Our reason for living

What a wonderful couple of weeks it has been for the Networks. There have been a number of regional celebrations over the last few days - from the Lower Mainland to Prince Rupert - school teams are sharing their inquiry learning and celebrating the purpose, passion and persistence that kept us afloat and paddling forward together over the last few months. 

We’re still brimming with energy from the success of the 2016 NOII Symposium. We are extremely grateful to those who contributed their time to the event through presentations, leading flash chats, volunteering, and being fully engaged in lively discussions over the course of 3 days, beginning with Dr. Helen Timperley’s pre-Symposium event, continuing with engaging speakers, igniters and school presentations, and then culminating with Ted Cadwallader’s metaphor of the wayfinders – as we work together to ensure that every child in BC crosses the stage with dignity, purpose and options. 

Several presentations and highlights from the Symposium have now been posted on our website here. We’ll also have video coming soon, thanks to our student videographer volunteers from North Vancouver School District.  Some shared comments are also captured below and through #noii2016. 

Thanks to speaker Kaleb Child with SD 85 Vancouver Island North for sharing so many new words and ideas with us through his presentation at the Symposium. We’re struck by the concept of Tlayu’la gaxans gwi’gwala’yu – “our reason for living” and collectively making the change for our children. This is indeed the most important journey we can embark on together, and we are so honoured to have the opportunity to share together in the passion, purpose and persistence needed to continue paddling and wayfinding together.  

FNESC/FNSA Summer Institute on First Peoples Curriculum, Aug 22-25 2016

 Registration is now open for the Summer Institute for Teachers on First Peoples Curriculum, August 22-25, at the Coast Plaza Hotel Vancouver offered by FNESC and the FNSA with support from the Vancouver Foundation.

Comprised of 4 day-long sessions, selected individually (new this year), the sessions will introduce resources that focus on themes, issues and topics of importance to First Peoples learning and informed by the First Peoples Principles of Learning. Each session will include print resources, activities and opportunities for professional dialogue and networking.

These sessions sell out very quickly! Please register early. 

SESSIONS 2016

Monday, August 22

Integrating First Peoples Content and Principles of Learning in Classrooms

This session is designed to help educators effectively integrate First Peoples content and the First Peoples Principles of Learning into classrooms.  Participants will examine the updated FNESC/FNSA Authentic First Peoples Resources for Use in Classrooms Resource Guide along with other FNESC/FNSA teacher resources and will leave the workshop with materials and strategies to help them share their learning with others in their schools or districts.

Tuesday, August 23

Residential Schools and Reconciliation Teacher Resource Guide – ELEMENTARY

This session is designed to help support elementary educators to teach about residential schools in well-informed, respectful and appropriate ways. Participants will explore the FNESC/FNSA Residential Schools and Reconciliation Teacher Resource Guide for Grade 5, which introduces students to the historical context of residential schools and the principles of reconciliation. These materials engage students with age-appropriate literature, archival documents, and video resources.

Wednesday, August 24

Residential Schools and Reconciliation Teacher Resource Guide – SECONDARY

This session is designed to help support secondary school educators teach about residential schools in a well-informed, respectful and appropriate way. Participants will be exploring the FNESC/FNSA Residential Schools and Reconciliation Teacher Resource Guides for grades 10 and 11/12, which introduce students to the historical context of residential schools and the principles of reconciliation by engaging them with a variety of archival documents, video resources, and activities.

Thursday, August 25

Science First Peoples Grades 5-9 First Peoples (Draft)

This session is designed to introduce educators to a draft copy of the new FNESC/FNSA Science First Peoples Teacher Resource Guides for grades 5-9, a resource designed to help educators incorporate First Peoples perspectives and content into science classes in authentic and respectful ways.  Participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback to guide further development of the resource.

To register and for complete details, please click here.

Spring Newsletter and more

The Spring 2016 Network Newsletter has just been released, with news about:

• Next steps for AESN
• Key initiatives for 2016/2017
• New publications – very exciting!
• International connections
• Learning opportunities

Please check it out and share it with your colleagues.

We are also very excited about the upcoming NOII Symposium on May 13 & 14, as well as all the related events. We took a chance at expanding our capacity this year to accommodate 300 participants, but even this is not enough as we now have a long wait list! It will be a tremendous few days of learning.

Please also see this great video – with Judy describing the Spirals of Inquiry. Perfect for anyone just joining the Network or intrigued to learn more.

UBC Professional Learning Opportunities (and more...)

We have quite a number of opportunities for professional learning coming up in the next few months. Many of you already know about the 2016 Network Symposium taking place in Richmond, BC on May 13 & 14. The program will be finalized in the coming months and we’ll post it here when it’s available. We’ll have quite a few visiting speakers, including Helen Timperley, who is also providing a special pre-symposium session on May 12^th. This pre-symposium event requires separate registration and seats are very limited – please register early!  

There are also two upcoming opportunities through UBC. The 2^nd Inquiry &Innovation Summer Institute will take place on July 8 & 9 at the Vancouver Point Grey campus.  This is a two-day intensive working session for teachers, principals, cultural workers and district leaders looking to making inquiry-informed practices a way of life in school and district settings. The registration deadline is May 26^th – please share this poster with your colleagues. 

The 2^nd cohort of the UBC Transformative Educational Leadership Program will begin October 2016. Through a blended, multi-access approach, participants will experience an opening weekend at UBC Vancouver in October, followed by a series of weekend retreats and online interactions, concluding with a capstone event in July 2017. The Transformative Educational Leadership Program is ideal for leaders in the K-12 system and other connected sectors, who are interested in system transformation. This cohort-based program is for exceptional individuals who already have post-graduate degrees and want to expand their world-view, gain new experiences and raise their academic credentials to new levels. We are currently accepting applications. Please join our mailing list to be notified about upcoming program information sessions. 

