Dr. David Scott
Positions
Associate Professor
Werklund School of Education, Specialization, Curriculum and Learning
Contact information
Phone number
Office: 403.220.8808
For media enquiries, contact
Clayton MacGillivray
Content and Media Specialist
Email: clmacgil@ucalgary.ca
Twitter: @UCalgaryEduc
Preferred method of communication
Please direct all media inquiries to: Clayton MacGillivray, Content and Media Specialist.
403.220.7310
Background
Educational Background
Ph.D. Curriculum and Learning , University of Calgary , 2016
M.Ed. Curriculum Specialization, University of Alberta, 2009
B.A. Political Science, University of Victoria, 1999
Teaching Certification Social Studies, English Language Arts, Simon Fraser University , 2001
Biography
Dr. Scott grew up in Williams Lake in the interior of British Columbia. Completing his Bachelor of Arts in history and political science at the University of Victoria in 1997, David gained his teacher certification at Simon Fraser University in 2001. After teaching English for a year in Japan and high school English and social studies for three years in his hometown, David taught High School English in a Francophone school in Trois-Rivières, Québec. He went on to complete a Master’s of Education at the University of Alberta in 2009. David then relocated to Calgary, where he taught Humanities 8 and 9 at Connect Charter School for four years. In 2012, David was awarded the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Joseph-Armand Bombardier Doctoral Scholarship. He went on to complete his doctoral dissertation within the Werklund School of Education in the Spring of 2016. He is now an Associate Professor in the Werklund School of Education, specializing in curriculum and learning.
Professional & Community Affiliations
- SSHRC Partnership Grant Thinking Historically for Canada's Future, Executive Committee Member, Co-lead Teacher Education Cluster
- Scholarship Reviewer, 2020-2024, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada graduate scholarships, Mitacs research awards
- Renewing Treaties and Agreements Education: https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/about/indigenous-education/renewing-treaty-and-agreements
- Calls to action on education: https://calltoactiononeducation.com
Research
Areas of Research
Dr. Scott’s scholarly work is situated within curriculum studies and examines how formal and informal curricular contexts shape how teachers and students interpret the past and orient themselves toward social and political life in the present.
A central strand of this research investigates how educators and the public more generally respond to large-scale curriculum change in the area of social studies and related fields. Beginning with a $105,000 Bombardier-funded SSHRC doctoral study (2012–2015), this work examines how educators interpret and negotiate curricular mandates to engage with the memories, experiences, and foundational knowledges of Indigenous peoples. Through empirical and conceptual research, Dr. Scott explores the challenges teachers encounter when engaging perspectives historically marginalized in schooling and the implications this has for relationships in the present (Scott, 2013; Scott, 2021; Scott & Gani, 2018; Shergill & Scott, 2020).
A second strand of his scholarship draws on ethical relationality, Indigenous scholarship, and the teachings of Elders to consider how non-Indigenous educators might approach curriculum in ways that acknowledge responsibilities to place, community, and history. This work includes collaborative projects with Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Holders to deepen educators’ and system leaders' understanding of the spirit and intent of Treaties and Métis agreements (Apooyak'ii, Scott, MacDonald, & Bouvier, 2025; Werklund, 2025).
A third strand examines design-oriented approaches to teaching and learning, exploring how educators adopt designerly stances to respond to complex educational challenges. This work has been particularly focused on exploring how framing and frame creation can support educators in developing creative and reflective responses to complex educational challenges (Clark, Scott, DiPasquale, & Becker, 2024; Scott & Lock, 2021).
Dr. Scott is currently a co-applicant and co-lead of the Teacher Education Cluster on the $2.5 million SSHRC Partnership Grant, Thinking Historically for Canada’s Future. Dr. Scott's work in this project examines how teacher educators conceptualize the aims and purposes of teaching the past, Indigenous knowledges, and the intersection of history education and citizenship formation. His most recent work in this area explores how public commemorations and historical sites function as an informal curriculum, shaping historical consciousness (Scott, Gani & Gobran, 2026).
