquiry, please refer to the 2014-2015 Network Guide. Please also feel free to contact us for more information.  

Links for Professional Learning

With the BC wide professional development day this past Friday, many of you have likely spent the last few days fully engaged in conferences, workshops or other learning opportunities around the province. In the spirit of continued learning, I’m including some links below to interesting articles, resources or tidbits of information we’ve explored recently:

·         In her article “Pre-Reading Strategies for Picture Books” from Canadian Teacher Magazine, Brenda Boreham highlights the beautiful new book Mouse Celebrates the Winter Solstice, by Kwakwaka’wakw author Terri Mack and Tsimshian artist Bill Helin. As Boreham points out, this story can support a variety of units of study, such as the seasons, solar system, friendship and courage, while building on aboriginal ways of knowing in the classroom.

·         The Whole Education Network, based in England, is “a partnership of like-minded schools, organisations and individuals that believe that all young people should have a fully rounded education, developing the knowledge, skills and qualities needed to help them thrive in life and work.” This school year a pilot group of 20 lead schools in England will be using the Spiral of Inquiry as the framework for their efforts to advance outcomes for all their learners.

·         At the last NOII Symposium, Richelle Ouimet and Ashley Barker shared their learning in Growing Digital and Global Citizens through Online Literature. This was a multi school inquiry project using digital technology. See their presentation here (starting from the 2^nd video on the page), as well as other inquiry projects here.

·         Particularly for those that teach in a rural setting, visit ruralteachers.com and explore this “Rural Commons.” There are a wealth of resources, videos and links to innovative projects happening around the province.

·         Check out the recent Conference Board of Canada’s report How Canada Performs – A Report Card on Canada. This is a comparative study examining Economy, Education and Skills, Innovation, Environment, Health, and Society in sixteen peer countries. British Columbia ranks third overall, after Japan and Finland, in the latest Education and Skills report card. 

Please contact us with other ideas for resources, links, articles that you think should be shared with network members.  

Strong Nations opens new location!

Many of you are familiar with Terri and Ken Mack’s Strong Nations book selling and publishing business, which focuses on Indigenous literature from across Canada, and particularly supporting literacy acquisition for all learners through Indigenous texts.

One of the highlights of break time at the NOII Symposium, and many other conferences, has always been to slowly peruse the wide selection of Indigenous literature that Terri and Ken share with us through their exhibitor booths. It’s an opportunity to chat with colleagues around how they’ve incorporated different books into their classrooms, and learn about new resources, curricular ideas and publishing opportunities.  I have really valued Strong Nations, and Terri and Ken’s suggestions, as a integral part of my professional learning at these events.

That’s why it’s so exciting to announce that Strong Nations has opened a bricks and mortar location in Nanaimo, at Suite 1 – 1970 Island Diesel Way. Check out this announcement in the Nanaimo Daily News. This location will not only showcase a wide breadth of material, it will be a space for supporting and building capacity in the publishing field by providing author and illustrator workshops and events.   

We’ll certainly be visiting their new location very soon, but if you don’t have plans to be in the Nanaimo region in the short term, you can still browse their selection of books and resources through their website and order materials online.

Congratulations to the Strong Nation team!  

Resources for start of school year

Welcome back to school and classes! We hope this week has been a great start to getting to know more about your classroom students and school community.

We’ve recently added Resources section to our website. Here you’ll find links to key tools you and your colleagues can use for planning your inquiry.  If you have new teachers in your school this year, particularly those beginning educators, these resources are a great place to start in connecting them to the inquiry process.  Did you know that Spirals of inquiry: for equity and quality is considered required reading for many teacher candidates at universities across BC? So new teachers may already have some experience with the inquiry process!

The First People’s Principles of Learning, developed by British Columbia’s First Nations Education Steering Committee, is a great resource to bring to share with staff at a meeting early in the school year.  These guiding principles can help to shape the pathways of learning for both staff and students throughout the school year.

