Above, Aidan Wolfe, Justin Vala, Marina Robertson, and Vanessa Whittall enjoy the activities at Oliver Elementary School.
Lyonel Doherty photo
Students like TIM, and teachers like TIM, so he must be a very likable guy at school.
Actually, he’s not human or robot, but a model that teachers are using to improve student learning.
Last week students were let out of school early so that teachers and administrators could engage in the district’s first Team Inquiry Model. It’s a session (once a month) where educators meet to develop strategies on how to help pupils meet their full potential.
At first, some parents were concerned about their kids being dismissed early due to childcare responsibilities.
But Oliver Parks and Recreation formed a partnership with the school district and Link Crew leaders in order to address that concern.
The district made their facilities (Oliver Elementary and Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary) available to Parks and Recreation staff to keep the kids busy with activities during the team inquiry session.
Barton Tumlinson, principal of Oliver Elementary, commended Parks and Recreation staff for providing this service for parents.
Recreation Manager Carol Sheridan said they plan to offer this service free of charge during all team inquiry meetings.
Tumlinson said teachers at Oliver Elementary have designed inquiry questions that allow them to focus on improving student learning and support in the classroom.
The topics vary, but examples are questions that focus on improving students’ reading and writing skills.
“Teachers are able to take some time to explore new strategies and implement them in the classroom,” Tumlinson said.
The principal said he is already impressed with the progress the teachers and staff members have made at the school. During last week’s session, he witnessed a team of teachers sharing a reading strategy called the “Daily 5,” which is a proven teaching approach that will benefit students.
“The inquiry time has allowed them to discuss and plan to implement this strategy.”
David Foster, principal of Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary, said they worked on two inquiry questions.
What strategies will educators implement so that 90 per cent of kindergarten and Grade 1 students will be meeting expectations in reading?
The goal is to have 90 per cent of kindergarten students receiving a score of three (can do most of the task) or four (consistent and complete) on the kindergarten assessment in June. Focus areas are print awareness, language and phonological awareness.
For Grade 1 students, the goal is to have 90 per cent fully meeting or exceeding expectations in reading in June.
The second inquiry question is: Will daily direct and explicit teaching of basic math facts and calculations allow all students to achieve improved results in numeracy?
The rationale for this question is that flexible and fluent thinking with numbers is necessary in order for students to develop a deep understanding of math concepts. Number sense develops when students connect numbers to their own life experiences.
Foster said they will be collecting data to see if these team inquiry meetings are improving student learning.
Check the school’s website at www.sd53.bc.ca/ten/ for more information.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
