Nanaimo Ladysmith School District - Community of Learners

Background

Nanaimo is a city located on Vancouver Island, 45 minutes north of the State capital of Victoria. It has a population of around 90 000 and its main industries are forestry and fishing, however unemployment is high. The school district has over 40 schools. My contact was Laura Tait, who is director of Instruction and Learning Services for the school district.

A group of teachers have been developing an innovation project called The Community of Learners. The project is values/ competency based student led inquiry which extends through elementary school to secondary. The project is a journey and the teachers are working through many of the issues and barriers Hampden Street faced in our MLE project. Mary-Lynn Epps is now looking at refining their Community of Learners to better reflect the values and understandings of the First Nation people (aboriginal people of the island).

The central Philosophy for the Community of Learners is "We are all Learners; we are all teachers." Collaboration is key whether it be working with partners, in circle meetings, in peer conference sessions or elbow to elbow in coaching sessions.

Like the students the teachers are very much learners and they are encourage to investigate aspects of their own practice in a teacher-led inquiry. They then showcase this to peers.

The school district is very much about community partnerships, whether that be hosting students from teacher training programmes in the school, hosting an author or tribal elder, photographers, visiting local places of interest etc. One of the many benefits of the school district concept is the ability to attract quality partnerships - culturally, in the community, academically and with business.

The Community of Learners Inquiry Cycle was similar to many you would find at schools in NZ. It was as a cycle not a series of linear steps and it allowed for students to direct their learning and collaborate with each other.

Something that stood out to me was the concept of the 'Showcase' to celebrate learning at the completion of each inquiry. When a learning showcase is used as a required element of the inquiry cycle, it provides an opportunity for a powerful culminatiion event for the inquiry. Classmates, school administrators, families, teachers and students from other schools and community members are all invited to view the products that the students have created, and to discuss their learning with them. Most of these Inquiry Showcases were held in the evening so working parents could attend.

Dover Bay High School.

Lynn Brown is a passionate 8th Grade teacher and, along with Mary-Lynn Epps and Terill McDonald, created the Community of Learners. Lynn shared two of her Year 8 Humanities classes. These classes are an integration of the Social Sciences and English.

The Totem sits in the Foyer of Dover Bay High school

Year 8 cohort developed and negotiated the Descriptors for the four "Cs" Community of Learners values - commitment, cooperation or collaboration, communication and contribution (self) or control. They did this at the start of the year as a collective group in their multi-purpose room. This process was also shared with new teachers so they had buy-in and ownership of the process. These are guiding values not just for the class but for any project inquiries.

The Community of Learners Agreement in the Year 8 Humanities class

The students had completed three linear (longer) inquiries this year each allowing students to drive their learning to some degree. The Inquiries go for a longer length and students worked in 4 x 80 minute periods a day, although many students felt for Year 8 60 minutes would be better. However, most students commented that allowing the extra time to complete their inquiries allowed them to investigate to a greater depth. As an important part of their assessments students presented their inquiries to an audience that included parents, and teachers from contributing schools. Students that did present their inquiry (not all did) commented how much they enjoyed it and looked forward to doing their next inquiry.  Overall 100 students presented to parents on the night with the class teacher doing an introduction and then parents could move around the stations where students presented. The students had set ways to present - PowerPoint, board game, video clips, and speeches. The next project which is about Global citizenship will allow the students to choose how they will present their inquiry.

The Year 8 Community of Learners at Dover Bay High School

The teacher inquiry process is based on the "Spirals of Inquiry" Model developed by Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser in association with the BC Principal and VP's Association. Laura gave me a copy  :-) Teacher's drive their learning through this process.

It was interesting to hear the students talk with excitement about their next inquiry. As a global citizen they need to choose a cause that interests them and develop some way to promote and participate in it.

Challenges and Barriers: Although the Community of Learners/ Inquiry are being driven by a passionate group of teachers, some of the more traditional style teachers are questioning its merits, which is leading to some negativity from students. It has also caused some parental concerns.

There was a wonderful collaborative environment in the class where the students spoke freely but also respected each other and their teacher. They had a growing ownership of their learning and were excited about future projects.

