Episode 28: “All the Data is Story”: Taking a Pause with Wayi Wah Educator and Author Jo Chrona

In this beautiful conversation with BC-based education leader Jo Chrona, we step into Jo’s childhood as a voracious reader with a love of the land. We visit Jo on the bone-shaped, forested island of Haida Gwaii where she first learned the value of taking a pause to breathe in and out. From there, we visit the First People’s Principles of Learning, which Jo helped to author and describes as a “framework” for instructional decision-making. We engage in an important conversation about how to best use large-scale standardized data as a mechanism for moving toward equity, in which Jo offers guiding principles: it must not be high-stakes or negatively impact students’ wellbeing, and it must be a way to hold ourselves accountable for racialized disparities. We explore the interconnectedness between various parts of the education system, including teacher prep, curriculum, and student learning, accessing a window into the future from BC’s forward-moving approaches. Through this dynamic conversation, Jo helps us reframe the “achievement gap”, emphasizing that it is about the system, not the learner. Finally she challenges us to ensure we never homogenize groups of students, but rather get to know who our learners are through their stories. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss this enlightening glimpse of the future!

 

For Further Learning:

• Visit https://luudisk.com/ to learn more about Jo Chrona’s work.
• Explore the First Peoples Principles of Learning (FPPL) 
• Other podcasts featuring Jo Chrona:
  • Brave New Teacher, Ep. 159
  • Free Range Humans, Ep 57
• Additional Professional Learning Resources for Learning In Indigenous Education:
  • Continuing Our Learning Journey: A professional learning experience (videos and workshop facilitator's guide) for educators on how to include authentic Indigenous knowledge, perspectives, and content in BC’s curriculum.
  • Pulling Together: A series of resource guides developed to support systemic change in post-secondary education.