The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Curriculum implementation needs the professional wisdom of teachers

“Teaching is usually performed in imperfect conditions, in the face of conflicting expectations and demands. Sustained system improvement can never be done to or for teachers; it can only be done by and with them.”

­—Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan

THERE HAS BEEN A DESIRE in Alberta K–12 schools to move ahead with new programs of study for the past several years, especially given that curriculum redesign has been a start-and-stop process over the last four governments. Indeed, the new draft K–6 curriculum process that unfolded under the current United Conservative Party (UCP) government was the most ambitious and far-reaching in the recent history of education in our province. Unfortunately, the new draft K–6 curriculum that was released in the spring of 2021 has also been Alberta’s most disastrous.

The curriculum is marked by design flaws and diminished support across the profession of teaching and by the public. Its piloting and implementation across Alberta K–12 schools are facing serious challenges. In a professional review of the curriculum in the spring of 2021, an overwhelming 91 per cent of Alberta teachers sampled stated that they were unhappy with the new draft K–6 curriculum, with three in four teachers stating that they were “very unhappy.” A vast majority of the teachers (91 per cent) stated that they would be uncomfortable teaching the new K–6 curriculum, with 95 per cent of principals also being uncomfortable supporting the new curriculum in their schools and communities. 

In a public opinion poll conducted by Environics in April 2021, fewer than one in five Albertans expressed support for the government’s draft K–6 curriculum while only 17 per cent of the public agreed that the draft K–6 curriculum would “provide students with the knowledge and skills they will need for success.” 

While the writing of a new K–6 curriculum is one thing, its successful implementation in individual classrooms across the province is quite another, especially after it was launched into the world with such extreme challenges. 

Implementation of curriculum is a complex undertaking. Careful consideration must be given to managing the process within diverse school and classroom contexts. In particular, capacity must be built across the education system and among classroom teachers to deliver the curriculum by ensuring that comprehensive communication strategies, adequate time, appropriate teaching and learning resources, relevant professional development and focused inservice activities are in place. All of these must be available equitably in both rural and urban settings.

To better understand what Alberta teachers and school leaders desire from implementation of a new curriculum, the Alberta Teachers’ Association conducted a large research study in 2018 to gather Alberta teachers’ perceptions of the conditions they believe are essential for successful elementary curriculum implementation. The findings of this research study detailed the necessary resources, supports and implementation timelines for any new curriculum to be successful and provided a means by which to support evidenced-based and informed decision making across the public education system. 

The key findings are outlined below in brief as the professional wisdom of elementary teachers. 

Research findings: Essential Conditions for Curriculum Implementation

IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINES

Elementary teachers want a reasonable time frame for the implementation of any new curriculum. In fact, a vast majority from the 2018 research study believe that a rollout of new curriculum should occur over a one- to three-year period. The findings also show a clear relationship between perceptions of a reasonable time frame (one to three years) and teaching experience, with less experienced teachers more inclined to be optimistic about the quick adoption of any new curriculum. It is not just that the timelines are important, it is the further complexity of introducing a new curriculum across all elementary subject areas, and within multiple grade levels at one time. Just imagine being an elementary teacher who works across three grade levels with all new curriculum — beyond a daunting prospect for even the most experienced professional.

The full research report can be found at teachers.ab.ca under Public Education > Education Research > Research Publications.

TIME

Time is identified as both a resource and a concern. As a resource, time is deemed necessary for teachers to review the new curriculum, create resources, plan, build new assessments, collaborate with colleagues, engage in professional development and learning on scheduled noninstructional or professional development days, and make ongoing connections with the new curriculum through collegial discussions. The potential for a dramatic increase in work intensification and the implementation timeline are key concerns, especially as we move into a recovery phase from this pandemic. Alberta elementary teachers state their concerns related to “time” as follows:

I’m concerned that [a new curriculum] is a complete overhaul and we won’t have the necessary time to prepare for it.

[I’m concerned that] teacher workload and personal hours working will increase dramatically.

At this moment, the prospect of implementing all new curricula in a short period of time concerns me.

RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS

Several key themes emerged when elementary teachers commented on what resources and supports they would need to successfully implement a new elementary curriculum. Teachers have a strong desire for adequate resources and supports for implementation that are provided on scheduled noninstructional or professional development days and through face-to-face workshop(s), collaborative unit and lesson planning, and resource selection and development.

Specifically, elementary teachers are looking for exemplars; books; digital materials; assessment resources (including performance tasks, rubrics and marking guides); resources to support science, math, French language, social studies, and First Nations, Métis and Inuit knowledge; and hands-on video and printable resources.

Across convention districts and years of teaching experience, there are some slight variations in the order of these preferences. Overall, however, face-to-face workshops and collaborative unit and lesson planning are the two most preferred methods of professional support. 

With the lived experiences of the pandemic, virtual workshops will likely supplement face-to-face implementation activities; however, teachers have a strong desire for real-time engagement with colleagues (working in the same grade and subject levels) to develop and select key resources that will support their professional practice in any new curriculum.

FRENCH LANGUAGE RESOURCES

French first-language teachers and those who teach French as a second language identify concerns with curriculum implementation similar to those of their English first-language counterparts. However, French first-language teachers voice greater concern with respect to the availability of French resources and lack of preparation for implementation.

