Western Standard - Minister Nicolaides Discusses Innovative Career Education for Students

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00:02:49.100 Awesome, well, good morning, everyone, good afternoon, apologies, and a long morning for me, my kids starting school today, so lots to do, but I guess we're in afternoon now, but I want to thank everyone for joining us here today, I'm really happy to be here with the Calgary Board of Education at the Career and Technology Centre,

00:03:18.860 just next door here to central memorial high school i know that everybody here is very excited

00:03:24.380 to get back to school and today i'm happy to add to that excitement and before we get underway just

00:03:30.460 want to thank the various partners who are joining us here today of course friends from calgary board

00:03:34.700 of education friends from calgary catholic sate and other post-secondary partners as well thank

00:03:41.340 you for being here today is a testament to the government of alberta but also the many

00:03:47.580 education partners that we have our collective commitment to ensuring that a student's education

00:03:53.420 sets them up for success in the classroom and of course for life after school is finished we all

00:03:59.820 know that the alberta advantage and historic levels of investment are driving the province's

00:04:05.420 economy forward this means that new industries are emerging and with that comes a variety of

00:04:13.660 meaningful career pathways for students in STEM, aviation, skilled trades, and many more

00:04:21.000 other exciting occupations.

00:04:23.480 This exciting period of economic growth gives us the responsibility to adapt our education

00:04:29.420 system to meet the needs of today so that students can continue to receive a world-class

00:04:33.940 education that will set them up to succeed both in and outside of the classroom.

00:04:39.820 And through our government's focus on enhancing career education opportunities for students,

00:04:45.300 we aim to do just that.

00:04:47.720 Career education helps students transition more seamlessly into post-secondary education

00:04:53.580 or to career opportunities after graduation.

00:04:57.920 It also helps them build the knowledge and skills they need to navigate their futures

00:05:02.880 confidently by helping them better understand their strengths, discover their passions,

00:05:07.820 explore many meaningful career pathways so today i'm here today and excited to be able to talk a

00:05:14.700 little bit more about how the government of alberta is focused on improving career education and how

00:05:21.340 our focus and investment has resulted in new collegiate schools opening for students this

00:05:27.580 school year i'm confident that with a focus and an investment in career education the success

00:05:34.300 of our students right now and the future is well in place today i want to talk a little bit more

00:05:40.540 about the plentiful career education pathways available to students highlight our focus and

00:05:46.940 investment into these pathways and celebrate the opening of this year's new collegiate schools

00:05:54.540 firstly of course it's important to me that we continue to enhance career education this is a

00:06:00.140 priority of the government of alberta so that we can make sure our students have every opportunity

00:06:05.260 that they need to pursue their passions and succeed in our dynamic fast-paced and competitive

00:06:11.340 job market whether it's through the opening of new collegiate schools or the expansion of other

00:06:16.940 education pathways we're working together with schools communities post-secondary partners

00:06:22.140 and industry to make sure that we're able to offer a wide range of exciting and rewarding

00:06:27.580 learning opportunities for students while collegiates are just one part of the career

00:06:32.220 education equation that already exists in our education system the collegiate model

00:06:37.740 does indeed create new opportunities for students to pursue more specialized and focused programming

00:06:43.820 alongside their regular courses this is what makes this model of education a great choice

00:06:50.220 for students who are interested in gaining practical in-demand skills for their career

00:06:55.660 interests and passions while completing their education in turn naturally this will help

00:07:01.420 students get a head start on their post-secondary education and in pursuing high demand and good

00:07:07.500 paying careers choice and education is a is fundamental for student success and a fundamental

00:07:15.020 pillar of alberta's government a one-size-fits-all system does not work for everyone which is why

00:07:20.860 it's critical to introduce the collegiate model into our education system since the introduction

00:07:26.300 of this model in 2021 the demand to be a part of this unique delivery model has never been higher

00:07:33.100 that's why through budget 24 we're working to keep up with the demand by investing more than

00:07:38.940 64 million over the next three years specifically to support new collegiate schools and programs

00:07:44.860 across the province.

