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TORONTO — Astronaut and scientist Dr. Roberta Bondar will lead the first-ever review of how the environment and conservation are taught in Ontario schools, Education Minister Kathleen Wynne announced today.
“Community leaders, like Dr. Bondar, have valuable insights on the skills and knowledge that students need in today’s complex world,” said Wynne during a visit to Norseman Junior Middle School with Environment Minister Laurel Broten. “This review will provide me with good advice on the best ways to include the environment in the provincial curriculum.”
The McGuinty government has asked Bondar to chair a working group that will review how the environment and conservation is being taught in elementary and secondary schools. The working group will provide recommendations on ways to better support the teaching of environmental education to a newly created Curriculum Council.
“The space view of Earth simplifies the complex world in which we live and intrigues me to explore it close up,” said Bondar. “This council gives us a great opportunity to encourage teaching and learning about real environmental issues that influence our lives.”
Bondar has served as chancellor of Trent University since 2003. She has received the Order of Canada and became the first Canadian woman and the world’s first neurologist in space in 1992.
“It is vital that our next generation of community leaders and global citizens has a strong understanding of the environment, climate change, and the importance of conservation,” said Broten. “So I’m pleased that the council is taking a fresh look at how our education system helps students learn about and relate to the natural world around them.”
The independent Curriculum Council will consist of 11 community leaders and education experts from across Ontario, including parents, teachers, university or college representatives and employers. It will also:
- Advise the Minister of Education on curriculum issues that require broader public consultation and deliberation.
- Establish a working group of five to seven experts to conduct research and analysis for each issue as needed.
Dr. Dennis Thiessen has agreed to serve as the council’s chairperson for its first two years. Thiessen is the chair of the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.
“I thank the minister for recognizing the valuable input that community members and experts can make in reviewing Ontario’s curriculum,” said Thiessen. “We will work together to improve the quality of education available to Ontario students.”
Ontario's curriculum outlines the knowledge and skills that students are expected to be able to demonstrate by the end of each course. This new approach to curriculum review expands on the ministry’s existing process that includes academic research, comparisons to other provinces, and consultations with the education sector and other stakeholders.
Other recent improvements in Ontario’s curriculum include:
- Creating a stronger link to employer and postsecondary needs in the new senior high school math curriculum. An extended review was conducted on senior math by a ministry task force that included a parent, a classroom math teacher, a high-tech employer, a student and leading math specialists.
- Strengthening the focus on business, economic, financial and digital literacy in the new business studies curriculum.
- Providing greater flexibility in graduation requirements through a revised guidance and career studies curriculum.
- Introducing 29 government-supported online courses that benefited more than 900 high school students last semester.
“Ontario’s curriculum must keep pace with our rapidly changing society,” said Wynne. “As well as maintaining a strong focus on literacy and numeracy, we need to provide students with relevant learning choices that allow them to reach their full potential.”
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Contacts:
Michelle Despault
Minister’s Office
416-212-3747
Patricia MacNeil
Communications Branch
416-325-2676
Public Inquiries:
416-325-2929 or 1-800-387-5514
TTY: 1-800-263-2892
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www.edu.gov.on.ca
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