Glenbow School teacher Kara Vincent is helping with the Alberta government’s curriculum rewrite and part of that is updating how schools approach First Nations teaching.
Glenbow School teacher Kara Vincent is helping with the Alberta government’s curriculum rewrite and part of that is updating how schools approach First Nations teaching.
“The biggest emphasis is what are important perspectives from Metis, Inuit and First Nations people, ” Vincent said.
“For example, Francophone perspective has always been in the curriculum … (and) we used to look at history from a newcomers perspective but that is changing. ”
The curriculum change was announced last year by the Alberta government as a way to look ahead to the future and ensure all students are given the “best possible start in life and meet the demands of living in the 21st century. ”
Previously, Alberta’s curriculum was developed one subject at a time and over different time periods. Moving forward, the government announced it wants to update the curriculum and include a focus on First Nations, Metis and Inuit content that reflects “the importance of re-balancing the education system by engaging all students and teachers to learn alongside each other in the spirit of education for reconciliation. ”
Although the rewrite is in the early stages, Vincent said she hopes the end result is fair representation for all cultures.
“All the learners from Alberta need to see themselves through the curriculum and that doesn’t mean just one group - we need to make sure we are seeing all perspectives and can see where they fit in and why it’s important to them, ” Vincent said.
A survey is available on the Alberta government’s website asking for feedback from parents and educators on the current provincial curriculum review. The survey closes June 2.
For more information go to education.alberta.ca
