Curriculum Integration Newsletter: April 22-26 | Curriculum Integration | Seneca Polytechnic

On March 25th and 26th, 2024, special guest speaker Hiren Mistry joined the Curriculum Integration sessions to explore a question that intersects all three priority areas: How might we be more Culturally Responsive when planning curriculum and working with students in the classroom? Currently serving as Vice Principal at White Oaks Secondary School in the Halton District School Board, Hiren has dedicated most of his career to developing teaching and assessment strategies to meet the needs of diverse students.  

The template is grounded in three core ideas:  

1. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) connects all students with the learning process.

2. All students have valuable background knowledge and are able to learn when supported.

3. Evidence of student learning promotes teacher reflection and learning about identities, biases, power, and privilege.   

The template stretches beyond alignment to only program and course learning outcomes to consider what it means to be aligned to one’s students themselves.  Sample prompts include,

• “What prior learning and experiences do my students bring to this lesson?”
• “How might my students’ interests and identities be affirmed and engaged in this lesson?” and
• “Where is there an opportunity for student voice to be present in this lesson?”  
  

These and other questions guide our thinking and compel us to create space in our classrooms for student voices, not just the ones who seem the most interested or who put their hands up the most frequently, but all of them. Pause and reflect on who already shines in the classroom and whose voices could be better engaged, respected, affirmed, and lifted up. As Hiren reminded us, “Educators are the largest group in Ontario entrusted to translate and uphold human rights.” Hiren closed with a phrase he learned from renowned Canadian human rights lawyer, Patrick Case: “Keep mucking about. Strive for improvement, not perfection.” 

How are your students impacted by the climate crisis? Where does your tap water come from? Where does your garbage go after it is collected? Can you name five migratory birds in your area? 

These questions – and many more — are addressed in the short course Sustainability in Our Classrooms. This course offers a wide range of topics and strategies that help us integrate sustainability meaningfully into our course. It also offers us some time and space to start thinking about how we relate to the natural world in all its forms and how this might impact our teaching practice.