Review and Analysis of the Social Studies Curriculum in Canada - Research Paper Example

?The Social Studies Curriculum in Alberta, Canada Introduction Social study is a branch of academics related to inter-human interactions. According to a definition by Wesley “social study is the social science simplified for pedagogical purposes” a second definition is given as “unitary field comprised of materials from various disciplines, regardless of discipline boundaries, which is centered on the needs of students and society.” (Alahwiti 2007) .In Alberta Province of Canada it was considered that social studies curriculum in schools was not written and taught on modern basis, in line with requirements of twentyfirst century. The method of teaching was also old and required major review. The old program only stressed on teaching and listing facts, figures and diagrams in chronological order without considering linkages with students being educated. Thus a deep analysis was done at provincial level to revise the curriculum and the way it is taught. Dramatic Change In The Social Studies Curriculum Of Alberta With respect to Canadian – Alberta framework of citizenship a social studies program or curriculum should explore, quantify and strengthen Canadian identity of students. Within Alberta citizenship framework a social study program should reflect translate Aboriginal and Francophone perspective as well which is close to ground realities. In a nutshell the program or curriculum should promote multicultural, multiethnic, democratic and truly Canadian social and cultural values. Vision of Alberta social studies program should be based on appreciating pluralistic Canadian society and associated diverse realities. Since year 2005 onwards the curriculum has been revised as well as the methods of teaching. The major change brought about is start of program basing on concrete philosophy which stresses to develop skills with a purpose of transforming students into responsible and productive citizens in a democratic country. The program envisions needs of twenty first century while focusing Canadian identity and citizenship. The program includes many facets like including realities of Aboriginal, Francophone, multicultural, multilingual and multiethnic society. The program endeavors to connect students, with what is being taught, which is the most promising aspect. Canadian society is diverse and pluralistic in nature due to huge population of immigrants. Multiple factors shape the Canadian Society like people come from different religions, societies, social and cultural values, countries and languages. In this perspective the curriculum needed transformation according to prevailing environment which has been accomplished. The curriculum has been changed in such a way that students should value diversity rather than opposing it and see human kind on a broader perspective. Values of freedom and social justice have been added in such a way that students respect the traditions, cultures and religions of all citizens in the perspective of Canadian national identity. The methods of teaching have been evolved in a way that teachers encourage students to value and share responsibility, and fully participate in creation of true Canadian society. The syllabus has been designed after taking input from public figures that students should be able to understand history, society and culture of Alberta, Canada and the world. Now the curriculum aims at understanding dynamics of a pluralistic society and conflict resolution in such a unique society. The program encourages the students in thinking about issues related to society in Alberta and problem solving. Students are guided to translate complex social issues, draw meanings and arrive at genuine conclusions. The program lays stress on cognitive skills and effective learning while connecting them to real issues, own history and land of Canada. The relationship between citizenship and Canadian identity is the basic ingredient of program. The social studies program in Alberta stresses a lot on citizenship, respect for rights and identity of all citizens. A citizen can only contribute positively in society if he considers that he has a personal value, freedom, equal opportunities and justice in the society. Multidisciplinary Approach in Curriculum A multidisciplinary approach should be a basic component of education in social studies. It means that people and events should not be taught in isolation without context, which has been happening in the past, unfortunately. While teaching an issue a social study program should integrate history, social sciences, humanities, economics, culture, language, religion and all other related aspects in totality. The content, practice and process should be combined and a student in classroom should feel that he is present and connected with the event being taught. The issue has been addressed in the new curriculum in Alberta. Teaching of social study should encompass a broader perspective beyond narration of facts, figures, statistics and historical events. It should encourage students to establish links, connect with past, present and future. A social study program should invite students to apply their minds to practical problems and situations around them in the society. It should enable students to rethink, analyze and appreciate multidimensional, sensitive and contemporary issues. The old approach of just narrating historical facts and figures in the social study curriculum is now being recognized as ineffective. While the historical facts and figures enhance retention power of students, there is often little or no association of facts and figures with the current events and social issues. “The relation to multidisciplinary approach is not only based on the complete understanding of a specific topic but also links to creating connections with current events and how this relates to all facets of life” (Denos, 2008).Students appear least interested in a curriculum which is not socially or historically related to them. The ideology of multidisciplinary learning challenges the concept of traditional learning and demands a dynamic curriculum. “The initiative being taken is based on a re-examination of the materials being taught and what it means to students when they are endeavoring to understand the philosophies of social studies” (Clark, 2008). Citizenship Education. An approach now being considered with multidisciplinary education and social studies is citizenship education. Just learning historical facts and figures cannot be termed as education in history. There is a direct correlation between good citizenship and how one is connected to history of his country. If a person is opposed or ignorant to very origin, roots, ideology and history of a country, it is unlikely that he will prove to be a good citizen. By changing the curriculum to incorporate social values, responsibility and citizenship, socio-political environment in a country can be changed in the long term. Changing the approaches to social studies academic curriculum, so that it correlates with meaning of being a good citizen, can impact educational development, relationship with the country and ideologies of students. “Having rights, obligations, responsibilities, and combining this with the status of what it means to belong to a country become important facets with teaching the concept of social sciences” (Osborne, 2008). Social studies equip students with