ONEONE WORLDWORLD inin DialogueDialogue Volume 6 Number 1 2021 SOCIAL STUDIES COUNCIL of the ALBERTA TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION Social Studies Council Contact Information President Journal Editor ATA Staff Advisor Jennifer Williams Craig Harding Dave Matson Bus 403-948-3800 Bus 403-777-7870 780-447-9420 [email protected] [email protected] or [email protected] [email protected] ONEONE WORLDWORLD inin DialogueDialogue Volume 6 Number 1 2021 A Message from the Editor 2 Craig Harding Articles A Meditation on Current and Future Trajectories for Elementary Social Studies in Alberta 4 David Scott Reimagining Schools to Be Places of Deeper Learning 16 Jacqui Kusnick Smashing Down “Old” Ways of Thinking: Uncritical Critical Thinking in Teacher Education 26 Matthew Etherington Responding to the Ravages of COVID-19: Dialogic Encounters in/as Pedagogy in Social Studies 39 Tim Skuce and Shannon D M Moore The Importance of Bridging Creativity and Critical Thinking 48 Anasthasia Filion More Copyright © 2021 by The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), 11010 142 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta T5N 2R1. 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A Message from the Editor Craig Harding “We must mend what has been torn apart, make need to build community is apparent, as ruptured justice imaginable again in a world so obviously societies at provincial, national and global levels unjust, give happiness a meaning once more.” seemed to emerge, and populists, claiming to have —Albert Camus direct access to popular will, sought to exert their provocative political perspective and offered up a new To sin by silence, when we should protest, makes notion of “common sense” that often questioned com- cowards out of men. monly understood concepts such as justice and voice. —Ella Wheeler Wilcox Leaders in many countries and provinces, elected by a minority of voters, spoke as if only their voice rep- The articles in this resented the will of the people. edition of One World While social justice movements gained a greater were written in a tu- voice, individual teachers must consider the extent to multuous context, re- which they must make changes in how they address flecting potentially pluralism, citizenship and identity. To be silent, ac- massive disruptive cording to Wilcox, is to make us cowards. It is difficult changes at provincial, to simply use the hegemony of the heroic past as a national and global lev- way to legitimize political identities in a way that els. While much has empowers the establishment’s regressive policies—in been written about fact, this approach has to be confronted. Not only these disruptions in the must curriculum meaningfully incorporate the voices midst of these unset- and experiences of all citizens in an authentic manner, tling times, the conclu- it must do so in a way that builds the capacity of sion and staying power, obviously, is yet to unfold. students to acquire enduring understandings that have Our authors in this edition have offered insights into implications and application beyond the classroom. what could be done or should be considered for social Reflecting on the above quote by Camus, the disrup- studies— how we can mend the subject—or the world, tions of the past year should encourage teachers to for that matter. question how these social changes will influence what Misinformation, conspiracies, populism and even and how they teach, who is their real audience, and COVID-19 have highlighted the need to invigorate what sort of society we want as we recover from and critical thinking in schools to address the meteoric adapt to these disruptions. Seeking to mend, as Camus rise of anti-intellectualism as a response to the per- urges, requires teachers to take an informed and ethi- ceived failure of traditional experts. In the media we cal stand. Silence is not an option. This edition of One see and hear of individual anecdotal experiences, even World encourages readers to reflect on what rebuild- from some political “leaders,” as a counter to reasoned ing and recovering should look like. And while we and informed advice from the field of medicine. The have a lot of work to do on a lot of different fronts, 2 One World in Dialogue, Volume 6, Number 1, 2021 there are things we can do in our classrooms to ame- perspectives and inclusive communities are ideal for liorate the disruptions of the recent past. nurturing creativity and innovation that a single cul- This edition starts with a thoughtful consideration ture would never have considered. of the past and potential trajectory of social studies Former Calgary teacher Tim Skuce and his in Alberta. Framing it, in short, as somewhat of a Brandon University colleague Shannon Moore ex- culture war, University of Calgary professor Dave plore how our disruptive times are exposing the Scott investigates the often polarized views on the vulnerability and fragility of human understanding. future of social studies in the province by exploring The consequence of this is that predictability in the the rich, progressive heritage of Alberta social studies, classroom has been lost. As a remedy for—or an ap- long seen as a global leader in the subject, and juxta- proach to Camus’ mending—this, Skuce and Moore posing it with the current re-storied government argue that educators must adopt an approach more proposal. As Scott zooms out to take a mile-high look attuned to uncertainty by creating a dialogic space at the curriculum, it is a compelling starting point for where discussion and learning emerge organically all teachers to consider what they want social studies, rather than by the use of preplanned instructional writ large, to look like. The article is certain to be a strategies. This approach, they argue, recognizes that discussion provocation for social studies, the uniqueness of our current milieu is characterized provincewide. by student vulnerability, classroom ambiguity and the While Dave Scott’s article established the context unfinishedness of the subject matter. for rethinking, or reaffirming, social studies, Jacqui The final article, by Alberta artist Anasthasia Kusnick zooms in a bit closer to consider the purpose Filion More, argues for greater recognition of the role of education, and social studies in particular. Kusnick, of creativity in social studies. While creativity has a vice-principal in a rural Manitoba middle school, historically been considered secondary to critical argues it is time for educators to examine, or re-ex- thinking, at least in social studies, Filion More argues amine, their moral purpose. She challenges us to that for students to become better critical thinkers, consider what is our “why.” Kusnick argues that the creativity must be explicitly developed. To accomplish response of “to help our students grow” is insufficient. this, she seeks to clarify the definitions and attributes The usual responses must be reimagined to determine of both creative and critical thinking to illustrate how if the current approach to social studies must be re- they are used in both personal and social activities. conceptualized or dismantled—she wonders if tinker- A richly conceived and progressive social studies ing is enough to address the needs of students, or if curriculum is seen as playing a crucial role in devel- social studies needs to be torn down and resurrected oping these attributes. in a different form. Dave Scott’s article provides the My hope in bringing forward these articles is that context for considering Kusnick’s exhortation that we they encourage you to reflect upon your perspectives must be thoughtful and informed when reimagining about what you do—and, especially, to reconceive what is our “why.” the why and how. As well, consider how you would Subsequent articles zoom in even closer. Matthew reconceive social studies given the changes we are Etherington, of Trinity Western University, offers experiencing: What needs to be mended? How should insights on the need for teachers to reconsider critical it be mended? And most important, How will you use thinking. While he addresses critical thinking in your voice to give happiness (in social studies) a teacher education, his article has relevance to class- meaning once more? room teachers who think that they must abandon “old ways of thinking” as he argues for a more inclusive approach to critical thinking that includes nonscien- References tific ways of pursuing knowledge and truth. This idea Camus, A. 1968. Lyrical and Critical Essays. Ed P Thody. Trans is particularly relevant for Alberta teachers, where E C Kennedy. New York: Knopf. nearly a quarter of the students in some school dis- Wilcox, E W.