Randerson Ridge Elementary School

We visited Terrill McDonald at Randerson Ridge. She has been running the Community of Learners for a number of years and it was well embedded into her class. She had built on it throughout the years, linking it to Gardner's Multiple Intelligences where students have identified their learner’s strengths and the areas they need to develop. They had also looked into kindness and students have been challenged to do random acts of kindness for class mates, families etc. When they do this they add a link to a kindness chain.

The thing that struck me in Terrill's class was how well embedded the Community of Learners is. I asked the children my golden question, "Point to the person in charge of your learning." The response was immediate, all students pointed at themselves. Not bad for 8 years old!

Community of Learners Agreement in Terrill's Class

Terrill has also extensively used the MindUP™ programme. MindUP™ teaches social and emotional learning skills that link cognitive neuroscience, positive psychology and mindful awareness training utilizing a brain centric approach.

After leaving Randerson Ridge, Laura Tait and I went and had a coffee and discussed our day. The children’s response in Terrill's class resounded with us both. Laura talked about four questions that they often ask students:

§  What are you learning?

§  How is your learning going?

§  How do you know you are learning? 

§  Name two adults in the school that care about you and your learning?

We also discussed the importance of building relationships with students and particularly the at-risk one. Laura talked about the "10 Challenge," where teachers or teacher aides are assigned a at-risk students and for 2mins every day for 10 weeks they check in with the students just to see how things are going.

First Nation People:

A real challenge for Nanaimo Ladysmith Schools is ensuring the First Nation People feel they have a place in the school system and their values and beliefs are valued and integrated into class programmes. There are some real parallels between the plight of Maori and the First Nation people in Canada. The big difference is the huge destruction the residential school system has done to family life for generations of the first nation people. The pace of progress in recognition of First Nation Peoples' place in society is slow and has a way to go but with the hard work of people like Laura Mary - Lynn and Leila things are happening in this school district.

My Reflections: 

The Community of Learners is being driven not only by a group of passionate teachers but has great support from the school district. They are a forward thinking group who have a clear 'Big Picture" view of their district. Having visited Canadian Schools before I am convinced the School district model is something we need in NZ. The COS project the Nelson City Schools are engaging is an exciting opportunity but it is a beginning and rather than having one associate Principal released for a couple of days a week, a fulltime COS supervisor/ director would provide a better overview of the project and have the time to ensure positive outcomes. The school district system allows for more collaboration between schools and teachers. The teachers felt they belonged more to the school district than the school.

There was a genuine connection between the high schools and the elementary schools. Teachers moved between schools and this included taking leadership roles in the High Schools. Elementary teachers attended presentations of projects by high school students. Again our COS will allow us to to do this but we probably need to focus on Teaching and Learning as a whole rather than individual 'silos' such as Mathematics or Literacy.

The Community of Schools had a well embedded Inquiry cycle that the students liked and were very familiar with. They were introduced to it at Second Grade and the same model was being used up to Ninth grade. It integrated subjects well and meaningfully and it allowed time for students to really delve deep into their chosen topic. Because it is student driven the children are engaged and motivated and I think this is key. Often classes run a teacher driven inquiry that misses the interests of the student, often drags and as a results the final outcomes are disappointing and often pointless.

There was not a big investment in eLearning as a tool for learning.

On a completely different topic, after visiting two schools and discussing administration organisation with the Principals and District members I think I'm going to look at how other schools on my trip organise their office. All the schools we visited today had fulltime office managers and they did all administration. The Principal's role was very much the core business.

Implications for HSS:

As a school we have discussed how do we embed our learner qualities and values? We have also debated their worth over the key competences. However, seeing the Community Learners embedded so well in the classes I observed I believe we should look to introducing our learner qualities to students, new teachers and even parents at the start of the year in a mass collaborative way. Then develop a plan of how we ensure they are effectively reinforced throughout the year. Dare I say it may be time to consider whether our six qualities and five values still reflect our schools and do we even need nine separate words.

With the current COS model we would appoint an Associate Principal for 0.4. Something no school is truly excited about and really I don't see any Principal putting up their hand. If the larger schools in the cluster contributed a further 0.6 we could then appoint a fulltime COS Director who could then focus solely on our project and the needs of the district. Either way I now strongly believe the COS is vital to our cluster.

We need to look at how we present our inquiries and whether we are truly integrating these through the curriculum. We have a model which is good but do all teachers, and more importantly students, understand and own it. We need students speaking the language of the Inquiry Cycle.

Consider a 10 Challenge type programme. We have talked about it but I believe this idea may be more achievable.