00:07:47.140 This investment will help students find and pursue their passions and will lead them to

00:07:51.820 being more engaged in school, find more pathways into post-secondary education, and ultimately

00:07:58.200 equip them with the skills and abilities they need for life after school.

00:08:02.980 Through our government support for enhancing career education, I'm thrilled to share today

00:08:07.820 that seven new collegiate schools across the province will come online this school year.

00:08:14.840 Three of these schools will be right here in Calgary and be run by Calgary Catholic School

00:08:19.440 Division, the Calgary Board of Education, and Fusion Collegiate. The remaining four collegiates

00:08:25.040 are opening in other communities across the province in Calmore, Peace River Grimshaw,

00:08:29.520 Coleman, and Dunmore. I look forward to shining a spotlight on the remaining collegiates in the

00:08:35.560 weeks to come. From carpentry to animal health to pilot's licenses and more, there are now a total

00:08:41.580 of 12 collegiate programs in our province offering a unique approach to education. While these 12

00:08:49.260 schools vary in the career pathways that they offer, one thing remains constant. More collegiate

00:08:56.100 schools mean more students exploring pathways between high school and careers or post-secondary

00:09:02.020 education again giving them a head start on their educational journey and a competitive edge on the

00:09:09.460 job market in closing i'm confident that by investing in career education today we're also

00:09:16.660 investing in the future of our youth and the future prosperity of our incredible province

00:09:22.180 by connecting lessons from the classroom to real world applications career education

00:09:27.300 help students see how their current education will directly impact their future.

00:09:32.340 No matter what they aspire to be, career education empowers them to make informed choices

00:09:36.760 and to begin to build the foundations that they need for future success.

00:09:40.620 I encourage parents and students to explore the plentiful career pathways available in our education system,

00:09:48.660 including those offered by collegiate programs.

00:09:52.100 And I encourage our school authorities to continue to work with my department

00:09:56.240 to help bring more opportunities online.

00:09:59.600 To close, I want to give a very special acknowledgement

00:10:01.900 and thanks again to Calgary Board of Education,

00:10:04.520 Calgary Catholic School Division Fusion Collegiate

00:10:07.160 and Post-Secondary Partners

00:10:08.460 for your continued and amazing partnership.

00:10:12.040 The work that you are doing will help ensure

00:10:14.260 that our students receive their full potential.

00:10:17.040 Thank you.

00:10:17.840 It's my pleasure now to pass things over to Nancy Close

00:10:21.180 to provide a few remarks.

00:10:22.320 Thank you.

00:10:26.240 Thank you.

00:10:28.240 On behalf of the Calgary Board of Education trustees,

00:10:32.240 we are so pleased to welcome you, Minister,

00:10:35.240 and also to our education colleagues

00:10:38.240 that are all standing in the back

00:10:40.240 and our valued post-secondary partners

00:10:42.240 and other guests at the Career Technology Centre this afternoon.

00:10:45.240 We are excited to celebrate collegiate schools

00:10:49.240 and the countless opportunities they provide for students.

00:10:53.240 This school year, the CBE has launched the Digital Future Pathways Collegiate for students

00:11:00.240 with an interest in information and communication technologies.

00:11:04.400 More than 190, and we're very excited about that number, more than 190 grade 10 students

00:11:11.000 have enrolled in the program, which will enable them to take technology-focused CTS classes

00:11:16.940 in their local high school.

00:11:19.240 The Digital Future Pathways Collegiate will allow students to explore a variety of cutting-edge

00:11:24.260 programs and training pathways, including programming, robotics, engineering, animation,

00:11:30.480 photography, I think even photojournalism, and web development.

00:11:35.460 Through our partnership with SAIT, they will be able to learn and gain hands-on experience

00:11:40.520 from expert instructors.

