It was very interesting to get the chance to tour the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII) with our class. I had never seen a school designed so deeply in inquiry-based learning and was very curious about how the structure worked and if it was beneficial to the students. During the tour, we learned about the foundations of the school, why it was started, how it supports the students, and how it still ensures the students receive a BC high school diploma. We got a chance to walk through the different rooms, seeing the different resources the school provides to support the students’ inquiry projects, and see the students at work.
This experience made me reflect more on the question “Do we need to reimagine education?” as the creators of this school clearly did. They created a different approach to providing a high school education to students that is more student-focused and provides more freedom for learning. The way PSII school reimagined education to support diverse learners who do not thrive in a traditional school setting. Giving students the freedom to choose their inquiry project based on their interests can create more purpose to their learning experience. It also allows them to learn about subjects when they are ready for them and interested in learning them, rather than being on a strict schedule. I think the school’s design is very interesting and could see from just a small visit how much of an impact it could have on students’ learning experience; however, I am not sure if full inquiry-based learning would be beneficial for all students. This approach would also be hard to replicate on a larger scale as it requires access to many expensive resources and guidance from teachers. With that being said, I do think it has made me reimagine how I want to be an educator. I am hoping to teach primary ages, but would love to find ways to include more inquiry-based learning into my teaching style. I would also love to find ways to give students more autonomy and freedom in their school experience. I could see more challenges in creating an inquiry-based school structure for younger students, as some fundamentals in pedagogy are highly beneficial in young kids’ learning processes. There are nature based school such as: EPIC Learning Community (Power to Be / NiDES), Blossoming at the Farm (Mary’s Farm and Sanctuary), and Heartwood Learning Community – Sooke that involve more inquiry learning than traditional public schools for elementary-aged children in the greater Victoria area. We have the opportunity to visit on of these schools for another class in our program and I will be curious on how that will also make me reimagine education and what I can add to my teaching style for when I do teach at a public school.