essential tools to foster knowledge, build relation ships and explore identity. Social study is a branch of knowledge which is practical in nature and helps students to become a responsible citizen who is responsive, dynamic, agile and constructive member of a society. In an overall democratic setting of Alberta and Canada this branch of knowledge can prove invaluable by creating a homogenous, cohesive and unified community. In the Alberta Social studies program, new multidisciplinary social study curriculum will have a deep impact on society. The program is truly Canadian in nature and meant to promote Canadian identity in the backdrop of good citizenship. It encourages the students to connect with multiethnic and multicultural Canadian social values and become a useful member of society at local and international level. Social studies develop traditions, bonding good human values. In the context Canadian constitution and history understanding of Aboriginal values, thinking and social life is essential. “First nations”, “Inuits” and “Metis” origin people are referred as Aboriginal community in Canada. It is important that cultural values, social concepts and regional languages of Aboriginal people does not remain in isolation and rather fully connected to outside world. In this back drop multidispline social studies program provides an opportunity for students in Alberta to strengthen own foundation and connect with international community at the same time. “The political and economic responses are able to further this by developing and understanding a different sense of connection that is within the curriculum” (Clark, Case, 2008). It is noted that there are active learning capacities which are a part of the classroom and which help to transform the way in which children work in the classroom. “The multidisciplinary approach is able to help with an overall evaluation of how one responds to the current events taking place and the role which each individual has with history” (Case, Abbott, 2008). Developing History The concept of citizenship is one which cannot be looked into without a thorough understanding of what it means to belong to a country. There are a variety of factors that are interdependent and which influence the other aspects of a given society. Incorporating these into the social sciences is one which can also change how one thinks about history and the current events which they are a part of. Adding in a personal relationship to history is one of the missing links which is associated with the curriculum. . The concept of the curriculum and the development of thinking is one which moves beyond historical thinking and into a well – rounded understanding of what it means to have an all inclusive understanding of what has occurred during a specific time frame. “Instead of the knowledge based on the basic text, there is a possibility to combine it with other disciplines and create relevance to the current day as well as how the interactions of different ideologies in society are able to link with each other” (Segall, 2008). Social Action and Social Studies The combination of curriculum with the questioning of why one should learn social studies then leads into current events and responsibilities associated with the ideology of learning the discipline. The concept of learning about citizenship relates to this through the different concepts which are created. Specifically, there is an understanding that one not only needs to know about the types of citizenship which are created. There is also the need to create a link to the attributes which one carries in this particular time frame and the social and cultural associations which are related to this. By doing this, there is the ability to create and develop a deeper sense of knowledge in terms of interactions, political efforts, and the responses which are most likely to occur from the past legalities and changes which are currently associated with those involved in political regimes (Cassidy, Ferguson, 2008). Conclusion Traditional elements of social studies in the classroom have been developed in terms of knowing what has occurred among various cultures in terms of political events. However, this has been limited to the facts and figures as well as the basic timelines that are presented through textbook materials and expectations to reach specific standards. As a result, many students are lacking the knowledge and have gaps in terms of the relationship of social studies to other topics and the relevance for today. To change this approach, there is the need to create a multidisciplinary approach to teaching. The specific component is based on the need to alter the approach to responsible citizenship and how this affects social action today. This is furthered with creating personal relationships for students, specifically in terms of developing a relationship to literature and other disciplines that are a part of the cultural and social elements of citizenship. By doing this, there is the ability to develop a deeper understanding not only of the social studies from the past but also with the relationship that this holds to current levels of citizenship and social status. The result will be responsible citizenship and a deeper understanding of how actions affect those that are involved in political, legal, social and cultural concepts for the current time frame. References Alahwiti ,(2007), Teacher Per caption of the Effectiveness of the Social Studies teacher Training Program Dissertation West Virginia University. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=OL38YQtF2BoC&sitesec=buy&source=gbs_vpt_read Case, Roland, Mary Abbott. Roland Case & Penney Clark, eds., (2008). “Purposeful Teaching in Secondary Social Studies.” The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Secondary Teachers. Pacific Education Press: Vancouver. Cassidy, Wanda, Margaret Ferguson. Roland Case & Penney Clark, eds., (2008). “Law Related Education for Citizenship and for Life.” The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Secondary Teachers. Pacific Education Press: Vancouver. Clark, Penny, Roland Case. Roland Case & Penney Clark, eds., (2008). “Four Defining Purposes of a Citizenship Education.” The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Secondary Teachers. Pacific Education Press: Vancouver. Clark, Penny. Roland Case & Penney Clark, eds., (2008). “Teaching History Through Literature.” The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Secondary Teachers. Pacific Education Press: Vancouver. Clark, Penny. Roland Case & Penney Clark, eds., (2008). “All Talk and No Action? The Place of Social Action in Secondary Social Studies.” The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Secondary Teachers. Pacific Education Press: Vancouver Denos, Mike. Roland Case & Penney Clark, eds., (2008). “Portals to Understanding: Embedding Historical Thinking in the Curriculum.” The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Secondary Teachers. Pacific Education Press: Vancouver. Osborne, Ken. Roland Case & Penney Clark, eds., (2008). “The Teaching of History and Democratic Citizenship.” The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Secondary Teachers. Pacific Education Press: Vancouver. Segall, Avner. Roland Case & Penney Clark, eds., (2008). “Teaching a Critical History.” The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Secondary Teachers. Pacific Education Press: Vancouver. Read More