00:11:43.440 Students may eventually participate in dual credit opportunities as they progress through

00:11:47.460 to grade 12 and this gives them a real jump start to their post-secondary education. Calgary is

00:11:54.500 quickly becoming a technology hub and is leading innovation in the technology field. Alberta's

00:12:01.460 labour market research shows strong demand for technology jobs now and into the future. The CBE

00:12:08.900 has a history of providing world-class career and technology studies in all of our high schools

00:12:15.540 as well dual credit opportunities and apprenticeship programs help high school students

00:12:20.740 find their passion and work towards post-secondary opportunities in keeping with our priorities of

00:12:27.460 achievement well-being equity the cbe is excited to offer opportunities for all students to explore

00:12:34.760 a variety of career pathways and possibilities all of which contribute to student success and

00:12:41.160 And of course we want to see our students flourish in life, work and learning.

00:12:46.180 So thank you and I'd love to pass it on to Trustee Ivanelli to speak.

00:12:59.540 Thank you Trustee Close.

00:13:03.600 Good afternoon.

00:13:05.040 The greatest natural resource of any vibrant community is its youth and their success.

00:13:11.120 Today, we embrace the provincial decision that support exactly that, student success.

00:13:17.920 My name is Lori Ivanelli, and I am the vice chair of the board at the Calgary Catholic

00:13:22.360 School District.

00:13:23.160 It is truly an honor to be here today as we prepare for an exciting new school year with

00:13:29.240 a very exciting announcement.

00:13:31.740 The Calgary Catholic School District is the largest Catholic school district in Alberta,

00:13:37.380 proudly serving approximately 63,000 students across 118 schools

00:13:43.420 located in Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, Chestermere, and Rocky View County.

00:13:49.680 We are committed to our mission and vision of living and learning in our Catholic faith

00:13:55.380 so that students centered in Christ can realize their full potential.

00:14:00.260 As governors, we aim to advocate for the collective needs of the thousands of students

00:14:05.640 that we proudly serve through the priority lens of student success this government and the minister

00:14:12.600 of education education the honorable dimitrios nicolaitis have heard that important important

00:14:19.320 message and are taking action to ensure that the pathway to success is certainly well paved

00:14:26.200 we are so thankful for the government's support in providing additional opportunities for our

00:14:31.240 students to explore their interests and prepare for future careers in january of 2025 calgary

00:14:39.080 catholic will be pleased to share the opening of one new collegiate program the our ladies of the

00:14:45.000 rockies collegiate school these collegiate schools will provide our students with unique

00:14:50.920 hands-on learning environments high school students will engage in dual credit courses

00:14:56.680 and off-campus education through partnership with institutions like SAIT and Olds College,

00:15:02.840 gaining valuable experience and post-secondary credits while still in high school.

00:15:08.920 In collaboration with post-secondary institutions, these specialized programs will allow our students

00:15:15.560 to dive deeply into areas like science, engineering, aviation and business, empowering students to

00:15:23.720 explore their passions develop critical skills and pave the way for rewarding careers in higher

00:15:30.520 education we are thankful to alberta's government for their continued investment in our students

00:15:37.640 futures these new collegiate programs will not only enrich our educational offerings but also

00:15:45.720 strengthen our communities by preparing a skilled capable workforce ready for ready to contribute

00:15:52.520 to alberta's growing economy we look very forward to the near future where we may share

00:15:58.680 personal success stories because of this government's commitment to alberta students

00:16:03.960 and the collegiate schools not only are career pathways being chartered they are being well

00:16:10.760 paved i quote malcolm x who stated education is the passport to the future for tomorrow belongs

00:16:19.800 to those who prepare for today thank you for your support and commitment to our students

00:16:26.200 together we are preparing bright futures for alberta's youth and this province's

00:16:32.360 greatest natural resource i now welcome dr janet welsh from sate to provide her closing remarks

00:16:41.320 good afternoon everyone oh there's a lot of people here i didn't turn around until now

00:16:53.740 on behalf of SAIT we are pleased to be part of this announcement it's important to us to continue

00:16:59.900 encouraging students to pursue post-secondary education and consider careers in the trades

00:17:05.720 across Alberta and Canada the trades are a cornerstone of our economic foundation

00:17:10.980 whether it's constructing new buildings, maintaining electrical systems, or the intricate

00:17:16.340 work of welders and plumbers, skilled tradespeople are essential to the infrastructure that supports

00:17:22.420 our daily lives. For students, choosing a career in the trades is more than just securing a job.

