School Name: Barriere Secondary School
School District: SD#73 Kamloops/Thompson
Inquiry Team Members: Angela Stott: Astott@sd73.bc.ca, Mark McVittie: Mmcvittie@sd73.bc.ca, Kristy Dolha: Kdolha@sd73.bc.ca, Thomas Lowe: Tlowe@sd73.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: Astott@sd73.bc.ca
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Transitions (focus on Indigenous learner transitions)
Grade Levels: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Area(s): Mathematics / Numeracy
Focus Addressed: Formative assessment, Growth mindset, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Social and emotional learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Building a more resilient school community.
Scanning: Through our initial scan, we noticed that all learners felt connected to our school and that they were excited to come to Barriere Secondary school from both Barriere Elementary School and Neqweyqwelsten School of Simpcw First Nation. Our Aboriginal Education worker works on the premise that we support all learners to achieve their potential. All learners value the inclusion of Indigenous culture and First Peoples Principles of Learning in our teaching and learning.
Our scanning process:
1) asking the four big questions
2) small group interviews
3) reviewing data sets such as classroom composition, choice of math class in senior grades
Focus: We identified our numeracy scores as an area for growth. Through inclusive instructional practices and effective formative assessment, we aim to develop a growth mindset towards math in our learners.
Hunch: A culture of low expectation:
– We don’t know if our math instruction is relevant
– Parents with low expectations –“I didn’t do well in math, my kid won’t either”
– Teachers would benefit from developing skills in differentiation
– “Oh, this is just Barriere”
New Professional Learning: At this point in the school year, given a principal change and an OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE TRAP OF OVER SCANNING, as well as COVID-19/ remote learning, we have been moving into professional learning – FPPOL, OECD 7 Principles, and assessment (specifically formative assessment).
Taking Action: We have not reached the action phase of the spiral, as we need to learn more about how best to improve our numeracy instruction and develop a resilient mindset in our learners.
Checking: Stay tuned ;). We are at the baseline.
Reflections/Advice: We were trapped in a bit of a scanning cycle and needed to take a step back, in order to figure out how to intentionally proceed and understand what our Indigenous learners need to improve their learning and experience at school.