A traditional civics education can go something like this: Open your text book, read a little bit about Canada's political structure, who is the prime minister and what the Governor General actually does.
It can involve a lot of reading and watching a lot of "grainy old films," said Jeremy Diamond, director of national programs for the Historica-Dominion Institute, which advocates for history and citizenship education in Canada. But "are we engaging them in the process?" asks Diamond, who answers: "Not really."
Observers say that outcome is reflected in low voter turnout - a reality that continues to invite questions about how to engage more people, particularly youth, in politics and voting.
New research indicates that students can better develop their attitudes about politics by debating some of the most controversial issues of the day, such as abortion.
"It's the exact thing that schools don't do," said Joel Westheimer, the research chair in democracy and education at the University of Ottawa.
When civics education is done right, he said, research shows students become more engaged politically.
The problem is how to talk about controversial issues in the classroom, a place teachers are leery to allow politics to enter, Westheimer says.
"That is their dilemma and it shouldn't be," he said. "Schools should stop trying to not be political."
Politically charged classroom discussions do take place, but they have been on the decline over the past 10 years, Westheimer said. There has been a narrowing of the curriculum in the years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he said, as citizenship courses on both sides of the border focused more on patriotism than on critically analyzing political ideas.
A 2010 study Westheimer helped conduct of civics education in Canada, which included interviews with high school teachers and students in the Ottawa area, found lessons focused on teaching students procedural knowledge about politics because they didn't know enough. However, those facts did little to help them become more politically engaged, the study said.
But some educators are receiving more tools to make lessons in politics more political.
When Nova Scotia looked to update its citizenship curriculum, it wanted to make sure students not only knew how government works, but also how to get involved.
"You need the knowledge, skills and attitudes. It's the attitude we're looking at," said Jennifer Burke, the province's consultant on social studies curricula. "It's a process we're just starting."
Similar guidelines are available in curriculum documents across the country. In B.C., high school civics classes place an emphasis on political debates and current events, according to the province's Ministry of Education.
In recent years, provincial election agencies such as Elections Ontario, Elections B.C. and Elections Saskatchewan have also provided educational material for teachers to use in the classroom, while Elections Manitoba has its CitizenNext.ca website, designed to teach students about how and why to vote.
Elections Ontario is updating its lesson plans for Grade 5 and 10 students this year. Student handouts are in the form of a graphic novel and have so far been used in 800 classrooms, said agency spokeswoman Julia Bennett. The foray into educational material is relatively new for the organization, she said, and is seen as one important step into boosting voter turnout for young people.
Westheimer said sometimes provincial governments are quick to back away from any hint of controversy in the classroom.
He notes the Ontario government's scrapping of a revamped sex education curriculum that caused controversy over not only what was being taught, such as sexual identity, but also beginning the curriculum at an earlier age.
Making the curriculum more politically charged will require a change in thinking at the most senior levels of government, he said.
"You need policy-makers with backbone," Westheimer said.
"Canadian democracy depends on it."
News By:
ottawacitizen.com
It can involve a lot of reading and watching a lot of "grainy old films," said Jeremy Diamond, director of national programs for the Historica-Dominion Institute, which advocates for history and citizenship education in Canada. But "are we engaging them in the process?" asks Diamond, who answers: "Not really."
Observers say that outcome is reflected in low voter turnout - a reality that continues to invite questions about how to engage more people, particularly youth, in politics and voting.
New research indicates that students can better develop their attitudes about politics by debating some of the most controversial issues of the day, such as abortion.
"It's the exact thing that schools don't do," said Joel Westheimer, the research chair in democracy and education at the University of Ottawa.
When civics education is done right, he said, research shows students become more engaged politically.
The problem is how to talk about controversial issues in the classroom, a place teachers are leery to allow politics to enter, Westheimer says.
"That is their dilemma and it shouldn't be," he said. "Schools should stop trying to not be political."
Politically charged classroom discussions do take place, but they have been on the decline over the past 10 years, Westheimer said. There has been a narrowing of the curriculum in the years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he said, as citizenship courses on both sides of the border focused more on patriotism than on critically analyzing political ideas.
A 2010 study Westheimer helped conduct of civics education in Canada, which included interviews with high school teachers and students in the Ottawa area, found lessons focused on teaching students procedural knowledge about politics because they didn't know enough. However, those facts did little to help them become more politically engaged, the study said.
But some educators are receiving more tools to make lessons in politics more political.
When Nova Scotia looked to update its citizenship curriculum, it wanted to make sure students not only knew how government works, but also how to get involved.
"You need the knowledge, skills and attitudes. It's the attitude we're looking at," said Jennifer Burke, the province's consultant on social studies curricula. "It's a process we're just starting."
Similar guidelines are available in curriculum documents across the country. In B.C., high school civics classes place an emphasis on political debates and current events, according to the province's Ministry of Education.
In recent years, provincial election agencies such as Elections Ontario, Elections B.C. and Elections Saskatchewan have also provided educational material for teachers to use in the classroom, while Elections Manitoba has its CitizenNext.ca website, designed to teach students about how and why to vote.
Elections Ontario is updating its lesson plans for Grade 5 and 10 students this year. Student handouts are in the form of a graphic novel and have so far been used in 800 classrooms, said agency spokeswoman Julia Bennett. The foray into educational material is relatively new for the organization, she said, and is seen as one important step into boosting voter turnout for young people.
Westheimer said sometimes provincial governments are quick to back away from any hint of controversy in the classroom.
He notes the Ontario government's scrapping of a revamped sex education curriculum that caused controversy over not only what was being taught, such as sexual identity, but also beginning the curriculum at an earlier age.
Making the curriculum more politically charged will require a change in thinking at the most senior levels of government, he said.
"You need policy-makers with backbone," Westheimer said.
"Canadian democracy depends on it."
News By:
ottawacitizen.com
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