On Wednesday, February 26, our cohort was lucky enough to be welcomed into the very special classroom of Rebecca Bathurst-Hunt at George Jay Elementary.
Rebecca does an incredible job of teaching her kindergarten class with an inquiry based approach. Choosing to focus on areas of interest for her students, she works the kindergarten curriculum into their inquiry topics.
Just one look around her classroom and any visitor will quickly be able to pick out her student’s current inquiry- dinosaurs. Although not an area of focus in British Columbia’s kindergarten curriculum, Rebecca has been able to work in of big ideas and curricular competencies from all subject areas, all while teaching to the student’s interests.
One thing that I really admired about Rebecca’s classroom was how student focussed it was. As teachers, it can be all too easy to plan and design a space that is aesthetically pleasing to us, but may not meet the needs of the students. However, this inquiry-based kindergarten classroom was full of pictures of student’s work and photograph, a great way to honour them as individuals and create a space children feel comfortable in.
A great example of honouring student voice through classroom decoration was the class’s fish tank. During a previous inquiry on pet care, the kindergartens welcomed a beta fish (who they decided to name Elsa Bubblies) into the classroom. When Elsa unfortunately passed away, the students were adamant on keeping the tank as a way of honouring and remembering their pet. The empty tank serves as a testament to Rebecca’s commitment to respecting her student’s wishes.
When I picture the kind of educator I wish to be in the future, images akin to Rebecca’s classroom come to mind. I love her inquiry approach and the way that it highlights student voice and choice.
I’ve made arrangements to return to George Jay to see this inquiry based approach in action next week. I can’t wait to observe how even the youngest of students can explore avenues of interest through inquiry-based education.
