EDMONTON — The president of the Alberta Teachers' Association says he's pleased with the government's decision to delay full implementation of its proposed curriculum for kindergarten to Grade 6 after fierce opposition from some teachers and students.
But Jason Schilling says there are still many unanswered questions about the government's decision and planto teach in the upcoming school year some revamped subjects — including math and physical education and wellness — while revising others.
"There's still lots to do here, which is why we still need to slow this down a little bit further," Schilling said Monday.
"I don't know when more information is to come. You can't plan for education for students that way. It's just not acceptable."
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced earlier in the day that the province will be "staggering subjects starting this fall."
"Until now, we had plans to implement all subjects next fall, September of 2022, but we have heard loud and clear from teachers that this was simply not possible," she said.
Physical education and wellness studies will now include financial literacy, which was previously part of the draft social studies curriculum.
Students are to learn revised science concepts that include details on how climate change can be explained by natural and human causes, and that clean energy production has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
LaGrange said the government also made changes in science to "help students develop an appreciation for dinosaurs and understand their significance in Alberta's history."
Music classes for students in Grade 2 and up will focus less on "theoretical concepts" and more on "performance art skills."
The government also revised nutrition and positive body image lessons to promote self-confidence and well-being. Schilling said the previous draft for these lessons was not age appropriate.
However, he said he's still concerned that there are not changes in the curriculum to computer technology or digital literacy.
The K-6 curriculum for social studies, French immersion and francophone language arts, science and fine arts will be delayed, because feedback indicated "some Albertans feel the draft content has students learning too much, too soon and too quickly," LaGrange said.
The United Conservative government will seek advice from education and curriculum experts early in the new year to further revise those subjects, she said. She will provide details on the committee's makeup at a later date, she added.
For now, the province has developed a new blueprint that shifts the order in which history will be taught in social studies courses, LaGrange said. There will be more lessons on ancient civilizations, but that material will be moved to Grade 5 from Grade 2.
The Alberta Teachers' Association noted in a report last fall that hundreds of teacher surveys suggested the curriculum was skewed toward Eurocentric history and referred to First Nations, Inuit and Métis only in the past tense. Teachers also said it failed to include lessons on critical thinking skills and lacked accurate Indigenous perspectives.
Schilling said delaying the new social studies curriculum is positive, but his group has "yet to have a meeting scheduled where we can sit down and talk about our concerns" with the minister.
"If they ignore teachers' voices on that ... this curriculum will fail."
The government had planned to pilot Grade 7 to 10 lessons in classrooms next school year, but LaGrange noted that won't be happening until the kindergarten to Grade 6 curriculum is confirmed.
The government has said 7,800 students in 17 schools and school divisions are piloting the K-6 curriculum, but did not answer questions about which ones.
Sarah Hoffman, education critic for the Opposition NDP, said the government "should not have taken this long to admit its mistake."
"School boards have refused to pilot the draft curriculum ... and the very teachers who were consulted on the draft say that their feedback was ignored."
"They won't even tell us what schools are piloting the curriculum or the subjects that are being piloted."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2021.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