00:17:28.960 It's a gateway to a fulfilling and prosperous future. Trades offer stable, well-paying careers

00:17:35.260 that provide long-term security and satisfaction in a world where many industries face uncertainty

00:17:41.460 the trades offers a dependable path to success at sage we are committed to creating pathways to

00:17:48.620 world-class trades and technical education our partnerships with the calgary board of education

00:17:54.040 and the calgary roman catholic separate school district are shining examples of this commitment

00:17:58.900 For over a decade, we've worked closely with both CBE and CCSD to develop dual credit and

00:18:05.420 youth program pathways that have benefited thousands of young people.

00:18:10.660 These programs allow students to explore their future post-secondary options early, giving

00:18:15.780 them a significant advantage in their careers.

00:18:19.160 Among the dual credit opportunities, six are directly related to skilled trades, including

00:18:24.800 auto body automotive services technician rv technician welding carpentry and pipe trades

00:18:31.600 these programs provide hands-on experience and a clear path to a successful career

00:18:37.600 we're also excited about the digital futures collegiate program co-designed with cbe this

00:18:43.760 initiative opens new opportunities for youth in technology related fields and serves as a pathway

00:18:50.400 into state school for advanced digital technology it's yet another example of how we are expanding

00:18:56.000 opportunities for students and strengthening our collaborative relationships with cbe

00:19:01.680 and the government of alberta at sate we believe in supporting young people as a transition to

00:19:06.720 post-secondary education and the workforce by continuing to champion the trades and expanding

00:19:13.440 these pathways we're not only shaping the future of our students but also securing the future of

00:19:18.880 Alberta and Canada thank you great thank you everyone for coming we're now going to open up

00:19:26.560 to questions from the media starting with those who are here in the room there's a microphone in

00:19:30.640 the back corner there if you'd like to make your way there and once you get there please state your

00:19:35.520 name outlet and please give it a one question one follow-up yeah uh it's radio canada so can you

00:19:42.080 just expand a bit on how this dual credit will work is like is it for post-secondary education

00:19:48.640 it's going to be taken into account for their high school education just like the day-to-day

00:19:54.080 grid of it yeah sure and i'll invite our partners who maybe have some more expertise on on the day

00:20:00.400 to day to add if if they'd like but i guess the the best way to really think about the collegiate

00:20:05.200 programming is as a pathway uh making it available uh as in many cases as early as junior high

00:20:12.160 uh for many students so if you have students who are interested as we heard you know there's some

00:20:16.400 programming in digital technology or in aviation or in other areas by working with a post-secondary

00:20:21.920 partner that school that school division can begin to offer customized programming

00:20:26.880 to those students so that they can participate in that stream and it's focused of course as

00:20:32.400 all students would have that opportunity to pursue that stream and then as we heard of course and

00:20:36.720 understand have the opportunity for that to translate into dual credit so that they can

00:20:41.040 earn credit for high or for post-secondary once they're completing their high school diploma

00:20:47.040 okay and i'll say is it like a way to keep kids in school longer or is it just because

00:20:54.720 the point of it is to explore career paths that are often uh left aside yeah you know i think

00:21:02.160 it's uh it's a little bit of both um i think at the primary kind of purpose is to help students

00:21:08.640 get a head start on on a post-secondary credential or in help them get a head start with the skills

