ERIC Number: ED043549
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1970
Pages: 132
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
What Culture? What Heritage? A Study of Civic Education in Canada.
Hodgetts, A. B.
This Report of the National History Project presents and evaluates data on civics education in 951 elementary and secondary schools in 10 provinces. Civics education, taking place primarily in Canadian history and social studies classes, was seen as having important potential for developing knowledge and attitudes about Canada which would foster national understanding. Many felt this potential was not being realized. Some methods used in gathering data were student questionnaires and interviews, teacher interviews, school profiles and classroom observations. The result was a strong indictment of the way Canadian studies are now being taught. Reasons mentioned include: 1) much of standardized Canadian history taught is antiquated and useless --there is overemphasis on constitutional and political facts; 2) emphasis on question-answer technique involving factual data; 3) almost total absence of any conflicting or controversial material; 4) little consistent effort to relate past events to current problems; 5) opposite biases between Canadian histories written in French and those in English. Numerous reasons for these failings were discussed, and a recommendation was made for a national curriculum development plan designed to make radical changes in scope, content, and teaching methods in Canadian studies. (JLB)
Descriptors: Citizenship, Civics, Curriculum Evaluation, Curriculum Study Centers, Educational Objectives, Elementary Schools, Field Studies, Political Socialization, Secondary Schools, Social Studies, Teaching Methods
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto 5, Ontario, Canada
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: Trinity Coll. School, Port Hope (Ontario).
Authoring Institution: Ontario Inst. for Studies in Education, Toronto.
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A