Page 51 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

The course expectations contained in this document provide teachers with the opportunity to address a number of key issues related to equity, antidiscrimination, and inclusion. Among these are ways to educate students about the residential school system, treaties, and Indigenous peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canadian society.
In the journey to reconciliation and healing, it is important that teachers of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit studies create an environment that will foster a sense of community. This will allow all students to think critically about issues of concern to Indigenous peoples, to build relationships based on trust and respect, and to deepen their understanding of Aboriginal rights, treaty relationships, cultures, languages, and perspectives.
FINANCIAL LITERACY IN FIRST NATIONS, MÉTIS, AND INUIT STUDIES
The document A Sound Investment: Financial Literacy Education in Ontario Schools, 2010 (p. 4) sets out the vision that:
Ontario students will have the skills and knowledge to take responsibility for managing their personal financial well-being with confidence, competence, and a compassionate awareness of the world around them.
There is a growing recognition that the education system has a vital role to play in preparing young people to take their place as informed, engaged, and knowledgeable citizens in the global economy. Financial literacy education can provide the preparation Ontario students need to make informed decisions and choices in a complex and fast- changing financial world.
Because making informed decisions about economic and financial matters has become an increasingly complex undertaking in the modern world, students need to build knowledge and skills in a wide variety of areas. In addition to learning about the specifics of saving, spending, borrowing, and investing, students need to develop broader skills in problem solving, research and inquiry, decision making, critical thinking, and critical literacy related to financial issues, so that they can analyse and manage the risks that accompany various financial choices. They also need to develop an understanding of world economic forces and the effects of those forces at the local, national, and global level. In order to make wise choices, they will need to understand how such forces affect their own and their families’ economic and financial circumstances. Finally, to become responsible citizens in the global economy, they will need to understand the social, environmental, and ethical implications of their own choices as consumers. For all of these reasons, financial literacy is an essential component of the education of Ontario students in a twenty-first century context – one that can help ensure that Ontarians will continue to prosper in the future.
The First Nations, Métis, and Inuit studies curriculum provides a number of opportunities for students to develop skills and knowledge related to financial literacy. For example, students may investigate specific economic issues that Indigenous communities face, as well as the financial strategies that local governing bodies have implemented to enhance community development. They may investigate financial aspects of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit agreements with governments in Canada, or of economic partnerships between Indigenous communities and business organizations. Students may examine not only
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING
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