Socials 10 - Sarah Gordon

From the 1997 Social Studies 8-10 IRP:
Unit: Grade 10 Politics and Law (page 38)

This unit includes a PLO asking students to "compare Canada's developmental steps to nationhood with those of the United States".

I believe that this unit lacks international-mindedness in that it reinforces a narrow North American focus. While I understand that the U.S. has greatly impacted Canadian history and it is therefore important to know American history, I also think that there are lessons that are lost when we only compare ourselves to another western liberal nation with similar demographics and values to Canada. If students were to compare Canada's development to a country with more different history and values, they would get a more global perspective on how Canada compares to the wider world. There are perspectives which may evade being detected or challenged if we focus our comparison on like-minded neighbours.

I would make this unit more internationally minded by asking students to compare Canada's development to a different country of their choice. This would encourage students to learn about a wider range of countries and to consider Canada within a global context. Each student could pick a different country and do a brief presentation to the rest of the class, leaving all students with more international understanding, rather than them all having an American focus.

Sarah Gordon