1. The Philosophical Perspective
1.1. Perennialism
1.1.1. Schools have the responsibility of transmitting the wisdom of past generations onto the new generations
1.1.2. Emphasis is placed upon universal truth and everlasting knowledge
1.2. Progressivism
1.2.1. Schools have the responsibility of helping students keep up with an ever-changing society
1.2.1.1. Promotes learning by doing and rejects having an authoritarian figure doing all the teaching
1.3. Essentialism
1.3.1. Emphasis is placed upon the 3 "R"s- reading, writing, and arithmetic
1.3.1.1. Schooling prepares students for the workforce
1.3.1.2. Standardized testing ensures standards are being met within schools
1.4. Extisentialism
1.4.1. A student's purpose comes from within, not from being assigned at school. John Paul Sartre largely believed that students should be in control of their own fates
1.4.2. Curriculum should be based upon what students feel they should learn
1.5. Social Reconstruction
1.5.1. Thoughts of Theodore Brameld- the curriculum taught should question the status quo of society
1.5.1.1. Education has the responsibility of rebalancing society after a shift in culture
1.5.1.2. Schools have the duty to educate students into reconstructing society
1.5.2. Paulo Friere- Pedagogy of the Oppressed
1.5.2.1. Against the "banking model" of education, believes that education should be a tool in helping students shape and improve their futures
1.6. Eclectic
1.6.1. Exhibiting two or more of the educational philosophies. It is important for educators to exhibit the best parts of all the philosophies. Depending on the individual, some may be more present within their teaching than others
1.7. Educational Theories
1.7.1. Humanism
1.7.1.1. Educators have the responsibility of focusing on teaching the curriculum, as well as fostering the identity of the individual student
1.7.2. Behaviourism
1.7.2.1. A child's learning is largely shaped by the behaviour they observe within their environment
1.7.3. Constructivism
1.7.3.1. A child's learning is shaped through their own experiences
2. The Historical Perspective
2.1. Section 93- allowed the provinces to make their own decisions about education.
2.1.1. Alberta's Teacher Alliance established during World War One
2.1.1.1. Teaching Profession Act of 1935- gave a legal foundation for the Alberta Teaching Association
2.1.1.1.1. Formation of a union association protecting the rights and best interests of teachers within Alberta
2.1.1.1.2. Granted the ability for the Alberta Teacher's association to provide many services for education students and teachers, such as collective bargaining
2.1.2. Alberta Education Act of 2019
2.1.2.1. Identifies the roles and responsibilities of all aspects of the Alberta education system
2.1.2.1.1. Allows educators to understand their role within the education system and what is required of them
2.1.3. Areas such as the education of Indigenous children still responsibility of federal government
2.1.3.1. Federal government given responsibility of vocational education, second language education, and the education of children with parents in the Canadian Army
2.2. Section 23- minority language rights guarenteed within Constitution
2.2.1. Allowed for the rights of English-speaking Canadians within Quebec to be protected, as well as the protection of the rights of French speakers outside Quebec
