Minister of Education, Adriana LaGrange. (file photo)

By Sheldon Spackman

Rethink Required?

Protesters to voice concerns over province’s K to 6 draft curriculum

Mar 31, 2021 | 3:57 PM

Concerns over Alberta’s newly released draft curriculum for Kindergarten to Grade 6 will see protesters gather outside Education Minister Adriana LaGrange’s constituency office in Red Deer next week.

The rally is planned for April 6 at 11:00 a.m. at 202-5913 50 Avenue.

“We want the kids in this province to grow into caring and thoughtful adults and that’s what we want the curriculum to be about,” explains co-organizer Sarah Kriekle. “Teaching that and teaching critical thought. The UCP’s curriculum gets this dead wrong.”

Kriekle, who has children aged nine and 11, suggests the draft curriculum ignores evidence for how to teach kids in a changing world, doesn’t acknowledge LGBTQ2S+ people, or the ongoing legacy of residential schools in the earlier grades.

“It places far too much emphasis on Christian religion without any critical analysis on the adverse impacts of Christian colonialism. Instead, it focuses on outdated teaching methods like rote memorization. And in many places, its teaching content is not accessible to children this young, especially in the social studies area.”

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Kriekle feels the draft curriculum is a “rush job” without any backing evidence.

“We just want them to take the time to get it right and not put it in classrooms before its ready,” says Kriekle. “They need to invite the right people to the table, they need to have educators on board, they need to have educational experts and they definitely need to have some Indigenous voices.”

Samantha Figueroa of Edmonton has a daughter going into Kindergarten this fall and one entering Grade 4 having a number of learning disabilities. She finds the new draft curriculum concerning.

“We have an education system that’s aiming for inclusion, but then a curriculum that’s pushing the children out and these are kids that can fall through the cracks,” she says.

“You have kids learning about parliamentary democracy in Grade 3 and these kids may not be able to keep up. That’s going to affect their self-esteem and their confidence, and these are kids that already have a higher incidence of psychological impacts related to depression and higher incidents of suicide because of some of the disabilities that impact them.”

Figueroa feels the draft curriculum as it’s currently proposed is setting her daughter and other children with disabilities up to fail.

“I don’t want the conversation about children with disabilities to be missed in the larger conversation about this curriculum.”

“The draft K-6 curriculum equips students with foundational reading, writing and math skills which parents have told us are vital to ensuring their children’s future success. While we’re are focused on literacy, numeracy, citizenship and practical skills in the curriculum, we think parents will appreciate the curriculum’s emphasis on learning about financial well-being, developing social and emotional learning skills that support mental well-being and consent,” Justin Marshall, LaGrange’s press secretary, said in a statement to rdnewsNOW.

“The draft K-6 curriculum moves away from experimental teaching methods and provides clear, specific details about the knowledge and foundational skills that all elementary students must learn in each subject and grade, and that both parents and teachers can read and understand.”

Reaction to the draft curriculum from local school divisions has been limited to this point.

In a statement to rdnewsNOW, officials with Red Deer Public Schools say updated curriculum to prepare students for their future has been a long time coming and a work in progress for over a decade.

“The new curriculum is a 500 page document, so we will need to take a detailed and authentic look at both its contents as well as how teachers will be able to deliver the outcomes,” the statement reads. “We will be checking with our schools and curriculum team before commenting on specifics as well as using the opportunities to provide feedback and suggestions that Alberta Education has provided. We also urge our parents and community to take the time to review and understand the curriculum and then share perspectives.”

“This curriculum is important and will impact teaching and learning for years, so now is the opportunity to make sure we get it right for our students,” the statement concludes.

Jayson Lovell, Superintendent with Wolf Creek Public Schools, says their senior team is in the process of reviewing the draft but likely won’t have a final assessment until next week.

Greg Wedman, Deputy Superintendent with Wild Rose School Division, says they’ll be taking time to review the documents and give feedback, and will be encouraging parents and teachers to do the same.

“We have no plans to pilot the curriculum next year,” he notes.

Clearview Public Schools said in a release it was pleased to see Alberta Education would be providing professional development funding for teachers as they learn and navigate these six new curriculums.

“We were also appreciative of the opportunity to pilot the new curriculum and work collaboratively with Alberta Education to make this the best possible new curriculum for Alberta students,” the division stated.

More on the draft K to 6 curriculum can be found here.