Alberta’s New Curriculum: Ditching the Regressive Theory of Discovery Learning
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Alberta is hoping to pilot a new K-6 curriculum soon, and not surprisingly it has upset some parents, the NDP, and the teachers’ union. There are a lot of entrenched interests standing in the way, but hopefully Albertans will see this curriculum implemented. It is guided by the best evidence about student learning and developing critical thinking skills.
The new curriculum rejects the discovery-learning model promoted in Canadian curricula since the 2000s. Discovery learning’s roots go back much earlier, to American theorist John Dewey who advanced the idea in the early 1900s. It has remained popular ever since, despite its failings.
Author of the article: David Staples • Edmonton Journal
Publishing date: Apr 08, 2021 • 3 hours ago • 4 minute read • Dr. Robert Craigen, University of Manitoba Math department professor, speaks during a public education forum discussing K-12 math curriculum at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in May 2015. Craigen says teaching fractions in earlier grades as part of the government s draft K-6 curriculum could be a game changer. Photo by Ian Kucerak /Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun
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It’s also a growing problem for Alberta students.
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Woke Math Doesn’t Add Up
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Bridge 9340 opened in 1967 and was the U.S. state of Minnesota’s third-busiest bridge, carrying 140,000 vehicles daily.
Forty years later, the bridge collapsed during the evening rush hour without warning. Thirteen people died. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the collapse was the result of a math error made by the engineers who designed the bridge.
When it comes to designing bridges, there is little room for error. Every calculation must be correct. Make one mistake and the whole thing might fail, as happened with Bridge 9340.
Sadly, math is under assault by progressive educators who care more about being “woke” than being accurate. Earlier this year, the Oregon Department of Education sent an email to its teachers encouraging them to enrol in a virtual micro-course titled “A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction.”