Utoo Radio and Other News Sources - April 29, 2024 - Alberta's latest draft of the elementary school social studies curriculum has been released, with revisions that incorporate more Indigenous perspectives and a greater focus on critical thinking.

The curriculum comes after backlash over a 2021 draft, which was deemed age-inappropriate and culturally exclusive. The government conducted a new round of consultations with the public, teachers, community leaders, and curriculum experts to come up with a new plan.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said that the government listened to feedback that there was too much focus on memorization and some content was being introduced too early.

The new draft curriculum now introduces taxes in Grade 5 instead of Grade 2, and the amount of content in Grade 4 social studies has been reduced. Citizenship is an ongoing theme, with more exploration of diverse communities. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit histories and contributions are addressed more consistently, and additional content about discrimination and racism has been added for grades 3 and 6.

Edmonton Public Schools plans to let teachers decide whether they would like to pilot all or parts of the new social studies curriculum in the upcoming school year.

Edmonton Catholic schools are signing up for the piloting phase "to ensure our teachers can provide valuable feedback," chair Sandra Palazzo said. A statement from the Calgary Board of Education says officials are still reviewing options for their schools but plan to make a decision about piloting before the province's May 15 deadline.

After the previous social studies draft curriculum came out in 2021, most school authorities refused to pilot test draft versions while they were optional. Some curriculum experts who participated in the latest round of consultations said their concerns and feedback have still been left unaddressed. Nicolaides believes the latest curriculum revision "moves the needle" for elementary school social studies.

In the draft curriculum, kindergarten students start learning about the general concepts of community and belonging, while Grade 2 students start learning about the diversity of people and places in Canada, including Indigenous communities. Grade 3 covers specifics about the distinct languages and cultural practices of First Nations communities.