Skip to content

ATA hosts draft curriculum forum

The Alberta Teachers' Association hosted a virtual forum on Monday, May 17 where they discussed the province's draft curriculum.
ATA virtual forum
Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association stressed the province's need to step back and re-evaluate the draft curriculum during a virtual forum on Monday night.

LAKELAND - “It’s okay to say maybe we got this wrong and we need to stop, go back, and look at what we have... We don’t always get it right."

Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) made it clear to everyone who attended the forum on May 17 they want the province to take a step back and reconsider their Kindergarten to Grade 6 draft curriculum.

“When you think about curriculum as a teacher, it really goes to the heart of what teaching is about because a strong curriculum tells what our students are going to learn over the course of the year, or over the course of their lifetime,” Schilling said. “Teacher’s take curriculum and it’s development seriously. Until recently, teachers in the association have been heavily involved in the development and redesign of curriculum. Teachers spend their entire years working with curriculum, refining their practice to best help kids learn what is within the curriculum and programs of studies."

He stressed curriculum should be supported by parents and teachers across the province, and the draft the province released in March clearly isn't.

They also believe when it comes to the matter of design and programs of studies, "teachers must take the leading role... At the end of the day, they're the ones that have to implement these programs of the curriculum," Schilling expressed. 

Assessment and evaluation are another concern for the association. 

According to Schilling, so far, the draft curriculum hasn't outlined just how these two areas will look. 

“There has been little to no discussion about what the assessment will look like with this new K-6 draft curriculum, and that’s very concerning to teachers,” he added. 

Other areas the draft curriculum is lacking according to the ATA, is inclusion and implementation. 

“A new curriculum must be implemented in a way that ensures teachers and schools have access to suitable learning resources, adequate preparation time, and professional development opportunities to support new approaches,” detailed Schilling. 

Members of the ATA expressed their apprehensions towards the draft curriculum through a survey conducted by the association. 

One of the key concerns, Schilling said, was members felt it wasn't age appropriate in terms of content or how it's “logically sequenced from grade to grade."

“As teachers, we are also seeking a solution to the problem that we’re facing today, that’s why the ATA is calling for an independent, full, and open review and for a rewrite to occur. The independent rewrite must meaningfully involve a cross-section of Alberta teachers, faculty members from Alberta Faculties of Education, and it must properly include those voices from Francophone, Métis, First Nations, and Inuit perspectives,” he said during his opening remarks. “Before the piloting is to resume, we want to see a curriculum that is developmentally and structurally sound, and one that enjoys the broad support of Albertans." 

Richelle Marynowski, Professor of Education, University of Lethbridge agreed that when it comes to curriculum it's important to get input from all of groups involved.

“And when I talk about the stakeholders and all the different groups that need to be involved, it’s not only the teachers of that grade level, though they are very important, we need teachers of students before that grade level, after that grade level, those that can see the whole of the curriculum in the different disciplines so we have some continuity between disciplines as well as within a discipline,” Marynowski stated. 

According to Marynowski, an important aspect of curriculum is determining what its goals are. 

"In Alberta, students are required to go to school up until the age of 16, so when we think about curriculum for K-Grade 10 maybe Grade 11, these are things we want all Albertans, every single person in Alberta, to know and be able to do,” she noted. “What we really have to run through our filter and say is, ‘is that really one of the most important things that we want every single Albertan to know and to do.’” 

Marynowski added, “Really, if we want to get a deep understanding where students know and can really think deeply about the concepts that we’re introducing and that we’re having them wrestle with, we really have to slow down a bit and pay attention to not only the things we want them to know, but how those things connect to all of the knowledge." 

What the public wanted to know

To start off, an Alberta parent wanted to know what research the province did leading up to the creation of the draft curriculum

Marynowski explained how there are different theories regarding curriculum development: concept-based and content-based. 

Content-based curriculum is based on what they want students to know and learn, whereas concept-based curriculum is more about linking "the things we think we want students to know to the bigger concepts that they learn."

"It's much more about the students learning things connected rather than in disparate chunks," detailed Marynowski. 

