Course Code:HZT4U
Course Description
This course addresses three (or more) of the main areas of philosophy: metaphysics, logic, epistemology, ethics, social and political philosophy, and aesthetics. Students will learn critical thinking skills, the main ideas expressed by philosophers from a variety of the world’s traditions, how to develop and explain their own philosophical ideas, and how to apply those ideas to contemporary social issues and personal experiences. The course will also help students refine skills used in researching and investigating topics in philosophy
Department: Social Science and Humanities
Course Type: University Preparation
Grade: 12
Credit Value: 1.0
Prerequisite:Any university (U) or university/college (M) preparation course in social sciences and humanities, English, or Canadian and world studies.
Curriculum Policy Document:Social Sciences and Humanities, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12, 2013 (Revised).
Course Developer:
Development Date: 2021
HZT4U,Grade 12 Philosophy
Overall Expectations:
By the end of this course, students will:
- Exploring: explore topics related to philosophy, and formulate questions to guide their research;
- Investigating: create research plans, and locate and select information relevant to their chosen topics, using appropriate philosophical research and inquiry methods;
- Processing Information: assess, record, analyse, and synthesize information gathered through research and inquiry;
- Communicating and Reflecting: communicate the results of their research and inquiry clearly and effectively, and reflect on and evaluate their research, inquiry, and communication skills.
Overall Expectations:
By the end of this course, students will
- The Nature of Philosophy: demonstrate an understanding of the main areas of philosophy, periods of philosophical development, and the differences between philosophy and other areas of inquiry;
- Philosophical Reasoning: demonstrate an understanding of philosophical reasoning and critical thinking skills, including skills required to identify and avoid common fallacies of reasoning, and demonstrate the ability to apply these skills in various contexts.
By the end of this course, students will
- Understanding Metaphysics: demonstrate an understanding of the main questions in metaphysics, and of the positions of major philosophers and schools of philosophy with respect to some of these questions
- Exploring Metaphysics: demonstrate an understanding of metaphysical theories, and evaluate responses to some of the main questions in metaphysics by major philosophers and schools of philosophy.
- Making Connections to Metaphysics: demonstrate an understanding of connections between metaphysics and other areas of philosophy, other subject areas, and various aspects of society, including everyday life.
- Philosophical Reasoning in Metaphysics: use philosophical reasoning skills to develop, communicate, and defend their own responses to metaphysical questions.
By the end of this course, students will
- Understanding Ethics: demonstrate an understanding of the main questions in ethics, and of the positions of major philosophers and schools of philosophy with respect to some of these questions.
- Exploring Ethics: demonstrate an understanding of theories in ethics, and evaluate responses to some of the main questions in ethics by major philosophers and schools of philosophy.
- Making Connections to Ethics: demonstrate an understanding of connections between ethics and other areas of philosophy, other subject areas, and various aspects of society, including everyday life.
- Philosophical Reasoning in Ethics: use philosophical reasoning skills to develop, communicate, and defend their own responses to philosophical questions in ethics.
By the end of this course, students will
- Understanding Epistemology: demonstrate an understanding of the main questions in epistemology, and of the positions of major philosophers and schools of philosophy with respect to some of these questions.
- Exploring Epistemology: demonstrate an understanding of epistemological theories, and evaluate responses to some of the main questions in epistemology by major philosophers and schools of philosophy.
- Making Connections to Epistemology: demonstrate an understanding of connections between epistemology and other areas of philosophy, other subject areas, and various aspects of society, including everyday life.
- Philosophical Reasoning in Epistemology: use philosophical reasoning skills to develop, communicate, and defend their own responses to epistemological questions.
By the end of this course, students will
- Understanding the Philosophy of Science: demonstrate an understanding of the main questions in the philosophy of science, and of the positions of major philosophers and schools of philosophy with respect to some of these questions.
- Exploring the Philosophy of Science: demonstrate an understanding of theories in the philosophy of science, and evaluate responses to some of the main questions in the philosophy of science by major philosophers and schools of philosophy.
- Making Connections to the Philosophy of Science: demonstrate an understanding of connections between the philosophy of science and other areas of philosophy, other subject areas, and various aspects of society, including everyday life.
