Pacific School of Inquiry and Innovation

Jeff Hopkins opened up the Pacific School of Inquiry and Innovation in Victoria in 2013. I feel the school is an outstanding transformative model as to how education can be delivered. Jeff Hopkins has shaken my foundation of what education can look like for the 21st century in British Columbia, and has set in motion seeds for change in my own approaches towards the education system. Jeff Hopkins has a TEDx talk in which he describes his school, but I feel the 12 minutes he provides to the viewers doesn’t provide enough depth and scope as to what is occurring at the Pacific School of Inquiry and Innovation. We were fortunate to have Jeff Hopkins speak to us, and from his conversations and discussions able to gain insight into what an inquiry based school looks like. Jeff shifted my mindset on 21st century education and what it can look like.

Jeff also provided information on a framework for assessment and the teacher’s role at the school. Due to the limitations of writing a blog I focused on student learning.

 

Why the need for change?

Jeff has multifaceted experiences as an educator in British Columbia, from being in the classroom as a teacher, as a counselor, principal, and a superintendent. Jeff explained to us that he started the Pacific School of Inquiry and Innovation because he saw a disconnect between resources, people, worksheets, and in general the way that we do things in school. Looking for a magic spot where he could facilitate changes he envisioned in the public education system did not come to fruit, so Jeff resigned from his job and created his own school based on the foundation of inquiry based learning. He recruited people who weren’t concerned about paving new paths and could facilitate learning outside of the school.

What are the students doing?

The students do what they are interested in doing, not what is prescribed to them by the teacher. The ownership of learning is supported by the teachers, but how the student shows their learning in unique to each person. When a student walks into the school they have choices as to what they want to do for that day. A computer screen in the main lobby provides a schedule where students can go into a classroom and learn from a teacher, be part of a group session in a collaborated learning space, independent learning, use a differentiated learning space such as the use of computers or art supplies, a quiet space, sensory room, a one on one planning, learning or assessment session with a teacher, or it could be an off campus session for the student’s learning for that day. The umbrella which ties everything together is the Inquiry Tool process students apply. A video of the process can be seen below.

Applying Technology tools for 21st Century Learning

Students create their online portfolios and organize their inquiry based projects through Trello. The program is transparent for the teacher to monitor progress, provide support when needed, or once in a while a nudge for maybe a student to consider an alternative perspective. Projects could be individual or group projects, where multiple students are planning, organizing, and implementing ideas into artifacts that demonstrate their learning. When a student’s interest lay beyond the walls of the school, this is where the technology piece can support students. Specialists in their field can video conference, or students go out into the field to learn about specialized technology tools found in their area of interest. In addition, you can find the Pacific School of Inquiry and Innovation Learning Resources  list of online sources and links which students use to support their learning.

Inclusion

Teachers in Northern British Columbia have a diverse group of learners, and it is important for me to know how an inquiry based school can support all learners. I had lots of questions about inclusion, and Jeff was able to provide answers to them through direct or indirect means in his presentation. Below are the questions I asked myself and was able to answer through the conversations that took place.

 

Some private schools are selective and won’t take students who have special needs. Since this is an independent school, do they filter their students as to who can and can’t attend?

The school takes in all students, but due to the funding model in British Columbia some of the funding is collected through tuition. The school is working on developing on more support from the community by seeking private donations to help offset tuition for families in need.

 

How about students with special learning needs or interests?

The environment of the school is supported for learners across the special education categories such as mental health, autism, anxiety, but noticed the school works especially well with people on the autism spectrum. The framework of the school is conducive in supporting students as it is student focused, not teacher focused. In addition, there is a GSA (gender and sexuality alliance) at the school that is open to everyone. As well, Jeff Hopkins is a trained counselor and will provide outside mental health and support services when needed.

 

Is there a food program?

There are students at the school who are interested in cooking, which is a conduit into their food program. Students learn about the culinary arts but also support students who may not have had a breakfast at home. The school also has additional food available.

 

What about First Nations learning?

Members of the community are brought in to teach aspects of First Nation’s perspectives. As well, the model of the school fosters a sense of community and building trust between individuals. The school for the upcoming year has also hired a teacher with First Nation’s knowledge.

 

Can we do this in Northern B.C.?

Yes we can, but I feel that you have to be all in. You can take elements of Inquiry Based Learning into your classroom, but to make real change is to create a school that includes collaboration across grades and focus on student areas of interest. The factory school of having students in spaces that is subject specific is outdated. We, ourselves, learn quite fine without being in a classroom, so why do we have traditional classrooms set up for our students?

  • Will our students work in little classrooms in the workplace?
  • Will they need an inquiry based mindset to accomplish completing a project?
  • Will they need to have a flexible mindset in learning new skills to accomplish their goals?
  • Do we need to adapt as educators to provide a student centered approach?

For me, the answer is quite obvious when we ask ourselves these questions, but it is a challenge to make change when we are so ingrained in one system that has been in place for generations. I hope to spark the interest of others in my local learning community to be aware of a model that has been created locally through. People from around the world have visited the Pacific School of Inquiry and Innovation, and taking these ideas to their own countries. Here is a model that is in our backyard and works for 21st century learning.