David Wenzel

PROFESSIONAL INQUIRY PROJECT PROPOSAL

There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.
Margaret Wheatley

Focus of the Project: The Pillars of Care at Beddington Heights School: Care for Self, Care for Others,
Care for Learning, and Care for Place

Inquiry Question: How do students understand the Pillars of Care in terms of their importance and what
they look like within the school community?

Description of End Product

I will create a video that aims to increase student engagement with the Pillars of Care. The video will be
separated in four segments (one for each Pillar) and include the following:

- A title sequence to introduce the Pillars of Care

- Students from different grades narrating questions about the Pillars of Care, such as What is care for
learning? and Why is Care for Learning important? Other students will answer these questions.
- Scenes showing the Pillars in action around the school
- Instrumental versions of relevant songs playing softly during the interview segments, with the vocals
coming in during the Pillars of Care in action scenes

Description of the Process

I began my inquiry by learning about the Pillars of Care from the students in my classroom. I had them
write sentences about each Pillar, telling me how they can be demonstrated and why they are important. I
have also decided which songs will be used to represent each Pillar of Care in my final video.

The next steps in the inquiry, along with their planned completion dates, are as follows:

1. Before February 9, I will meet with administration to discuss my project, notifying them of my
proposed video and the process to create it. I will ask them for their desired video purpose and length
(should it be a five-minute video to show at every assembly, or a more in-depth production that
classes can watch individually?). I will also ask if I can introduce my project to the other teachers, via
email and / or at the next staff meeting.
2. At the February 9 staff meeting (or possibly through email), I hope to tell the other teachers about
my project and what it would involve. I will ask them to think about one or two students in their class
who do an outstanding job demonstrating one of the Pillars (and have permission to be on video). I
hope to interview these students one-on-one for the video. I will also mention my idea of potentially
filming other students participating in lessons and doing various activities around the school. The
teachers who are interested in having their students participate can email me with a plan that works
for them in terms of filming (Ill let them know the times that I am free to film).
3. Next, I will commence filming, working with teachers to schedule interview times and places. I will
complete the interviews first so that I may review them and determine if I need to do more of them or
re-schedule appointments. Interview filming should be completed by March 10. I will periodically
film non-interview moments to showcases the Pillars, and these scenes should be collected by
March 17. I will complete basic video editing throughout the filming process.
4. By March 20, I will have a written outline for the flow of the video, including the sequence of
scenes, and which scenes will match certain parts of the music.
5. By April 2, the video will be edited and sent to teachers and administration for review. I will ask
them to notify me of any changes that would need to be made prior to presenting the video to a wider
audience.
6. By April 5, the project will be complete and ready to present.