Teachers to undergo training

Andrea Roberts
Times Intern

 

Recently the Government of Alberta signed a Joint Commitment to Action that will allow all Kindergarten to Grade 12 teachers in the province to receive training to help advance the history and perspectives of First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures in the classroom.
The goal is to provide further education to all Alberta students on these matters.
“We feel that the enhanced professional development announced on June 22 will serve to enrich the knowledge and understanding of current and future generations of Albertans,” said Larissa Liepins, press secretary for the minister of education. “Future curriculum in all subjects and all grades will include enhanced mandatory content about First Nations, Métis and Inuit ways of knowing, perspectives, experiences, languages and cultures, in historical and contemporary contexts, including residential schools and treaties for all Alberta students.”
The Joint Commitment to Action was signed by a number of representatives from organizations such as Alberta Education, the Alberta Association of Deans of Education, the Alberta Teachers’ Association, the Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia, the College of Alberta School Superintendents, and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
Previously, teachers had received some formal training on First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures, but it hadn’t been as coordinated as this set of tools will be.
In a press release, Alberta Minister of Education David Eggen said he believed the Joint Commitment of Action was a positive step forward in Alberta’s commitment to teaching all Alberta students about residential schools and the histories and cultures of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.
The training will begin in September and will feature resources that Alberta Education has put together to support educators when teaching First Nations, Métis and Inuit content. They are currently planning sample resources that will become available to teachers in the fall.
The government would like all K-12 teachers to receive the additional training within the next three years.
The training will come in a number of different forms including workshops, webinars and online training and will be open to all employees within the school community. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation will help with teacher professional development.