What happens in our children’s schools matters greatly

There is an intense debate underway in Alberta over the curriculum in our schools and the recent radical changes being introduced by Alberta Education. Teachers, parents, students, academics, journalists, and many others are sounding the alarm bells. Despite the signatures of nearly 10,000 people on a petition pleading with the Government to stop, they are steaming full-speed ahead on this radical rewrite of our education system.
I am deeply troubled, and doing all I can to hold the government to account on the issue. You see, I’m the education critic (I prefer advocate) for the Official Opposition Wildrose party. More importantly, I’m a father of three, and what happens in our children’s schools matters greatly to me. I choose the public school system for my kids, just as my parents chose the public system for their kids. Let me try and explain what’s happening and why so many people are opposed to it.
For several years now Alberta Education has been pushing for a shift from traditional learning to a system called inquiry-based, or discovery learning. The concept calls for less focus on facts and content and more emphasis on competencies and critical thinking skills. This is what that means in math: Instead of having kids memorize their times tables, discovery math encourages students to invent their own strategies and techniques. The result: Kids are confused, marks are dropping in record numbers, and parents are forced to find help from programs like Kumon and Sylvan Learning. Would it surprise you to know those companies are doing really well in Alberta?
Here are some more facts the Government doesn’t like to talk about.
Alberta has plummeted from its once outstanding position at or near the top in both International and National test scores. On the 2012 PISA tests, the Program for International Assessment, Alberta has fallen steadily since 2003 from second in the world to 13th.
In the Canadian comparison, Alberta has dropped from first place to the Canadian average.
And, even more troubling, the percentage of students who are math illiterate in Alberta has doubled. In Alberta, 7.4% of students failed the PISA test in 2003. In 2012, 15.1% failed.
All of this, since the Alberta Government led the charge away from traditional learning to the current fuzzy format. Quebec, by the way, is now tops in the country – and you guessed it – they focus on the traditional teaching methods!
Do we really think our seven-year-olds should be working out how they learn on their own, and then problem solving, as opposed to being taught the basics? Don’t they need basic knowledge to problem solve? I’m sure you could figure out five different ways to drive your car, but I’d like you to know the basic fundamentals before you get a license, just to be safe.
If the curriculum changes weren’t enough, Alberta Education is also experimenting with faulty grading schemes that don’t accurately report a student’s grasp of subjects. School boards are being pressured to adopt report cards that focus on qualitative results, and to diminish, or entirely abandon, letter grades and percentages. They are moving toward terms like “evident” and “emerging” rather than letters or percentages. Imagine your grade nine student coming home with that report card: “Hey mom, I’m emerging!” Hardly reflects the real world does it?!
You may recall Edmonton teacher Lyndon Dorval being fired for breaking a school policy and giving a student a zero for unfinished assignments. At the time I pleaded with MLA’s in the Legislature to support my amendment to the education act to make sure no other teacher suffered the same fate as Mr. Dorval for merely preparing our kids for life. Sadly, not one Government MLA voted in favour of the amendment.
It’s all tied together. Alberta Education believes less is more. What a shame.
A doctor/parent from Calmar, Alberta has started a petition demanding immediate and significant changes to the math curriculum. At last check, nearly ten thousand people had signed it, calling on Minister Johnson and Alberta Education to go back to the basics in mathematics and teach our children the fundamentals. Sadly, to this point the Minister has refused to meet with Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies. I have met with her and am inspired by her courage in standing up for our kids. You can find her petition at https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/back-to-basics-mastering-the-fundamentals-of-mathematics.
In closing, I’d like to make it clear that I embrace positive changes in our school system. We should always be looking to improve, but you never change for the sake of change. You can’t follow every latest fad and use our kids as experimental pawns in the process. The results prove that the current course by Alberta Education is wrong. It’s time we all told the Government this.
Wildrose leader Danielle Smith and I will be doing a Telephone Town Hall, from 7-9 pm on Tuesday, March 18th. Please join us when we call. We would like to discuss education in Alberta and unlike the current government, we really do value what you have to say.