2.3. Constitution guarentees the rights of Protestant and Catholic education.
2.3.1. Formation of Catholic, public, and seperate school districts
2.3.1.1. Educators can choose which district they wish to teach within
2.4. British North America Act and the Indian Act- granted responsibility of Indigenous education to the federal government
2.4.1. Formation of Residential Schools
2.4.1.1. Bagot Comission- proposed seperation of Indigenous children from their parents. Breaking up of the family unit
2.4.1.2. Foundation for intergenerational trauma, changing the traditional ways Indigenous youth are educated
2.4.2. Collaberated with Christian missionaries to run the school, heavy Catholic influence present within the government
2.4.2.1. Emphasis on religion over the curriculum, straying away from traditional education
2.5. The Truth and Reconcilliation Comission of Canada
2.5.1. Asked the Canadian government to create age appropriate curriculum on Residential schools and Indigenous knowledge
2.5.2. Asked the government to repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code to end corporal punishment from being used within schools
2.5.3. Training about the treaty systems and Residental Schools must be completed to receive Alberta teacher certification
2.5.3.1. EDU 211 is a requirement within the Bachelor of Education program
3. The Sociological Perspective
3.1. The Hidden Curriculum
3.1.1. For students, school is the main secondary agent of socialization. Messages are potrayed from teachers to students about the values and expectations of society
3.1.1.1. For example, students learn to raise their hand and not speak out of turn, a value that will help them in future jobs
3.2. Cultural Transmission
3.2.1. The method of passing traditions down from generation to generation. Schools often do this through celebrations and practices
3.2.1.1. For example, Catholic schools teach students about the celebration of Christmas
3.2.1.2. Emile Durkheim- education has the responsibility of preparing students for the world around them. Cultural transmission is necessary in order for students to fulfill their roles within society
3.3. The Social Studies Curriculum
3.3.1. Main purpose of the curriculum is to foster a society that is pluralistic, multicultural, and democratic
3.3.2. Critical thinking taught within the curriculum can inspire students to change how they see the world (also known as critical theory)
3.4. Cultural Capital- forms of knowledge, skills, and education that givens an individual an advantage within society
3.4.1. Traditional View: the education system allows for an enhancement of opprotunity within the economic system. Working hard will eventially pay off for the individual
3.4.2. Revisionist View: the prestigious, elite groups are extremely influential within the school system and filter under-privileged students into second-rate opprotunities and below
3.4.3. Social Reproduction- schools have the ability to pass down cultural practices and values, often catering towards the values and traditions of the higher, more wealthy class
3.4.4. Schooled for Inequality- Barman
4. Teachers are responsible for scope and sequence, accurately preparing children to progress to the next grade
5. The Pedagogical Perspective
5.1. Duty of Care- teachers have a legal obligation to act within the best interests of students
5.1.1. Vicarious Liability- school boards are responsible for the mistakes and damages caused by their employees (teachers)
5.1.2. There is a lawful requirement for teachers to report indicators of child abuse
5.2. Teaching Quality Standard
5.2.1. Teachers must abide by the teaching quality standards, a set of rules and regulations that outline what and how a teacher should act and behave
5.3. The Hidden Curriculum
5.3.1. The unwritten lessons potrayed by educators to students
5.3.1.1. Critical Theory- privileged students continue to be privileged within the classroom as teachers often put higher expectations on them, ensuring more thorough intellectual growth
5.3.1.2. Non-Verbal Communication- educators must excercise caution when judging students based upon body language
5.3.1.3. Textbooks may not necessairly transmit neutral knowledge as they may exclude knowledge
5.4. The Alberta Curriculum
5.4.1. Must address more than short-term economic objectives and be able to be understood by all Albertans
5.5. Classroom Management
5.5.1. Logical consequences are directly related to the student's behaviour and provide students with the ability to "fix" their mistakes
5.5.1.1. An example would be having a student clean up a mess they made
5.5.1.2. Logical consequences allow for the child to understand what they did was wrong and there is less resentment of the teacher involved
5.5.2. Punishments are consequences not related to a student's behaviour
5.5.2.1. An example would be making a child sit in the corner in "time out" if they spoke out of turn in class
5.5.2.2. Punishments do not teach the child what they did was wrong, and causes a resentment for authoritarian figures
5.6. Role of Alberta Education
5.6.1. Responsible for the legislation, policies, and long range plans. As well as setting standards and designing the curriculum
5.6.2. Seperates provinical funding amongst school districts within the province
5.6.2.1. Made up of various members within the community to implement programs of study and design the policies followed by the entire district
5.7. Lesson Planning
5.7.1. Top Down Approach- educators should start with an overall goal they wish to acheive, break the goal into seperate units, and further break the units down into seperate lesson plans
5.7.2. Educators must make their objectives clear to students and themselves in order to accurately convey the messages they wish to
5.7.3. Lesson planning should follow the "SMART" guideline in order to ensure message is being conveyed to students