Blog Posts

The implementation of our competency-based curriculum is grounded in the Core Competencies. Personal, social, and cultural competencies are a vital part of the growth of students as they gain a deeper understanding of who they are and how they relate to others. As a Curriculum Department, we are working to include social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices in our learning opportunities to underscore the importance of core competencies and solid foundations for learning.

The way that students experience math is fundamental to how they view themselves as mathematicians. We want students to experience math in a way that encourages a willingness to engage in productive struggle, see that mistakes truly do result in learning, and become confident thinkers. Using concrete manipulatives is an integral part of building strong mathematical thinking because they deepen students’ conceptual understanding.

Rovi Sandhu, a grade six teacher at Chief Dan George Middle School, asks himself, "What can I do to ensure kids receive what they need?" Inspired by the book Street Data (2021), Sandhu put his inquiry question into action. He invited each student in the grade six pod to partake in an empathy interview, allowing them to share aspects of their lived experiences at school.

A class of McMillan grade 3 students holding ice cubes, a small group of grade 6 students at Fraser trying to figure out the flavour of a Jolly Rancher without looking, Bateman Career students making a cow from a blank piece of paper, Hansen Social Justice students studying a penny and then looking for “their” penny in a pile of pennies, a group of hairstylist students discussing being present when with a client, a group of Reimer students listening for specific sounds in their environment, a group of educators focusing their attention on their breathing.

Choosing a Path
 

The goal of Abbotsford Career Programs is to connect secondary students to training for high-opportunity occupations. As the labour market and employment outlook in our province changes, our programs have evolved to meet new demands.

The commitment the Abbotsford School District has towards building equitable and inclusive schools has led our teams of LLC teachers and library technicians to develop a shared inquiry around equity in our library learning commons spaces.

Our conversations and research have centered on the following inquiry questions:

Empowering language proficiency and fostering global citizenship in the additional language classroom

“To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.” - Chinese Proverb

There are many words to describe our experiences with the fall and early winter of 2021. Does disillusionment resonate with anyone? Disillusionment is a phase that researchers have used to describe the overwhelming feeling and challenges experienced in November and December on the roller coaster ride of first year teaching. More than any other year I think this phase could describe many of our experiences. The good news? The same researchers find that following disillusionment, beginning teachers experience rejuvenation, reflection, and anticipation for the adventures teaching brings.

Reflecting on the teaching and learning that is happening in our middle schools, there are many bright spots among the challenging territory we have been navigating this year. This confirms the commitment and dedication that our teachers have towards ensuring equitable and inclusive classroom environments. As we continue our progress towards our collective goals of improved reading, numeracy, and social-emotional competence, it is essential to anchor this work in our understanding of how our actions impact students and their success in our schools.

This year, secondary schools are engaging in professional inquiry questions that help educators learn about the inquiry cycle and experience strategies that they can use in their classrooms with students. Teacher inquiries focus on the five key underpinnings of inquiry: questioning and curiosity, engagement, student agency, assessment and evidencing, and competency development. Keeping true to our triple-track agenda, where we model and experience what we want for our students, teachers exercised their agency by selecting which underpinning they wished to focus on.