President’s Message
Rachel Collishaw
For many social studies teachers, February marks a new semester. The sun is returning to all of us across Canada and we also recognize the new year in the Asian calendar. This issue of Salon includes inspiration for a new start and the practical resources that you need to engage your students in learning about our democracy, engaging in dialogue, and thinking about how they will take their place as citizens of our country.
You’ll find a mix of articles, member association updates and partner news in this issue. In the Dialogue and Democracy article, Kevin Lopuck shares a wealth of research-based, practical discussion protocols to get your students talking and engaging with your content and with each other. These are great for the first weeks of a new semester – you can improve your students’ listening and speaking skills, while also building community in your classroom, and ultimately helping them to practice the discussion skills critical to participating in our democracy.
In Reclaiming civic engagement in an era of distrust, Jen Williams shares how she represented SSENC at a dialogue session with our partners, the Samara Centre for Democracy. Our work as a network is to make sure that social studies educators are at the table, representing the critical work that we do in our classrooms to support democracy. We are part of the solution by providing young people with opportunities for public debate and political tolerance.
In Meet an economic expert Adam Young shares about the new speaker series offered by the Bank of Canada museum. Students learn about their role in the economy, the role of central banks and learn about many different kinds of careers in economics. The economy is always on the ballot box, and this speaker series can go a long way to demystifying the economy for young citizens and future voters.
Check out the articles about our member association conferences this year! BC, Manitoba and Quebec teachers gathered this past fall to learn, share and reflect about the complex challenges of the social studies classroom. From panning for gold in BC, to field trips in Rivière du Loup, teachers gathered to learn together, and SSENC was there to share opportunities and resources with the enthusiastic participants.
This issue also highlights the excellent work of our partners at Action Canada and Amnesty International. Action Canada has developed the Policy 101 classroom modules for teaching about public policy. With SSENC’s support and advice, these lessons will help to empower your students to understand how decisions are made and how they can participate in shaping public policy. Amnesty International provides excellent support for those students who want to take their action further and form a club or participate in their leadership programs.
On a final note, our partners at the Canadian Red Cross are offering their national online humanitarian training. Running weekly from February 10th to March 3rd, you can still jump in late to help you engage your students in learning about some of the most difficult issues that the world faces. Later this spring, on April 15th, the Canadian Red Cross will hold an online Youth Action Summit that will showcase youth actions across the country and provide inspiration for your students to take action.
