Page 34 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies
STRANDS IN THE CANADIAN AND WORLD STUDIES CURRICULUM
The expectations for the Grade 11 and 12 Canadian and world studies courses are organized into distinct but related strands. The first strand (strand A) in all courses focuses on the inquiry process for the particular subject and on skill development. The remaining strands – B through D in Adventures in World History (CHM4E) and Politics in Action (CPC3O), and B through E in all other courses – represent the major content areas for each course.
The Inquiry Processes in Economics, Geography, History, Law, and Politics The inquiry processes for all the subjects in the Canadian and world studies program are based on the same general model, although terminology, content, concepts of thinking, and the types of questions asked vary from subject to subject. This model represents a process that students use to investigate events, developments, and issues; solve problems; develop plans of action; and reach supportable conclusions and decisions. The inquiry process consists of five components:
• formulating questions
• gathering and organizing information, evidence, and/or data
• interpreting and analysing information, evidence, and/or data
• evaluating information, evidence, and/or data and drawing conclusions • communicating findings and/or plans of action
It is important for teachers to understand that the inquiry process is not necessarily implemented in a linear fashion. Not all investigations will involve all five components; moreover, there are different entry points within the process. For example, teachers may:
• provide students with questions and ask them to gather and analyse information, evidence, and/or data to investigate them;
• provide students with a piece of evidence and ask them to analyse it and to draw conclusions based on their analysis;
• ask students to apply the entire process.
The entry points into the inquiry process may depend on student readiness. Prior knowledge, resources, and time may also be factors.
It is important to be aware that inquiries will not always result in one “right answer”. Rather, to assess the effectiveness of their investigations, students must develop the ability to reflect on their work throughout the inquiry process. Such reflection requires the ability to develop criteria that can be used, for example, to evaluate the relevance of their questions, the accuracy and strength of their evidence, the depth and logic of their analysis, and the strength of the support for their interpretation and conclusion. Teachers need to demonstrate the skills needed for reflection, and provide opportunities for students to practise them, while encouraging students to continually reflect on their work.
Likewise, students are engaged in aspects of communication throughout the inquiry process, as they ask questions, organize and analyse information, and critically evaluate their findings. The final communication of a student’s findings should take the form most suited to the nature of the inquiry, as well as to the intended audience, and should take the student’s learning style and strengths into account.
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