Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
National

Alberta to pilot new social studies curriculum in the fall after facing blowback

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Apr, 2024 11:58 AM
  • Alberta to pilot new social studies curriculum in the fall after facing blowback

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the draft has significantly evolved.

"Not everyone may be happy with the new curriculum, and that's understandable. Albertans are diverse, and that means we have diverse views," Nicolaides told reporters Friday.

"What I believe, though, is most important is that we take politics out of the classroom."

Nicolaides said the draft better emphasizes critical thinking, is more culturally inclusive, and shifts some topics to more appropriate age levels.

For example, students are set to learn about taxes in Grade 5 rather than in Grade 2.

Although the latest version adds First Nations, Métis and Inuit content in grades 1, 2 and 3, the government continues to resist a recommendation from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that instruction on residential schools and treaties begin in kindergarten.

School authorities have until May 15 to decide whether they will pilot the curriculum in the fall.

Nicolaides said feedback from teachers during classroom testing could lead to minor tweaks before the curriculum becomes mandatory in all classrooms in the fall of 2025.

The Alberta Teachers' Association said teachers' recommendations are not reflected in the new draft, the content load is unrealistic, and some concepts remain developmentally inappropriate and inaccurate.

It’s calling for a time out.

“What’s the rush?" teachers association president Jason Schilling said in a statement, adding that the fall rollout could overwhelm schools that are already overcrowded and understaffed.

Schilling noted that over the past three years, elementary schools have piloted and implemented new curriculum in four subject areas across seven grades.

"The problems currently being faced by teachers having to implement a flawed math curriculum demonstrate the risk of proceeding prematurely to implement new curriculum content and design," said Schilling.

The United Conservative Party government tried three years ago to update decades-old curriculum for kindergarten to Grade 6 subjects.

It was condemned by many education experts for being age-inappropriate, not culturally inclusive, and too focused on the rote memorization of facts.

As a result, the province promised to go back to the drawing board on social studies and restart consultations.

A second social studies draft was released last month, but members of the curriculum development specialist group that gave the government feedback wrote in an open letter that their advice was "largely ignored," and the process needed yet another a restart.

Nicolaides said Friday he recently met with the group.

"Some of their commentary and some of their feedback was absolutely taken into consideration," he said.

MORE National ARTICLES

Federal government to launch $1.5B fund to protect affordable rentals

Federal government to launch $1.5B fund to protect affordable rentals
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a new $1.5-billion housing fund will help non-profit organizations acquire more rental units across Canada and make sure they remain affordable.  The new Canada Rental Protection Fund will be included in the upcoming federal budget, to be tabled on April 16. 

Federal government to launch $1.5B fund to protect affordable rentals

Surrey man convicted of child exploitation

Surrey man convicted of child exploitation
A Surrey man has been sentenced to a conditional 18-month term to be served in the community after he was convicted of child exploitation. B-C Mounties say 34-year-old Joel Andy Daigle was identified by U-S police as a member of an international online group linked to trafficking pornography.

Surrey man convicted of child exploitation

April is Sikh Heritage Month and Darpan is launching Sikhi Saturdays

April is Sikh Heritage Month and Darpan is launching Sikhi Saturdays
Happy Sikh Heritage Month!! April is Sikh Heritage Month, which is an important time to celebrate and recognize the rich cultural contributions of the Sikh community in BC.

April is Sikh Heritage Month and Darpan is launching Sikhi Saturdays

Vancouver mayor disappointed by new location for overdose prevention site

Vancouver mayor disappointed by new location for overdose prevention site
The mayor of Vancouver says the city is disappointed about the new location of an overdose prevention site in the downtown core. Ken Sim says in a news release that the city was not consulted on the relocation of Thomus Donaghy OPS to Howe Street, and the site should have been moved to the nearby St. Paul’s Hospital instead.

Vancouver mayor disappointed by new location for overdose prevention site

One person hurt in second Vancouver shooting within days

One person hurt in second Vancouver shooting within days
One person has been injured in a shooting in Vancouver's downtown core, the second such incident in the area in less than a week. Vancouver police say officers responded to reports of shots fired at around 7:50 p.m. Wednesday, and found a person with serious injuries.

One person hurt in second Vancouver shooting within days

Hit and run in Victoria

Hit and run in Victoria
Police in Victoria are looking for a suspect who drove a stolen vehicle into a residence, causing significant property damage before fleeing the scene. Police say a resident from the home reported the crash on March 25, and investigators could not find the suspect despite help from a police dog unit.  

Hit and run in Victoria