Curriculum receives facelift

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More than 200 teachers became students on Aug. 11 when they attended Poundmaker's Lodge Treatment Centre for lessons in Aboriginal culture and customs.

The teachers were taking part in Social Studies K-3 Summer Institute, a four-day workshop hosted by Alberta Learning that provided teachers with an early opportunity to learn about changes coming to the social studies curriculum across the province. The changes include a look at the diverse perspectives and experiences of Aboriginal people in Canada today.

Organizers had hoped that 70 teachers would attend, but were surprised to have three times that number register for the event. "Today is designed to help them learn about the history, protocols, culture, the perspectives [of Aboriginal people] and then be able to take that with them as they're teaching the curriculum to their students so that they can help their students, even young ones aged five through eight, to understand that history and identity," said Merla Bolenber, director of the curriculum branch, Alberta Learning.

"It's been almost 20 years since we've had an in-depth look at the social studies curriculum from K-12. Part of that in-depth look is to look at the reality of where we are now and the importance of the Aboriginal and Francophone perspectives in the culture and the history and the reality of living in Alberta and also in Canada."

Elders spoke about respect of nature, traditional ceremonies, Aboriginal identity and education, topics the new curriculum will cover. Presentations on Native arts and crafts, languages, global citizenship and the medicine wheel teachings were held inside tipis. Participants were treated to a traditional feast of buffalo stew, bannock and mint tea.

"It's a good idea to bring the teachers here and have a hands-on feel of what it's like to experience the Aboriginal culture. And it's going to be easier for us to pass it on to our children that way," said Annick Slupek, a teacher at Our Lady of Perpetual Help elementary school in Sherwood Park. "I think it's something that's going to help with the identity. Also they're focusing on citizenship, so I think it's going to be great."

Traditionally, Aboriginal customs and history are passed down by word of mouth through the generations, not in classrooms, but Aboriginal parents shouldn't worry about their children being taught their customs from non-Aboriginal teachers, said Walter Lightning, one of the Elders who took part in the workshop.

"I think our culture, the Aboriginal culture, has so many things to offer to the world in terms of world view, knowledge, respect and honor of nature, things like that. To have that type of knowledge and information instilled into the learning of our people, I don't really have a problem with that. But I qualify that by saying that the content and the information has to be endorsed by Elders and people in authority and in the know that have knowledge about the history of our Aboriginal peoples. It doesn't matter who's driving so long as the vehicle is being built by people who want to build it properly," he said. Lightning has a master's degree in education and is working on his PhD.

Josepha Vanderstoop, assistant director of media relations for Alberta Learning, said her organization has consulted with many Aboriginal Elders and leaders about the new Aboriginal content for the program and that they haven't heard any concerns from parents.

"People really indicated that they really wanted it to have a greater focus on citizenship, on Canadian history, and also wanting to take what we're calling a diverse perspectives approach.

"There was a real eagerness from the teachers who wanted to participate that they wanted to have some accurate information on perspectives of Aboriginal culture, backgrounds, history."

The new social studies program will come into affect in 2005, but only for kindergarten to Grade 3. The changes will be implemented in grades 4, 7 ad 10 in 2006, in grades 5, 8 and 11 in 2007 and finally in grades 6, 9 and 12 in 2008.