Page 15 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies

CONCEPTS UNDERLYING THE CANADIAN AND WORLD STUDIES CURRICULUM
Concepts of Disciplinary Thinking
In Canadian and world studies, it is crucial that students not simply learn various facts but that they develop the ability to think and to process content in ways best suited to each subject. To that end, the curriculum focuses on developing students’ ability to apply concepts of disciplinary thinking, which are inherent in “doing” each subject. Each of the subjects in the Grade 9 and 10 Canadian and world studies curriculum (as well as the subjects that make up the Grade 11 and 12 Canadian and world studies curriculum and the elementary social studies, history, and geography curriculum) has its own way of thinking, and its own concepts. The concepts for all the subjects in both Canadian and world studies and social studies, history, and geography are listed in the following chart. Given the inherently interdisciplinary nature of social studies, the six concepts of social studies thinking listed below provide the foundation for the concepts of thinking in each subject in the Canadian and world studies program. (Note that the variations in the wording of the concepts reflect terminology specific to each subject.) For full descriptions of the concepts of disciplinary thinking in geography, history, and politics, see the charts on pages 64, 104, and 150, respectively.
Concepts of Disciplinary Thinking across Subjects
Social Studies
History
Geography
Politics
Economics
Law
Significance
Historical Significance
Spatial Significance
Political Significance
Economic Significance
Legal Significance
Cause and Consequence
Cause and Consequence
Objectives and Results
Cause and Effect
Continuity and Change
Continuity and Change
Stability and Change
Continuity and Change
Patterns and Trends
Patterns and Trends
Stability and Variability
Interrelation- ships
Interrelation- ships
Interrelation- ships
Perspective
Historical Perspective
Geographic Perspective
Political Perspective
Economic Perspective
Legal Perspective
Concepts of disciplinary thinking can be used in any investigation in geography, history, and politics (including civics), although certain concepts are more obviously related to some topics than others, and concepts are often interrelated. Students use the concepts when they are engaged in the inquiry process, whether they are conducting an investigation that involves the process as a whole or are applying specific skills related to different components of that process as they work towards achieving a given expectation. In Grade 9 and 10 Canadian and world studies, at least one concept of disciplinary thinking is identified as a focus for each overall expectation. Teachers can use the specified concepts to deepen students’ investigations (for example, encouraging students to apply the concept of geographic perspective to look at an issue from multiple points of view). It is important that teachers use their professional judgement to ensure that the degree of complexity is appropriate for both the grade level and the individual student’s learning style and that it does not lead to confusion.
INTRODUCTION
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