Third Printing Now Arrived • Orders shipped immediately

Spirals of Inquiry, by Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser in association with the BCPVPA, is a handbook organized to provide you with specific inquiry tools, research evidence and examples from practice in BC schools. You will read arguments for the importance of considering and combining wise, strong and new approaches to inquiry and learning. You will be introduced to a set of questions that can shift thinking and practice. You will explore the key stages in the spiral of inquiry and you will consider ways to incorporate current knowledge into your designs for professional learning. We hope you will feel better equipped to create the kinds of inquiry learning communities required to get the outcomes for young people that we both want and need.

The book is priced at $20 per copy (including taxes). The shipping fee will be added (mailed or sent by courier, depending on quantity ordered). We invoice on shipment. To order the book email Jennifer and include: 1) the number of copies required; 2) the shipping address; 3) who to invoice.

Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Aboriginal Enhancement Schools Network Provincial Fund, with those funds to be distributed to support inquiry-based learning initiatives.

Download a conference program

Register for the conference (takes you to a new site)

Register at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, Richmond (take you to a new site)

Register now for the annual BCPVPA conference

Connecting Leaders: Beyond Innovation and Change will feature two keynotes: Simon Breakspear (a leading thinker on the future of learning and educational innovation) and George Couros (Division Principal of Innovative Teaching and Learning, Parkland School Division, Alberta). In addition breakout sessions will address conference strands and allow participants to gain insights from skilled BC practitioners. Among those leading the breakouts are: Cale Birk; Taryn Dixon, Nicole Driscoll and Shawna Petersen; representatives from DASH BC; Will Eaton; Linda McGraw and Laurie Bryce; David DeRosa; Grant Frend; Karen Goetz and Tim Manuel; and, Ian Landy.

The conference is set for October 25-26 in Richmond at the Vancouver Sheraton Airport Hotel.

The BCPVPA's Leadership Standards for Principals and Vice-Principals in British Columbia provide a framework for professional preparation and growth of aspiring and practicing principals and vice-principals. The structure of the leadership standards describe effective, observable leadership actions which can be used for self-assessment, self-reflection and as the basis for personal professional growth planning.

The purpose of the document is to foster continuous professional learning in working towards effective leadership. It is not intended as an instrument for evaluation or the judgement of the individual performance of principals and vice-principals by districts. The Standards as they are written do not lend themselves to evaluation procedures as they are generic, context dependent and aspirational.

The complete document is available as a pdf here.

BCPVPA videos are now posted on YouTube.

Professional learning videos feature

1. A Focus on Full-day Kindergarten
2. The Connection between Early Learning and School Success
3. The Role of Play in Full-day Kindergarten
4. Five Characteristics of a Successful Full-day Kindergarten
5. Key concepts in teaching and learning (estimation strategies for calculation and problem solving, number strand, grade 4/5);
6. Janet Mort on early learning; and
7. The kindergartern learning project showing how teachers use assement criteria to better understand each learner and to plan lessons based on assessment data.

Aboriginal education videos feature

1. Gayle Bedard and Colleen Hannah on Building Bridges with Aboriginal Communities; and
2. Willie Pierre offering a Coast Salish Traditional Opening.

The British Columbia Principals' & Vice-Principals' Association (BCPVPA) offers a comprehensive benefits package to participating eligible employees. For information about the benefits provided by this plan click to visit an external website, which is operated by Morneau Shepell.