- Indigenous/non-Indigenous Relations
- Curriculum studies
- Curriculum theory
- History education
- Social studies education
- Inquiry in education/ Design thinking
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Projects
As part of the new Alberta Teaching Quality Standard introduced in 2022, all K-12 teachers in the province are now required to have a foundational understanding of the implications surrounding treaties with First Nations, as well as legislation and agreements with Métis. In light of this mandate, there has been an expressed interest from the field to gain deeper insights and understandings into the original spirit and intent of Treaty 7 and Métis agreements, as well as the roles and responsibilities of educators leading and enacting Treaty and Agreements education. Drs. David Scott (Werklund School of Education), Tiffany Hind-Bull Prete (University of Lethbridge), and Jennifer MacDonald (University of Regina) have partnered with the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School Division to convene a series of immersive learning sessions with local Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Holders. https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/about/indigenous-education/renewing-treaty-and-agreements
Awards
- Werklund Teaching Excellence Award, Werklund School of Education. 2018
- Award for the Study of Canadian Human Rights & Multiculturalism, Government of Alberta. 2008
Publications
- Teacher as designer: Design thinking for educational change. Scott, D. & Lock, J. (Eds.). Springer. 22-39. (2021)
- Teaching for reconciliation through the lens of ethical relationality: All my relations inquiry. Shergill, S., & Scott, D. . In S. Steinberg (Eds.), SAGE Handbook of Critical Pedagogies, Sage Publications. 587-603. (2020)
- A meditation on current and future trajectories for elementary social studies in Alberta. Scott, D. . One World in Dialogue. 1-15. (2021)
- Reconsidering rural education in light of Canada’s Indigenous reality. In M. Corbett & D. Gereluk (Eds.), Rural Education in Canada: Connecting Land and People (pp. 113-133). Springer. Scott, D., & Louie, D. . In M. Corbett & D. Gereluk (Eds.), Rural Education in Canada: Connecting Land and People, Springer. 113-133. (2020)
- Investigating educational responses to diversity in Brazil during a time of curriculum change. Scott, D., Kawalilak, C., Dressler, R., & de Paiva, W.. Comparative Education Review. 63(3), 377-397. (2019)
- Examining social studies teachers’ resistances towards teaching Indigenous perspectives: A case study of Alberta. Scott, D. & Gani, R. . Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education. 13(1), 167-181. (2018)
- Examining the efficacy of inquiry-based approaches to education. Scott, D., Smith, C., Chu, M., & Friesen, S.. Alberta Journal of Educational Research. 64(1), 35-54. (2018)
- Social studies teachers’ resistance to teaching Francophone perspectives in Alberta. Gani, R., & Scott, D.. International Journal of Historical Learning, Teaching and Research. 15(1), 34-48. (2017)
- Examining differing notions of a “real” education within Aboriginal communities. Louie, D. W., & Scott, D.. Critical Education. 7(3), 1-18. (2016)
- Citizenship education and the construction of identity in Canada. Gereluk, D., & Scott, D. . In J. E. Petrovic & A. M. Kuntz (Eds.), Citizenship education around the world: Local contexts and global possibilities, Routledge University Press. 128-149. (2014)
- A place for a more critical form of historical inquiry in social studies classrooms. Scott, D. . Antistasis. 3(1), 15–18. (2013)
- Teaching Aboriginal perspectives: An investigation into teacher practice amidst curriculum change. Scott, D.. Canadian Social Studies. 46(1), 31–43. (2013)
- Trying to make the mission statements of social studies curriculum inhabit my social studies pedagogy and vice versa. Scott, D., & Abbott, L. . One World in Dialogue Journal. 2(1), 8–18. (2012)
- Engaging contested minoritized commemorations: A métissage inspired inquiry into a vandalized bilingual (French-English) stop sign. Scott, D., Gani, R., & Gobran, J. . McGill Journal of Education. 1-23. (2026)
- Defending Francophone and Indigenous perspectives in Alberta’s social studies curriculum: The views of 13 Francophone education stakeholders. Gani, R. & Scott, D. . Alberta Journal of Educational Research. 288–309. (2024)
- Reframing design in education: Proposing a framework to support pre-service teachers in adopting designerly stances. Clark, D. B., Scott, D., DiPasquale, J. P., & Becker, S.. Journal of the Learning Sciences. 1-54. (2024)
- Perspectives on the process of design from education and design fields. Clark, D., Scott, D., & DiPasquale, J. P.. Handbook of Curriculum Theory, Research, and Practice. 763-782. (2024)
- Framing citizenship and citizenship formation for pre-service teachers: A critical review of prominent trends in the research literature. Scott, D., Tupper, J., & Gobran, J.. Democracy & Education. 1-12. (2021)
In the News
- Fact checking Jason Kenney’s curriculum conversations. YouTube. (2021)
- Proposed K-6 curriculum ignores research, resulting in a model unlikely to achieve any of its goals. CBC News . (2021)
- Opinion: Alberta's draft social studies curriculum will hinder students. Edmonton Journal . (2021)
- Alberta First Nations elders say they weren't properly consulted on new education curriculum. CBC. (2025)
More Information
Media:
- CBC Radio (2020, October 22). Proposed curriculum changes in Alberta. Alberta at noon with Judy Aldous. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-1-alberta-at-noon?fbclid=IwAR3Ukye8JLlv_gWtb2rfCNiRmxYDgVKw3z_KG6aSQGt1LxvXZYFt-A1EI88
- Scott, D. (2018, June 18). Why your child will benefit from inquiry-based learning. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/why-your-child-will-benefit-from-inquiry-based-learning-97245
- Lequitte, H. (2018, June 14). Ou l’introduction d’une nouvelle donne les curriculums? Le Franco. https://www.pressreader.com/canada/le-franco/20180614/281543701631383
- PUC Noticias. (2016). Fruto de parceria, simpósio debate educação e diversidade. http://noticias.pucgoias.edu.br/?p=10560
- Universidade Federal do Goiás. (2016). Simpósio discute inclusão e diversidade na educação. https://www.ufg.br/n/92842-simposio-discute-inclusao-e-diversidade-na-educacao
- Partner Research Schools (WSE). (2016). Towards a new approach for teaching 'other' perspectives: Examining the teaching of Francophone perspectives in Alberta. http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/prs/project/towards-new-approach-teaching-other-perspectives-examining-teaching-francophone-perspectives
- Research @Werklund. (2017). Teaching “Other” perspectives. http://werklundresearch.ucalgaryblogs.ca/teaching-others-perspectives/
- University of Calgary (2015, July 8). PhD student finds connections across classrooms in Canada and Brazil. UToday https://www.ucalgary.ca/utoday/issue/2015-07-08/phd-student-finds-connections-across-classrooms-canada-and-brazil
- The History Education Network/Histoire et Éducation en Réseau. (2013, May 5). Visiting doctoral program report. http://thenhier.ca/sites/default/files/Scott-report.pdf
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