English Language Arts A30 and The Canadian Way of Life
The Ministry of Education established a policy requiring every high school student in Canada to take English Language Arts A30 (ELA A30) and demonstrate knowledge of specific topics. Specifically, through ELA A30, students are expected to develop broad inquiry and research skills in order to fully understand what it means to be Canadian and the stereotypes, multi-culturalism, and social injustices that exist in Canada. By studying texts, such as “Strange Brew”, students construct an understanding of the prevalent stereotypes in Canada. The short stories, essays, poems, play, and full-length nonfiction novel that make up the minimum required reading for ELA A30, showcase common stereotypes. …show more content…
Through this technique, students can go beyond simply understanding the stereotypes in Canada and see the diverse multiculturalism that permeates through the country and defines the “Canadian” experience. As taught in many ELA A30 courses, Canada was the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy. The 1971 Multiculturalism Policy of Canada promoted the belief that people of all races and ethnicities could live in harmony and develop a cross-cultural understanding (Mitchell, 2005). This tradition of mutual respect has helped foster a common attitude among Canadians that all people are equal. In fact, despite being a country of immigrants with some of the world’s highest naturalization rates, part of being a Canadian, as shown through ELA A30 critical analysis assignments, is protecting the rights of others to express their culture and to learn about different cultures (Esses, 1996). Through a focus on the multiplicity of voices and perspectives that make up Canadian culture, ELA A30 instills in students the idea that one of a Canadian’s greatest strengths is his or her understanding and acceptance of
The Ministry of Education established a policy requiring every high school student in Canada to take English Language Arts A30 (ELA A30) and demonstrate knowledge of specific topics. Specifically, through ELA A30, students are expected to develop broad inquiry and research skills in order to fully understand what it means to be Canadian and the stereotypes, multi-culturalism, and social injustices that exist in Canada. By studying texts, such as “Strange Brew”, students construct an understanding of the prevalent stereotypes in Canada. The short stories, essays, poems, play, and full-length nonfiction novel that make up the minimum required reading for ELA A30, showcase common stereotypes. …show more content…
Through this technique, students can go beyond simply understanding the stereotypes in Canada and see the diverse multiculturalism that permeates through the country and defines the “Canadian” experience. As taught in many ELA A30 courses, Canada was the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy. The 1971 Multiculturalism Policy of Canada promoted the belief that people of all races and ethnicities could live in harmony and develop a cross-cultural understanding (Mitchell, 2005). This tradition of mutual respect has helped foster a common attitude among Canadians that all people are equal. In fact, despite being a country of immigrants with some of the world’s highest naturalization rates, part of being a Canadian, as shown through ELA A30 critical analysis assignments, is protecting the rights of others to express their culture and to learn about different cultures (Esses, 1996). Through a focus on the multiplicity of voices and perspectives that make up Canadian culture, ELA A30 instills in students the idea that one of a Canadian’s greatest strengths is his or her understanding and acceptance of