As I prepare to teach in British Columbia, I am moving away from seeing the curriculum as a list of content I must cover. I now see it as a framework for helping students inquire, communicate, reflect, and understand themselves and others. 

Two areas will guide my first steps: student-owned inquiry and assessment, and place-based learning grounded in authentic Indigenous voices. Together, they reflect the kind of English Language Arts classroom I want to build: one that is inclusive, reflective, and connected.

Area 1: Students as partners in inquiry and assessment

Professional Standards: Standard 1 (educators value the success of all students) and Standard 5 (educators use effective planning, instruction, assessment, and reporting to create respectful and inclusive learning environments).

Earlier in my teaching journey, I often planned the learning, set the criteria, and judged the final product myself. This course helped me see that clear expectations do not require the teacher to control every part of learning. Students learn more deeply when they know what they are learning, why it matters, what quality looks like, and what they can do next. This is especially important for multilingual learners, who may understand complex ideas but need different ways or more time to show their learning.

In a secondary ELA class, I will pilot a short inquiry around the question, "How does language shape belonging?" Students will develop questions connected to their languages, cultures, identities, and experiences before examining written, oral, and visual texts. We will co-create success criteria from the ELA curricular competencies and study an exemplar together. Students may show their learning through a personal essay, podcast, or visual essay.

During the process, students will use two feedback prompts: "I notice..." and "A next step could be..." Each student will use feedback to revise one part of the work and complete a short self-assessment that identifies evidence of growth and one next goal. I will use exit slips, conferences, and drafts to adjust instruction rather than waiting until the final product. After the first unit, I will check whether students can explain the learning goal, use criteria to discuss their work, and show how feedback led to a specific revision.

Resources: Halbert and Kaser's Spiral Playbook and the B.C. Curriculum's Redesigning Assessment guidance.

Area 2: Learning through local place and authentic Indigenous voices

Professional Standards: Standard 9 (educators support truth, reconciliation, and healing and deepen understanding of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis histories, cultures, and ways of knowing) and Standard 7 (ongoing professional learning).

Standard 9 cannot be met by adding one Indigenous text or giving a land acknowledgement without deeper learning. My conversations with Indigenous students have reminded me that identity is personal and that students share more when relationships feel safe. As an educator new to B.C., I need to listen, learn whose territory I am teaching on, and avoid presenting myself as an expert in knowledge that is not mine.

My first action will be to consult the school or district Indigenous education team and learn the guidance and protocols of the local Nation or Nations. In Metro Vancouver, one starting resource could be the Musqueam Place Names Map, which includes hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ recordings by Musqueam Elders, photographs, and community-created information. Students could explore the question, "What can a place name teach us about identity, memory, and responsibility?" They would examine what the source communicates, identify questions it raises, and create a written or multimodal reflection connecting language, place, and identity.

I will pair this work with an Indigenous-authored text selected through FNESC's Authentic First Peoples Resources for Grades 10-12. Students will acknowledge their sources and reflect on whose voice is present, whose may be missing, and who has the right to tell a story. I will seek feedback from an Indigenous education colleague, invite anonymous student feedback, and keep a professional learning log so I can revise the lesson instead of treating it as finished.

My path forward

I am most excited about shifting from delivering lessons to creating conditions where students can question, contribute, and see their progress. I will begin small: one inquiry-assessment cycle and one carefully sourced, place-based lesson. Change in my practice will not come from one perfect unit. It will come from listening, checking the impact of my choices, asking for guidance, and returning to the Professional Standards as a living responsibility.