Salon

Salon is the quarterly digital newsletter of the Social Studies Educators Network of Canada (SSENC). It features classroom strategies, critical reflections connecting research and practice, organization news, sponsored content, and commentary on current themes in history and social studies education. Salon fosters community building among Canadian educators through relevant information and curated resources.

Salon Autumn 2026

President’s message – Autumn 2026

As social studies educators, we are often tuned in to the patterns of the past and the present. We can see the effect of the past on the present. Our role is to bring those effects to light for our students so that they can engage thoughtfully with the complexities of the present.

Engaging (and free!) learning resources from Veterans Affairs Canada

In Canada, we are fortunate to live in peace, thanks to the service and sacrifice of those who have served in uniform across our military history. Leading up to Veterans’ Week (November 5-11), help your students better understand the present by examining the past. Our free print and online resources are designed to help students of all ages remember and recognize Canada’s Veterans.

Commemorating Canada’s First Internment Operations

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress’s National Internment Committee, along with SSENC, is inviting teachers to bring an often-overlooked chapter of Canadian history into their classrooms: Canada’s first national internment operations (1914–1920).

Bringing Public Policy into the Classroom with Policy 101

How do governments make decisions that shape our everyday lives? And how can young people better understand and engage in those decisions?

Book Review: Rescuing Reason: How History Education Can Help Save Democracy

As a Social Studies teacher in Alberta for the past 33 years, I have never felt the weight of our profession quite as acutely as I do today. Political polarization is reshaping our communities, an “age of distraction” fights for our students’ attention, and the coming wave of artificial intelligence promises to fundamentally challenge our perceptions and understandings of teaching and learning. In these challenging times, where many of us are experiencing a sense of moral distress as we struggle to preserve and sustain the foundational project of our liberal democracy, Dr. Carla L. Peck and Dr. Alan Sears have delivered a timely call to action with Rescuing Reason: How History Education Can Help Save Democracy.

Past Articles

President’s message – Summer 2026

President’s message – Summer 2026

We’re so excited to share our new publications with teachers across the country! While I hope that you will take the time you need over the summer to rest and recharge, I also hope that you will find some time to explore these two new resources, and those of our partners and get inspired for the next school year.

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Social studies as ‘neutral?’

Social studies as ‘neutral?’

With a world literally and figuratively burning around them, high school social studies teachers are charged with engaging students in sensitive topics.

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Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice

Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice

Every Heritage Month arrives with familiar gestures: classroom displays, cultural performances, and celebrations of food, language, migration, and achievement. But these recognitions emerged from histories shaped by racism, exclusion, war, imperialism, and colonialism.

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Teacher Discussion Guide for Valley of the Birdtail

Teacher Discussion Guide for Valley of the Birdtail

This guide encourages educators to use Valley of the Birdtail as a meaningful opportunity to explore the connected histories of the communities of Rossburn and Waywayseecappo, examining themes of racism, resilience, and reconciliation. Through dialogue and reflection, readers are invited to confront difficult truths, deepen cultural understanding,and strengthen their practices as compassionate, inclusive educators.

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Operation Black Vote Canada

Operation Black Vote Canada

Black Canadians have been running for and serving in elected office for more than 150 years, but most of us know almost nothing about their experiences.

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Dialogue & Democracy

Dialogue & Democracy

Classroom conversations begin by overtly and intentionally speaking about how we communicate. Before starting any dialogue or deliberation, take time to establish group norms.

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Meet an Economic Expert

Meet an Economic Expert

Do you really know what economists do? Or even wondered how the global economy works? In an effort to clarify the economy — and to dispel the myth that economics is mostly “math and boring work” — the Bank of Canada Museum has launched The Central Bank in Your Classroom, a new speaker series that brings an economist or data analyst into high school and university classrooms.

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Reclaiming Civic Engagement in an Age of Distrust

Reclaiming Civic Engagement in an Age of Distrust

Recently, I attended an event in Calgary reminiscent of the French Revolutionary salons—small gatherings fostering spirited discussion. Our small group met in a private home to reflect upon the future of democracy in Canada.

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BCSSTA Provincial Specialist Association Pro-D Day

BCSSTA Provincial Specialist Association Pro-D Day

On Friday October 24th, the BCSSTA held its annual conference at Simon Fraser University for the second time in four years. 500+ educators from across the province took part in both online as well as in-person workshops and speaker sessions delivered by teachers, professors, non-profit organizations, and experts on a variety of topics related to primarily secondary level Social Studies courses. We also hosted 30 exhibitors and vendors providing opportunities from educational travel and museum experiences to government and non-governmental civic interest groups.

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These are our archived issues of Salon, our newsletter.