CSPC 2018

Organized by: Let's Talk Science, Bonnie Schmidt

The panel will discuss key recommendations and lessons learned through Canada 2067, a unique and ambitious national initiative to forge a “made in Canada” action plan for the future of youth science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

Canada’s complex education ecosystem demands creative solutions to catalyze large-scale change that can benefit all students.  Canada 2067 responded to this need for creativity through the convening of: five summits with high school students; seven Global Shapers’ roundtables with young adults; a national leadership conference that included federal and provincial governments and diverse stakeholders; and a social media campaign that resulted in input from hundreds of thousands of Canadians.

Through this process, Canada 2067’s collaborative vision and five-year goals reflect the varied perspectives of students, millennials, educators, parents and the general public as well as policy makers, industry, community organizations and global education researchers.  The vision and goals address six areas that were found to align in global research into STEM education policy initiatives published over the past ten years.  

Having successfully positioned Canada as a world leader in education at the start of the 21st century, our schools are now working to ensure that this advantage is maintained, not only in the near future, but in decades to come. Increasingly, this means graduating students with a diverse set of skills that go beyond disciplinary knowledge to include those related to critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and communication.  What types of supports and partnerships do our schools need to ensure that they are successful in this endeavour? How supportive is the public of a new vision for education that emphasizes critical thinking over rote learning and a multi-disciplinary approach over traditional subjects?  This panel will explore these questions and more by outlining the rationale for Canada 2067, summarizing key recommendations, and ultimately addressing the issue of how schools can help to fuel Canada’s innovation agenda.