Revisiting the Progressive Education Debate: Ontario Schooling in the 1950s

This paper explores the debate over progressive education in Ontario pedagogy during the 1950s and expands upon the work of previous scholars who argue that schooling in the 1950s was neither strictly traditional nor progressive but rather a blend of the two approaches. This study expands upon previous research by looking at various school boards in the province. Drawing upon original research from provincial and school board archives, as well as professional education journals, I conclude that although traditionalism was a common approach in Ontario education, the reality was that the 1950s were not as conservative as some scholars have argued, and that there was more nuance in pedagogy, with pockets of progressive experimentation throughout the province.

“The many tinted woods”: building online teacher resources with photography collections

This thesis aims to answer the question: how can photography collections be used as interpretative tools to build visual and media literacy skills through creative learning opportunities aligned with the Ontario education curriculum? The project has two components: an analytical paper and a teacher resource – created according to the Art Gallery of Ontario standard – to introduce teachers to teaching with photographs through interdisciplinary lessons in the visual culture of Canada from 1860 to the early 1900s. An analysis of the Ontario curriculum documents, identifying both limitations and benefits, and aims to support grade 7 and 8 teachers in the classroom are included. Using Canadian photographs from the AGO’s collection unites arts education and visual literacy with core academic subjects by prompting students, through a range of activities to engage with the subjects, aesthetic elements, history and materials of photographic media, and thus to interpret daily life at this time.

“The many tinted woods”: building online teacher resources with photography collections

This thesis aims to answer the question: how can photography collections be used as interpretative tools to build visual and media literacy skills through creative learning opportunities aligned with the Ontario education curriculum? The project has two components: an analytical paper and a teacher resource – created according to the Art Gallery of Ontario standard – to introduce teachers to teaching with photographs through interdisciplinary lessons in the visual culture of Canada from 1860 to the early 1900s. An analysis of the Ontario curriculum documents, identifying both limitations and benefits, and aims to support grade 7 and 8 teachers in the classroom are included. Using Canadian photographs from the AGO’s collection unites arts education and visual literacy with core academic subjects by prompting students, through a range of activities to engage with the subjects, aesthetic elements, history and materials of photographic media, and thus to interpret daily life at this time.

"If only I had known...": young peoples participation in the construction of their learning disabilities

This paper explores how young people participate in the construction of their learning disabilities and how the experience impacts their internal truth, and self-concept. The results show that none of the interviewee subjects in the study participated in the Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) meetings conducted in Ontario. The interviewees did participate in a variety of other forums such as psychological testing, university development centers, and conversations with family members, and teachers. Analysis of coded qualitative interviews reveals four major themes that were interwoven: internal truth of self-concept about disability; external truths of individuals of self-conceptualization about disability; knowledge of disability; and participation in the construction of the label of disability. The children’s rights framework and the new sociology of childhood are used to explore the construction of self-concept for children and young people with disabilities, and the nature and timing of their participation in matters regarding them and their label of exceptionality in the Ontario education system. Keywords: self-concept, participation, learning disability, exceptionality, young people, construction of labels.

"If only I had known...": young peoples participation in the construction of their learning disabilities

This paper explores how young people participate in the construction of their learning disabilities and how the experience impacts their internal truth, and self-concept. The results show that none of the interviewee subjects in the study participated in the Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) meetings conducted in Ontario. The interviewees did participate in a variety of other forums such as psychological testing, university development centers, and conversations with family members, and teachers. Analysis of coded qualitative interviews reveals four major themes that were interwoven: internal truth of self-concept about disability; external truths of individuals of self-conceptualization about disability; knowledge of disability; and participation in the construction of the label of disability. The children’s rights framework and the new sociology of childhood are used to explore the construction of self-concept for children and young people with disabilities, and the nature and timing of their participation in matters regarding them and their label of exceptionality in the Ontario education system. Keywords: self-concept, participation, learning disability, exceptionality, young people, construction of labels.

Partnerschaftliches Arbeiten und kollaborative Professionalität als Ansätze für Reformen des Schulsystems in Ontario, Kanada

This article discusses the approaches to education system reform developed and implemented in the province of Ontario, Canada, between 2003 and 2018. Two phases of the Ontario education reform strategies are discussed – an initial focus on working in partnership with priority goals for improving student achievement, followed by a shift to a new collaborative professionalism with a widening priority focus on equity and well-being. Finally, the article considers some lessons from these two phases of education reform in Ontario and current issues for educational change, particularly in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Digital Citizenship in Ontario Education: A Concept Analysis

Digital citizenship indicates one’s place in digitized society; however academics have not established a cohesive understanding about how digital citizenship is characterized. The Ontario Ministry of Education also does not provide a central conceptualization of digital citizenship and instead encourages Ontario school boards to construct and communicate ideas of digital citizenship. Accordingly, Ontario policymakers, educators, and students use differing understandings of digital citizenship, which ultimately impedes educational initiatives and hinders the overall development of the concept. For this paper, therefore, I inquired as to how Ontario public school boards portray digital citizenship. Using concept analysis, I examined digital citizenship documents from the 10 largest English Ontario public school boards. The results suggest that digital citizenship is predominately characterized by responsible and ethical technology use. I conclude with a discussion about how this representation relates to democratic citizenship more broadly and the implications this may have on youth civic engagement. Keywords: digital citizenship; technologies and education; democracy and education; democratic citizenship; concept analysis

Doing the Math: Comparing Ontario and Singapore Mathematics Curriculum at the Primary Level

This paper sought to investigate the fundamental differences in mathematics education through a comparison of curriculum of 2 countries—Singapore and Canada (as represented by Ontario)—in order to discover what the Ontario education system may learn from Singapore in terms of mathematics education. Mathematics curriculum were collected for Grades 1 to 8 for Ontario, and the equivalent in Singapore. The 2 curriculums were textually analyzed based on both the original and the revised Bloom’s taxonomy to expose their foci. The difference in focus was then compared and discussed to find the best ways to improve the Ontario mathematics curriculum. With one of the best education systems in North America, the Ontario mathematics curriculum would only need to refocus its attention towards a more balanced approach, with greater focus on understanding through practices. Ontario would benefit greatly from a deeper research into the Singaporean math curriculum.