Alberta K-6 draft curriculum ‘disjointed’, has ‘no scope’: teacher group

EDMONTON – The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) is out with a scathing review of the province’s controversial K-6 draft curriculum.

More than 6,500 teachers reviewed the draft and say math is “disjointed” and science has “no scope”.

https://twitter.com/Tommy_Slick/status/1443260191122747392

The ATA says the plan fails to meet even the provincial government’s own standards.

“Alberta’s students and teachers require an appropriate and workable curriculum. The government may have set out to develop a high-quality curriculum, but our analysis shows they have failed to meet their own goals. If they won’t listen to the thousands of teachers who have spoken, perhaps they will listen to themselves,” said ATA President Jason Schilling.

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The ATA says the content has developmentally inappropriate learning outcomes that lack high academic standards and does not adequately describe what students must know and be able to do.

Inclusion of Indigenous content is not authentic, the group says, and there is not an adequate inclusion of francophone histories, contributions and perspectives.

The curriculum draft lacks respect for Alberta’s diversity and support for a peaceful, pluralistic society, teachers say.

The ATA also says it fails to address racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry, and the use of language that promotes such bigotry.

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Teachers are also concerned that religious studies is included as a mandatory subject–something that teachers say infringes on the religious freedoms of Alberta parents.

Schilling says this curriculum is based on ideological, antiquated ideas of what children should learn, by those who seem to have no experience with teaching in Albertan, or even Canadian, classrooms.

“If this curriculum moves ahead, Alberta’s kids will get left behind and be set up for failure in the 21st century.”

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Schilling says the curriculum needs to be rewritten, and teachers are all too ready to help, since they were left out of consultations on the current draft.

Shortly after the draft was released, a survey of ATA members found 91 per cent of teachers were displeased with the draft, and 90 per cent of elementary school teachers felt uncomfortable teaching the new curriculum.

Several school districts across Alberta have said they won’t be piloting the draft.