Alumnus Weeks fuels inquiry-based learning

By Clayton MacGillivray

Anyone interested in innovative education reform would do well to take a trip to Botha School and meet Principal Peter Weeks, BED'94, BA'94. Under his guidance, the tiny elementary school east of Stettler, Alberta has embraced inquiry-based learning, which requires the student to actively question throughout the course of his/her studies, to conduct research and to interpret a wide range of materials.

"Our goal is to develop cross-grade, cross-curriculum thematic units to help our students meet curricular goals through the lens of 21^st-century literacy skills," he says.

To prepare Botha's approximately 100 students to meet the needs of a demanding future, teaching staff have introduced inquiry-based multiliteracy activities. These activities divide the school year into three units, each with a theme: past units include the Wild West, Medieval Europe and Pirates (a tough one for Weeks when students mutinied and shaved his beard.)

Teachers develop projects involving research, technology integration and collaborative problem solving. During the Wild West unit, for example, students watched introductory documentary videos on rodeo, video-conferenced with the Cowgirl Museum in Texas and worked with a cowboy poet.

For their part, students at Botha plan and implement their own research projects, in line with the Faculty of Education's innovative inquiry-based learning model.

Enthusiasm for teaching is something Weeks has always had. Feeling unfulfilled as a journalist and business manager, he returned to the U of C while still in his early 30s.

"In every job I held, I sought out opportunities to educate."

With this powerful need to teach, it's hardly surprising that Weeks received a 2008 Provincial Excellence in Teaching Award.

"I was truly humbled to be in the company of such brilliant and outstanding educators," he says.

"Although I got the fancy plaque and the nice pin, the award really belongs to the Botha School community, to all our staff, to our parents and students."

For more information on the creative work being done at Botha School, visit http://botha.clearview.ab.ca/.