Curriculum Integration Newsletter: June 24-28 | Curriculum Integration | Seneca Polytechnic

Spring 2024 Giveaway Day Recap

The Imperative of Reflecting on Change 

At this time of year educational institutions are well underway with planning, including setting aside time for retreats to reflect on accomplishments over the past year and what needs to be done for the upcoming academic term. Although this rich tradition of critical reflective practice is well ensconced in post-secondary institutions, questions remain regarding the approach that will be taken concerning discussions on equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, decolonization, and indigenization. 

In recent times, the imperative for change has been amplified by the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action and the global outcry for human rights and social justice following the tragic death of George Floyd in May 2020. These events along with long-standing historical issues have reignited the calls for human rights and justice. Educational institutions joined in the denunciation of racism in all its forms, declared public plans and made commitments for centering efforts on EDI. These commitments raise a critical question: What strategies and measurable action actions are educators implementing and are current reflections on the future? 

There is also a growing need among educational practitioners involved in academic program reviews and curriculum design to reassess how traditional tools can foster inclusivity and reimagine learning to encompass all equity-identifying groups. These professionals may be interested in examining how traditional tools are leveraged in the uptake of learning in the academic environment. As a prominent Education thought theorist has indicated: 

Inclusivity requires pedagogies that respond to the social construction of difference in the school system, and also in society at large (issues of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, and ability). Inclusivity requires spaces for alternative, and sometimes oppositional, paradigms to flourish in the schools (Dei, 1996, p. 176 ).  

While these questions and framings will resonate with many, during this time of reflection, it is crucial to be mindful that EDI is not a novel concept or a new intervention in education. In fact, scholars have argued that for decades now governments and educational institutions have been aware of the structural inequities in education but have failed to achieve the necessary changes (James & Turner, 2017 ; Henry et al., 2017 ). A compelling case has also been made for integrating diverse world views and Indigenous knowledge systems into curricula, moving beyond traditional frameworks like Bloom’s Taxonomy (LaFever, 2016)  

In an effort to respond to some of these challenges, a team of curriculum specialist at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) have collaborated in the creation of The ASCOR Wraparound Tool. This tool aims to centralize equity, diversity and inclusion in the development and revision of program-level and course-level learning outcomes. This initiative represents just one of the many reflective efforts across academic institutions, striving for change during this critical period. 

To truly reflect deeply and meaningfully on the imperative for change, academic institutions must shift beyond periodic considerations and advance towards sustainable practices for systemic transformation. This means engaging fully in practices for integrating new methodologies for inclusivity. This requires a continuous process for re-commitment, steadfast critical questioning and challenging traditional educational paradigms. As we take time to reflect on events over the past year and look towards the future, let us ensure that our reflective practices translate into measurable sustainable actions which will embrace diverse worldviews, Indigenous perspectives across all disciplines, in order to achieve an equitable learning environment for all. 

Yvonne Simpson, M.Ed., PhD, Critical Disability Studies 

References 

Dei, George J.S. (1996). The role of Afrocentricity in the inclusive curriculum in Canadian schools. Canadian Journal of Education Revue Canadienne De l’éducation, 21(2), 170-186. https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/.php/cje-rce/article/view/2729 

Henry, F., Henry, F., James, C. E., Li, P. S., Kobayashi, A. L., Smith, M. S., Ramos, H., & Enakshi, D. (2017). The equity myth: racialization and indigeneity at Canadian universities. UBC Press. https://doi.org/10.59962/9780774834902 

James, C.E. & Turner, T. (2017). Towards Race Equity In Education: The Schooling of Black Students in the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: York University. 

LaFever, Marcella (2016). Switching from Bloom to the Medicine Wheel: creating learning outcomes that support Indigenous ways of knowing in post-secondary education, Intercultural Education, 27:5, 409-424, DOI:10.1080/14675986.2016.1240496