FIRST NATIONS, MÉTIS AND INUIT RESOURCES

There has been a growing and clearly defined need over the past several years for resources and supports related to First Nations, Métis and Inuit foundational knowledge, as well as resources that accurately reflect and demonstrate the strength and diversity of Indigenous peoples.

CURRICULUM LEAD TEACHERS

The 2018 research study showed that there is an interest in a designated individual(s) at the elementary school site who will take a lead role in the implementation of any new curriculum (that is, a “curriculum lead teacher ”). 

In the past, Alberta schools have field tested dimensions of new programs of study with an individual or small group in advance of implementation. These individuals (or small groups within the school) then became a primary resource for the rest of the school staff and community of learners as the curriculum moved into mandatory implementation.

With no school divisions in Alberta piloting the full UCP draft K–6 curriculum, these site-based champions will not be developed as they have been in the past. This creates further challenges with the capacity building necessary to support any successful implementation of a new K–6 curriculum.

Moving forward, the entire education system will need to focus its energies on supporting teachers and school leaders with the following essential conditions, as they are closest to K–6 students on a daily basis. If any new curriculum implementation is to be successful, these essential conditions must be recognized. 

Reference 

Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA). 2021. Essential Conditions for K–4 Curriculum Implementation: Perspectives of 2800+ Alberta K–4 Teachers. Edmonton, Alta: ATA, p 10. Also available at www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/Publications/Research/COOR-101-23%20Curriculum%20 Implementation%20Report.pdf (accessed June 22, 2021).

Breaking down barriers

Rahat Zaidi
Associate Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary

Refugees struggle to achieve effective parent-teacher collaboration

IN 2018, CANADA LAUNCHED the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative, resulting in unprecedented numbers of Arabic-speaking learners entering Canadian classrooms with interrupted or limited prior educational experience. This study explored the barriers refugee parents typically feel in engaging with their children’s school. 

Focus group meetings uncovered several barriers and challenges to effective parental engagement. Overall, parents felt they did not really understand the role they were to play in the Canadian school system. Of particular note, they felt that Arabic-speaking students were often enrolled in special programs along with other Arabic-speaking students. In their opinion, this impinged on successful integration of their children into mainstream culture and plural cultural identity formation. 

Parents’ lack of English fluency was also seen as inhibiting their effective participation in home–school communication, supporting their children’s academic progress and feeling comfortable in the school. 

Furthermore, the concept of parental engagement in their child’s school and volunteering was quite foreign to them. In addition, parents’ immigration status contributed to their lack of participation. For example, not holding citizenship stymied their ability to undergo a police criminal record check, thereby preventing them from actively volunteering in the school. 

The two most common situations where refugee parents were invited (and expected) to be in the school were the formal parent–teacher interview and meetings with the school administration if their child had been involved in a conflict. Parents’ engagement here was also restricted by their lack of understanding of the school’s culture, and again, language was a large barrier that eroded self-confidence. 

The study noted that, as a result of the number of barriers, refugee students and their families often experienced isolation from the school and their community in general. Related to this was the fact that many refugee students and their families do not have reliable access to technology and the internet. Therefore, internet-based technologies such as translation apps, email, educational learning management systems and messaging apps did not always support communication. 

Additional barriers to community-based and afterschool programs were lack of transportation, distance from home, later evening programs, busy family schedules and financial stressors. Furthermore, the sheer stress and pressure of the immigrant experience impacted some parents’ abilities to engage with the school and support their children’s learning. 

CONCLUSION

In order to optimize parent–school engagement, the researchers suggest first and foremost that empowerment and building trust is a journey, not a race. Administration, teachers, system supports and families all need to work together to achieve favourable solutions, and it is critical that education systems reflect on how school policies and procedures can unintentionally alienate newcomers. A well-organized program within a school, with clear objectives and goals, and fostering a sustainable partnership between parents and the school are vital pieces that enable the success of newcomer refugee students. 

The researchers suggest various strategies that can encourage optimal parent–teacher collaboration. Some examples include providing bi- or multilingual and bi- or multicultural in-school support staff, employing diverse modes of home–school communication, hosting parent–teacher events with interpreters available and developing flexibility in curriculum content approaches. The school also needs to encourage teachers to maximize opportunities to engage parents while recognizing they cannot legally volunteer. As well, school staff should explore ways to increase alternative, informal opportunities for parental engagement.

Additionally, implicit bias training for teachers can help them build a culture of empathy. Also important are supporting teachers with professional time and resources, expanding teaching capacity through professional development and trauma sensitivity training, using an in-school settlement program to welcome families and sharing resources to support best practice. 

Everyone wants to be heard and feel heard. If all stakeholders work together, we can come to the realization that engagement is a dynamic process that is developed and not born. 

For further information about this study, including details about its methodology, contact Dr. Rahat Zaidi at rahat.zaidi@ucalgary.ca. 

Acknowledgments

Funded through Alberta Education’s Research Partnerships Program, this research project was a collaboration between Christine Oliver from the Calgary Board of Education and Drs. Rahat Zaidi, Tom Strong and Regine King from the University of Calgary. The study received the 2020 ATA Educational Research Award.