Innovation in Education with Jeff Hopkins from the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry:
In this week’s Ed Tech class we were blessed with a visit from Jeff Hopkins, the founder and principal educator at Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry. Jeff had some eye-opening points and ideas that really made me stop and think. He is a big advocator for an ever-changing curriculum rather than artificial and individual subjects to look for students’ competencies. Jeff along with scientific research proves that humans have a curiosity to learn, and Jeff believes that one of the best ways for a human to learn is through inquiry.
PSII has many more unique differences than a normal BC public school. I would argue that it is similar to a Summerhill school because students don’t have a pre-determined schedule that has the classes they have to go to. Rather, the staff at PSII are there to help guide the students on their own inquiry. Interestingly enough, unlike some other alternative schools, students at PSII have the opportunity to get credits for BC curricular classes. Jeff explained that being a teacher and being a student at PSII isn’t for everyone and they have to be the right fit.