The Yukon's schools curriculum could be overhauled in the coming years as B.C. remodels its approach to education.

B.C.'s curriculum forms the basis of the territory's syllabi.

The province released drafts of the proposed changes to its curriculum last week.

Broadly, the goals of the proposed curriculum are to:

• make it more flexible so teachers have more freedom to be innovative, and personalize education;

• increase the focus on big ideas and understanding;

• incorporate aboriginal world views and knowledge; and

• develop assessment policies that account for this changed approach.

Judy Arnold, the director of student achievement with the territorial Department of Education, said in an interview this week the proposed changes are "quite exciting.”

The changes stem from a significant shift in education-thinking both nationally and internationally.

"What this curriculum does is it reduces the number of outcomes but deepens the expectation of the competency or mastery of a specific idea,” Arnold explained.

"When there's a whole bunch of outcomes, (teachers) don't get to go in depth or chew on a challenge or a problem,” she continued.

These modifications will allow them to focus more on fostering deeper understanding.

Twenty per cent of the curriculum used in the territory is Yukon- or school-specific material. That wouldn't change if B.C. new curriculum is implemented here.

In fact, Arnold said, the change would offer a great opportunity to adjust the programs to fit the Yukon context.

For instance, B.C.'s First Nations education content would be adjusted to reflect Yukon First Nations.

Jim Tredger, the NDP's Education critic and a long-time educator, raised a handful concerns about how the new curriculum would be implemented and monitored in the Yukon.

"Like any curriculum change, how it affects the student-teacher relationship would determine whether it's working or not,” he told the Star.

A key component of the proposed curriculum is more individualized learning, enabling students to be more actively involved in their education.

It's an "important and viable” approach to education, Tredger said, but it requires time and resources.

Teachers would need specific professional development to help them prepare, and students and parents would need to be prepared for their new roles as well.

"It's more flexible and it's more student-directed. That has its advantages, but it takes a lot of skill and a lot of experience on the part of the teacher,” Tredger said.

"And many of our teachers are teaching four or five different subjects, so to be competent and knowledgeable in each of the subjects is pretty demanding.”

Arnold agreed these changes would require teacher training.

She noted the department is beginning to implement a "coaching” approach to professional development.

Moving forward teacher training would take place in the classroom in addition to more traditional workshop-style professional development opportunities.

The draft curriculum can be viewed at curriculum.gov.bc.ca.