Barbara Latkowski
Caledonia Courier
The new school curriculum will be fully implemented in schools this September for students in kindergarten through to grade 9.
Curriculum highlights include personalized learning, ecology, the environment, historical wrongs, aboriginal perspectives and knowledge and flexible learning environments.
For Craig Houghton, principal at Fort St James Secondary School, this is an exciting time.
“This will offer more flexibility and will give students the opportunity to find out what their true interests are,” Houghton said.
“This new curriculum will help them do that.”
The redesigned curriculum is focused on literacy, numeracy foundations, essential learning and core competencies.
The personalized learning portion provides flexibility to inspire the personalization of learning and addresses the diverse needs and interests of B.C. students.
According to B.C.’s Education Minister, Mike Bernier, this new “hands-on” curriculum is all about critical thinking and communication. It’s about making sure each student is getting a good education and that they are ready for the future.
“But any time there’s change, there’s going to be questions,” Bernier says.
“With a new curriculum comes different methods of evaluation and it’s important to engage with parents to avoid any concerns that they might have.”
The curriculum also includes the history of the Asian and South Asian communities and their contributions to the development of British Columbia as well as injustices that they have experienced.
Ecology and the environment will include better representation of ecology and environmental learning.
Aboriginal culture and knowledge has also been integrated throughout all areas of learning to help reflect the First Peoples Principles of Learning.
Lastly, the new curriculum will provide teachers with greater flexibility in creating learning environments that are relevant, engaging and novel.
Students in grades 10-12 will see the curriculum in their schools in 2017.