00:21:14.960 and knowledge that they need in a particular field or occupation that they want to go into

00:21:19.440 um you know sometimes of course that can be helpful for students that maybe aren't too

00:21:24.400 interested in academics and maybe are questioning whether they're going to finish high school or not

00:21:28.880 and if they can see alternative programming that can help them i think it can help serve

00:21:33.840 both those purposes but the primary purpose is again to help a student advance towards a

00:21:39.360 post-secondary program or a career opportunity that they're really interested in thank you

00:21:44.960 any other questions in the room hi megan cobb global news uh first question how will it fit

00:21:50.960 in with the curriculum like are these offered as electives and so they're still taking their

00:21:54.480 science their math their english all of those courses yes that's correct the standard you know

00:21:59.040 graduation requirements remain in place that a student would need to successfully complete

00:22:03.760 their diploma. So these are other opportunities that would be available to students.

00:22:07.760 And then I have a question from a colleague. So legislation is expected to drop this fall

00:22:12.080 when it comes to opt-in to sex education and LGBTQ2 policies. Can you give us any more details

00:22:18.160 on what we can expect that legislation to look like in the consultation that's been done prior

00:22:21.840 to drafting that legislation? Yeah, sure. We'll have to wait a little bit more until we have the

00:22:27.520 final pieces put in place whether that's respect to legislation policy regulation i'd be happy to

00:22:33.600 share more details when when that's available of course the premier announced back in february

00:22:39.600 of the the government's plan to make some changes with respect to sex at curriculum

00:22:43.920 and to involving parents with respect to changing pronouns at school since that time

00:22:50.080 my ministry and i have sat down with our partners school boards teachers and other individuals

00:22:57.360 to have some open conversations and discussions about what that means what that would look like

00:23:02.240 and work together as it relates to implementation so we've had some lengthy conversations since

00:23:07.120 february as it relates to implementation of these policy objectives hi there terry from ctv news

00:23:16.080 um for my first question is just for the minister to follow up on uh the opt-in opt-out are you able

00:23:21.280 to speak to how many parents or caregivers guardians are opting out at the moment is this

00:23:26.480 a demand because there's so many people opting out sure um i don't i don't have that information

00:23:32.000 directly in front of me i'd have to follow up with you i'm not sure if the ministry even collects

00:23:36.720 that information we may have to coordinate with our school boards and and get a total number but

00:23:44.160 i'd have to follow up with you to get you some more precise details okay and my second question

00:23:48.720 is actually directed to nancy and laurie i know that we're dealing with record enrollment as we

00:23:54.320 see increased population growth can you speak to how those are being addressed in the classrooms

00:24:00.080 and also plans on the long term we've heard a lot about modular classrooms and bringing in

00:24:03.920 additional support staff but as things continue to grow how will we deal with this long term

00:24:09.920 such a good question and obviously we're laser focused on addressing the increased enrollment

00:24:16.320 that we're seeing in our schools and so i'll probably answer in a variety of ways and then

00:24:21.760 then you can follow up if I have not addressed your question specifically.

00:24:27.300 So let's talk about enrollment.

00:24:29.140 We have another year of high enrollment.

00:24:30.960 I think everyone knows that.

00:24:32.220 We're anticipating, I think, 143,000, which is up from 138,244 students last year.

00:24:40.160 So the difference of around 7,000 students.

00:24:44.200 And over the past two years alone, we've welcomed more than 13,000 students in our school system,

00:24:49.720 enough to fill 22 elementary schools.

00:24:53.000 So I wouldn't mind segueing to our need for new schools and new spaces.

00:24:58.540 And so long-term, we've had great conversations with the government about our need for new

00:25:03.960 school construction.

00:25:05.080 We've submitted our capital plan.

