MQE Strategies to support our goal 

The Pathways to Learning describe the instructional STRATEGIES, guided by the First Peoples’ Principles of Learning, that will lead to deeper learning for our students. Through these instructional approaches, students will be able to explore, discover, and develop themselves as complete learners through a personalized and balanced perspective.

Current Strategies 

Art Infusion

Art Infusion is a strategy to engage and motivate students in their learning creative  and critical thinking skills. In November 2017, staff recommitted to being and Arts Infusion  School.  Our first work was to redefine Arts Infusion for ourselves and our school community. We  created a definition to help explain what Arts Infusion is to us and to also help guide our instructional practice moving forward:  

At Mamquam, we infuse the arts to deepen learning across the curriculum. 

We supplement this definition with a more detailed explanation: 

What does Arts Infusion mean? 

Arts Infusion is an approach to learning where… 

Students construct and demonstrate understanding through art forms 

Students make connections between art forms and other subject areas 

Students develop creative and critical thinking skills through art forms 

Art learning outcomes have equal value with other learning outcomes 

Last year, we built a community project around our winter concert,  where the focus of the event was around community and the "coming together" through song.   We are working on a similar concept for this year.  


We also brought in Guest Texada Music to work with our school to co-write and record a song based around our RAVEN values.  The song is now available on Spotify and Apple itunes under our School Recording Lable.  

Place Base Identity 

Aboriginal ways of knowing, doing, and being.  Understanding that being a Creative and Critical thinker is deeply tied to our relationship with place and territory, we embrace First Peoples’ Principles of Learning where learning is holistic, reflective, experiential and relational. 

Our school has gone through a process of identifying ourselves through the Raven, working with local artist Art Harry.   This has been a year long journey that has resulted in the development of the RAVEN values, that we (staff, students and families) identify with, and will work to aspire to. 

Orange Shirt Day, a week with shared learning of residential schools, whole school learning a Lil’wat Nation drumming song titled “Song of Encouragement” gifted to our school a number of years ago, and Acknowledging Territory in our Morning Messages, during circle protocol, and at all school gatherings and presentations.  We are planning to explore Land Based learning and look deeper into the use of the blanket to support all of our students.  

Mamquam is learning how to decolonize our practices and learning, and we will aim to narrow the learning gaps of Aboriginal learners and people of colour.

Atlas of the Heart - Instructional Strategies for Social Emotional Learning 

Social and Emotional competencies are essential foundational learning areas in the development of a person’s Creative and Critical thinking skills.  Structures and strategies to support this area include Zones of Regulation, Classroom Circle Process, Play is the Way, Mind Up, Friends Program, Roots of Empathy, Restorative Practice, EASE and Growth Mindset. Structures and Strategies in this area will be further developed this year through our Social Emotional Foundational School Plan. 

We have also developed a school wide language around social emotional development through Brene Browns work "Atlas of the Heart".   Mamquam has made our own atlas of emotions,  which has become a framework for teachers and students to talk about their emotions so students are more able to identify them when they are happening.           


Common Instructional Strategies for Reading, Writing and Numeracy 

Reading, writing, oral language and numeracy are all vital foundational learning areas essential to developing a person’s Creative and Critical Thinking skills.  Structures and strategies include Literacy Stations, Daily 5, Numeracy Groups, Writer’s Workshop and Classroom Circle Process. Structures and Strategies in this area will be further developed this year through our Literacy and Numeracy Foundational School Plan.             


Math Lab 

NEW strategies to meet our goal 

Co-Designed School Wide Projects 

Focusing on design Culture and building projects and exhibitions of learning for building reflection,  rigor and re-occurance  – Teachers will co-design projects to do with intermediate and primary classrooms that focus on elevating the “rigor” in the work that we do, and going deeper into the metacognition of learning. 

 

Students will need to identify; 

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By ensuring every student and teacher is working with setting their own learning targets, we will be able to focus on this skill set, and with continued perseverance in this development, we believe we will see a growth in the students’ ability to do this effectively on their own and with meaning.  

Design Challenges. “How might we create authentic artistic learning experiences that develop students’ Creative and Critical Thinking skills?”  

RAVENtalks :  School wide Public Speaking focus - ideas worth sharing.  

Beautification Project 

MQE is working toward grants to initiate a beautification project to create a space for student work in the front of the school.    This also includes extending the garden project (a sense of who we are) to the front of the school.    We have also moved the piano to the front entrance and will paint this, and create opportunities for students to play during peak moments during the day.  


This will create a stronger sense of belonging for kids.  

Family/Commmunity Focus 

Diving into the data, it is clear that some of our students need support in making healthy life decisions inside and outside the classroom.  


With this in mind, we would like to focus our efforts on engaging the community in conversations, learning and working collaborativly with the school on healthy habits that affect our students in positive ways.  

We have begun the planning for this work, and are looking to start some community engagement on topics like:

1) sleep

2) screen time

3) working through disappointment

4) dealing with emotions when things are hard


We see a tremendous value in engaging the whole school and parents in activities around these topics.