Page 61 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies

ETHICS IN THE CANADIAN AND WORLD STUDIES PROGRAM
The Canadian and world studies curriculum provides varied opportunities for students to learn about ethical issues and to explore the role of ethics in both public and personal decision making. During the inquiry process, students may need to make ethical judgements when evaluating evidence and positions on various issues, and when drawing their own conclusions about issues, developments, and events. Teachers may need to help students in determining appropriate factors to consider when making such judgements. In addition, it is crucial that teachers provide support and supervision to students throughout the inquiry process, ensuring that students engaged in an inquiry are aware of potential ethical concerns and address them in acceptable ways. If students are conducting surveys and/or interviews, teachers must supervise their activities to ensure that they respect the dignity, privacy, and confidentiality of their participants.
Teachers should ensure that they thoroughly address the issue of plagiarism with students. In a digital world in which we have easy access to abundant information, it is very easy to copy the words of others and present them as one’s own. Students need to be reminded, even at the secondary level, of the ethical issues surrounding plagiarism, and the conse- quences of plagiarism should be clearly discussed before students engage in an inquiry. It is important to discuss not only the more “blatant” forms of plagiarism, but also more nuanced instances that can occur. Students often struggle to find a balance between writing in their own voice and acknowledging the work of others in the field. Merely telling students not to plagiarize, and admonishing those who do, is not enough. The skill of writing in one’s own voice, while appropriately acknowledging the work of others, must be explicitly taught to all students in Canadian and world studies classes. Using accepted forms of documentation to acknowledge sources is a specific expectation within the inquiry and skill development strand for each course in the Canadian and world studies curriculum.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN CANADIAN AND WORLD STUDIES
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