2015 Final Results

Surrey Schools: Making Learning Visible: A 360° Transformation

Surrey Schools’ Making Learning Visible (MLV) initiative actualizes formative assessment theory through pragmatic practice, utilizing technology, to transform learning and teaching systemically. The affects of the practice are profound and immediate for stakeholders invested in learning: students, teachers, parents and the organization.

As a student’s learning presents itself a teacher captures it through photos, video and notation toward populating a student’s e-portfolio. Concurrently, this learning evidence is shared with parents and reviewed with the student with goals of engaging and empowering both while extending learning and support beyond the classroom.

This innovative assessment methodology connects students, parents and teachers to student learning in authentic, meaningful and productive ways, on a daily basis. No longer do parents and students wait for a report card to become informed of progress, identify areas of success or those requiring support. Individual learning needs can be responded to faster, and parents and students can more readily become part of the solution and learning plan in collaboration with the teacher.

Surrey Schools’ MLV is a door opener for rich dialogue leading to a plethora of transformative experiences for stakeholders - a 360° transformation!

Applicants 

Robyn Thiessen, Vice Principal, Green Timbers Elementary 
Jordan Tinney, Superintendent of Schools/CEO, Surrey School District
Elisa Carlson, Director of Instruction, Education Services - Surrey Schools
Dan Turner, Director, Information Management Services - Surrey Schools
Antonio Vendramin, Principal, Cambridge Elementary, Surrey

WWW.SURREYSCHOOLS.CA

Civic Mirror

The Civic Mirror, a game-based, experiential learning program, features an online simulated country scenario and sets up high stakes, face-to-face events in the classroom that reflect Canada’s system of government. So while students study course curriculum in the usual ways, they are also given their own government, economy, legal system, and environment.

Through experiential learning they come to understand how these elements interact and are integrated. The students must work together to build a strong nation, but they must also work individually to score points by providing for fictitious families and achieve secret agendas (e.g. socialist, capitalist, environmentalist, etc.). Classes of students are faced with the age-old challenge of balancing individual pursuit with collective welfare and cooperation. But, most importantly, as students learn about Canadian civic processes by experiencing them, they also learn about themselves and what life as an important citizen is going to be like.

Used throughout BC and Canada, The Civic Mirror is transforming the way thousands of students learn about citizenship and governance, making it fun, exciting and meaningful.

Applicant: Regan Ross, Teacher, Panorama Ridge Secondary School

www.civicmirror.com

Coordinator of Inquiry Framework

Based on the work of Helen Timpereley, Judy Halbert, and Linda Kaser, the Delta School District designed and implemented an innovative structure to help facilitate teacher inquiry. Coordinators of Inquiry (COIs) are now in every school within the district with the mandate to: promote professional learning using inquiry as a mindset; and help bring teachers together to collaborate, discuss, and plan for innovative learning experiences. Every school developed a critical question(s) for their site that focuses on the student learning needs in each school, and a year-end celebration allows for schools to present and share their learning both within/across schools.

This innovative model created a network of inquiry and innovation across the entire school district that positively impacted teacher learning and professionalism. Conversations in schools are shifting to a continued focus on student learning and teachers are using an inquiry mindset during their collaborative time to focus on their practice and how it impacts student learning.

Applicants: Nancy Gordon, Director of Learning Services, Delta School District; Neil Stephenson, District Principal for Innovation and Inquiry, Delta School District

www.deltalearns.ca

Flex Humanities Program

The Flex Humanities Program provides students incredibly rich, diverse and challenging academic opportunities working together in a socially cooperative classroom model. Students are welcomed into the program from the Vancouver School District and also from other school districts as well. The guiding prinicples of the program are self-directed study, open and creative format response options and front loaded assessment process constructs. These innovative assessment guides based on meta-cognitive skill development and self-directed tools that allow students to take authentic ownership of their assessment process and put these guides in front of their writing process.

Students study integrated curricula of Philosophy, Literature, History, Geography, Fine Arts, and Modern Languages, with the degree of integration varying over time and subject. The Humanities portion is an integrated study of history, geography, philosophy, and classical literature. The program provides a supportive, stimulating, and challenging environment for learners who have demonstrated that they are motivated to succeed.

Flex Humanities has been designed to meet the needs of creative and divergent thinking individuals in grades 8, 9, and 10 who are interested pursuing complex and sophisticated intellectual challenges in non-linear ways and in working with other self-motivated students. The program also encourages students to pursue topics, which have personal and social relevance. This includes the development of place-based social justice initiatives. Within the program there is a commitment to peer mentoring, peer tutoring and the development of public speaking skills with all students working together collaboratively in a dynamic learning environment.

Applicant: Dale Martelli, Department Head, Vancouver Technical Secondary

www.vsb.bc.ca/programs/vancouver-technical-flex-humanities-program

Science Outreach

Dr. Sophie Lavieri developed two programs, EC4U and Science in Action, to offer hands-on science education to K–12 students who would not have easy access to real labs. The programs aim to encourage children and youth to learn through inquiry and help them appreciate science in fun and creative ways.

EC4U allows Dr. Lavieri to bring her portable labs to elementary and high schools. Students feel comfortable and excited about chemistry in their own classroom, and the program encourages teachers to use innovative and creative ways to teach chemistry and other sciences. While Science In Action (previously known as Chemistry In Action) was developed to increase the number of students pursuing education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields. The program runs directly out of labs at Simon Fraser University. The program promotes scientific inquiry in the community to youth and adults from all socio-economic backgrounds, at no cost, giving participants a new understanding and excitement towards scientific exploration.

Applicants: Sophie Lavieri, Senior Lecturer, Chemistry Department, and Director, Science in Action, Simon Fraser University 

www.ec4u.ca and www.siasfu.ca