Page 12 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies
Tools and Strategies to Help Achieve the Vision of the Program
The following tools and strategies have been incorporated into the curriculum to help students achieve the vision for learning in the Canadian and world studies curriculum.
• The citizenship education framework (see page 13): This framework brings together the main elements of citizenship education. All subjects in the Canadian and world studies curriculum provide multiple opportunities to incorporate aspects of citizenship education.
• The concepts of disciplinary thinking (see page 16): These concepts provide a way for students to develop the ability to think critically about significant events, developments, and issues, both within the curriculum and in their lives outside the classroom.
• The inquiry process (see page 32): Students use the components of the inquiry process for each subject to investigate, and to communicate their findings about, significant events, developments, and issues. By applying the inquiry process, students develop skills that they need in order to think critically, solve problems, make informed judgements, and communicate ideas.
• Big ideas (see page 17): The big ideas provide context for the overall expectations and the concepts of disciplinary thinking that are related to them. The big ideas reflect the enduring understandings that students retain from their learning, transfer to other subjects, and draw upon throughout their lives.
• Framing questions (see the overview charts for each course): The framing questions are overarching questions related to the overall expectations and big ideas. They are intended to stimulate students’ critical thinking and to encourage them to consider the broader relevance of what they are studying.
• Spatial skills4 (see page 34): Students use spatial skills and tools to analyse and construct various types of maps and graphs. By developing these skills, students will be able to understand and analyse visual data and information, contributing to their ability to solve problems.
The figure on the following page illustrates the interrelationship between these tools and strategies and the achievement of expectations in the Canadian and world studies curriculum.
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4. Spatial skills are directly taught in the geography courses but are used in all subjects in the Canadian and world studies curriculum. All of the Grade 11 and 12 geography courses include specific suggestions for the use of spatial skills.