Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. If we want northern students to be successful, we know that our schools need to reflect the unique needs, cultures, languages, and learning styles of our northern students. Curricula for all Northwest Territories grades is developed using current research and theory that we gain through participating in the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol, while staying relevant within our unique cultures, languages, and environment.
Recently we have completed a variety of new curricula and materials that provide additional northern relevance in the classroom. Experiential science is a new course at the grades 10 to 12 level that gives high school students credit for getting out on the land and encourages students to participate in community monitoring. Our communities form the foundations of experiential science and incorporate elders meetings and traditional knowledge. Experiential science was developed in consultation with elders from around the Northwest Territories to reflect those values. This course will encourage students to get involved with science and
environment related careers North of 60 and to apply their knowledge to their everyday experiences in the northern environment.
Our social studies have their roots in Western and Northern Canadian Protocol where citizenship and identity are core concepts. They include Dene, Inuvialuit, and Inuinnait perspectives. Our social studies curricula were advised by a sample of Northwest Territories teachers who used their experiences in teaching to shape courses that would be relevant to northern students.
The Grade 4 Social Studies curriculum was written in the Northwest Territories from northern perspectives. This course has many resources, including northern artefacts and materials such as furs, kimberlites, models of northern topographies, and print and audiovisual materials from First Nations perspectives.
Grade 5 Social Studies is being developed right now and will be informed by the needs of our students in becoming our future leaders. The impact of First Nations on this country will be highlighted from a historical and contemporary point of view.
At the Grade 7 Social Studies level students explore themes related to the circumpolar world. Because the Northwest Territories is the only jurisdiction to study these themes, Education, Culture and Employment redeveloped and published a resource called “The Northern Circumpolar World.” The updated version explores each country north of the 60th parallel and includes
Internet resources. The history, geography, climate, economies, people, and environment of the circumpolar world are all covered in the text and a large selection of maps. The book is available to teachers on-line at the department’s website.
Many Northwest Territories schools rely on the expertise and guidance of their community elders in organizing and facilitating any on-the-land experiences, as well as for storytelling, skills teaching, and more. Many schools include elders as regular contributors, guest speakers, and support staff in aboriginal language and culture programming.
In addition to what is provided through curricula, the aboriginal language and culture-based education directive provides guidance to education councils and authorities on the use of aboriginal language and culture funding and supports. This is based on research and understanding that shows that students will learn better and have higher self-esteem if they can see themselves and their world in what they are being taught.
We are dedicated to culture-based education. Only when our students’ northern cultures, languages, and perspectives are reflected in their education can they gain a full understanding of the world around them.
