Johnston Heights »

Johnston Heights Secondary is a school of 1,400 students and 110 staff. The school is designated as an inner city school. The student body is composed of 39 different cultures identified by the language other than English spoken at home. Thirty-five international students attend JH.  The school has an aboriginal population of 35 students.  

In 2012, the school community (students, parents teachers) participated in an in depth study to determine if the learning needs of all students were being met. The analysis centred around the program model of the junior program (Grade 8-10). The process of the study examined student’s backgrounds and family origin. The study also included a comprehensive look at best teaching practice and Inquiry based learning models. The conclusion after careful analysis by staff was to adopt the IB Middle Year’s Program (MYP).

The MYP program has provided a framework for unit and lesson design for Inquiry based learning. It is inclusive of all students and assessment for learning is clear. Further, the primary aim of the program is to develop students who are knowledgeable, open minded, risk takers, balanced, critical thinkers, creative, problem solvers, reflective, principled and caring.

These 10 attributes identified in the Learner profile matched what the school community had already identified as being important in the education of students as illustrated in the school mission statement.  Finally, the program aims to connect students to the larger global community with an emphasis on International Mindedness. Given the culturally diverse make up of our students, this was an aspect was significant when identifying the needs of our students.    

“The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.  It aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others, pursue lives of purpose and meaning, and inquire into issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally and globally”. Considering our community demographics we needed to examine what it meant to be an “internationally minded community”.  Therefore, we set out to develop a policy that was authentic and based on values and behavior as individuals and professional role-models.  A committee of staff studied the issue and developed a working definition of International Mindedness. This working definition helped shape our focus with the rest of the school community.

Through our committee work, we noticed that several of our minority communities felt shy or unsure of attending events at school. In response, we organized an Evening of Celebrating Diversity with the help of several of our school district multicultural workers and translators. The purpose of the meeting was to invite all our parents to participate in our learning community. The evening was well attended which served as a strong indicator that parents regardless of cultural background, want to be engaged in their child’s education.  

At this point in time, we are currently working on a survey to administer to all students later this spring on the subject of International Mindedness.  Our hope is that after these surveys we will have enough data to create an organic and authentic policy that all of the stakeholders in our community can embrace and live.

 The Inquiry Question was: how would you characterize the junior program at JHS? Does it meet the needs of all our students?   After conducting a survey of 1000 students, it was apparent that changes needed to be made to address the needs of students in a rapidly changing world. A group of 39 staff met weekly to determine the structure and program model. They used the BC Ed plan, Inquiry Based Learning and MYP as guiding frameworks. The group also determined that podding grade 8 students and adopting the MYP was the best course of action for the school. Podding the students meant creating groups of 75 students and connecting them to 6 teachers. The subjects that would be included in the pod:  English, Social Studies, Science, Math, Modern Languages (French and Spanish) and an Inclusion teacher was embedded to assist and develop inquiry so that all students could access their learning.   In the 2013-14  school year, the Learning Support, BASES, Aboriginal and ELL departments decided to come together to provide a blended model  of support called Inclusion. They systematically changed their model with first targeting the Grade 8 pods. The department then embedded an Inclusion teacher in each pod. This gave greater access to all students and teachers to the experience of these specialist teachers After much reflection, discussions with teachers and meetings, the Inclusion Department was able to design a model of support that aligned subjects to Inclusion teacher’s areas of expertise.   Next year, Inclusion will continue at the Grade 10 level and the model of tutorial support will be phased out. Teachers will design their lessons based on meeting the needs of all the learners within their class with support being provided within the room. The Department has begun to look at possible structures that would allow for maximum support for teachers and students at this grade while maintaining the current level of support at Grade 8 and 9.  

The emphasis on Inquiry Learning at the Grade 8 and 9 level has also influenced the teaching and learning occurring in Grades 10-12. As MYP moves into Grade 10, all teachers will be teaching in program. The changes anticipated with the new graduation program in BC with a focus on Inquiry learning, the teachers at JHS are well positioned to adopt the new curriculum with relative ease.  

For the 2014-15 school year, the teachers at Johnston Heights created Inquiry groups based on areas of interest. One group wanted to explore how to write effective Inquiry Questions. Another group wanted to gain understanding of Inclusion within Inquiry based learning. The third group wanted to explore assessment in Inquiry.

This school wide Collaborative Inquiry has been the focus of Pro-d throughout the year. In the 2014-15 school year, the Inclusion teachers struggled with providing the same level of support for Grade 9 as they had created for the grade 8s. A poor timetable design and with an increased number of learners with needs at Grade 9 proved to be problematic for the department. The evidence collected, clearly showed that teachers support the Inclusion model at Johnston Heights. The feedback further indicated that teachers believe that more time, resources and training to understand how to effectively implement Inclusion in the class room would lead to even greater success for all learners.