- (A) Curriculum Connections
Consider the Ontario, Canada, diversity and pluralism in education directive (2009): http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/equity.pdf From the document it says:
- Religion: By 2017, about one-fifth of our population will be
members of diverse faith communities including Islam, Hinduism,
Buddhism, and Judaism, in addition to a growing number of individuals without a religious affiliation (8) - Curriculum and Courses – Revised curriculum policy documents contain a section on antidiscrimination education that encourages teachers to recognize the diversity of students’ backgrounds, interests, and experiences, and to incorporate a variety of viewpoints and perspectives in learning activities. New courses are also being created that focus on gender studies, equity studies, and world cultures. (25)
This is important to emphasize, but what is currently lacking in many public schools are effective cross-curricular units outlining the core elements of the secular point of view that should be incrementally taught at each grade level along with the other pluralism/multicultural points of view. Teachers lack the resources to properly teach the secular worldview.
On this site you will find ideas and resources that are helpful in building multicultural/pluralism lesson plans. These lessons express and engage with the secular point of view, and “philosophy for kids/critical and creative thinking” generally. So, consider some of these strategies for creative and critical student skill building.