Introduction

On Friday, I had the privilege of touring the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII). PSII is an alternative school for grades 9-12 that integrates Vygotsky’s concept of “Zone of Proximal Development” into their learning model, which acknowledges that learners have varying learning needs. PSII works to personalize learning for students by using an inquiry-based approach to learning that are co-developed by teachers and learners while still following the BC Curriculum. 

Image of the core values the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry.

Do we need to reimagine education? 

I believe education needs an overhaul and needs to be restructured with students’ needs and interests taken into consideration. I have noticed the education system has shifted from solely focusing on memorizing content and has integrated curricular competencies and a grading system that includes competency-based assessment which is a good start. Our current education system is still highly standardized and because of this, it is challenging to meet the needs of all students. We can accommodate to learners better through models that are similar to PSII which is more personalized to students’ learner needs. 

What excites you about this approach?

One aspect that excites me about this approach is that learners are able to have a bigger role in their learning journey. I’ve worked in settings with students where their learning is more personalized to their learning needs than in a typical school setting, however, I still found gaps were occurring and led to barriers. With the approach PSII has established, learning is tailored even further than what I had seen in my previous job and provides additional supports for learners. As well, I think as a teacher, it would be highly engaging for educators because they also get to learn new content alongside students. 

What are the potential benefits of developing a personal learning approach?

There are many benefits to creating a personalized learning approach. One of the most important positives to come out of this approach is that students are more motivated to learn. While I was at PSII, the biggest observation I had was that every single student who I walked by, was working on something. Students highly focused on the tasks they were working on. An additional benefit that can come out personalized learning is how easy it is to make learning interdisciplinary. I was able to speak briefly with one of the teachers at PSII and she was discussing some of students learn in art such as harvesting wild clay, the chemical physical changes clay undergoes during the firing process, and how this integrates both science and art. She also briefly touched on the physics behind sound waves in a drum.