We have been discussing the new BC curriculum in many of my classes, especially in Inquiry, so nothing was totally new upon the readings of this week. However, there were certainly some surprises upon reviewing the orientation guide and glossary for the first time. It is great to see there is an emphasis on sharing the true history in Canada of Asian and South Asian people, which form a huge and integral part of culture in BC. Furthermore, I am pleased that teaching Indigenous perspectives are ubiquitous throughout all courses. The stories of both of these groups of peoples in Canada were poorly described (if at all in some years) in K-12 education prior to the new BC curriculum implemented in 2019. I know I have some relearning to undergo and I look forward to teaching Indigenous ideologies in my math classes, as well as to celebrating the origins of math concepts because the concepts we teach come from cultures throughout the world and throughout the anthropocene.
Upon investigating the big ideas and content of math courses from grades 8–12, I noticed that grade 10 is the year in which students may choose alternate pathways in their math education and I am pleased to see that math education rooted in concepts. These new changes make me think of the Skemp reading in that instrumental learning is emphasized in the new curriculum, especially in the later years. From K-9, all students take the same math class as their peers. In grade 10 there are two choices, in grade 11 there are five choices, and in grade 12 there are seven choices. I've represented a simplified pathway with which students might take math classes for the ultimate objective to pursue university or college after graduating high school.
