Educational Improvement in Predominantly Indigenous Communities: The Contribution of Collaborative Inquiry in an Era of Austerity

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Abstract

The objectives of this paper are to seek cost-effective means of supporting professional learning in remote communities in British Columbia. The paper draws upon a project that created a team of literacy coaches who facilitated collaborative inquiries in remote communities comprising high percentages of Aboriginal learners. The rationale for the project emanated from tensions between the reality of diminishing funding for education and statistical evidence of a significant achievement gap between rural and urban communities, and between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal learners (Rural Task Force, 2003).
The intervention linked on-site, face-to-face collaborative inquiry meetings with existing professional networks and a combination of telephone and online supports for teachers. Sending coaches into remote communities rather than relying on expensive workshops in far away urban centers, offered contextualized professional learning directly related to the needs of young learners.

Author

• Paige Fisher, Vancouver Island University