PIP Proposal

Inquiry Question

How can the creation and management of a café during lunchtime positively impact the sense
of community, communication, building new social connections, and inclusivity among the
students in the school?

Rationale

In this generation, I feel that students are more reluctant to making new friends and speaking
out to someone new. I want to help students feel more comfortable in talking to new people and
get better at communicating in general. Communication and meeting new people is a skill that
you will need for the rest of your life whether it is traveling to a new country, an interview for a
job, or just simply making a new friend.

Inquiry Process

-I will create a club at lunch time for students to socialize with each other and play games that
allow for communication with new people.

-I will ask the morning announcements students if they could kindly advertise my club starting in
mid-November.

-I think in order to get students to come and be interested in coming, I will have to provide an
incentive such as food, stickers, or something free for the first café because high school
students can be tricky.

Resources
What sources have you consulted to date? (eg. Articles, Professional Books/Teaching Resources, School
Division Documents, PD/Conference Sessions etc.).
What sources and material are necessary throughout your inquiry? (Be sure to fully cite resources as
necessary in your final inquiry report.)
Graham, Anne, et al. "Exploring Student Participation Across Different Arenas of School Life." British
Educational Research Journal, vol. 44, no. 6, 2018, pp. 1029-1046. https://doi-
org.uleth.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/berj.3477

https://insightstobehavior.com/blog/how-to-increase-student-engagement-in-the-high-school-classroom/
Accessed Oct. 4th, 2023.

Gathering Information

● Observational/anecdotal notes- I will take observational notes as the students are interacting with
each other throughout the lunch time. I will observe student interactions.
● Conversations/conferences with students - Having conversations and conferences with the students at the
end of the session will aid in hearing what students think about the sessions and what I can do to change
that.
 ● Reflective notes- Taking reflective notes at the end of the session will be beneficial to note the progress if
any. (Do I see students speaking to each other that would not usually speak to one another, etc.)
● Survey

Timeline

I assume this will take 3-5 weeks to gather data and to see whether students have built new
relationships amongst themselves.

Anticipated Impact

A new weekly lunchtime for all students to feel safe and play games and interact with each other
by telling stories, sharing passions, etc.
New strategies for teachers on how to build student engagement, student to student
interactions and relationships with teachers.

This will contribute to student learning by providing them with techniques and strategies on how
to interact with someone new and feel more inclined to do so. By learning about others, we have
a deeper understanding about embracing the differences that each individual has.