Alberta education minister stands behind new social studies curriculum
A group of educators looking at the most recent draft of Alberta's new social studies curriculum says it still does nothing to address the program's fundamental flaws.
However, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides stands by his government's draft proposal, saying it took into account all of the concerns from educators.
"There's a range of different folks that we're listening to, of course, and some of the views that you're hearing are a sample of those views but there are others who have been involved and others from across the country who have commented," he told CTV Morning Live in an interview on Thursday.
- Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
On Tuesday, CTV News heard from Dr. David Scott, an associate professor at the University of Calgary's Werklund School of Education, who said the new curriculum, released on April 26, fails to address many concerns.
Scott says there is no contemporary or relevant vision, a lack of opportunities to see the past, present and future through the lens of Indigenous knowledge and limited opportunities for critical thinking and decision making.
"Despite the government's assertion that this program will help young people 'develop critical thinking skills to make informed decisions,' an analysis of the program has shown that only about 10 per cent of the skills and procedures can invite students to evaluate and create new knowledge," Scott said.
He also says that the new curriculum "treats students as empty vessels to be filled with information."
"(It) fails to acknowledge the diverse identities in Alberta today," he said.
"(There are) no connections made to their already existing frames of reference, along with personal and collective identities, that shapes the way they come to new learning including discussion of issues in our world today."
Government listened to advice, minister says
Nicolaides called social studies "a challenging subject" to teach and learn.
"Everyone has a different opinion when it comes to history, when it comes to politics and I recognize that everyone's not going to agree but our approach has been to make sure that students are taught a deep foundation and understand of history to be able to understand contemporary issues and have a curriculum that enables them to sharpen critical thinking skills and I think we've done precisely that.
"Less than 25 per cent of all the outcomes for the social studies curriculum asks students to recall or memorize information and the other 75 per cent being outcomes asking students to analyze, develop ideas and really strengthen critical thinking skills.
"We absolutely are listening."
This is the first time in many years that Alberta has changed its social studies curriculum, Nicolaides said, adding that many previous governments attempted to do it but didn't accomplish the task.
"The current version that students are learning is about eight years old and a lot has changed in the world. It's important they learn from the most up-to-date curriculum possible."
Discussions are still underway by many Alberta school boards about whether or not they will test drive the province's new curriculum, but Nicolaides said there "have been early indications" of interest in trying it out in 2024.
"(That) is absolutely great because, of course, we need that on-the-ground validation," he said.
"There's no magic number of how many school boards I'd like to see but I would like to see an environment where we have some piloting done in our cities and our smaller communities to get a good, broad representative example of Alberta students."
School boards have until May 15 to decide if they will test the government's new curriculum.
Feedback from the pilot will be used to refine the curriculum before it is fully implemented in September 2025.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.