Dozens of school authorities in Alberta will pilot the new K-6 social studies curriculum this year. (Photo: Pattison Media)

By David Opinko

Many Alberta school divisions to pilot new K-6 social studies curriculum

Aug 23, 2024 | 10:52 AM

The Government of Alberta says hundreds of schools across the province will be testing out the new curriculums for K-6 social studies.

Since the contents of the curriculum were released back in April, a total of 62 school authorities and more than 1,700 teachers across 429 schools have signed up to pilot it during the 2024-25 school year.

That includes 31 public school divisions, as well as nine separate, three public charter, 16 independent, two Francophone and one First Nation school authority. A full list of the participating school divisions is available here under the “Classroom piloting” section.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says he is pleased to see so many taking part.

“I look forward to continued collaboration with school leaders and teachers as we continue our work to build a comprehensive curriculum that builds students’ critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills and inspires a passion for learning,” says Nicolaides.

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It was a long journey to get to this point as the Ministry of Education made quite a few changes to the curriculum. Criticisms of the original version was that some of the content was not age or developmentally appropriate for students.

READ MORE: Province provides update on changes to draft K-6 curriculum

Now, however, the draft curriculum has been updated in the following ways:

• Strengthen opportunities that encourage the development of critical thinking skills, including research and analytical skills, throughout the curriculum
• Enhance the development of skills related to the concept of active citizenship
• Address feedback on developmental appropriateness and load
• Engage students in learning that promotes understanding of diversity across Canada and throughout the world, including First Nations, Métis, Inuit and francophone histories, contributions and perspectives
• Reflect the growth of learners through learning progressions that expand from individual experiences to communities and beyond

The province says it is providing flexibility in how school authorities participate in the pilot. They will be given information and tools, including:

• Teacher release days to support planning and instruction preparation
• Learning and teaching resources
• Professional learning opportunities
• Opportunities to provide feedback to Alberta Education on the draft curriculum, including how it is experienced in classrooms

Full details on the K-6 social studies curriculum can be viewed on the Alberta Government website.