Global Citizenship Education in the Draft Social Studies K-6 Curriculum

This document is the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation’s (ACGC) response to the Draft Social Studies K-6 Curriculum released by the Government of Alberta on March 29, 2021. ACGC conducted the analysis of the draft social studies curriculum to better understand the alignment of the draft with global citizenship education (GCE) best practices.

Global citizenship is a lens through which to see the world. ACGC understands global citizenship as “an ethos” primarily concerned with fostering “a sense of belonging to the global community and common humanity” (UNESCO, 2013). This not only involves members experiencing solidarity and collective identity themselves, but also necessitates collective responsibility to take local and global action for a better world.

Following the analysis, ACGC strongly recommends that the draft curriculum be rewritten to reflect international best practices in global citizenship education. There are significant gaps in the draft when held against the suggested learning outcomes of UNESCO’s guide, Global Citizenship Education: Topics and Learning Objectives. Furthermore, the Alberta government’s Guiding Framework for the Design and Development of Kindergarten to Grade 12 Provincial Curriculum released in December 2020 provides an opportunity for GCE if the draft curriculum more closely aligns with our understanding of the Guiding Framework. Ultimately, the best path forward is rewriting the draft curriculum to include cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioural learning outcomes that foster active global citizenship and prepare Alberta students to contribute to and thrive within a sustainable, interconnected world.