Why Teach Canadian History?

This article is a must read for all aspiring Social Studies teachers in Canada. It attacks tradition methods of teaching history that rely on "myth based" and "heritage building" techniques. Rather than regurgitating an official or traditional interpretation of past events, this article suggests that Social Studies teachers should be getting students engaged in interpreting past and present events for themselves. The focus in this particular theory is on teaching historical methods with a Canadian context as the backdrop. The narrative being told is devalued in favour of having students examine source material (be it textbooks, songs, speeches or pictures) in a critical way. The goal is to develop students who are able to navigate the information that they are bombarded with. Hopefully more teachers will use these ideas to help students examine their worldview and the media that they encounter for veracity, bias, context and ultimately make informed, logical decisions about what to believe. If you have a couple minutes this is definitely a worthwhile read!