EDSS490 - Humanities and Social Sciences Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment Extension (F-6)

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

EDSS290 Humanities and Social Sciences Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment (F-6) OR EDSS299 Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment in Humanities and Social Sciences Education

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit is designed to meet the requirements for a primary specialisation in Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) education F-6. Particular focus is given to advancing pre-service teachers’ understandings of best practice in primary teaching and will be developed through inquiry learning and assessment. This unit is underpinned by the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences framework, and relevant state-based documents related to history, geography, civics and citizenship, economics and business.

In this unit, pre-service teachers will analyse central concepts in Humanities education to structure and resource learning experiences to progress each child’s social, environmental and experiential learning. Pre-service teachers will undertake an investigation project in a focus area of choice from the HASS/relevant state-based curriculum. Additionally, this unit expands pre-service teachers’ understanding of and skills in key learning areas (KLA) integration, literacy, numeracy and critical thinking. A deeper engagement with pedagogical practice through inquiry, action-based research and problem-based learning promotes a permeable classroom with links to real-world issues important to developing critical and creative students as active and informed citizens.

The aim of this unit is to provide pre-service teachers with enhanced pedagogical and discipline specific knowledge, enabling them to be available within their schools to assist other teachers with the knowledge and expertise to effectively teach HASS.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1     Identify and critically assess a diverse range of topics and issues locally, nationally or globally relevant to best practice HASS primary teaching and learning (GA1, GA2, GA4, GA6, GA7; APST 2.1)

LO2    Evaluate and apply a range of resources and ICT based materials to support Inquiry learning. (GA6, GA8, GA9, GA10; APST 2.2, 2.6, 3.4)

LO3     Critically discuss inquiry as a pedagogical approach to humanities education and application to a social justice issue. (GA5; APST 1.3, 1.5, 2.1)

LO4     Critically examine through key national and international research, an issue or wicked problem with social justice implications of relevance to primary HASS that is of relevance to Primary-aged students. (GA3, GA8; APST 1.3, 1.4, 2.4, 2.5, 3.2)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL

On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:

Content

Topics will include:

• The role of the teacher in a HASS classroom. Constructivist pedagogical approaches and their application to practice:
• Inquiry as pedagogy
• Action research in Humanities classrooms
• Understanding by Design
• Problem based learning
• Conceptual inquiry
• Integrating curriculum KLAs into HASS
• Creating meaningful questions for inquiry
• Integrating general capabilities: literacy, numeracy, critical and creative thinking as part of HASS
• Differentiation and inclusion strategies in Inquiry learning
• The environmental movement in Australia
• Emergence of sustainable practices & their role in future shaping
• Historical thinking and inquiry
• Civics and action-based research to promote active and informed citizenry
• Core History content
• Core Geography content
• Economics and business
• Social justice and equity issues in HASS
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural contexts and reconciliation
• Social contexts and the role HASS can play in social justice
• Promoting an equitable and just future in HASS education

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit may involve a combination of face-to-face, online and blended delivery, on a weekly basis across a 12-week semester or in intensive mode. Pre-service teachers should expect to participate in a range of the following: online engagement, lectures, tutorials, seminar presentations and group discussions, both online and face-to-face, self-directed study activities and assessment tasks. Some participation in appropriate educational settings may be required.

This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester.  

Technology Enhanced Learning

Technology use will be modelled by the teaching team to reflect the nature of technology in primary schools. Student online platforms will include the Learning Environment Online (LEO). Online materials will be available in advance and as post-learning material. The announcements platform will serve as the main communication platform for all students. The use of forums will be made available if required. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed to allow pre-service teachers to progressively demonstrate achievement against the unit learning outcomes. The assessment tasks focus of different sub-strands in the Australian Curriculum Humanities and Social Sciences. The first assessment uses Inquiry pedagogy to explore issues of social justice in the Economics and Business sub-strand. This assessment task requires students to think critically and consider their responsibilities for the common good. The second assessment task requires pre-service teachers to critique resources and their appropriateness to expand learning opportunities for students with a focus on ICT and the sub-strand of geography. The final assessment task focuses on the sub-strand of civics and citizenship and/or history through the research and critical analysis of documents building pre-service teacher research skills. These three types of assessments involve a variety of tasks to challenge students’ learning and enable differentiation of achievement and be equitable and ethical. The assessments engage pre-service teachers in diverse forms of communication including: A presentation, a resource portfolio and a report.

Minimum Achievement Standards

The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome.

In order to pass this unit, students are required to complete all required assessment tasks as per the Assessment Policy and gain an overall pass mark.

Electronic Submission, Marking and Return

Assessment tasks are submitted electronically. Marking will include a moderation process. Assessment returns will occur within the 3 week period as per the Assessment Policy. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Required text(s)

Relevant national, state and territory curriculum documents primary settings

Recommended references

Allender, T., Clark, A., Parkes, R. (Eds) (2019). Historical thinking for history teachers. Allen & Unwin

Bowes, J. M., & Grace, R. (2012). Children, families and communities: Contexts and consequences (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.

Browett, J., & Ashman, G. (2011). Thinking globally: Global perspectives in the early years classroom. Carlton South, Vic: Education Services Australia.

Gilbert, R., Tudball, L., Brett, P. (Eds) (2020) Teaching Humanities and social sciences: Teaching and learning across Australia (7th ed.) Cengage.

Gilbert, R., & Hoepper, B. (Eds) (2019). Teaching humanities and social sciences: History, geography, economics and citizenship in the Australian curriculum (7th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning.

Green, D. & Price, D. (2019). Making the Humanities and Social Sciences come alive: Early years  

and Primary Education. Cambridge University Press. Port Melbourne: Victoria.

Marsh, C., & Hart, C. (2011). Teaching the social sciences and humanities in an Australian curriculum (6th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia.

Reynolds, R. (2019). Teaching history, geography & SOSE in the primary school (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University press.

Taylor, T., Fahey, C., Kriewalt, J., & Boon, D. (2019). Place and time: Teaching History, Geography and Social Sciences (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia.