I have been saving writing this post until this time in the course and until I had my first meeting with Alberta Ed, on the new CTS Curriculum for Middle Years and Junior High Focus Group.

First off lets clarify my situation, this has been the first time I have been invited into these hallow halls, and see some of the inner workings of the Pillars of Education.  Also the first time I have been back to Edmonton in nearly eight years, but I digress...  I do not plan on mentioning anything that is inappropriate to mention, nor that could later cause issue to the process of curriculum development, but I plan on discussing the general sweeping themes and ideas I encountered...

I entered this two day focus group session with no background knowledge (other than the many years I have taught CTS at the various levels), and I had no expectations, except to see masterful work and to be razzled and dazzled.  The direction that the curriculum is taking seems to embrace many of the concepts that are necessary for the next phase of education to proceed.  The concept of OPEN would be an understatement... 

This approach allows one (the teacher and the student) to embrace as many or as few concepts as they require, allowing the opportunity to hold the students hand where necessary and step back and facilitate the knowledge.  This approach was scary to many in the room, while a few early adopters saw the potential freedom to explore and innovate, many were concerned about the future of CTS in Alberta (Even the curriculum will not be called CTS soon).  This is a chance to explore innovation, if successful this model may be adopted by other disciplines and the slow eventual change may finally begin in my province, but many roadblocks need to be negotiated...

I will mention one such roadblock that I thought did not exist, because I could not understand why it is this way.  However one of my mentor's mentioned how Alberta Ed is very compartmentalized between departments (this was many years ago, I thought this may have changed, I was wrong).  The developers of this new curriculum explained the process of how a course is created and delivered:

1. Write the curriculum
2. Then Assessment branch makes assessments
3. Then resource branch makes resources
4. and then so on, and so on...

When I am building my courses I build the pieces together, see how they fit, and modify as needed.  I assumed this would be happening, these developers have pushed for the departments to work together through the process...  I guess innovation to some is common place to others...

Another major roadblock that was discovered was that the future educators being trained to replace our retirees and the skill set they are entering the workforce with are insufficient.  Many in the room, feel that our Post-Secondary institutions are not providing what is needed (Funny thing, in the meeting room next door that was what they were discussing, I knew 2 of the mucky mucks in that room, gave me some insight)...

All this leads to my final thought, change is not simple.  To make fundamental lasting change requires multiple institutions to act together with a single goal and ignore petty politics and the inevitable history that comes with time (Can you see this really happening).  I think a major crisis will have to occur to generate the necessary societal will to make these changes, similar to how WW2 provided the will for England and France to develop and maintain excellent health care systems.  One person cannot change what needs to be done on a large scale, however one person can change all this within their own classroom.  Education, at this time cannot mandate how I am to instruct within my own classroom, it can only provide the goals and objectives that I am legally obligated to instruct.  It is my choice to utilize what methods I see fit...  therefore for the few on the edge of new, we need to show others what can be done, start the change, and maybe one day the mucky mucks will notice and follow the excellent example...

Hey, somebody needs to break trail...