A huge thanks to Laura, Leila, Mary Lynn, Lynn, Terrill and the Principal's of Dover Bay High School and Randerson Ridge Elementary for hosting me in your wonderful school district!

ILE - School Visits Summary

Part Two: Overview of the Schools/ School Districts

During my time in North America I will be visiting a number of individual schools and school districts. The schools in Canada are from school districts highlighted as 'best practice' case studies in the OECD Innovative Learning Environments Project. 

The Schools in the United States were chosen through my own research. At a time in the US where the 'No Child Left Behind' policy has created a high stakes, grade focused environment in many schools and school districts, these schools/ school districts have introduced projects that are innovative, engaging and provide opportunities for students to lead their learning. 

Note: These overviews are taken from either the OECD ILE report case study summary or, in the case of the American Schools, from the profile on their websites. They are not necessarily the view of the author of this report.

Community of Learners Network, Nanaimo Ladysmith BC Canada - This is a ‘mini-network’ within the larger Network of Performance Based Schools in BC. It involves intensive collaboration on applying inquiry methods. Despite operating in the traditional structures, the teaching/learning interface is markedly different from traditional modes of schooling. The curriculum and schedule are built around large-scale inquiries that blur traditional school subjects and schedules. Formative assessment and metacognition are integral to the learning, as is collaboration through the ‘Circle Discussion’ approach which is also a core element: circle discussions are referred to as Literature circles, Information Circles and Numeracy Circles, and generally comprise 4-8 students. Aboriginal place and culture are fundamental and Aboriginal and nonAboriginal students are taught to respect traditional values. Community members with expertise are regularly invited into classrooms, and community and local resources viewed as an integral part of the learning environment. Beginning with three teachers, now there are eight learning environments that fully integrate the core approaches. (OECD - Innovative Learning Environment Project)

Elementary Connected Classrooms, BC, Canada -  "This project exists in three elementary classrooms with students from grades 4-7 students. It is an intentional departure from the traditional approach to education in its approach to technology and instruction; it has been an extremely successful pilot project in its district. Three teachers collaborate to combine their classrooms via daily videoconferencing, online collaborative work, and have students create a variety of multimedia content. This is a full time learning environment that is funded by a public school district, and is planning to expand the project to a second team next fall. As collaboration lies at the core of the project, Connected Classrooms enjoy a broad organisational foundation and promises sustainability. In addition, the project has proved to increase the learning experience for students in a school district with a high proportion of Aboriginal students. Throughout the course of the project, we have witnessed new and exciting learning relationships and partnerships between students, and increased engagement and motivation to learn," (OECD - Innovative Learning Environment Project)

Colorado Academy, Denver, Co, USA - Colorado Academy, an independent Pre-K - 12 college preparatory day school with an exceptional campus community. Here, we turn ideals into action – challenging our students to become lifelong learners, thinkers, inquisitors, and contributors. Please explore our school's innovative and rigorous curriculum, variety of artistic and athletic programs, opportunities for advanced work, student-organized service, and unique programs for learning beyond the classroom. From academic excellence to "whole person" development, there's nothing quite like the CA experience.

Castle Rock Elementary School, Castle Rock, Co, USA -Castle Rock Elementary School will be recognized as a child-centred elementary school focused on excellence. All children will have the opportunity to experience success in their academic, physical, social and emotional development. Castle Rock Elementary School will promote global thinkers who are life-long learners, literate, communicative, culturally sensitive, respectful of others and prepared to be future leaders.

iZone Schools Project, NYC, USA - Now and in generations past, education has been our nation’s foundation for opportunity. But today’s education system requires transformation if we want to prepare students for success in a globally-connected world. To thrive, our students need to be engaged in learning that is relevant to their lives, and allows them to master the skills of tomorrow.

The iZone harnesses today’s resources to design school around the unique strengths, interests and needs of each student. We believe in expanding learning opportunities beyond the classroom walls and the dismissal bell. And we provide teachers with the resources and flexibility to support each of their students in developing the skills required for college and career success.

