Ben Levin, in their article about the policies and the politics of curriculum, they talk about how curriculum is created and who is involved in the process. School curricula is developed and influenced by many different people and groups of people. The authority of the decision making for curriculum involves groups of peoples at different levels, including national, state or province, local, and even individual schools. A simple way to explain how curriculum is created and put in place is; details for new or revised curriculum is drafted up by exports and sector representatives, and is directed by government officials. The details are then reviewed until a satisfactory final copy is completed. Sometimes the curriculum is rolled out in a pilot basis, to test it out and then revise if needed, while other times it just goes straight into implementation. The whole process from beginning to end can take upwards of two years to complete.
While curriculum is in the creation process many different groups push to have the knowledge they believe to be important to be an important focus in curriculum. There were some things that surprised me about the development of curriculum. Levin states that policies aren’t always based on facts or real evidence, they are based on beliefs. To me this seems like a very flawed way of doing things. The fact that curriculum and standardised tests are disconnected to me didn’t make sense. How are teachers supposed to ensure their students have the skills to be successful if the information they are being told to teach doesn’t directly connect with what the children are needing to know. Another thing I learned, which didn’t surprise me, but was disappointing is the fact that some group have a more influential say due to the fact that they are better organized and have more funding. In this situation money talks. This concerns me, as even though you have the funds it doesn’t mean you have the proper knowledge or expertise.
Somewhat new to curriculum in Canada is the implementation of treaty education and education of our indigenous peoples. I know now that the information on indigenous peoples that I was taught in school was not the truth or the whole story of what happened in Canada. Many crucial and important details were left out, I believe this caused a lot of misinformation in my generation leading to, very racist views and stereotypes, based on a lot of false information. In the article “Treaty Education Outcomes and Indicators” it gives a brief overview of what is to be brought into the curriculum in regards to treaty education. The goals to be taught are as listed; treaty relationships, spirit and intent of treaties, historical context of treaties, and treaty promises and provisions. I believe it is important for us to learn about treaties as we are all treaty people and the facts pertaining to treaty influence everyone. Treaties and Indigenous people in Canada has been an important topic and is something everyone should have knowledge on. Though there seem to always be controversies on the rights of Indigenous peoples and the treaties actually being honoured as they should. I myself and am in the beginning of my education of treaty and Indigenous peoples.
I believe acceptance and equity for all should be a big focus that goes into creating curriculum. I think curriculum and outcomes should be leaning towards individuality and equity for all students.
Levin, B. (2008). Curriculum policy and the politics of what should be learned in schools. In F. Connelly, M. He & J. Phillion (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of curriculum and instruction (pp. 7 – 24). Los Angeles, CA: Sage. Available on-line from: http://www.corwin.com/upm-data/16905_Chapter_1.pdf.
Saskatchewan Ministry of Education. (2013). Treaty Education Outcomes and Indicators. Government of Saskatchewan.
Hi Amber,
Thank you for your post, and I was especially drawn when you wrote: ”Levin states that policies aren’t always based on facts or real evidence, they are based on beliefs.” To me this is concerning because sometimes our beliefs are based on individual opinions and without factual knowledge, there is the possibility that they could show favoritism to one or more groups. I was also concerned about the involvement of experts as their knowledge level would be so vast in a particular area that it may be difficult to find teachers who could effectively teach the subject at a level that few may understand.
Many years ago when I was in elementary and high school, Treaty Education was not part of our curriculum, and in speaking with younger university students, it seems that they had received some instruction though seemed to feel that it wasn’t enough. In another course I had taken, we had the opportunity to be in an observational role in a school’s classroom, and it was a wonderful experience to be there, and to learn that Treaty Education was embedded in the content of their lessons; their teacher was very aware of its importance and when glancing through one of the science textbooks being used, it was very evident in the content. I am also at the very beginning of my journey on the Treaties and what it means to be a Treaty person. Something that has helped me in my learning journey was viewing Gord Downie’s “The Secret Path”. In case you haven’t viewed this and are interested in doing so, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGd764YU9yc
It is exciting to think of the role we will have in children’s lives as future educators. Do you have any ideas of how you will bring Treaty Education into your classroom? I was thinking that understanding the meaning behind “Orange Shirt Day” could be a starting point for teachings on the Residential School system, and if possible, to have an Elder come into the classroom to share their experiences if they are comfortable with this idea.
Thank you for your valuable post, and best wishes for your day. Leanne
I was also concerned for the same reason as many peoples beliefs are not based on facts at all!
I am in the same boat as you for treaty education school was long ago and we didn’t get any factual information on residential schools or treaties. Thank-you so much for sharing the link I have not viewed it before and always appreciate more information. As for including treaty and indigenous peoples and teaching in my classroom I have started by creating a book list that will be included in my classroom. My son loves it when I read him books and I think this is a fun and effective way to have all cultures brought into the classroom in more than one way.