Environmental Policies and the Election

For this Grade 9 in-class task, students analyzed economic platforms from the 6 major Canadian political parties weeks before the 2025 federal election. While addressing the curricular question of "How to government policies impact the environment", this activity also encouraged students to critically assess policies for their effects and limitations, considering the diferent approaches parties take. Importantly, each group was given a platform policy breakdown that was free of any mention of political party, to mitigate the effects of political bias. After each group had presented their findings, students were given ballots (identical to the real federal election ballots) and a vote was had. Unsurprisingly, the Green Party won the majority vote. We then discussed how political parties have different priorities and why it made sense that in a room comprised of students from primarily Conservative families, the Green Party would easily win a vote on the environment.

This activity was rooted in the Socio-Constructivist philosophy of Daniel Hickey and closely connected to competency 8's criteria that "Ensures that teaching and learning situations include elements of everyday life and cultural references with which the students are familiar". It also addressed the Competency 6 aspect: "Chooses and implements activities that enable students to develop their social and relational skills" through the group work and in-class political discussion. Regarding Hickey's perspective, the assignment was based in a real-world and current scenario, using up-to-date party platforms and addressing current issues of climate change, tarriffs, and immigration. Furthermore, it encouraged students to develop critical analysis skills in relation to political agendas, addressing the issue of political polarization and familial bias. Students were able to form their own opinions on the platforms and gain greater understanding of their own beliefs related to the environment. Again, Hickey's ideas of supporting identity development were strongly supported. 

This activity was one of the most straight-forward and simple in regards to Competency 6's call for "Instill(ing), in collaboration with the students, a respectful and reassuring classroom climate that is conducive to learning". Students were engaged and cooperative in their analyses of the platforms and listened attentively during presentations and deliberations. I believe this was due to the grounded nature of this assignment in real and immediate adult considerations. As 14/15-year-olds, these Grade 9 students appreciate feeling respected and are beginning to gain a sense of independence and autonomy. This activity allowed them to engage in a practice that is usually reserved for voting-elegible adults (who, unfortunately, rarely engage in this type of in-depth research). Students were therefore more inclined to commit themselves to the activity as it fostered in them a sense of autonomy and maturity they long for in this stage of their development. 

In the future, I would like to adapt this activity to different aspects of federal and provincial politics. Not only does it allow students to develop greater understanding for the workings of government, but it fostered their skills of critical analysis, creating more informed and rational voters. I believe this type of activity can build students' capacity beyond their secondary schooling and establish a norm in which election research is valued and understood as an essential democratic practice.