- Philosophical Reasoning in the Philosophy of Science: use philosophical reasoning skills to develop, communicate, and defend their own responses to questions in the philosophy of science.
By the end of this course, students will
- Understanding Aesthetics: demonstrate an understanding of the main questions in aesthetics, and of the positions of major philosophers and schools of philosophy with respect to some of these questions.
- Exploring Aesthetics: demonstrate an understanding of theories in aesthetics, and evaluate responses to some of the main questions in aesthetics by major philosophers and schools of philosophy.
- Making Connections to Aesthetics: demonstrate an understanding of connections between aesthetics and other areas of philosophy, other subject areas, and various aspects of society, including everyday life.
- Philosophical Reasoning in Aesthetics: use philosophical reasoning skills to develop, communicate, and defend their own responses to questions in aesthetics.
Strategies for Assessment and Evaluation of Student Performance
There are three forms of assessment that will be used throughout this course:
Assessment for learning will directly influence student learning by reinforcing the connections between assessment and instruction, and provide ongoing feedback to the student. Assessment for learning occurs as part of the daily teaching process and helps teachers form a clear picture of the needs of the students because students are encouraged to be more active in their learning and associated assessment. Teachers gather this information to shape their teaching environment.
Assessment for learning is:
- Ongoing
- Is tied to learning outcomes
- Provides information that structures the teachers’ planning and instruction
- Allows teachers to provide immediate and descriptive feedback that will guide student learning
The purpose of assessment for learning is to create self-regulated and lifelong learners.
Assessment as learning is the use of a task or an activity to allow students the opportunity to use assessment to further their own learning. Self and peer assessments allow students to reflect on their own learning and identify areas of strength and need. These tasks offer students the chance to set their own personal goals and advocate for their own learning.
The purpose of assessment as learning is to enable students to monitor their own progress towards achieving their learning goals.
Assessment of learning will occur at or near the end of a period of learning; this summary is used to make judgements about the quality of student learning using established criteria, to assign a value to represent that quality and to communicate information about achievement to students and parents.
Evidence of student achievement for evaluation is collected over time from three different sources – observations, conversations, and student products. Using multiple sources of evidence will increase the reliability and validity of the evaluation of student learning.
Teaching and Learning Strategies
This course gives students the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge, and habits that will support them in their education and career/life planning. Students will learn about global work trends, and seek opportunities within the school and community to expand and strengthen their transferable skills and their ability to adapt to the changing world of work. On the basis of exploration, reflective practice, and decision-making processes, students will make connections between their skills, interests, and values and their postsecondary options, whether in apprenticeship training, college, community living, university, or the workplace. They will set goals and create a plan for their first postsecondary year. As part of their preparation for the future, they will learn about personal financial management – including the variety of saving and borrowing tools available to them and how to use them to their advantage – and develop a budget for their first year after secondary school.
- Students interact in student-paced and instructor-paced interactive, engaging instructional lessons
- Helping students become self-directed, lifelong learners is a fundamental aim of the guidance and career education curriculum.
- Engaged in active and experiential learning strategies, they tend to retain knowledge for longer periods and develop meaningful skills.
- Active and experiential learning strategies also enable students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-life issues and situations.
- Opportunities to learn in a variety of ways- individually, cooperatively, independently, with teacher direction, through hands-on experiences, and through examples followed by practice.
ENROLL A CHILD
The Final Grade
| Percentage of Final Mark | Categories of Mark Breakdown |
| 70% | Assessments of Learning Tasks Throughout the Term |
| 30% | Final Written Examination And/Or RST |
A student’s final grade is reflective of their most recent and most consistent level of achievement.
The balance of the weighting of the categories of the achievement chart throughout the course is:
| Philosophy | Knowledge | Inquiry/Thinking | Communication | Application |
| 100% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
The Report Card
Student achievement will be communicated formally to students via an official report card. Report cards are issued at the midterm point in the course, as well as upon completion of the course. Each report card will focus on two distinct, but related aspects of student achievement.
First, the achievement of curriculum expectations is reported as a percentage grade. Additionally, the course median is reported as a percentage. The teacher will also provide written comments concerning the student’s strengths, areas for improvement, and next steps. Second, the learning skills are reported as a Needs Improvement, Satisfactory, Good and Excellent. The report card also indicates whether an OSSD credit has been earned.
