Video Credit: TEDx Talks via Youtube
This week we got the opportunity to see and visit the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII) in downtown Victoria. It was awesome to get to talk to and have a tour from the founder, Jeff Hopkins, and to learn all about what makes PSII different. We learned how it is a non-traditional secondary school that moves away from the “batch-processing” typical education model.
Image Credit: PSII Website
Instead of period bells, set or fixed schedules, and standardised courses, students at PSII are guiding and directing their own learning experience in a way that is actually relevant and interesting to them and their own lives, as they actively and willingly participate in a co-created, inquiry-based curriculum.
Image Credit: PSII Website
I definitely thought, even from just walking in, that PSII didn’t feel like a “school” in the more traditional sense, at least definitely not in the way I’m used to seeing and visiting local secondary schools. Even the fact that all the teachers were meeting with one another to discuss, create, and collaborate rather than being confined to their own classroom felt more like a professional, creative environment than a typical school setting or staff room like I usually see. It was also interesting to learn about how each student is given the opportunity and support system to be able to design and build their own inquiry-based learning path based on their personal interests and questions about the world.
Video Credit: John Spencer via YouTube
Process > Product
One of the biggest takeaways for me from the tour was hearing Jeff talk about the idea and philosophy behind the school. He also talked about how education is best as a living, working system, and I connected with the idea that learning is a journey rather than a defined standard or set grade to be reached. Learning truly is meant to be ever-evolving based on the learner’s needs and interests, and I like PSII’s focus on restoring inclusivity and genuine enjoyment back into learning for both students and teachers.
Video Credit: Jeffery Hopkins via YouTube
Another thing that stood out to me was the variety of the classrooms; none of them were simply rows of desks, but rather spaces that encouraged and actually supported diverse ways of thinking and learning through their structural design. The multimedia room, in particular, stood out to me as a welcoming, versatile space dedicated to all areas of creativity, from artistic creation to musicality to film to any other type of artistic expression, such as writing, painting, filming, etc.
It was all a dedicated space meant to support each student’s creative interest/whim/talent/preference, as opposed to a lab or generic art room where everyone is expected to complete the same task and there is no flexible design to explore and try new things.
Image Credit: Inclusive Classroom via KNILT
Teachers & Curriculum
Another part of the tour that I found inspiring was the level of collaboration between teachers, as I mentioned above. I’ve been used to seeing a traditional setting where the bell rings and everyone exits the staff room to their own separate classrooms or tasks, but at PSII it’s more of an ongoing, continuous shared process. All staff work and collaborate together to help students navigate their own learning and inquiry projects and classes, while actively discussing to make sure they are meeting, if not exceeding, the BC Curriculum standards. It was also eye-opening to see how a variety of students with different interests, skill sets, goals and expectations could dive deep into a personal passion/inquiry of their choice, whether it was a music production, a social justice case, an algebra project, or a deep dive into marine biology, while still meeting the necessary and required standards and curriculum competencies.
Benefits of the PSII Approach
Reflecting on the visit through a critical lens/perspective, I can see several significant benefits to the PSII learning approach. The most obvious is learner agency; students are treated as whole autonomous individuals with their own unique goals and motivations, which probably leads to higher engagement and therefore more care and a stronger sense of ownership over their own work. It also shifts the teacher’s role from a typical traditional lecture format or talking at the students to a more mentor- and co-collaborative-led approach.
Video Credit: PSII via Vimeo
Drawbacks of the PSII Approach
However, I do think that a potential drawback of this approach could be the high level of accountability, self-regulation, and self-directed learning that is needed from the student themselves. In order for deep inquiry-based learning to truly work and be effective, it must progress the student’s moving forward without the risk of their learning remaining the same or even falling behind. While the self-led inquiry model seems to be successful for students who struggle with social anxiety or typical classroom-style lecture learning, I can also see how it might be overwhelming for students who need more explicit structure to thrive and get the most out of their learning experience.
Another thing that occurred to me was that PSII currently focuses only on grades 9-12. While the inquiry model is definitely adaptable, I do wonder how much time and scaffolding would be needed for younger elementary-level students who are still building executive functioning skills to manage their own schedules and learning goals.
Image Credit: Barefoot TEFL Teacher
PSII also uses many online tools, such as Trello, for project management and organisational tools. While Trello is a super helpful tool for classroom and student organisation, as we discussed in this week’s Topic 5 about knowledge management and student autonomy, it’s always important as educators to be cautious and aware about where student data is stored (often on US servers) and to make sure that personally identifiable information and data is truly kept secure and safe in order to continue protecting our students.
Video Credit: Safe AI for The Classroom via YouTube
Finally, the last drawback that came to mind for me was that because PSII is an independent school, access is, of course, a large equity issue. While their program offers a “proof of concept” for what public schools could be, current tuition rates make it inaccessible for all learners. True innovation and equity inclusion would eventually be able to close this gap by making an accessible entry point into the public school world.
Image Credit: 21K School
Overall, my time at PSII was a powerful reminder that education doesn’t have to be a ‘one size fits all’ experience; I’m leaving inspired to bring that same spirit of flexibility and student-centered inquiry into my own future classroom.
Image Credit: The National Association for Multicultural Education