The latest draft for K-12 social studies is scheduled to be piloted this fall, but ATA officials worry it will be done too quickly and be too burdensome for teachers.
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Parents, teachers and students believe Alberta’s new social studies curriculum will not only improve understanding of history and global issues, but also critical thinking skills and respect for other opinions, according to research released by the province. want to focus on.
The UCP government’s 2021 draft K-6 curriculum came under heavy criticism for being racist, age-inappropriate and misrepresenting Indigenous history. Approximately 13,000 Albertans were surveyed last fall as part of the latest social studies review.
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But the Alberta Teachers’ Association questioned the vagueness of the study and added concerns that the curriculum review schedule was too early.
The latest draft for K-12 social studies is scheduled to be piloted this fall, but ATA officials are worried about unprecedented enrollment growth, classroom complexity, and curriculum trials in math, science, health, and more. They worry that it will be too fast and too burdensome for teachers who are already struggling with this.
According to the survey’s Leger report posted on the Alberta government’s website in mid-December, four questions were asked about various aspects of social studies and participants were instructed to rank their answers based on importance. has been done.
Respondents overwhelmingly emphasized the importance of developing critical thinking skills and wanted Canadian history to focus on early settlement, exploration, Indigenous culture, history, and tradition.
The responses also prioritized students learning about world history, ancient civilizations, and global issues, including democracy, human rights, local, state, and federal government structures, and an emphasis on trade and the global economy. .
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According to the data, 43 percent of those surveyed cited “developing critical thinking skills to make informed decisions” as a top priority, while 18 percent cited “understanding historical events.” The results showed that 9% of respondents ranked “understanding local Canada” as the most important thing. Our top priority is to “interact respectfully with others who have different ideas and opinions.”
But ATA President Jason Schilling argued there are limits to such basic questions about concepts and skills that have already been taught in schools for decades.
“The survey was very vague, with only a few questions. . . . We know that critical thinking skills are important, and we’ve been teaching them for quite some time.”
This fall, Alberta education officials will discuss the development and scope of the K-12 social studies curriculum, as well as the actual content of the K-12 social studies curriculum, with multicultural groups, First Nations and Francophone communities. , said it worked with the ATA along with other education experts. -6 Social Studies Curriculum.
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Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said students will develop important life skills including “problem solving and critical thinking” while “developing the ability to articulate ideas and understand diverse worldviews”. He said he is looking forward to the curriculum.
“This collaborative process with teachers, parents, Indigenous, Métis, multicultural and francophone leaders, subject matter experts, school boards and others creates a comprehensive curriculum that sets students up for lifelong success. I’m confident.”
More than 5,000 Albertans provided additional input through the survey’s open-ended questions. The most common feedback was about effective teaching methods and processes, and the need for curriculum content to be fact-based, nonpartisan, and developmentally age-appropriate. -appropriate.
Much of the criticism of the draft curriculum for kindergarten through sixth grade centered on the premature introduction of complex concepts, such as studying ancient civilizations in kindergarten.
“We need to involve teachers”: ATA President
Of the total 12,853 Albertans surveyed, 58 per cent identified as a parent or guardian of a school-age child, 21 per cent identified as an interested Albertan, and 14 per cent They identified as educators, and 6 percent identified as students or others. .
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Schilling said government officials have been meeting privately with the ATA, but need to get more concrete input from front-line educators who are already teaching and piloting the early-grade curriculum. He said there is.
Professor Schilling said the draft mathematics curriculum, which has been piloted over the past year for early grades, is already grappling with unprecedented enrollment growth and classroom complexity, posing significant challenges for teachers. He said there was.
“We need to involve teachers who are in the field and in the classroom, who are already working on the new curriculum.
“For example, we know that there have been mistakes in mathematics where children have not acquired any prerequisite knowledge before learning a new concept.
“We need to make sure this never happens again.”
Schilling added that a draft K-12 social studies curriculum is scheduled to begin testing as early as this fall, making the timeline too urgent.
“It’s very tough to ask teachers and school boards to field test curriculum this fall that we won’t know until April or May.
“I am truly concerned that K-12 educators are exhausted and the government is not providing them with the support they need.”
Alberta Education said it will continue to work with communities, education partners, curriculum development experts and teachers until the end of January.
Feedback from these meetings and public surveys will be used to refine the draft social studies curriculum before it is released for further feedback later this year.
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