The field trip to the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry was very interesting! I had never heard of this school before, so to see what their approach was and get to see the actual school space was a good learning experience.

One thing that the principle, Jeff Hopkins, talked about was how they try and intergrade their students into the public as much as possible. I think that this is a really great idea for teenagers to be doing, as I feel that high school settings can sometimes shelter students to what the norm in society is. He compared the difference between most high schools to PSII and that in PSII learners are encouraged to develop their inquiries using the world outside, whereas most high schools try to make hypothetical learning environments within the school.

Inquiry-based learning was something that I hadn’t heard of before being in the Elementary Education Program at UVic and I am thankful that it is something that educators are trying to implement into the school system. Obviously PSII has a very inquiry-based learning environment, but I think that this style of learning should and could be implemented into elementary and high school classrooms.

Overall, I think it is great that there is an alternative school in Victoria, BC for students who maybe don’t succeed in the traditional setting that is in place at most high schools.  I know from my own high school experience, the ways that I was being taught wasn’t working for my learning style, so I wonder if this type of learning environment would have helped me succeed.