Broom,
Catherine. (2010). Curriculum in the Age of
Globalization: Canadian Social Studies, Canada’s National Social Studies
Journal, 43, 1. Retrieved
Article Review by James McGregor
University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
“Curriculum in the Age of
Globalization,” by Catherine Broom, aims at identifying how the BC social
studies curriculum is too focused on Canadian and European content. The author feels that the BC curriculum
is trying to provide students with a sense of nationalism; however, it is
missing out on providing students with more global awareness, which is
hindering their progress in becoming global citizens. Throughout the article Broom provides examples that
illustrate the point that BC’s curricula lacks global awareness by comparing
the curricula to those of other countries. In the latter part of the article Broom provides suggestions
as to how the BC curricula could improve to better prepare students to develop
a greater sense of empathy and become better global citizens.
Broom lays the foundation for her
argument that the BC curriculum is primarily Canadian and European focused by
outlining the overarching themes covered from grades 7-12. According to Broom, “the aim seems to
be to review European history from 500 to 1500, in order to prepare students to
learn Canada’s story in grades 9, 10, 11” (1). Broom supports this argument by outlining one of the grade 8
Prescribed Learning Outcomes that instructs teachers covering ancient
civilizations between 500 and 1500 to identify periods of significant cultural
achievements, including the Renaissance (1). While this reference does imply European content can be
covered, it does not necessarily mean that the focus must be European in
nature. The ultimate decision as
to what is covered rests with the teacher. They have the opportunity to study other countries if they
choose, as long as they meet the learning objectives of the PLO. One of the main reasons why I believe
there is so much focus placed on European civilizations from 500 to 1500 is
because Europeans played a crucial role in colonizing North America. In grade 9-12 the social studies
curricula addresses how those colonizers came to interact with the initial
inhabitants of Canada, the First Nations peoples.
As the article progresses, Broom
reinforces the sense of national grandeur by stating that “BC’s curriculum is
focused on telling an incomplete story of Canada and its place in the world, as
the government aims, and has aimed, to build national pride through schools”
(4). I must say that I agree with
the statement insofar as a country is probably prone to do all that they can to
establish a strong image, which usually results in not focusing on negative
memories or actions. I do not
agree with this omission of history, as I feel that in order for students to
make informed decisions they must have both sides of the story. Again, this is another opportunity for
educators to help promote critical analysis in their classroom by telling both
sides of a story and giving the students the opportunity to form their own
opinions.
When Broom compared the BC
curriculum to those in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada as a whole,
it was interesting to see how incredibly similar the learning objectives were
between the BC and California curriculums. The curricula were so similar that the only major
discrepancy is that “Canada” is replaced with “United States” (3). When Broom looked at the Oregon
curriculum, she was impressed to see how the learning objectives focus on how
actions and concepts of democracy and individual rights of the United States
can affect other people and nations” (4).
When she looked at the curriculum of the United Kingdom, Broom found
that it is still quite “British-Eurocentric” based, however it does introduce
students to “political, legal and human rights and freedoms in a range of
contexts from local to global” (5).
To this point in the article it
is apparent that Broom has done a great deal of research to support her claims
that BC’s grade 7-12 social studies curriculums are too focused on identifying
learning outcomes in regards to Canadian and European content. However, the PLOs are primarily vague
in their description and can support learning outcomes that involve more global
content if the teacher has the initiative. One weakness in this article is Broom’s lack of recognition
of the will of the teacher. Broom
is operating on the assumption that all teachers are following these PLOs verbatim
and solely use work sheets out of textbooks. While I acknowledge there are some teachers who are
infatuated with worksheets, I believe the majority of social study teachers go
beyond the textbook and look for ways to help students make meaningful connections.
While
this article was written only two years ago, Spring 2010, the BC
government recently launched their new BC Education Plan (2011) that addresses
some of the major concerns raised in Broom’s article. By more effectively utilizing technology and creating
personalized learning for every student, the new education plan allows students
to have more freedom to pursue their individual interests and passions within
a particular topic (3). This new
education plan is poised to better prepare students for the future by placing
more “emphasis on key competencies like self-reliance, critical thinking,
inquiry, creativity, problem solving, innovation, teamwork and collaboration,
cross-cultural understanding, and technological literacy” (4).
While
I agree with some of Broom’s suggestions for how to incorporate global issues
into the classroom, such as having students identify a country of interest and
having them do a formal presentation, which does satisfy grade 6 social studies
PLO A4 (deliver a formal presentation).
In my classroom I will use other ways to promote global citizenship. I will do this by starting each class
off with community time that aims to address local and international news. I will ask students to read newspapers
from around the world and compare stories about particular events and assess
how they differ and why. Whatever
you do, you should try to present the information that allows students to
access their own background knowledge.
By doing this, you provide students with the opportunities to become
more involved in world events and thus assist them in becoming strong global
citizens.
References
Ministry
of Education. (2006). Social
Studies K to 7. Retrieved February 7th, 2012 from: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/social_studies/2006ssk7.pdf
Ministry
of Education. (2011). BC’s Education Plan. Retrived February
7th, 2012 from: http://www.bcedplan.ca/theplan.php#panel1-2
Broom,
Catherine. (2010). Curriculum
in the Age of Globalization: Canadian Social Studies, Canada’s National Social
Studies Journal, 43, 1. Retrieved
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