In the following pages, you will find resources that will aid you in teaching social justice pedagogy through the Ontario Arts curriculum. These resources were not created by me, but have been linked by me to the Ontario curriculum based on strand and grade.
It is important that these resources are integrated into your practice hollistically rather than added to your programming as tokens.
If you have a resource that you think should be added to this manual, please feel free to reach out with the contact form below. As teachers, the more we share in developing this pedagogy the better.
Through "exploration of the 'as if' in roles and worlds...students [will] deepen their understanding of humanity and issues of equity and social justice" (Ontario, p. 16).
"In all grades, students will draw upon a variety of sources - such as literature, media texts, images, historical and current events, and topics and themes from across the curriculum, particularly the other arts - in order to create dance pieces in which they communicate their interpretation of personal ideas and feelings, social justice issues, themes, situations, and motives of various characters" (Ontario, p. 15).
"The visual arts curriculum is intended to help students develop their creativity, as well as the ability to communicate their understanding of the world around them through visual arts" (Ontario, p. 17).
"The works selected for study should include the works of both men and women and should reflect the cultural diversity of Canada and the world, including contributions of First Nation, Metis, and Inuit artists" (Ontario, p. 17).
Ministry of Education. (2009). The Ontario curriculum: Grades 1-8, The Arts. Queen’s Printer for Ontario.