Case Study:

BC Hydro:

Power Smart for Schools

Case study content property of Kidzsmart Communications and their respective clients.

Sustainability & Youth Empowerment

The BC Hydro Power Smart for Schools program provides resources for teachers to incorporate energy conservation and efficiency into their curriculum, fostering environmental stewardship and promoting a sustainable future. Through this program, students gain knowledge and skills to become active participants in creating a greener and more sustainable world.

The program embraces the practice of Two-Eyed Seeing, integrating Indigenous and Western scientific perspectives. The desired learning outcomes are designed to promote a more empathetic understanding of sustainability, environmental issues, community and stewardship while also promoting career interest in the STEAM fields.

The Brief

To develop lesson plans and activities for Earth Day 2023. The theme, "Invest in our Planet," aimed to teach students about sustainable practices and environmental stewardship.


The practice of Two-Eyed Seeing – an approach that combines Indigenous and Western scientific perspectives – was included to foster a deeper understanding of environmental issues and promote reconciliation through decolonialization and Indigenization content.

The Scope

Classroom materials that are on-curriculum per BC provincial standards, and designing hands-on activities that promote embodied learning.

My Role

Creative Director, Consultant, Content Strategist.

The Method

Together with STEMedge Academy my team along with insights from the client conducted research to gain insights into the experiences of teachers and students in the Power Smart for Schools program. This research helped us identify pain points and areas for improvement. For example, we discovered the need for more teacher training materials and hands-on activities for students, aligning with the approach for full-body learning and the user-centric 5E/7E taxonomy.

In collaboration with the client, we partnered with educational experts from STEMedge Academy. Together, we created a holistic educational framework that aligned with provincial curriculum, incorporated a Two-Eyed Seeing approach, and addressed the goals of BC Hydro's program. By leveraging PhD-authored material and considering the needs of both teachers and students, we developed educational outcomes that were on-curriculum, relational, and aligned with decolonial practices. In the example above the desired learning outcome was focused on teaching our relationship to water both within our homes as well as our connection to nature.

Design Process

To put user insights into action, time constraints of teachers was considered thus activities that could be completed within 30 minutes were designed. We also developed training materials to support teachers in delivering the curriculum effectively, addressing any subject matter confidence issues. In this example, we looked to address our connection to nature through arts, crafts, and storytelling.

Collaborating with educational partners, we identified "big ideas" that aligned with provincial curriculum and incorporated Indigenous-approved insights, respecting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action. The ideation phase focused on interactive content, engaging students through crafting, art, and science experiments, following a 5E/7E immersive learning approach. The final design was accepted by the client, appreciated for its user-centered approach, educational outcomes, and alignment with BC Hydro's goals. The incorporation of Indigenous perspectives, including the Two-Eyed Seeing approach, was particularly valued, evident in the downloadable activities for kids.

Solution

Included in the design solution was the material pictured above – storytelling crafts that teach kids the Western scientific perspective, while also exploring Indigenous perspectives from our region.

Additional deliverables included:

  • Age-segmented programs tailored to kindergarten to grade 3, and grades 4 to 7. All designed with accessibility design consideration on cognitive abilities, developmental stages, and curriculum-specific content.

  • Downloadable activities were designed to encourage storytelling, engineering, art, and environmental stewardship, fostering exploration and engagement.

  • Activities that combined art and science, promoting critical thinking, data collection skills, and a sense of empowerment.

  • Deliverables were available in both English and French, addressing the demand from French immersion schools in BC.

  • All solutions aligned with BC Hydro's mission of teaching sustainability and conservation while incorporating Indigenization in educational materials for BC students.

Results

Year after year as more BC Teachers sign up, the Power Smart for Schools program continues to grow. The results from this year’s Earth Day campaign saw the following results.

  • 49% increased engagement on the k-3 student activities

  • Similarly, there was also a 46% increase of engagement on grades 4-7 student activities

  • Most impressively for BC, there was an increase on French-language activity engagement with a 76% increase for k-3 activities, and 110% increase for 4-7 activities.

On a personal note, my favourite results were in teacher submissions which showed quality of learning with regards to interconnectivity, as well as storytelling and crafting activities which explored engineering and the arts.

Photos from BC Hydro’s social media team.