Urban and place-based environmental education in the Ontario Secondary School curriculum

Abstract

This study reviews the Ontario secondary school curriculum in light of recommendations made by the 2007 Bondar Report, “Shaping Our Schools, Shaping Our Future”. It analyzes curriculum expectations and enrollment data for the purpose of reporting upon and providing recommendations for urban and place-based environmental education (U&PBEE). The extent and prescriptiveness of U&PBEE coverage by subject, course, grade, and course progression or pathway are reported upon. These findings are contextualized through the perspectives of diverse stakeholder groups at the “Education Experts’ Workshop: Implementing 2007 Bondar Report’s Intended Outcomes in 2015” hosted by Ryerson University in April 2015. EE in Ontario does not have its own discrete compulsory courses and despite having been “embedded” in the curriculum, the important arenas of U&PBEE are being applied inconsistently across the mandatory curriculum. Poor enrolment in senior electives shows that the focus of students remains elsewhere, fracturing EE’s progression in secondary schools.

Opportunities and Barriers to the Delivery of Place-based Environmental Education During Emergency and Non-emergency Teaching: An Information and Communication Technology Approach

“…Despite considerable recommendations and reports to prepare Ontario for effective crosscurricular implementation of EE, the provincial curriculum has been criticized by researchers and education experts for not adhering to a genuinely cross-curricular approach and suffering from a fragmented understanding of the interconnectedness that EE should communicate (Bardecki & McCarthy, 2020;Karrow & Fazio, 2015;Mnyusiwalla et al, 2016;Mnyusiwalla & Bardecki, 2017;Pedretti & Nazir, 2014). A closer examination of the barriers to EE that teachers in Ontario face indicates that the curriculum structure makes it challenging for teachers to incorporate environmental themes in their lessons, especially while integrating outdoor learning (Dyment, 2005).…”

“…Despite research supporting this approach, the Bondar Report, a comprehensive Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow EE policy framework, and supporting scope and sequence documents, the Ontario curriculum has still been criticized for ineffective implementation and delivery of EE (Bardecki & McCarthy, 2020;Mnyusiwalla et al, 2016;Mnyusiwalla & Bardecki, 2017). Mnyusiwalla et al (2016) claim there is not enough data available on progress indicators that the EE policy framework set to act as guidelines for further action.…”

“…Mnyusiwalla et al (2016) claim there is not enough data available on progress indicators that the EE policy framework set to act as guidelines for further action. Mnyusiwalla and Bardecki (2017) identify that while experiential learning was highlighted in the scope and sequence of expectations documents, at the secondary level, there are more PBEE expectations present in the applied stream compared with the academic stream, where the latter is more focused on theoretical learning (p. 125). Moreover, many PBEE suggestions and examples are only included in the optional section of expectations (Mnyusiwalla & Bardecki, 2017).…”

“…Mnyusiwalla and Bardecki (2017) identify that while experiential learning was highlighted in the scope and sequence of expectations documents, at the secondary level, there are more PBEE expectations present in the applied stream compared with the academic stream, where the latter is more focused on theoretical learning (p. 125). Moreover, many PBEE suggestions and examples are only included in the optional section of expectations (Mnyusiwalla & Bardecki, 2017). This critique is echoed in teachers' interpretation of the curriculum, as many have reported that it suggests including EE in their lessons but does not make it compulsory.…”

“…According to Mnyusiwalla and Bardecki (2017), the EE expectations in the curriculum tend to focus on "a single or narrow set of EE themes" (p. 123) rather than being closer to an interdisciplinary approach. It is also likely more manageable to include EE into the curriculum at the elementary grade level where a single teacher may be responsible for an assortment of subjects in different disciplines, therefore, getting the chance to form connections between curricular themes more effectively (Bardecki & McCarthy, 2020;Mnyusiwalla et al, 2016).…”