Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Students study the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, its findings, and the 94 Calls to Action, evaluating how much progress has been made towards implementing them.
Key Questions
- Summarize the key findings and recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
- Assess the progress made on implementing the 94 Calls to Action.
- Justify the role of education in advancing reconciliation in Canada.
Ontario Curriculum Expectations
About This Topic
The Sixties Scoop refers to a period starting in the late 1950s and continuing into the 1980s when a massive number of Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in the child welfare system, often without the consent of their parents or communities. Many of these children were adopted into non-Indigenous homes, sometimes as far away as the United States or Europe. This topic explores how the Sixties Scoop continued the goals of the residential school system by separating children from their culture, language, and identity.
Students examine the systemic factors that led to this crisis, including the Eurocentric standards used by social workers to judge Indigenous homes. This is a critical part of the Ontario curriculum, highlighting the ongoing impact of colonial policies on Indigenous families. This topic benefits from analyzing personal stories and the findings of recent class-action lawsuits. Students grasp the human cost of these policies faster through structured reflection and by investigating how contemporary child welfare systems are being reformed.
Active Learning Ideas
Inquiry Circle: The 'Scoop' vs. Residential Schools
In small groups, students use a Venn diagram to compare the goals and methods of the residential school system with those of the Sixties Scoop. They identify the common theme of cultural assimilation and the disruption of family bonds.
Gallery Walk: Identity and Loss
Set up stations with excerpts from the memoirs of Sixties Scoop survivors. Students move through the gallery, noting the common experiences of feeling 'between two worlds' and the challenges of reconnecting with their birth families and culture.
Think-Pair-Share: Reforming Child Welfare
Students read a short summary of Bill C-92, which gives Indigenous communities more control over child and family services. They discuss with a partner how this law aims to prevent a modern-day Sixties Scoop by keeping children within their communities.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionThe Sixties Scoop was done with good intentions to 'save' children.
What to Teach Instead
While individual social workers may have believed they were helping, the system was based on racist assumptions that Indigenous families were inherently unfit. Peer analysis of the 'standards of care' used at the time helps students see the systemic bias that drove the removals.
Common MisconceptionThe Sixties Scoop ended in 1969.
What to Teach Instead
The term 'Sixties Scoop' covers a period that lasted well into the 1980s, and the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in foster care continues today (often called the 'Millennium Scoop'). A timeline activity helps students see the continuity of these issues into the present day.
Suggested Methodologies
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Frequently Asked Questions
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