Ethnocultural Diversity in the French Science and Technology Programs in Ontario: A comparative analysis between the 1998 and 2007 programs
The Ontario Ministry of Education (MOE) has recently reformed teaching programs. The new Science and Technology Programs for grades 1 to 8, implemented in September 2008, focus on anti-discriminatory education. How is this focus reflected in the new program? What differences are there between the previous and current programs, in terms of an anti-discriminatory education? This study compares the French Science and Technology programs in grades 1 to 8, from one reform to another, to show how ethno-cultural diversity has been addressed. The analysis is conducted from the perspective of multicultural Science education and is supported by the Banks (1989) typological approach to multiculturalism. The results show that other than an expression of the fundamental spirit behind the reform, the 1998 program and the revised one in 2007 support very little ethno-cultural diversity, both in terms of the learning content and objectives.