Civics class is different at London Christian High
If you were to visit a Grade 10 Civics classroom at LCH, you would quickly see that it is anything but disengaging! With talented teachers like Mrs. Laura Miedema at the helm, students become active and engaged citizens who desire to make a difference in our society.
Youth Can Make a Difference
Mrs. Miedema had her Civics class study individuals in our society that have made a difference. She firmly believes that students can make a difference in society even before they are able to vote. In the past, Mrs. Miedema and her students have had the experience of participating in a “Create Your Canada” project sponsored by Irene Mathyssen, former London-Fanshawe MP. This project gave students a chance to let their concerns about Canada be heard. One group of students submitted a bill about banning plastic bags in Canada well before the issue was in the media limelight. Part of this experience was having the winning students from London go to the House of Commons in Ottawa to hear their bill presented. It was Mrs. Miedema’s hope to engage local politicians in such an experience again for the youth of London, but then COVID-19 hit and well-intended plans needed to change with the times.
A Project to Instigate Change
To encourage the students to take a civic issue and actively engage with it, students recently did a project where they could either write a detailed letter to an MPP about a specific issue or create a “rant” video similar to the “Rick’s Rant” segment of the Rick Mercer Report. Students chose issues that they cared about.
This rant video was created by Kerina about accessibility in Canada:
Ms. Laura Miedema
Ms. Laura Miedema teaches in the Canadian and World Studies and the Social Sciences and Humanities departments. She completed an Honour’s Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen’s University in Sociology, History, and Geography. In addition to this, she completed her teaching degree at Western University and her Christian School Teacher’s Certificate through Redeemer University College and the Institute for Christian Studies…Read More
Mock Federal Election
Another way that Mrs. Miedema brings Civics alive is through mock elections, and the transition to online learning due to COVID-19 was not going to stop her from proceeding with this semester’s election! Upon introducing the activity, each student choose one of the following roles:
- Candidate of a Political Party
- Campaign Manager of a Political Party
- Campaign Assistant of a Political Party
- Journalist
- Protester
- Pollster
- Voter
The students had to become knowledgeable of all political parties, and each party came up with their own platform. During each class, every student had specific responsibilities to fulfill: journalists did interviews and wrote articles, pollsters gave daily updates based on their polls, campaign assistants wrote speeches, etc. The candidates then debated and campaigned, which even involved creating commercials!
This semester’s election results were as follows:
Green Party of Canada – 31%
Conservative Party of Canada – 25%
Liberal Party of Canada – 25%
NDP – 19%
Purpose-Based Learning in Civics
Projects like these are perfect examples of what make London Christian High unique. We see purpose-based learning as an integral part of the way we deliver the Ontario Curriculum. We believe that we are called to be citizens of our country, but also citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. To help students become both Canadian citizens and Kingdom citizens, students need an active and engaging learning experience. Mrs. Miedema and her colleagues provide that each and every day.