Upon completion of a course, Canadian Global School will send a copy of the report card back to the student’s home school (if in Ontario) where the course will be added to the ongoing list of courses on the student’s Ontario Student Transcript. The report card will also be sent to the student’s home address.
Program Planning Considerations for Online Courses
Cheating and Plagiarism
Canadian Global School commits to having policies for assessments that minimize the risk of cheating. We also commit to begin each course with refresher learning on academic integrity.
In the event of incidents of academic dishonesty, the student, Academic Director (and, in the case of students under 18, their parents) will be notified of the occurrence, of the consequence, and of the potential consequences of subsequent incidents.
Improper Citation
Grades 11 and 12
- First Instance: A warning and an opportunity to redo the piece.
- Subsequent Instance: An opportunity to redo the piece to a maximum grade of 75%.
Unaccredited Paraphrasing
Grade 11 and 12
- First Instance: An opportunity to redo the piece to a maximum grade of 75%.
- Subsequent Instance: An opportunity to redo the piece to a maximum grade of 50%.
Unaccredited Verbatim
Grades 11 and 12
- First Instance: An opportunity to redo the piece to a maximum grade of 50%.
- Subsequent Instance: A grade of zero. No opportunity to resubmit.
Full Plagiarism
Grade 11 and 12
- First Instance: A grade of zero. No opportunity to resubmit.
- Subsequent Instance: A grade zero. No opportunity to resubmit.
Instructional Approaches
Teachers will use a variety of instructional strategies to help students become independent, strategic and successful learners. The key to student success is effective, accessible instruction. When planning this course of instruction, the teacher will identify the main concept and skills of the course, consider the context in which students will apply their learning and determine the students’ learning goals. The instructional program for this course will be well planned and will support students in reaching their optimal level of challenge for learning, while directly teaching the skills that are required for success.
Understanding student strengths and needs will enable the teacher to plan effective instruction and meaningful assessments. Throughout this course the teacher will continually observe and assess the students’ readiness to learn, their interests, and their preferred learning styles and individual learning needs.
Teachers will use differentiated instructional approaches such as:
- adjusting the method or pace of instruction
- using a variety of resources
- allowing a wide choice of topics
- adjusting the learning environment
- scaffolding instruction
During this course, the teacher will provide multiple opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and skills and consolidate and reflect upon their learning.
Planning the Program for Students with Special Educational Needs
The teacher in this course is the key educator of students with special education needs. The teacher has a responsibility to help all students learn, and will work collaboratively with the guidance counselor, where appropriate, to achieve this goal. In planning this course, the teacher will pay particular attention to the following guidelines:
- All students have the ability to succeed
- Each student has his or her own unique patterns of learning
- Successful instructional practices are founded on evidence-based research, tempered by experience
- Universal design and differentiated instruction are effective and interconnected means of meeting the learning or productivity needs of any group of students
- Online teachers are the key educators for a student’s literacy and numeracy development
- Online teachers need the support of the larger school community to create a learning environment that supports students with special education needs
- Fairness is not sameness
The teacher will use the following strategies:
| Students with Special Educational Needs | |
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Planning the Program for Students with English as a Second Language
In planning this course for students with linguistic backgrounds other than English, the teacher will create a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment that nurtures the students’ self-confidence while they are receiving course instruction. Most English language learners who have developed oral proficiency in everyday English will nevertheless require instructional scaffolding to meet curriculum expectations. The teacher will adapt the instructional program in order to facilitate the success of these students in their classes. Appropriate adaptations and strategies for this course will include:
| Students with English as Second Language | |
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Supporting First Nations, Métis and Inuit Students
Canadian Global School will promote active and engaged citizenship, which includes greater awareness of the distinct place and role of Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, and Inuit) peoples in our shared heritage and in the future in Ontario.
