Developing Alberta's new ELA curriculum

George recounts designing K–6 curriculum with international experts focusing on foundational literacy skills.

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Episode notes

In this episode, Anna talks with Dr. George Georgiou, an educational psychologist and professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta, whose work focuses on preventing and remediating reading difficulties. The episode explores recent Human Rights Commission investigations in Canadian provinces that examined why students haven’t been taught to read using effective, evidence-based, methods–what the inquiries uncovered, and how the situation deteriorated to this point.

They also discuss George’s research on reading difficulties and his eye-opening study that revealed the gaps in pre-service teachers’ knowledge of language and literacy. They talk about recent reforms in Alberta, including the rollout of universal literacy screening–what the results have shown so far, and how parents and schools are responding. This conversation really highlights what’s possible when research, policy, and practice come together. As always, Anna advocates that math deserves the same attention as reading. It’s a must-listen for educators and policymakers worldwide.

This episode is also available in video at www.youtube.com/@chalktalk-stokke

Supporting the Right to Read in Manitoba (Manitoba Human Rights Commission, 2025)
https://www.manitobahumanrights.ca/education/pdf/public-consultations/supportingrighttoread.pdf

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:22] Introduction
[00:01:09] Findings from the Manitoba Human Rights Commission
[00:06:02] George Georgiou’s research background
[00:08:02] The Right to Read Human Rights Reports in Canada
[00:12:11] Thoughts on the Right to Read reports
[00:16:26] Similarities with math
[00:17:07] Good curriculum that focuses on foundational skills
[00:19:31] The study: Pre-service Teachers' Knowledge of Language and Literacy Concepts
[00:27:39] Results of the Human Rights Report in post-secondary education
[00:29:46] Reaction to the study: Pre-service Teachers' Knowledge of Language and Literacy Concepts
[00:30:39] The Alberta English Language Arts curriculum
[00:32:56] Is the new curriculum working?
[00:37:31] What is universal screening?
[00:44:50] What are the free assessments?
[00:48:46] Findings of the assessments
[00:53:38] Communicating the results to parents
[00:54:34] Criticism on the screening process and results
[01:00:40] Reading intervention programs
[01:05:33] Final Thoughts: The future of early screening and intervention in Canada
[01:09:02] Final Thoughts: What role should universities play in preparing teachers?