00:25:07.440 In fact, if we even go to our capital plan requests, for our 2025-28 capital plan requests,

00:25:13.420 have 13 year one requests for new schools for 11,400 student spaces and overall 21 requests

00:25:21.900 over three years and we need them all, not just one, not just two, all of them. But in the meantime,

00:25:29.880 we had a recent announcement about modulars. And so in total, we have approval for 47 modular

00:25:36.260 classrooms to be installed over the course of this school year. They're obviously not going to be

00:25:40.320 ready for now which will accommodate 1200 additional students and we have funding to

00:25:47.760 relocate additional modulars from more enrollment schools to those with the greatest need

00:25:52.400 and so while the modulars may not be in place for the first day schools are used to making

00:25:56.800 arrangements and i think this is what you're asking me to to respond to annual and in-year

00:26:02.720 changes in enrollment so long so long term we actually just had our 10-year plan for student

00:26:11.840 accommodation and facilities long term that could look like changes in grade configurations at a

00:26:19.200 school level it could look like i'm i'm taking a blank here for the moment but there's lots of

00:26:27.280 decisions that can be made at a school based whether they're using the library or the learning

00:26:31.520 Commons or whether they're reconfiguring how that space is used at the school level, we are going

00:26:38.240 to do the best we can to accommodate the increased enrolment in our schools because student success

00:26:44.080 is obviously important to us. Did I halfway answer? No, you did and I would love to put

00:26:49.280 the same question to Laurie, please. Okay. Did you say no, I didn't? No, you did.

00:26:54.480 thank you for that question the calgary catholic school district has also seen consistent growth

00:27:04.640 in student enrollment over the past several years reflecting a growing demand for quality catholic

00:27:10.560 education this year alone as our september 30th 2024 projected enrollment will be 64 514 students

00:27:20.960 and that is an increase of 2918 students or approximately 4.7 percent in regards to funding

00:27:30.000 and budget plans on may 24th of 2020 24 the board of trustees approved the district operated

00:27:37.840 operating budget which included a deficit of 21.5 million dollars to help address the higher

00:27:44.800 than expected enrollment growth and cost pressures across the province on july 23rd

00:27:50.480 the minister of education announced an additional 125 million dollars in funding for alberta school

00:27:58.160 authorities for the 2024-2025 school year as part of this funding the calgary catholic school

00:28:05.760 district will receive 7.8 percent of the total amount which we are extremely grateful for the

00:28:13.680 district proposed the following use of the additional funding which supports the board

00:28:18.000 priorities of student success and well-being and was approved at the ccsd board of trustees

00:28:25.040 august 28th special board meeting we plan to hire 50 contingency teachers diverse learning and

00:28:32.960 technology support so 2 000 additional education assistant hours 12 diverse learning teachers

00:28:40.640 additional therapy therapy support including occupational therapists physical therapists and

00:28:47.440 speech language pathologist a second district diverse learning teacher epd site enhancements

00:28:54.720 and an additional technology for students and teachers basically all the monies received are

00:29:00.000 going directly back into the classroom to help with the needs that are increasingly growing

00:29:06.080 we continue to struggle however with a deficit but look forward to our continued work with the

00:29:11.760 ministry to solve those growing issues thank you all right we have one time for one more question

00:29:18.320 so we're going to head to the phones operator can you please put through the first caller

00:29:23.200 the first caller is chelan skalski from ctv news edmonton please go ahead

00:29:31.360 hi thank you so much for taking my questions apologies they are off topic

00:29:34.800 there for the minister on the new social studies curriculum i'm hearing from educators who call

00:29:38.640 the new curriculum out of reach, irrelevant and

00:29:40.840 say despite having the opportunity to share

00:29:43.180 their feedback during consultation, teachers

00:29:45.120 don't feel any of it was considered in the

00:29:47.120 drafting of the new curriculum.

00:29:48.520 What do you say to the criticism?

00:29:51.280 Sorry, I had a little trouble hearing but I

00:29:53.880 think your commentary was that some teachers or

00:29:57.720 other partners suggesting that their feedback

00:30:00.660 wasn't taken into consideration with the

00:30:03.300 social studies curriculum.