Canadian Global School will:
- increase the focus in school strategic planning to promote the voluntary, confidential self-identification of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students as a means to enhance the success and well-being of Aboriginal students and to help close the achievement gap
- continue to identify and share practices and resources to help improve First Nation, Métis, and Inuit student achievement and close the achievement gap
- increase the training in our schools to respond to the learning and cultural needs of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students
- provide quality programs, services, and resources at our schools to support First Nation, Métis, and Inuit student
- provide quality programs, services, and resources at our schools who support First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students to help create learning opportunities that support improved academic achievement and identify building
- provide curriculum links that facilitates learning about contemporary and traditional First National, Métis, and Inuit cultures, histories, and perspectives among all students
- develop awareness among teachers of the learning styles of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students and employ instructional methods designed to enhance the learning of all First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students
- implement targeted learning strategies for effective oral communication and mastery of reading and writing
- implement strategies for developing critical and creative thinking
- provide access to a variety of accurate and reliable Aboriginal resources such as periodicals, books, software, and resources in other media, including materials in the main Aboriginal languages in schools with First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students
- provide a supportive and safe environment for all First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students
The Role of Information and Communication Technology
ICT tools will be integrated into this course for whole-class instruction and for the design of curriculum units that contain varied approaches to learning in order to meet diverse needs and interests of the students in this class. At the beginning of this class, all students will be made aware of issues related to Internet privacy, safety, and responsible use, as well as of the potential for abuse of this technology, particularly when it is used to promote hatred. ICT used in this course will include:
| Information and Communication Technology | |
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Literacy, Mathematical Literacy, and Inquiry Skills
At Canadian Global School it is the responsibility of all of our teachers to explicitly teach literacy and inquiry skills. The following skills will be developed in each course delivered at Canadian Global
School :
Equity & Inclusive Education in the Learning Environment
At Canadian Global School we embrace multiculturalism, human rights and diversity as fundamental values. Bullying, hate propaganda and cyber bullying, racism, religious intolerance, homophobia and gender-based violence are still evident in
Healthy Relationships in the learning Environment
At Canadian Global School , every student is entitled to learn in a safe, respectful and caring environment, free from violence and harassment. The teacher will create a safe and supportive environment in the class by cultivating
Financial Literacy Connections
There is a growing recognition that the education system has a vital role to play in preparing young people to take their place as informed, engaged, and knowledgeable citizens in the global economy.
Environmental Education Connections
Although there are no specific environmental connections in this course, teachers will develop an environmental understanding fostered through
Ethics in the Learning Environment
At Canadian Global School teachers provide varied opportunities for students to learn about ethical issues and to explore the role of ethics in decision making.
Cooperative education programs allow students to earn secondary school credits while completing a work placement in the community. These programs compliment students’ academic programs and are valuable for all students, whatever their post-secondary destination.
Cooperative education courses may be earned using this course as one of the related courses.
Central to the philosophy at Kanata Academy International is the focus on experiential learning. Planned learning experiences in the community, including job shadowing, field trips, and hands-on experiences will provide our students with opportunities to see the relevance of their classroom learning in a work setting, make connections between school and work, and explore a career of interest as they plan their pathways through secondary school and make postsecondary plans.
As part of every course, students must be made aware that health and safety in their learning environment are the responsibility of all participants – at home, at school, and in the workplace. Teachers will model safe practices at all times when communicating with students online.
Although Kanata Academy International does not have an official school library, students are encouraged to use e-books, local libraries, GALE resource archives and Curriculum Video Digital resources to develop important research and inquiry skills.
Promotion of Careers
The knowledge and skills students acquire in this course will be useful in helping students recognize the value of their education and applications to the world outside of school and identify possible careers, essential skills and work habits required to succeed. Students will learn how to connect their learning in asking questions and finding answers to employable skills.
During this course the teacher will:
- ensure that all students develop the knowledge and skills they need to make informed education and career/life choices;
- Provide learning environment and online school-wide opportunities for this learning; and;
- Engage parents and the broader community in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the program, to support students in their learning
- Use the four-step inquiry process linked to the four areas of learning
- Knowing yourself – Who am I ?
- Exploring opportunities – What are my opportunities?
- Making decisions and setting goals – Who do I want to become?
- Achieving goals and making transitions – What is my plan for achieving my goals?
The teacher will support students in this course in education and career/life planning by providing them with learning opportunities, filtered through the lens of the four inquiry questions, that allow them to apply subject-specific knowledge and skills to work-related situations; explore subject-related education and career/life options; and become competent, self-directed planners.