The Alberta Teachers' Association is urging the government to slam the brakes on its draft education curriculum for young students, calling it potentially damaging to child development.
Association president Jason Schilling says teachers were given short shrift when the framework was drafted and are ready to help create a new kindergarten to Grade 6 curriculum.
Read more: Alberta's proposed K-6 school curriculum focuses on basics, practical skills
He notes more than 20 school boards have said they will not pilot the new curriculum in classrooms this fall.
Expert explains concerns with Alberta's new K-6 curriculum
05:02 Expert explains concerns with Alberta's new K-6 curriculum 01:56 Alberta education minister warns districts that opt out of curriculum pilot won’t give ‘rich feedback’ 04:06 Alberta Teachers' Association says vast majority of educators unhappy with UCP curriculum 01:47 Albertans continue to push back against draft curriculumSchilling notes a survey of teachers found an overwhelming call for the document to be pulled because they believe it is “fatally flawed.”
Read more: Parts of Alberta's draft school curriculum plagiarized, academic finds
Critics say the proposed curriculum is a jumble of random facts, has a disjointed structure, focuses too much on European history and contains learning concepts far above the abilities of youngsters.
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange says it strikes the right balance between math and social fundamentals, and teaches students about Canada's history, including the contributions of francophones and Indigenous cultures.