Lots on the go, as usual! Please contact us to learn more about any of these opportunities. 

 

UBC 100: Indigenous Education Alumni Speaker Panel

For anyone who will be in the Vancouver area on March 10^th, check out the UBC 100: Indigenous Education Alumni Speaker Panel event taking place at the UBC Vancouver First Nations Longhouse. 

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its report and Calls to Action. The purpose of this event, featuring 3 of our outstanding UBC Faculty of Education’s 100 Alumni, is to share insights, create dialogue, and develop individual and cooperative actions to accelerate the success of Indigenous education, with an emphasis on the past, present, and future role of the UBC Faculty of Education This is a free event but registration is required.

See their flyer for more details.

Network Meetings Across BC

Network schools across BC have submitted their NOII and AESN inquiry focuses and are now in the thick of working through the Spiral – implementing actions based on their scanning and hunches, and working toward deeply improving their practice and student learning. It’s a journey not to be rushed if we really want to continue to make a difference in our classrooms and schools.

In total we have 175 schools across BC and the Yukon participating in either NOII or AESN this year as well as close to 60 schools in the Healthy Schools Network. Wow! The opportunity to learn from and with each other is a key part of the Network, so it really is amazing to see the ways in which many schools are building on practices they have learned from others.

One way we do this is through regional meetings to share stories, troubleshoot, brainstorm and work together across similar contexts. Meetings provide a boost of energy at a busy time of year when we all could use a bit of extra motivation. We know from experience in BC and beyond that getting together regularly in face-to-face meetings deepens and strengthens the connections and accelerates the pace of new learning.

Thanks to Heidi Wood and the Surrey team for hosting this year’s Lower Mainland regional meeting on January 28^th.  Schools shared resources, discussed progress and were able to hear a bit about all the international work the Network has on the go – including cohorts of schools piloting work with the Spirals in the UK. 

The North West Region held their meeting on Feb 5^th at the Skeena Valley Golf Course. A large group came together from across the region – 37 educators from Nisga’a, Prince Rupert, Hazelton, Kitimat, Terrace and Thornhill were able to make the trek (with Smithers having to miss the event due to inclement weather and bad driving conditions). Thanks to Network Leader Kathy Eades for sharing this synopsis with us: 

We had a nice mix of experienced “Network” members, first year folks, and those who wanted to hear more about how this all works. Jody Tetreau and Jenelle VanTunen from Hazelton Secondary shared their student inquiry work, linking this with the re-freshed curriculum. Jody then shared a model she designed connected the work she does with Big Ideas and Inquiry. Christine Goncalves and Julia Nieckarz guided the group through the Core Competencies, Inquiry Based Model Stages, The Nature of Learning – Using Research to Inspire Practice from the Centre of Educational Research and Innovation, 2 Models of School Wide Inquiry and Grade Level Sharing. There were rich opportunities for new learning, and deep conversations with folks within our region.

We really appreciate hearing about what other regions are up to and how they are structuring their face-to-face time. Please consider putting some brief notes in an email to me us at noii.aesn@gmail.com so that we can share your good work. 

Register Now for the 2016 NOII Symposium

Register now for the 2016 NOII Symposium on May 13 & 14, 2016 at the Westin Wall Centre in Richmond, BC. The 2016 event – Purpose, Passion and Persistence: Making it Real – will showcase innovative educational leadership through local and international speakers (see below for the amazing line-up!), school presentations and flash chats for sharing actions that are make a difference.  Please share this flyer with your colleagues.

2016 NOII Symposium
Friday, May 13, 2016 – 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday, May 14, 2016 – 8:30 am to 12:00 noon
The Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport
3099 Corvette Way, Richmond BC

Online registration for the Symposium is now available at westvancouverschools.ca/noii. Registration is $350 (including gst). If paying by cheque, please see instructions on the flyer. Contact Donna Weaving, Network Coordinator, with any questions: dweaving@dccnet.com.

Symposium Accommodations:
Book your room at the Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport:
On-line: https://goo.gl/H0fGqe  or  Tel: 604-303-6565 / 1-888-414-2010
To qualify for the group rate of $139.00 (s/d) call prior to May 2, 2016 and indicate you are attending the “NOII” or “Networks of Inquiry and Innovation” Symposium.

Speakers and Events: 
This year's event will feature a number of speakers, including:

Deborah Butler, University of British Columbia
Kaleb Child, Vancouver Island North
Alison Davies, BC Teachers' Federation
Catherine McGregor, University of Victoria
Nancy Perry, University of British Columbia
Amelia Peterson, Harvard University
Shane Pointe, Vancouver School Board's Knowledge Keeper/Elder in Residence
Leyton Schnellert, University of BC Okanagan
David Sim, NSW Department of Education and Communities
Terry Taylor, Arrow Lakes School District
Helen Timperley, University of Auckland, New Zealand    

We’re also extremely excited to once again feature a number of school presentations from both elementary schools sharing their learning around bringing passion and purpose to life in service of their learners, and secondary schools actively engaged in the AESN Transition Study (Dr. Catherine McGregor will speak more to this as well!). We’ll also, once again, be joined by a group of student ambassadors who will challenge us to think deeply about our practice and provide feedback on how we are doing so far.

We promise a very memorable, networked, inspiring event! Please register early as there are limited spaces and we fill the venue every year!