Connections, Contrarieties, and Convolutions: Curriculum and Pedagogic Reform in Alberta and Ontario, 1930-1955 [Abstract]

Lemisko, Lynn; Clausen, Kurt W.

doi:10.2307/20054212

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Lemisko and Clausen's comparison of Ontario education reforms with those in Alberta during the same time concluded that success in both was hindered by inadequate training of pre-service and in-service teachers and a lack of resources to develop materials that would support the new approaches. 6 This assessment concurs with those made by Patterson who suggested that the policy level commitment to implementing "progressive" education across Canada was only partial with the result that reforms were "never given a fair or extensive trial. "…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“I Paid No Attention To It”: An Oral History of Curricular Change in the 1930s

Milewski¹

2012

HSE/RHE

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In 1937 the Ontario Department of Education introduced unprecedented changes to the curriculumand pedagogy of the elementary schools of the province through the publication anddistribution of the document Programme of Studies for Grades 1 to VI of the Public andSeparate Schools. By exploring the oral history of twenty-one teachers who taught in the elementaryschools of Ontario during the 1930s, this article will explain how teachers understoodand experienced the pedagogical and curricular changes introduced in 1937. Juxtaposingthe oral history of teachers with the evidence of documentary sources will provide a means ofcreating a more nuanced account of the unprecedented reforms that were attempted in 1930sOntario.RésuméEn 1937, avec la parution du Programme d’études pour les écoles publiques et séparées de l’Ontario,le Département de l’éducation apporta des changements sans précédent au programmed’études de la 1ère à la 6e année et à la pédagogie en vigueur dans les écoles élémentaires de laprovince. C’est à partir de témoignages recueillis auprès de 21 personnes ayant enseigné à ceniveau durant les années 1930 que nous analysons la réaction des enseignants face à ces changementsintroduits cette année-là. La comparaison de ces entretiens avec les sources documentairespermettra de nuancer davantage les résultats de ces réformes sans précédent entreprisesen Ontario à cette époque.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“I Paid No Attention To It”: An Oral History of Curricular Change in the 1930s

Milewski¹

2012

HSE/RHE

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“…64 Lynn Lemisko and Kurt Clausen argue that there is little evidence to suggest that teachers in either Alberta or Ontario made serious efforts to shift towards teaching practices consistent with child-centred, project-based progressivism. 65 These findings are consistent with Robert Stamp's brief memoir in which he describes "march[ing] from a progressive activity-oriented playground into a traditional desks-in-straight-rows, sit-down-and-be-quiet 1940s Ontario elementary school." 66 There is therefore a consensus among historians that the progressive curriculum revisions of the 1930s did not transform students' learning experiences in ways or to the extent their creators had hoped.…”

Section: Content: Curriculum Textbooks and Other Materialssupporting

confidence: 71%

Back to School? Historians and the View from the Classroom

Clark

Heyking

2018

HSE/RHE

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In 1986, Chad Gaffield challenged historians to go “back to school” in order to better understand children’s experiences. This article addresses the historiographical approaches historians have used since 1986 to elucidate continuity and change in the contexts and cultures of schools, and the content of instruction. The history of schooling contexts reflects increasing efforts to use resources efficiently and to make schools more comfortable places to be. Studies of school and classroom culture have revealed a shift away from the centrality of teacher authority. Research on curricular change describes a process characterized by renovation rather than transformation. To what extent have historians been successful in meeting Gaffield’s challenge? Historians have sought out rich and diverse sources that illuminate how adults’ concerns and priorities shaped students’ educational experiences. Now they need to find sources that better reveal children’s voices. The article argues for attentiveness to the achievement of a multifaceted understanding of students’ experiences of state schooling over time.RésuméEn 1986, Chad Gaffield a mis les historiens au défi de « retourner à l’école » afin de mieux comprendre les expériences vécues par les enfants. Cet article aborde les approches historiographiques utilisées par les historiens depuis 1986 pour expliquer la continuité et le changement dans les contextes et les cultures des écoles, ainsi que le contenu de l’enseignement. L’histoire des contextes scolaires reflète les efforts croissants déployés afin d’utiliser les ressources de manière efficace et de rendre les écoles plus confortables. Des études sur la culture de l’école et de la classe ont révélé une distanciation face à l’importance de l’autorité des enseignants. La recherche sur l’évolution des programmes d’études décrit un processus caractérisé par la rénovation plutôt que la transformation. Dans quelle mesure les historiens ont-ils réussi à relever le défi de Gaffield? Les historiens ont cherché des sources riches et diverses qui illustrent comment les préoccupations et les priorités des adultes ont influencé les expériences pédagogiques des élèves. Ils doivent désormais trouver des sources qui rendent davantage compte de la voix des enfants. Cet article plaide pour qu’une plus grande attention soit portée à la compréhension multifacette de l’expérience des élèves de l’école publique dans le temps.

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“…When it comes to teaching the non-mainstream student, Dewey's postulates share some of the limitations that would remain in the curriculum field throughout the 20th century. Besides the commonly perceived challenge of putting Dewey's theoretical discourse into practice (e.g., Lemisko & Clausen, 2006, p. 1111), Tuck and Gaztambide-Fernández (2013 argue that most of Dewey's longstanding ideas "are premised on an assimilationist project that viewed non-White groups as having the potential of moving toward civilization" (p. 76). In addition to that, Dewey (1964) believed that the teacher must fully know the students, "their needs, experiences, degrees of skill and knowledge" (p. 154) in order to be able to connect education to the students.…”

Section: A Progressive Beginning?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The (In)Efficient Curriculum: An Overview of How Canadian Education Has Historically Failed to Welcome Black Refugee Students

Heringer¹

2021

JCACS

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For at least a century, educators have sought to define what education should look like, its purposes, content and approach, and how it could be delivered in the most efficient way. However, when looking at some of the most pre-eminent approaches in the history of curriculum studies, it is possible to observe how each of those “efficient” methods have not been able to welcome the uniqueness of Black refugee students. Despite claims of “diversity celebration”, when educators do not challenge and resist White structures and assumptions, even the most “efficient” curriculum falls short of being responsive to the Other, serving, rather, as another disguise to racism, which has long structured Canadian education. I argue that rather than an efficient ready-made set of rules, education must be conceptualized as an act of unconditional openness to the unknown Other, however uncomfortable and “inefficient” that may sound.

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Connections, Contrarieties, and Convolutions: Curriculum and Pedagogic Reform in Alberta and Ontario, 1930-1955 [Abstract]

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

“I Paid No Attention To It”: An Oral History of Curricular Change in the 1930s

“I Paid No Attention To It”: An Oral History of Curricular Change in the 1930s

Back to School? Historians and the View from the Classroom

The (In)Efficient Curriculum: An Overview of How Canadian Education Has Historically Failed to Welcome Black Refugee Students

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