Avenue World School, NYC, USA -Schools are historically rooted in the villages, towns and cities in which they are situated. Almost all are single-city, single-country institutions. They teach about matters beyond their boundaries, but they do not operate in any meaningful way outside them. Over time, some—boarding schools, for the most part—have evolved to serve “national communities.” No longer particularly identified with a specific locale, they recruit students widely, increasingly from beyond national borders. Leading examples include England’s Eton, India’s Doon School and America’s Exeter. While these schools teach about the larger world and include students from diverse locations, their operations still largely exist in one country and on a single campus. If “local” schools are the first step in the evolution of schooling and “national” schools are the second step, the coming years are destined to see an increasing number of “global” schools. Avenues plans to be the best of this new breed of educational institution—hence its subtitle: The World School.

Innovation in Schools - Canada/ USA 2015

Part One: What does Innovation Look Like in Schools?

Don McLean's Tour of schools in Canada and the US in May 2015.

Background: 

As Principal of Hampden Street School I have been part of the journey our school has taken to increase student engagement, their ability to collaborate and to manage themselves and their learning. Like many educators, Ken Robinson's 2006 TED talk about "Schools killing creativity," got me thinking and questioning our practice and whether we were truly catering for the 21st century students. Subsequently I have heard a large number of educationalists speak on different aspects of this new paradigm in education that we are facing. 

Many schools globally have attempted to address these challenges and changes with varying degree of success. In New Zealand schools demonstrating the level of innovation in all aspects of their practice to fully address this paradigm shift are few and far between so when Hampden Street School went down the road of Modern Learning Environments (MLE) the first thing we learnt was how much we didn't know. We were very much entering new territory by the seat of our pants and there weren't a lot of local experts to draw on. 

We quickly found that the actual physical innovative learning spaces were only a part of the bigger picture and most importantly teaching and learning pedagogy needed to be addressed and defined. With the assistance of CORE Educations, Mark Osbourne we started looking at what the research was telling us. John Hattie's ground breaking research into effective practice made us question many of our "tried and trues" and ask why. We were also part of the Ministry of Education's ALIM project and as part of this we researched the "Best Evidence Synthesis" this again made us look at our practice. One of the key aspects we discovered was we needed to look carefully at the role of the teacher and the importance of students having ownership of their learning and the ability to drive it themselves. Initially, our focus has been to develop our senior syndicate (Year 5/6) area as that was where our MLE was first developed but pretty quickly we realised this will be something we need to roll out across our school, with or without MLEs in place. Last year our Senior and Middle syndicate leaders, along with the Senior DP, attended the Edutech conference in Brisbane. This was a big picture conference with some of the world’s leading minds in education presenting. It was a great way for the leaders in our school to really gain an understanding big picture of Future focused learning. They came back buzzing with a commitment to ensure our school as a whole, embrace paradigm shift.  

The big picture is great but the "How to" always brings challenges. As a school we are embarking on a teacher-led inquiry into what our future focused pedagogy will look like across the school, how we will implement it, and how will we ensure that all staff have some ownership. As part of this I have focused my sabbatical investigation on the following questions: What is an Innovative Learning Environment (ILE)? What do innovative learning environments do differently, and how do they ensure and know that this innovation is improving student outcomes? This is a broad topic and ILE should not be confused for a MLE, although I believe to be truly innovative the right physical environment is important. I have based my study around an OECD report on Innovative Learning Environments released in 2013. The report was part of a project which began in 2008 which was to "analyse how young people learn and under which conditions and dynamics they might learn better. By identifying concrete cases of innovative learning environments from all over the world, ILE aims to inform practice, leadership and reform through generating analysis of innovative and inspiring configurations of learning for children and young people." 

To help sharpen my focus in my observations and discussion with schools I will be visiting I will use the seven transversal principles identified in the ILE project:

1. Learners at the centre - 

2. The social nature of learning 

3. Emotions are integral to learning 

4. Recognising individual differences 

5. Stretching all students 

6. Assessment for learning 

7. Building horizontal connections

These seven principles are expanded on page 6 and 7 in the Paper, "Nature of Learning - Practitioners Guide," (Hanna Dumont, David Istance, Fransico Benavides- 2010)

The OECD team also developed a model of  ILE which demonstrated well the relationship between these seven principles, pedagogy and key elements and dynamics around them.

I am particularly interested in the four key elements in this diagram- Educators, Resources, Learners and Content, their roles in the ILE and their relationship with the dynamics shown around the outside. My version of these elements would be Educators, Learners, Environments, and Curriculum but basically the same intent. This will also help frame my observations and discussions.