In this discussion, we talked a little bit about what makes PSII different from most high schools in British Columbia. I was really interested when I learned that this school prioritizes personal learning paths and allows students to co-create their own curriculum based on their own interests. I think this is a school that I would have really enjoyed when I was in high school. I think one of the main issues with the current education system is that students are not always able to follow their own interests, and sometimes it seems as though the traditional education system sometimes “beats” the curiosity out of students as they learn to prioritize achievement over exploration, learning, and their own personal passions and interests.

In high school, I often felt extremely disinterested in the content I was learning and found it very hard or unpleasant to engage with. Photo from the University of Queensland.

I walk past this school almost every day on my way to work, and I have often wondered what the school is actually about. I always thought that it was a “special education” school for learners with exceptionalities or learning disabilities. After this discussion, I now understand that this is not true and that the school is designed for all kinds of learners. I was especially interested to learn that the school is actually more-so designed for students who love learning. As someone who always enjoyed learning for the sake of learning, I felt a bit disappointed that there was no school like this available in my hometown because I think I would have really enjoyed it. I wish that my school had had the resources available to provide a personalized learning experience for me in my adolescence because I think it would have allowed for a lot of self discovery. I think this school would be really great for students with ADHD or autism who tend to be very invested in their learning and very excited by new learning opportunities without some of the more tedious aspects of traditional education systems that made high school feel unapproachable or uninteresting to me at various points throughout my time there.

Here is a link to a youtube video that describes inquiry-based learning

Ideally I would love to see more personalized education plans put in place in school districts, but I understand that there are various limitations that make this a challenge. My take away from this discussion is that students do well when they are allowed to pursue their own interests and I would really like to be able to create a classroom environment where students can feel encouraged and supported in their own personal learning endeavours.