A retired teacher was curious about how students were going to be assessed in the draft curriculum, something Schilling said they know very little about. 

In his discussion with the province around assessment "it's still a conversation that needed to happen and there was no real concrete answer or explanation as to what assessment or evaluation of this draft curriculum would look like... It makes no sense to me to bring in a new curriculum without having that conversation."

He stressed assessments aren't a great way to get a "snapshot of what a student has learned through the course of the year. There are lots of other great ways to assess and evaluate students that often include students in that process."

A member of school council wanted to know how they can help.

President of the Alberta School Councils’ Association (ASCA) Brandi Rai suggested sending out a survey to the school council community so they can collect data and feedback in addition to working with administrators and teachers in the school, meeting with their local ATA, and talking to their board of trustees. 

"It's important parents work in partnership with teachers and other experts... In working closely with other education partners independently and through my school council, then I think we can have a broader understanding as parents as to what this curriculum means for our children and how we can influence change around it."

When it comes to whether or not any Métis or First Nations communities were consulted on the panel regarding to the curriculum development, Mark Swanson, ATA Coordinator of Professional Development said yes, but it was likely only briefly. 

Alberta Education outlines on their website that in step five of the drafting and review, which happened from August 2020 and February 2021, Indigenous elders and advisors with subject matter expertise provided input on the curriculum. 

"We do know when we think about the process that was used with just over 100 teachers and the process that was used with the professors and the deans of education, we know that those consultations were very rushed... I am only speculating here, but I would suggest that probably a lot of time wasn't given either to the Indigenous elders around that consultation," Swanson detailed. 

Other parents were curious how the province can push a draft curriculum "when an overwhelming majority of school boards as well as the public have publicly renounced the curriculum and said they will not participate in the pilot."

Schilling responded, "One of the things we have been talking about with media and even the letter I drafted to the associate minister is we can’t move forward with this when you have such an overwhelming opposition to it, when you have 57 school boards saying they do not want to be involved in the piloting, when you have parents, Indigenous groups, Francophone, and other communities saying 'we do not support this.'”

He continued, "That says to me that you need to stop and have a look at what we're putting forward, whether it's a rewrite of sections, a review of sections, a revision of sections, it's bringing back the 2018 draft and then moving that forward in a way that will benefit our students."

Schilling stressed a new draft curriculum will never be perfect in its conception, which is why they have a field-testing process. 

“I think this is a huge mistake by the government to try and ram this in for the fall,” he added. "We want the curriculum, teachers want the curriculum, and parents want this curriculum, to be successful, to serve the students of this province for their future. It's important to us, it matters to us, and we want to make sure that we have everything right." 

Another attendee wondered if there was anything in the draft worth keeping, or if it was better to start fresh. 

While it may not need a complete rewrite, Schilling emphasized the need for it to "be looked at again through a very serious lens to make sure that what we are putting forward... that we're making sure that we are getting the elements that are working to work really well."

Rai responded to a question about what happens come September if the curriculum gets implemented. 

Her advice is to hold steady to any advocacy such as talking to local MLAs, writing to the premier and the Minister of Education. 

“I think we really keep putting the pressure on MLAs because we were promised accountable leadership and transparency and that has not been happening,” Rai exclaimed. "I think we be clear as parents that the choices that are made this year and next year when it comes to our children impact what you do in the future."

In closing remarks, Rai stressed that as Albertans "our babies deserve more."

Swanson said, “I encourage people to continue to advocate, have conversations with people you know, you work with, the neighbour next door over the fence, continue to advocate for change in the curriculum."

Marynowski said coming together and speaking out about the issue is important. 

"I always say when I talk to people and to members that we fight for what we value and what we believe in, and I value public education in this province, I value the work that teachers do day-in and day-out with their students... I value the contribution parents bring to the table and the conversations that we have... because I value all of that, we will continue to advocate and fight for a curriculum that will best serve our students and the future of this province," said Schilling. 

To find out more information and to provide your feedback on the draft curriculum, visit new.learnalberta.ca. 

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks