2016 -3 MSSTA Journalmssta.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/March-2016.pdf · 09/03/2014 · Journal March 2016 4 News from ArcGIS Dear educators: ArcGIS Online is a tool used across

THE JOURNALCelebrate Women’s Suffrage Centennial

Murdoch MacKay Collegiate’s Grade 9 class hold the mock parliament, where men have to protest to get their voting rights. Thanks to the teacher-

organizers, Jill Sigurdson, Kim Dudek and Debbie Hamlin

Vol. 41, no. 3, March 2016

Journal March 2016 2

Index to Vol. 41, no. 3, March 2016

MSSTA Board/ Index .................................. 2President’s Message ................................... 3Geography/ ArcGIS .................................... 4Red River Heritage Fair/ MCIC Event ...... 5Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History ... 6The SAGE 2016 is 2 days - initial news .. 7 A Parks Pass / MUNA - An Invitation ...... 8Lake Friendly- World Water Day ................ 9Earth Day- Plant a tree .............................. 10Study Vimy with a giant floor map ........... 11Teaching History- Summer Institute ......... 1212 Questions on Climate Change/ Rivers West newsletter ........................................ 13Geography Feature- Share your photos .... 15Know your Manitoba Quiz 4,5,6 ............. 16Congratulations O. Petryshyn at Sisler ..... 18Weaving a Future on Holistic Education/ Riel Historic Site .............................................. 19Musée St. Boniface May 25 Program ....... 20MERN Articles on Global Issues 12 - Part 3:

The Impact of Using Systems Thinking as A Core Strategy- Larry Paetkau ...................................... 21Announcements:The Parliamentary Institute / Choose the Future Environmental Conference / Winnipeg’s Bee Project ................................................................... 27Paddle Making & the Tillikum Lens Project ... 28

NOTE that there are many deadlines- check carefully each event and opportunity!

M.S.S.T.A Board 2015-16President: Marie Zorniak1st Vice President: Kevin LopuckPast President: John ThompsonSecretary: Kara Wickstrom-StreetTreasurer: Elana Spence, assistant treasurer - Shannon CampbellSAGE Coordinators: Marie Zorniak & John ThompsonSAGE Registrars: Luke Klassen & Katie WilliamsSocial Media: Katie Williams & Luke KlassenJournal: Linda Connor/Dave McDowellArchivist: Linda McDowell, Dave McDowell & Alan MasonManitoba Education: Linda ConnorMiddle Years: Kandyce JaskaCanada’s History: Joel RalphUniversity of Winnipeg: Barb TaylorTeachers at Large: Cam ShepardVanessa Johnson Curtis CawsonWendy Hildebrand Alan Mason

Cover: Murdock MacKay Gr. 9 students

reinact Fighting Days play re voting

rights Photo courtesy Jill Sigurdson, Kim Dudek and Debbie Hamlin.

The Manitoba Social Science Teacher is the

official publication of the Manitoba Social Science Teachers’ Association Inc., and is

print ed by the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, 191 Harcourt Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3J 3H3.

Opinions of the writers are not necessari-ly those of either MSSTA or the Manitoba Teacher’s Society.Content indexed in the Canadian Index

ISSN 0316-6473


Spring is arriving and the sun is shining and the days are getting longer! Spring break has sprung and we are at the last quarter of the school year… and your MSSTA board is back to work for you, (well not back – continually), as we’re currently working out the details of the National Conference for 2016.

MSSTA has partnered with the Association for Canadian Studies and Saskatchewan Social Studies for a two-day conference October 21 and 22 for the provincial PDDay plus one !

We are returning to KILDONAN-EAST COLLEGIATE on Friday and the Saturday will be held at the Delta hotel.

We are currently pursuing our keynote speakers, and are awaiting confirmations. We have ap-proached Chris Hatfield and the fee was a little out of our league for members. We have followed up on some of your suggestions David Suzuki, Rick Mercer and more. Stay tuned for more details!

We are looking forward to great presentations this year with great ideas and formats for you to use in your classrooms. Looks like another excit-ing SAGE !!! – oops MTS PD Day. Workshop sessions are coming in, and we will have a lot to choose from,. If you are interested in presenting a session, or if you would like to volunteer, please contact us.

As the program comes together, look forinformation on the MSSTA website, email

BLASTS and in the September Journal. The MSSTA AGM will be held Wednesday

May 11 at Dalnavert Museum. Information will be available on the website and is flagged here.

As spring approaches, I would like to encour-age all social science teachers to take their classes on walking field trips around your school area, or

Spring PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Marie Zorniak

walk and discover something new. Please do not forget about Heritage Winnipeg

Doors Open Winnipeg May 28 and 29, 2016. A number of historical buildings will be open for the weekend; so please encourage your students to take a look behind a history door, take a tour yourself. If you need help with organizing a field trip or if you are lost for ideas, please contact us and we can suggest a number of great locations!

Additionally, if you are teaching about govern-ment and elections, Elections Manitoba puts on an awesome and activating presentation in your classroom. This journal may be arriving before the election or just after, so a reminder - please vote!

On July 5th and 6th, 2016, the UWinnipeg Sum-mer Institute on the Women’s Right to Vote looks really interesting. More information in the Journal, page 12.

As this is our last journal for this school year, I would also like to wish teacher candidates all the best in their practicum and encourage all other teachers to help them out wherever they can.

Again, we welcome your comments and suggestions. If you need social studies help across the grade levels in any way, please contact us, as we are there for you.

Happy and safe rest of the year!Remember Learn All ways, always learn

Marie

MSSTA AGM Wednesday May 11 5:30 – 7:30

Dalnavert MuseumRSVP Attendance or Regrets [email protected]


News from ArcGISDear educators:ArcGIS Online is a tool used across industries around the world to answer complex questions and to better understand connections between phenomena. In education, this online tool can be used in the classroom and in field studies to analyze and discuss real-world problems. Find out how a Toronto high school teacher uses ArcGIS Online to teach local and global issues and how he fosters student engagement through geospatial technology. Visit: http://esri.ca/en/blog/gis-classroom-david-ast-%E2%80%93using-arcgis-online-teach-local-and-global-issues

Visit http://esri.ca/en/blog/education-research to read more of our blog posts. Explore the Esri Map Book (http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum) to see how industries from around the world are using GIS. Kind regards,

Jean Jean Tong, OCT | Manager, K-12 Teaching and LearningEsri Canada | 900-12 Concorde Pl | Toronto ON M3C 3R8T 416-386-6425 | M 416-200-2358 | esri.ca

GEOGRAPHERS’ ASSISTANCESome goodies to use as we work though our courses.

From time to time a new YouTube shows up that fits what we are attempting to get students to process and make part of their learning.* This one goes with the Grade 7 and 12 Population outcomes:(a new interpretation on “If the World were 100 People”)http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=if+the+world+were+100+people+video&view=-

detail&mid=FD89A3D9B20452182E61FD89A3D9B20452182E61&FORM=VIRE

* This one fits with sustainability outcomes and our problem with plastics in our oceans:The 20-Year-Old With a Plan to Rid the Sea of PlasticMotherboard A 12 minute YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmPHBhYaCR4

A great story of a youth who has dedicated his work to finding solutions. It would be good to create some statistic pages and world maps to go with this to create a set of lessons.


• The 2016 Red River Heritage Fair will be held Thursday,

May 5 at the Duckworth Centre, U of Winnipeg. • We would like to increase the school participation base

in English and French schools.

Red River Heritage Fair 2016

Tristan Barnet, Holy Ghost

School presented on Billy

Barker, at the 2015 Red

River Heritage Fair

Manitoba Council for International Cooperation E: [email protected] P: (204) 987-6420 www.mcic.ca | www.facebook.com/mcic.ca | www.twitter.com/mcic_ca

Register Your Class Today for this great free Event When: April 29, 2016Who: Chad Pregracke, CNN’s Hero of the Year 2013 Where: Burton Cummings Theatre, 364 Smith Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba Time: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm The Manitoba Conservation Districts Association (MCDA) and Take Pride Winnipeg! have organized a unique opportunity exclusively for (jr &) high school students and teachers. They are bringing CNN’s Hero of the Year 2013 (Chad Pregracke) for the first time to Winnipeg. Last December, MCDA brought Chad to Brandon to present at their annual conference. Thanks to MCDA’s generous sponsors, they were able to in-vite 300 high school students to attend along with 500 delegates. Chad received a standing ovation! His story inspires everyone to make a difference today and to think big. MCDA will tandem Chad’s presentation with a look at awesome conservation projects going on all over Manitoba. Tom Ethans from Take Pride Winnipeg will discuss volunteer initiatives that students can participate in during the year. It is certain to be an educa-tional and memorable afternoon for all who attend. Some comments from students who saw Chad speak at the event in Brandon:• “He was very inspirational, a must-see!”• “Chad is a wonderful guy and is making a difference every day. He is someone I look up to.”• “He was very motivating and inspired me to think of ways that I can help make a better the environment”• “Chad had a very powerful message that you can make a huge difference in the world if you persevere and have determination.” Check out a YouTube video about him: http://bit.ly/1TOGCSV If your class or school would like to attend this event, please email [email protected] with your “contact name”, “school name”, “grade(s)”, “how many in the class” as soon as possible. Only 1,500 seats are available! Check out Chad’s website: http://livin-glandsandwaters.org/.Manitoba Council for International Cooperation 302-280 Smith Street | Winnipeg, MB, Canada | R3C 1K2 Phone: (204) 987-6420 | Fax: (204) 956-0031 | Email: [email protected]

Interested in Participating?

Visit the Red River Heritage website for more information www.redriver-heritage.ca


http://www.canadianmysteries.ca/en/index.php

Site Features• New - The Franklin Mystery• Check out our Teachers’ Guides• Flash introductions to mysteries• Web quest style MysteryQuests• Curriculum Connections• Newsletter

Quick Access

Flash introductions to mysteriesAurore! The mystery of the martyred childWhere Is Vinland?Torture and the Truth: Angélique and the Burning of MontrealJerome: The Mystery Man of Baie Sainte-MarieWe Do Not Know His Name: Klatsassin and the Chilcotin WarWho Killed William Robinson? Race, Justice and Settling the LandWho Discovered Klondike Gold?The Redpath Mansion MysteryDeath on a Painted Lake: The Tom Thomson TragedyHeaven and Hell on Earth: The Massacre of the “Black” DonnellysDeath of a Diplomat: Herbert Norman and the Cold WarExplosion on the Kettle Valley Line: The Death of Peter VeriginFranklin Mystery site does not have a Flash introduction. Go to Franklin site.


... SPECIAL 2016 ...MSSTA PD Conference Announcement!

1916-2016 A World of Changes:

The Right to Vote, The Right to Fight, the Right to Care!

The Manitoba Social Studies Teachers Association is proud to partner with the Association for Canadian Studies and the Saskatchewan Social Studies Council to present the 2016 Professional Development Confer-ence this fall.This truly unique annual national conference will bring together awarding winning teachers, leading uni-

versity professors, authors, individuals from history NGO’s, government and media from every region of Canada together with history and social studies teachers from Manitoba and Saskatchewan to address issues in teaching Canadian history, social sciences, geography and to seek better ways to communicate to young Canadians.

This expanded conference will take place over two days from October 21-22.Friday October 21st

Kildonan East Collegiate

The first day will feature the same great MSSTA conference format that you already know with the addition of several national panels of speakers that will address a range of topics from historical think-ing concepts and women’s suffrage to digital his-tory and indigenous education. National and local presenters will also have the opportunity to present teacher focused sessions that explore topics in more detail.

Saturday October 22ndDelta Winnipeg

The second day will take place at the Delta Winnipeg downtown and will continue the conference with several additional national panels and working group discussions around topics central to education and Canadian social studies. A special afternoon session focused on the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and indigenous women’s history will be pre-sented in partnership with the University of Winnipeg Teaching History Summer Institute.

Over 30 national, regional and local organizations have been involved as partners, sponsors and exhibitors in past editions of this conference and will be invited to Winnipeg 2016. They include government departments and agencies, history organizations, museums, publishers, media out-lets and many more.

We hope you will join us for these two fantastic days of professional development this fall! To learn more please visit the MSSTA website www.mssta.org for information or contact Marie Zorniak ([email protected]) or Joel Ralph ([email protected]).


The My Parks Pass Program http://www.myparkspass.ca/educators

My Parks Pass is a partner program designed to help students explore and learn about Canada’s natural and cultural heritage places. Whether you are looking for ways to engage your students, teach and learn about nature and culture or visit some of Canada’s most amazing places, this program is here for you!

Have you ever considered taking your students to explore the natural wonders of Canada’s national parks or walk in the footsteps of the past by visiting our national historic sites? Through the My Parks Pass, you can do just that, and more! For free! All grade 8/secondary 2 classes receive free admission to all Parks Canada places as part of a classroom trip organized by your school. A visit to one of these places directly supports the trend towards experiential, hands-on learning experiences.

See the website button for more details.

Your adventure starts now at more than 200 national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas across Canada.

A Reminder ofYour Invitation

We are pleased to invite you toThe 58th Winnipeg Model United Nations Assembly

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Winnipeg

MAY 12th to 15th, 2016.At Winnipeg’s Canadian Mennonite University

Information and applications are posted on our website at www.winnipegmuna.ca

Register early to give your students a chance to represent a country with a major presence in UN debates.


March 22, 2016 was World Water Day. According to unwater.org, this is a day of international obser-vance and an opportunity to educate ourselves about water issues, get inspired to tell others and take action to make a difference.Before we can begin to make changes in order to become a more sustainable province, we need to

know where we are now. In honour of World Water Day, Lake Friendly wanted to make it easy for you to educate yourself and your family about water and water in Manitoba. So we did the legwork for you. Here are some facts about water in Manitoba you may not know:

• 900 trillion liters of surface water covers 16% of the province of Manitoba.• 12,000 years ago a glacial lake called Lake Agassiz covered Manitoba.• Manitoba is the only province in Canada where all rivers eventually flow north.• 73% of Manitoba’s population consumes surface water.• The Lake Winnipeg watershed is 40 times larger than the lake itself.• Lake Winnipeg has been around for 12,000 years.

So now that we have a bit of perspective, we need to know what the real water issues are.

While the day is past,

put this in your “water”

teaching file for use any time during the year.

http://www.lakefriendly.ca/

On a local scale:

Nutrient loading into Lake Winnipeg has produced algal blooms so large that they can be seen from space.Our way of life includes fishing in this

great province, and fisheries depend on water quality to produce marketable yields.

On a national scale:The Lake Winnipeg drainage basin

is 1,000,000 kilometres squared and reaches four provinces and four U.S. states. What we do to our water here will eventually reach many other Canadians.

On a global scale:

Only one half of one percent of all water on Earth is drinkable.More than 1.2 billion people world-

wide lack access to clean drinking water.

The question: how can we help? How can we ensure our daily activities are done in a mindful way to protect Mother Earth’s life force and encourage sustainability for future generations? The answer: we can conserve and treat water with care. We can take showers instead of baths, we

can turn off the tap while we brush our teeth, we can switch to newer higher efficiency appliances, we can use EcoLogo certified products that go down the drain into our water systems and we can do a lot more if we all do this together, collectively as a group of like-minded individuals in order to protect our fresh water. For more information, please connect online via our website lakefriendly.ca or via social media.

“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” ~Audubon


You want to help fight climate change on Earth Day? Help Earth Day Canada grow the global forest! Join Earth Day Canada’s #Rooting4Trees campaign and together we’ll commit to planting 25,000 legacy trees for Earth Day’s 25th Anniversary in 2016.WHY TREES?At a time when there is so much focus on electric and hybrid cars, new solar technology and emissions trading, the notion of planting trees can seem quaint, almost too simple. But the reality is, restoring our forests remains the most affordable, health-promoting and regenerative solution to climate change.WHY NOW?On Earth Day 2016, political leaders from around the world are gathering in New York to sign the Paris Climate Agreement. At the same time, the global network of Earth Day organizations are kicking off an ambitious campaign to plant 7.8 billion trees, one for every person on the planet, by 2020. Canada’s con-tribution to this worldwide goal is 35 million trees — one per person in Canada. Planting 25,000 trees for Earth Day and Every Day leads to 35 million trees by 2020 – right on target.

Earth Day April 22 has just passed. so again look at their video, and plan a May event to co-incide with their plant a tree campaign

#Rooting4Trees with Earth Day Canada

Celebrate Earth Day, Every Dayhttps://earthday.ca


Giant floor maps for Canadian History/GeographyThis Vimy Ridge floor map is Canadian Geographic Education’s first replica of a historical map. And, to give students the best possible map of the ridge, it is made it out of two original First World War maps. This map is a unique oppor-tunity to explore an important moment in Canadian history through a geo-graphic lens. Teachers have the choice to reserve either a classroom size or giant floor map size beginning April 1, 2016.This map is a unique opportunity to explore an important moment in Cana-dian history through a geographic lens. The giant floor map’s 10 accompany-ing learning activities have students reading and interpreting trench maps, exploring the physical landscape and weather of Vimy during the battle, an-alyzing the role of the Canadian Corps, reflecting on war poetry and war slang, and examining the location and signifi-cance of the Vimy Memorial.Floor map dimensions:

There are two map sizes available. Each map ships with a bag filled with 10 learning activities and associated materials.Giant Floor Map: 11 m (35’) x 8 m (26’) Classroom Size map: 5 m (17’) x 4 m (13’)Availability:Each map is available on loan for a period of three weeks throughout the school year and by special re-quest during the summer.The shipping bag includes: * Map * Legends * Teacher’s’ guide - background information on the First World War - hard copies of all learning activities * All required materials for each learning activity

Vimy Ridge Giant Floor MapREQUEST the map at: http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/educational_products/login.asp


The University of WinnipegTeaching History Summer Institute 2016

July 5-6, 2016 E-mail: [email protected] site: www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12

The University of Winnipeg and Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning presents:

New Perspectives on the History of Women in Canada

“Never retreat, never, explain, never apologize - get the thing done and let them howl!”Nellie McClung 1

This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of women’s suffrage in Manitoba. Many of this province’s women numbered among the first in Canada to win the right to vote. Long before this moment and ever since, women have played a central part in the historical development of Canada. The achievement of women’s suffrage therefore represents a crucial moment in a long chain of struggles and successes that would eventually embrace all women. The 2016 University of Winnipeg-Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning Teaching History Summer Institute celebrates this centenary by exploring this historic landmark using Peter Seixas’ Big Six Historical Thinking Concepts.

Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning encourages teachers from Grades 5 to 12 to par-ticipate in this valuable learning experience.

Location: 223 Bryce Hall, University of Winnipeg Registration fee: $50.00.

For registration and additional information see the THSI website http://uwinnipeg.ca/history-institute/

or contact Jason M. Yaremko, Coordinator, 204.786.9353 or [email protected]

[1] Nellie McClung, In Times Like These (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1972

[reprint of 1915 edition, D. Appleton & Co.]), vii.


An e-book- download from https://www.climaterealityproject.org/sites/climaterealityproject.org/files/the12questionseverycli-mateactivisthears_theclimaterealityproject.pdf?utm_source=email-activist-ebook&utm_medium=e-

mail&utm_campaign=General

A handy guide to the most common arguments against the reality of man-made climate change and why they’re totally wrong.

Add it to your e-library now and have at hand for those days you keep running up against climate-warming deniers.

Subscribe to their newsletter for activities related to the ecology and geography of the Red River Valley www- riverswest.ca

Rivers West


KNOW YOUR MANITOBA GEOGRAPHY! D. Mc Dowell

Where In Manitoba - March 20164. A spillway on Tobacco Creek in the Miami area, part of the main drains that keep the Red River Valley from returning to its original condi-tions when settlers first arrived. Remember geographically it was the area for glacial Lake Agassiz, and the source of our rich grassland soils today.

5. Just east of the western perimeter Highway in Winnipeg is one of the old fords/ferry crossings on the Assiniboine, in the Parish of St. Charles. Here you are on the south bank, in Caron House Park, where the lo-cal history is being preserved by the Charleswood Historical Society. Geographically this is a good example of the original riverside forests in southern Manitoba.

6. The iconic belugas are the automatic clue that you are at Churchill. These marine animals are part of the summer viewing, and a good indi-cator of the health of the ecosystem, Geographically, we value this corner of the Arctic, as one of the great ecological divisions that you find as you move from southwest to northeast Manitoba. Our thanks to Travel Mani-toba.

With this issue, we are continue a new feature of pictures that you can print off, post and get your students to give the location and geograph-ic details shown. (Answers here to assist you).

Manitoba is full of diverse areas, that amaze and inspire us as we move about the province. It may be a particular view as you go to and from work, a day when the light and angle was just right, or even a day when you saw it, but forgot your camera at home. We of the smart-phone generation will never be left without that option to capture that great sight!

While Manitoba is not specified except in the Grade 4 curriculum, there are ample places to make your point about landscapes as we work and play and teach about location. There is the reinforcing of the history of Canada in Grades 5 & 6; “What is Where and Why There?” of Grade 7; Canada Today of Grade 9; and the

Grade 10 course can always use a visual to reinforce a point.

In each case we are trying to give a strik-ing photo of a particular locale in Manitoba, that you can print off, or write the co-editor ([email protected]) for a .jpg, that could then be projected on your AV equipment or smart board.

We invite you feedback, and submissions of photos that you think should be show-cased in this series. Let’s make this a feature that assists our busy compatriots as we bring the beauty of Manitoba to the classroom. Who knows, it might also extend to photos from other lands to help with getting ours students to visualize life in other countries, (Grade 7).

Did you use the ones in the January issue? Let’s hear from you!


KNOW YOUR MANITOBA GEOGRAPHY! Photo courtesy D. McDowell

Photo 4


KNOW YOUR MANITOBA GEOGRAPHY! Photo 5 Where and what are the geographic details? Photo courtesy D. McDowell


KNOW YOUR MANITOBA GEOGRAPHY! Photo 6 Photo courtesy Travel Manitoba


This Grade 11 History Class placed first in Winnipeg in Historica Canada Citizenship Challenging Competition. And one of her students, Jia Garcia scored a perfect 100% on the Citizenship Challenge and earned a first place and a $5,000 trip to Ottawa.

Congratulations to Orysya Petryshyn, and her Sisler High Grade 11 History Class!

The Class, with John Young, CEO of CMHR, and teacher Orysya Petryshyn

Prizes always include celebrating over food - the teacher and class join June Creelman, CMHR director of Learning and Programming, at the ERA

restaurant.

First place winner, Jia Garcia savours her well-earned trip to Ottawa.


An Invitation - Weaving the Future of Holistic Education

Dear Educators,On behalf of the conference organizing committee, we would like to invite you to register for the Weaving the Future of Holistic Education Conference to be held at the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba for May 13 to 15, 2016. It will be an exciting event as we have two key note speakers and over 40 presenters from across Canada and the United States. Registration has been extended until April 30, 2016. For more information and to register please visit our conference website <http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/education/conferences/holistic2016.

html>

If you have questions please email Gary at <[email protected]>

Riel House National Historic Site

The Louis Riel Institute is pleased to announce that once again this year in partnership with Parks Canada, Riel House National Historic Site of Canada will be open for the months of May and June for school programming.There have been some additions to our school programs. All of the details regarding what we will be offering this year can be found in the attachments. Our calendar is filling up fairly quickly so make sure your make a reservation as soon as possi-ble!If you have any contacts or know of anyone else who might be interested, please do not hesitate to share this information. We look forward to seeing you at Riel House this year!____________________________________________Julie DesrochersLouis Riel InstituteCoordinator - Riel House National Historic SiteCoordinatrice - Lieu historique nationale de la Maison Riel Telephone / Téléphone - (204)984-9480Fax / Télécopieur - (204)984-9484Email / Courriel - [email protected] [email protected]


VISIT WITH THE PEOPLE OF RED RIVER 2016Interactive day for students in Grade 4 to Grade 6

MAY 25TH 2016 Presented by

Manitoba Living History Societyand

Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum

TAKE A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY! Interact with the people of Red River during the Fur Trade

and the early Settlement era (1812 – 1845)

Educational program showcases the life and times of early Manitoba.

… Master Military Drills of the Swiss Regiment deMeuron…… Learn how to Card and Spin wool with a Selkirk Settler …

… Create an Aboriginal Craft - pre- and post-contact…… Experience how to be a student in 1820 – Write with a Quill Pen! …

… Acquire skills to paddle a canoe from Montreal to Red River ……Participate in Laundry Day in the Selkirk Settlement…

**some workshop session activities may be offered in French

JOURNEY THROUGH TIME WITH SETTLERS, NORTHWESTERS, BAY MEN, FREE CANADIANS, VOYAGEURS AND ABORIGINAL INTERPRETERS

MORNING SESSION: 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. - OR -

AFTERNOON SESSION: 12:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. COST: $6.50 + GST

TO BOOK CALL: Direct Line: (204) 986 8492 Fax/télécopieur (204) 986 7964

Contact the Museum for rules governing this event.


Research from the Special Forum Inquiry into Social Studies Education- MERN

As in our last issue, we bring you more of the research presented at the 2014 MERN conference, reprinted here with their permission. The series was explained in our second last MSSTA Journal.

As to MERN, we suggest you go to http://www.mern.ca/journal/Journal-V09.pdf

THE IMPACT OF USING SYSTEMS THINKING AS A CORE STRATEGYFOR STUDENT LEARNING

IN A “GLOBAL ISSUES: CITIZENSHIP AND SUSTAINABILITY” CLASSROOMLarry Paetkau

Collège Pierre-Elliott-TrudeauThe MERN Journal, Volume 9, 2014

Abstract

This paper relies on anecdotal observations and does not review the literature on Systems Thinking (ST). Having taught the earlier “World Issues” course with its emphasis on the Cold War and social, political, and economic theories for fourteen y ears, and now having switched to the new course “Global Issues: Citizenship and Sustainability” for these past two years, I explored the potential that ST would have on student attitudes, inquiries, and action projects.

I began with the question, “How does focusing on Systems Thinking (ST) change the classroom ‘con-versation’ vis-à-vis global issues and sustainability and what impact, if any, does it appear to have on the students’ perception of what it means to be a trans-formative citizen?” My goal was to provide students with strategies and tools to take on the intractable is-sues that threaten to overwhelm them, thereby helping them take that important step from being concerned citizens to becoming transformative citizens.

I wondered whether a focus on ST would mean that inquiry projects would be more solution oriented and less a list of information. Students would demonstrate their understanding of issues by creating a narrative in their own voice, charting long-term consequences, understanding causality, and identifying mental mod-els that needed to be changed in order for change to happen. Changing their minds, they would change the world. Consequently, their Take Action Projects would indicate an understanding of the macrocosm,

but would identify leverage points in the micro-cosm.

With the shift from World Issues and its focus on the Cold War and why things are they way they are, to Global Issues and its focus on how do we change the e way things are, students re-quire effective strategies to address the issues of sustainability and citizenship.

Strategies In the first four weeks of class, I introduced

two core concept s, the first being eco-literacy, which segues nicely into the second, systems thinking. To get the students thinking about sus-tainability in a new way, I introduced the nested diagram of planet, people, and profit to replace the Venn diagram that gives equal weight to each of the three. Because students read the Venn di-agram as suggesting that the economy has an equal value to the environment, they often do not grasp the urgency of the situation in which there


is no economy without an environment. We began the year with an inquiry project in the area

of Peace and Conflict with Syria as the focus. At the beginning of the semester, the news was full of reports out of the Middle East, and it captured the interest of the majority of the class. Keeping the nested diagram in the centre of our discussion, we started to exam-ine the issues. Students made multiple connections to other areas of inquiry, and we occasionally needed a class to explore sidebar issues such as the correlation between food security and civil unrest.

Process We used this first group inquiry to model what the

future inquiries, which would be self-directed, would look like. Students prepared a proposal, followed by a detailed plan, with an annotated works cited, and concluded with the final inquiry. The first presentation was submitted in a paper format, with later ones being submitted in a lesson, a power point, a discussion, or a Prezi. At various points in the process, students dis-cussed their research with the class.

While students began their inquiry on Syria, I taught a series of mini-lessons on ST. We applied these strat-egies to our case study, and in general this is what hap-pened: 1. We first had to tell the story. I asked them to tell

the story in their own voice. If they could discuss the issue without using extensive quotes from the news sources, I hoped that they would have a better understanding of the big picture. The story became increasingly complex during our discussions, with students bringing in news clips about a. regional allies and enemies b. internal groups and power distribution c. ideological and economic links d. international actions or non-actions e. refugees and the international response or non-re-sponse f. further degradation of an already stressed envi-ronment Some students relished this kind of complexity, but

for others Syria was a reality that they could not get

their heads around. Their world was just not big enough yet. Therefore, the challenge became to show how the Syrian conflict is part of a system that is linked to our lives. One way of doing that is showing how decisions made by our govern-ment, or past governments, have ramifications for Syrians. Most students started with the ques-tion “How does that affect me?” We turned that on its head to “How does what I do affect what happens in Syria?” Instead of being reactive, we learned to be proactive. In this way, various is-sues arose such as food security, arms sales, and geopolitical posturing.

2. We then identified concrete and abstract variables. Alawites, Shia, Sunni, Hezbollah, and other groups were concrete variables, as were alliances with Russia and Iran. Other variables such as oppression and food security were more abstract and challenging for students. Once stu-dents began to see the parts of the system, they also began to take a big step toward asking im-portant questions. Nuance is hard for most peo-ple, and young people especially tend to see the world in binary ways.

3. I then spent some time showing students how to plot Behaviour Over Time Graphs (BOTGs) using four archetypal patterns:

a. Tragedy of the Commons. This is a good example for showing how a civil war is, for the planet, a tragedy of the commons. However, it is also a tragedy of the commons vis-à-vis infrastructure, the future of the youth, the de-struction of culture ––see Aleppo for a devas-tating example. b. Fixes that Fail. Foreign involvement, ac-cording to some perspectives, has provided opportunities for rebel forces such as Al Qaida to arm and to enter, all in the attempt to end the war, and has prolonged the war.c. Eroding Goals. At the outset of the con-flict, western nations had high expectations to end the conflict quickly, but failed to take the necessary steps to meet those expectations. As

L. Paetkau..Using Systems Thinking.... 2


it became more obvious that the original goals were not going to be met, new goals were set, which were also not met, and so on. It became a zero sum game. d. Shifting the Burden. Students followed the news and track ed how countries played the blame game, but more importantly, they saw that by treating symptoms and not the causes, the intensity of the problem increased and more and more refugees poured out into neighbouring countries, creating new sources of instability. The main objective in using archetypes was

to identify a trend, and whether or not that trend would be sustainable. If not, what would be the consequences of a “sustainability gap”?

4. Our next step, once we had started to see the causality of these sustainability gaps, was to learn how to create Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs). These enabled the students to visualize the causal chain of two types of behaviours: the vicious cycle and the virtuous cycle. We then discussed reinforc-ing loops and balancing loops, and the impact of delayed reaction in a cycle. We “visualized” the vicious feedback loops, showing arms coming into a country and their impact on stability in the re-gion. We examined the causality linking the Arab Spring, crop failure in Russia, rising wheat prices in the Middle East, and the growing civic frustra-tion with corruption.

5. However, the most popular exercise for stu-dents was to visualize the issues using an Iceberg model. Here the premise is that what is visible are the events, to which we react. Just below the sur-face are patterns, to which we adapt. A bit deeper are structures that cause the patterns to form, and here we respond creatively by finding ways to make the structures work. It is, however, at the base, where our mental models rest, that we can generate real change. For many students, it was that epiphany that said, “Humans created these systems –– they can be changed.” This model highlights the men-tal models t hat allow these structures to remain and create patterns that perpetuate events. If we

can change these mental models –– i.e., change minds –– we can change the world.

An interesting discussion that came out of this group inquiry was a cynical observation concern-ing the existence of the nation state. Since this course focuses on global citizenship, we needed to understand what that meant. We discovered that weapon s, resources, monies, and other goods, including the Internet, have little respect for bor-ders, but at the same time that borders have little respect for people. The students noted that our borders are very porous when it comes to prof-it, but very tight when it comes to people. They asked, “Why does Sweden, a country of 9 million, take in more refugees from the camps than any other western nation?” All of this led to discus-sions of nationalism, exploitation, and finally the education system that, on one hand teaches us to be proud Canadians, and on the other hand wants to create global citizens. One student commented that “maybe the government just wants us to be good global citizens so that we are better equipped to go over there and take their stuff, while keeping them out of our country.”

My ultimate goal was to move students from cynicism to action, and to show them how they might leverage these issues. For example, one student returned from volunteering at Winnipeg Harvest with the observation that basically the poor were “screwed” because the Band -Aid was just getting bigger, which simply meant that the wound was getting bigger. She understood that we needed to heal the wound in order to get rid of the bandage, but that the bandage itself was not helping the healing process at all. She was not about to give up her volunteering, but she recog-nized that volunteering alone would not remedy the issue of food security in Winnipeg.

By the end of this first inquiry (4 weeks), the stu-dents had gone through the process several times. I found it useful to have this pattern of inquiry available to them because it could be used when-ever we had a guest speaker, I showed a video, or I gave them an article to assess. If they could tell

L. Paetkau..Using Systems Thinking... 3


the story, chart the trends, visualize the problems, and identify the mindset that needed changing, they were well on their way to becoming transformative citizens (see Appendix).

Indicators of Success or Failure One of the ironies of using ST as a focus was re-

vealed in the Take Action Project (TAP) of a group of boys who explored the legalization of marijuana. When I jokingly told them that, of course, the gov-ernment wants to legalize marijuana –– what bet-ter way to keep young men sedated and unwilling and unable to change the status quo –– they sulked and told the class that Mr. Paetkau thought that they were shallow and insignificant. However, they went to great lengths in their presentations to show how behaviour by law enforcement over time had led to the USA being one of the most punitive countries in the world, to demonstrate that the cultivation of hemp and marijuana (they had some trouble distin-guishing between the two plants) would have pos-itive effects on the planet, and to explain how the vicious feedback loop of restricted use and crimi-nality was the result of a structure that kept these destructive patterns in perpetual motion. Thus, even if their response in the end was not generative, it certainly was creative.

This past year, 5 of the 22 students earned less than 35% in the course and did not get their credit. (They also failed in at least two other subjects that semester.) On the other hand, they participated in all classroom discussions with enthusiasm, and seemed to accept the fact that they did not earn a credit with great equanimity. My hope, of course, had been that with this new push toward engagement and inqui-ry-based learning, I would create a tidal wave that would sweep them all through the semester to suc-cess. After all, it is a citizenship course and it is one thing to fail a course, but to fail as a citizen is a harsh condemnation.

The last two months of the semester were largely spent on research, planning and executing the TAPs. I met with students individually to review their research, or have them do mini- presentations for

me. At the end of the semester, I asked students to assess the following aspects, and some chose to use ST to break down some elements of the question. Here are the variables (drivers) that they came up with:

If you were the teacher of this class, how would you address the following elements?

a. managing time b. motivating the learner c. communicating information d. evaluating the work e. choosing the areas of inquiry f. changing people’s attitudes towards the planet, people, and profit Interestingly, the response showed that interest

was high when I was “chalk talking” the students through the Syrian conflict. There was a great deal of anxiety when I did not give them questions to answer, but asked them to submit questions that they thought important enough to merit an answer. Therefore, step one, telling the story, was much harder if they had to look for the questions on their own, than if I showed them which questions they might ask.

Impact of ST on TAPs I had a wide range of projects and attempted

projects. When it came time to move from theory to implementation (praxis), the students found a myriad of obstacles awaiting them. School time-tables, contacting the right people, and getting people to listen were all real-life experiences that led students to understand why fundraisers are so popular. They are quick, focused, and have an im-mediate “feel good” effect.

One student chose to work on her own. She wanted to work toward eliminating cultural dis-crimination, and her action was to create a “forum theatre” piece with some friends who were not in the class. She spent a good deal of time research-ing the topic and met with people from NEEDS (Newcomer Employment Education Development

L. Paetkau..Using Systems Thinking ... 4


Services) to discuss community issues. In her final report, she used ST to try to address the mental models that she personally needed to change. She staged presentations of her workshop during lunch hours and later at a UNESCO-associated schools workshop. ST gave her a clear understanding of the mental models that form the structures that cre-ate the patterns that cause the effects we see every day in our city.