00:30:04.660 If I misunderstood or misheard your

00:30:07.000 question please jump in and correct me um you know i i recognize that especially with a topic

00:30:13.400 like social studies everybody has a different opinion um you know especially with social

00:30:18.600 studies we're talking about history we're talking about government politics and we see every day of

00:30:26.760 course that people have different views of how society should be governed priorities of government

00:30:32.280 of society interpretations of history so i know that there's always going to be different opinions

00:30:38.600 and and that's okay um you know we live in a pluralistic society and that's completely

00:30:43.880 acceptable and desired we we should all have different opinions on different topics to create

00:30:48.440 some dialogue to create discussion what i think is most critical in the social studies curriculum

00:30:53.960 and which i strongly believe has been implemented are uh are a number of things first and foremost

00:31:01.240 ensuring that the learning objectives give students a strong foundation in critical thinking

00:31:07.080 and the draft social studies curriculum does exactly that if memory serves me correct

00:31:13.880 approximately 16 percent of the learning outcomes relate ask students to recall or memorize

00:31:20.920 information with the vast majority of learning outcomes directed towards asking students to

00:31:26.440 develop create and synthesize ideas and information which are skills that are required

00:31:34.840 to foster critical thinking abilities so that's the first priority secondly we want to make sure

00:31:40.840 in the social studies curriculum that we give students an objective and impartial view of

00:31:45.480 history and of the facts so that they can make up their own minds and develop their own conclusions

00:31:52.440 and that relates to the third point which i think is absolutely essential with the social studies

00:31:56.920 curriculum which is that we have to build a social studies curriculum that gives students

00:32:01.720 the right tools and knowledge that they need to be active and well-informed citizens and i believe

00:32:07.800 the the new social studies curriculum does exactly that there's opportunity there for

00:32:12.840 students to separate and understand the difference between fact and opinion there's opportunities

00:32:18.680 there for students to engage in critical conversations understand how to be active

00:32:24.360 citizens and give them all of those tools so i i understand that again folks will have different

00:32:30.040 opinions but i am confident that we are setting students up for success and it's not just my

00:32:36.600 opinion i know we have 1700 teachers with 429 schools from across the province who are working

00:32:44.760 with us to pilot this new curriculum this uh this september uh this school year uh which i think

00:32:50.920 speaks to uh the the broad agreement that there's a avenue to move forward here and a follow-up

00:32:59.560 yeah a follow-up to that with the 1700 teachers piloting the new material this fall i guess how

00:33:03.880 closely will you be listening to that feedback they provide could we see a very different final

00:33:07.800 curriculum rolled out next september could you have to go back to the drawing board altogether

00:33:11.400 or do you see this basically as being done well with uh there's various stages of course through

00:33:17.160 curriculum development through the piloting you know we're hoping to see how the curriculum

00:33:22.200 really works in the classroom have a closer look at things like load resources so we're really in

00:33:27.960 the final stages here we spent eight months trying to answer the big questions about content subject

00:33:35.080 grade appropriateness age appropriateness and i think we've been able to address all of that

00:33:39.240 which is why we're now ready to move forward to the piloting phase whereby again i expect to see

00:33:44.760 some some changes at a more operational level i i don't anticipate that we'll see major shifts

00:33:50.760 from the draft curriculum as a result of the the piloting process there's of course always

00:33:55.320 opportunity for modification but i don't think we'll go through the piloting process and then say

00:34:00.440 all of grade six needs to completely change and it shouldn't focus on democracy it needs to focus

00:34:06.280 on another subject entirely i think a lot of those big questions have been answered and now we're

00:34:11.000 looking to answer other questions around implementation operationalization teachability

00:34:18.360 and other components all right that's all the time that we have today thank you all for coming

00:34:23.240 awesome thank you

00:34:36.280 You

Western Standard - September 04, 2024

Minister Nicolaides Discusses Innovative Career Education for Students

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