Teaching/Learning Strategies

Teaching/Learning Strategies

2. After the answers have been taken up, the teacher notes that a feeling of injustice seems to be one result of this scenario. How did the minority member feel that there was an injustice in the attitude and actions of the other members? What would be a better way to handle this situation? One strategy that can be used to solve such disagreements can be found in the gospel of St. Matthew. Students examine Matthew 5:21-27 where Jesus provides a different approach to solving issues and disagreements and explain His message.

3. Students are asked how this scenario applies to the situation between Quebec and the rest of the nation by asking which province has felt it is in the position of the minority member. With the teacher’s assistance students list previous events where Quebec follows the pattern of the story, i.e., Rebellions of 1837, Durham Report, Riel Rebellion. Events of this century are given to pairs of students who role play a short conversation between an English and French Canadian that illustrates the hurt or frustration (e.g., Boer War – French Canadian ask why go to fight in a foreign war? Why should we fight for England?). The English Canadian responds. Both indicate the result of the event and how it increases French alienation. Other pairs complete the same exercise for the following events: Conscription, Regulation 17, Quiet Revolution, October Crisis, patriation of the constitution, French language rights withdrawn in Saskatchewan and Alberta. The pairs share their organizer/chart with one other pair of students. At this point, students examine the articles they have been cutting out for the last week. Students skim the articles to determine if the alienation felt by some Quebecers in the past is being repeated. The teacher asks students if there are any rights Quebec presently enjoys that cannot be removed. Students refer to Confederation and the language and educational right guarantees.

4. Canada has been compared to a large family with many varying personalities. How do you think a family would resolve Quebec’s feeling of alienation? Students write answers on chart paper to use at the end of this section to see which might be the more realistic.

5. Students do research in order to prepare for a conference on the future of Canada. The teacher librarian should be informed of this assignment and help reserve the library and computers. To set up the atmosphere for the conference students examine headlines from Meech Lake, Charlottetown Accord, Referendum of 1995 (Appendix 5.1.2). Students work in pairs or groups to classify the headlines as positive, negative, or neutral. What impact might this have on the Canadian people? What ideas or terms are mentioned in a number of the headlines? The list should include distinct society, names of government leaders and constitution. Students are divided into groups to research the opinions of politicians and arguments they present (positions of Mulroney, Trudeau, Bourassa, Wells, and Elijah Harper regarding both the Meech Lake and the Charlottetown Accords). Other students research the positions of Parizeau, Chretien, and Bouchard regarding the Referendum of 1995. They record their information in chart form. In preparation for a visit to the library, students review the resources available and the means of accessing the sources with assistance from the teacher-librarian. This is not meant to be an in-depth report. Therefore students should focus on the Canadian Encyclopedia and textbooks. The teacher reviews with students how to use an index to focus the research and note the main points that provide the historical character’s position. To help the students apply their analytical skills, the class examines the statement of the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops issues in December, 1991 (Appendix 5.1.3). Students identify the source of the document, the thesis, and supporting arguments.

6. Students prepare for the conference by forming groups and completing a timeline of events using the textbook and headlines and highlighting one of the following: Meech Lake Accord, Charlottetown Accord and Referendum, Election of the Parti Quebecois and Referendum of 1995. As a group they complete a chart with the name of the issue, a short summary, a list of groups, and rationale for supporting the event, and a third column for those who oppose it. The group could be increased to six who have worked on the same title. Students are given samples of primary sources which highlight some of the arguments presented. Students review the process for examining primary sources (author or source of the document, audience, type of source, biased language or information presented, supported by other sources) (Appendix 5.1.4). To assist student comprehension, the teacher may show segments of the appropriate CBC News In Review videos. To share the information students create pamphlets providing information on the issues and arguments for and against the issue they have researched. Review the elements of a good pamphlet by examining pamphlets from previous elections or ads from newspapers and magazines (attractive, colourful, interesting design, eye catching slogan or picture, title of the issue, clear explanation of the issue, clear arguments for and against). Students design a symbol that illustrates the issue, e.g., for Meech Lake – a boat in a storm on a lake. Pamphlets are evaluated using the rubric in Appendix 5.1.5. Exchange the pamphlets and examine the ones that the groups did not do in order to complete the original chart.

7. Prior to the official conference, the teacher works with one group that represents French minorities in Manitoba, Ontario, and New Brunswick. Students identify other provinces, besides Quebec, that have large French populations. If the students are not able to answer this question, supply an atlas (a road map would be preferable) of four or five provinces and have the students locate the provinces with a large number of French towns/cities. Students should be asked if the French in these provinces might consider themselves ‘distinct’. If they are, how might they react to Quebec’s demand that it be declared distinct? Would this declaration harm or improve their situation? Students participate in a conference to determine if Quebec’s desire for recognition as distinct can be met. The information students acquired from pamphlets and their own research form the basis of their speech. The Quebec delegation defines distinct society. Representatives include Mulroney, Trudeau, Wells, Bouchard, a representative from French committees in Ontario, Manitoba, and New Brunswick, and an Aboriginal member. Students have name tags and prepare a short speech with an introduction of who the person is representing. The rest of the speech represents the views of the participants which should focus on the representative’s feelings on Quebec’s demand for recognition. As the speeches are being given students complete a summary chart that includes the name of the speaker and point-form summary of arguments presented. This chart forms the basis of the discussion that will take place after the formal speeches when students will remain in their roles and try to reach a compromise. If this fails, students remain in their roles and express their own opinions as to why the conference did not succeed. Once they have expressed their opinions, students drop their roles and debrief the conference as to why it failed.

8. As a conclusion, the teacher asks students if they can think of any times when French and English Canadians worked together. The students could be reminded of French participation in World War II and the role played by the Royal Twenty-Second Regiment, the victory of Team Canada in 1972 (Cournier scoring the tying goal and Henderson the winning goal), the assistance given Quebec in the 1997 floods in the Saguenay region. The class could discuss whether these examples show that there is still hope for a united Canada.