Another group of students worked with counsel-lors from Klinic, a downtown community health outreach service, on issues surrounding human trafficking and t he sex trade. Using ST to look at the situation from beginning to end helped them to see the nuances: how poverty, addiction, powerlessness, gender identity issues, and legal systems all end up creating modern-day slavery. Their leverage point was to attempt to educate the young men and women of their community. They commented, “People just don’t know this exists, or they don’t believe it exists, but if we can show them it exists, then empathy will force them to join forces with those who are trying to change the sit-uation.”

Overall, I noticed a correlation between their ST analysis of the issue that their TAP was addressing (I had required that they provide a 6-step analysis of the issue) and the action that they decided to take. In the past, many of the actions had revolved around fundraising –– War Child, Ladybug Foun-dation, Siloam Mission –– but this year there was not a single fundraising activity. There were sports equipment drives and Koats for Kids, but in each case it was the educational component of their praxis that came out on top. Awareness build-ing linked to changing mental models. I believe that the tendency this year not to do fundraising and to do more awareness building in their com-munity indicates a success. Education is not as sexy as raising a lot of money, but in Westheimer’s model of citizenship it is a more productive mod-el (Westheimer & Kahne, 2004). Westheimer saw gradations of citizenship beginning with those citizens who pay their taxes and pick up litter, to

those who donate and volunteer, to those active citizens who find ways to change the systems that are at the root of the problem. It is wonderful that a child’s fundraising could provide more beds for people in a homeless shelter, but it is even more wonderful if we can change the mindsets of our fellow citizens and our government whose poli-cies have created the need for increasingly more shelters.

Impact of ST on Inquiry Projects One student of Ukrainian heritage decided to

do his final inquiry on the conflict in the Ukraine. By visualizing the problem, he was able to identi-fy the impact of different variables. His discussion led to a conclusion that the language nation states are using to negotiate peace is the same language used during the Cold War conflict. However, glob-al realities have changed and if we continue to use language that is no longer valid, we will only end up repeating the same patterns of behaviour that we engaged in during the Cold War. We need new language and new mental models; otherwise, old structures will repeat old patterns. The closer he got to the mental models in his ST analysis, the more generative his responses became.

What ST did this semester changed the nature of the discussion, and it enabled me to keep the nested model of planet, people, and profit clearly in focus throughout the semester. Students began to see that each of their areas of inquiry and their praxis projects were all, in one way or another, part of the same human system. Although with this class I did not see any of the type of proj-ects that garner media attention and make me as a teacher “feel good,” I do think that a more pro-found “seed” has been sown, and I believe that many of these students will, as they move forward in life, be better equipped to address the needs o f their community and world.



Reference Westheimer, J., & Kahne, J. (2004). What kind of

citizen? The politics of educating for democracy. American Educational Research Journal, 41 (2), 237-269.

Appendix The following “doodling” is representative

of student’ notes during a presentation on food security given by a speaker from the Canadian Food Grains Bank



http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Education/teachers-institute-e.html

Forwarded on behalf of Sid Williamson, Manitoba representative on the Teacher’s Advisory Committee to the Library of Parliament.The applications for the 2016 Teacher’s Institute on Canadian Parliamentary Democracy are now on line. Please go to the website posted below to learn more about this invaluable profes-sional development opportunity.http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Education/teachers-institute-e.html Completed applications must be submitted online and supporting documentation must be post-marked no later than April 30, 2016.

Parliamentary Institute

Choose the Future: Environmental Education for a Culture of Change

International Peace Garden, ManitobaAugust 25-28, 2016

Registration now open http://eecom.org/conference/Choose the Future is co-hosted with our Manitoba Partners, the Manitoba Education for Sustainable Development Working Group (MESDWG) and the International Peace Garden (IPG)

Winnipeg’s Bee ProjectThe honeybee population is on the decline globally.The urban setting is ideal for honeybees as they’re shielded from many pesticides and predators while gaining more days for polli-nating due to the warmth and wind protection that cities provide.Through the Urban Pollination Project, which is fashioned on the CSA model (community shared agriculture), you can invest in pro-

tecting the honeybee and receive a large quantity of ultra local honey. You will also have the opportunity to observe and learn about honeybee hives and beekeeping.

http://www.beeproject.ca/


Paddle Making & The Tillikum Lens Projecthttp://sustainabilityeducation.ca/

Empowering youth to see local issues through a global lens – enabling indigenous youth to tell their stories through photography!

In January 2016, ISEF in partnership with the Canadian Canoe Museum, launched the first joint workshop combining paddle making through the Paddles Across Canada Program and the Tillikum Lens photography program.

Eight students came together with their instructor at Lockport School just north of Winnipeg on January 25. Over the next week these students created incredible paddles and fantastic images but more importantly they created a magical experience. They pulled together as a group under the expert leadership of retired teacher Mark Blieske and they demonstrated just how powerful images and art can be.

Just a few weeks after the workshop they were at the Silver Canoe Dinner held at Fort Gibraltar for the Canadian Canoe Museum.

See more details at http://7ab.ebe.myftpupload.com/tillikum-lens/

This kind of workshop may inspire you and your students to tie together Canadian History and the seeing of your local area through the eyes of the student!

The co-editor appreciates the trails that were opened up to gather the items for these last two pages.

Thanks to Winnipeg School Division One’s Chantelle Cotton for sharing her newsletter

[email protected]

2016 -3 MSSTA Journalmssta.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/March-2016.pdf · 09/03/2014 · Journal March 2016 4 News from ArcGIS Dear educators: ArcGIS Online is a tool used across

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