New Curriculum in Ontario?

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I read on the Toronto Star a few days ago that the Ministry of Education in Ontario has proposed modifying the existing curriculum in Grade 1 -8 in order to reflect the changing needs of people in society. The current curriculum has over 3000 objectives to be satisfied by the time a child is done elementary school, the vast majority of which are rote-learning, memorization tasks. The government is proposing changing the curriculum so that it has fewer distinct pieces and instead encourages children to think about "the bigger picture" and learn how to critically explore concepts in a more authentic manner. I'm really very excited about this as I believe it is this kind of learning that will prepare children for an unknown future. (Who needs to memorize things anymore? Isn't that what the internet and computers are for?)

Kindergarten in Ontario has its own curriculum document and it will be interesting to see if that will be revised or rewritten when full day learning is totally implemented by 2015. I'm curious to see what the Ministry of Education will advise early years teachers do in the mean time, since some classrooms will be running for a full time program (all day, every day) and others running half time (every other day).

“Today’s students must be prepared unlike any generation before to think critically and analytically while acting with innovation and creativity.” (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). (2007). The learning compact redefined: A call to action. A report of the commission of the whole child. www.wholechildeducation.org