At the link above you find the website for the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry. A school I am genuinely surprised that I only started hearing about recently, because it is truly remarkable. The video on the front page describes the process by which students learn at PSII, called inquiry. Students come up with questions about topics they are interested in and then conduct critical research into their questions. They learn and reshape their questions as they go. Students then choose projects related to their research questions to work on and present to peers and teachers. Subjects are blended together when it makes sense, assessment is personalized, yet according to the website students either meet or exceed BC graduation standards.
Learning happens through the process of discovery and creation. Everyone’s learning experience is truly unique. It is remarkable to see a school with such a difference model than the public education system. This unfamiliarness can make it seem scary, free inquiry. So much of the curriculum and learning lead by the children. Who will ensure that they are actually learning everything they need to? In western society, we often want knowledge to be easily observed and measured. But we also want children to grow to be independent, resilient and confident. This school model seems to be a step in the right direction. When these students go out into the world, will they be more successful or happier than those that graduate from the traditional school model? I think the autonomy, independence, and mastery that is weaved into free inquiry will be an asset to their professional and person development.
The website also has inquiry resources, samples, and guides, so that other educations can see what PSII is doing and try it out for themselves.
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