We’ll soon add an Articles section to the Resources page on the website. We encourage you to share your suggestions for what should populate this space. Please contact us with your ideas!

Traditional Language Learning in Mission School District

We recently sent out the latest Network newsletter, highlighting a number of upcoming events, resources and research. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, check it out now, or let us know if you’d like to be added to our email list to receive future editions. 
 

We have been so encouraged and inspired by the case studies that have been coming in over the last few months (see one great example here). Given the challenging circumstances of last spring and now this fall, we have decided to extend the deadline for submission of 2013-2014 case studies until October 15. Hopefully this will give every school a chance to share their inquiries and their findings. Templates for submitting case studies are available on the NOII website. NOII templates are here, and the AESN templates are here.

A student receives a Halq'emeylem translation
of her English name at Deroche Elementary.
—Image credit: Alina Konevski/Mission City Record

We’ll also keep you informed when more case studies are added to the website, but check back here often for case studies we will highlight, offering a treasure trove of ideas and strategies shared by your colleagues from BC and beyond.

Check out this awesome example from Mission School District (#75), which made the front page of the local newspaper back in February.  The story highlights how Mission has incorporated the teaching of the First Nation language Halq’eméylem, the traditional language of the Stó:lo people, into seven schools in the district. All students at the schools have the opportunity to engage in this language learning during regular class hours, taught by a language instructor who works side by side with the teacher. This project is part of the AESN transitions initiative, with Carolynn Schmor, aboriginal education principal with the district, sharing some of her remarks with us:

“I am astounded at the progress of the students already. We were doing a cultural day at the school and I was admiring some of the button blanket dolls some of the students were making when a few of them started speaking to me in Halq’eméylem. They taught me some greetings and words and when I struggled to keep up they told me I needed to connect with their teacher “Pepte”. He will teach you, they said. I went into another class and shared this story with the teacher and she asked her class to share a song with me in Halq’eméylem and they did!”

Despite the current challenges, there is a great deal to celebrate about the impact of your work with the NOII and AESN. Thank you!

Increasing Graduation Rates by Supporting Transitions

When flipping through the latest Canadian Education Association bulletin, I came across this article regarding action steps that schools and districts can take as an attempt to reduce dropout rates for secondary students.  The article, from a Quebec perspective, presents some interesting ideas.  But it particularly caught my attention because it made me think of the innovative steps Network schools are taking to address the same issue, using an inquiry based approach, and one that focuses less on dropout and more on ‘every learner crossing the stage with dignity, purpose and options.’ 

Recently, Network leader Kim Boettcher, District Principal of Curriculum & Assessment with School District #60, shared their approach to helping students transition from middle school to secondary and beyond.  This work was part of their inquiry last year, focused on Aboriginal Transitions and ensuring students are supported as they craft their Learning Journey. 

It starts with laying out a proposed learning plan in Grade 9 for each student.  Kim (and often an Aboriginal Support Worker) sat one on one with students at the computer, and typed the proposed steps in the learning journey as the student described their plans.  Not only does this give the student something tangible to refer to when thinking about their future, but as Kim pointed out, it’s also a good step in getting to know the students as people – especially what they hope and dream for the future.  When students enter secondary school this coming September, they will have access to their plan electronically, and can make changes and additions as their interests/goals/learning needs change.  Throughout their time in secondary school, the document will be a way for them to plan for their dual credit, apprenticeships, work experience, university transfer, scheduling for post-secondary requirements, etc. 

On a district wide scale, SD #60 is also supporting the transition from middle to secondary school through Transition Night dinners with school district staff, support workers, Band Councils, Elders and other community members.  This helps everyone get to know each other, as well as develops a community support system that students can draw from as they make this transition.  And having noted that math is often a barrier to graduation for many of their students, the district is also supporting additional professional learning for their secondary math teachers to build their capacity in addressing this area of student need. 

It’s amazing to see this layering of support for students as they transition to the next phase of their learning.  We’ve included a sample plan here to give you a sense of what this can look like in practice.