Civics & Citizenship Education through History

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You've got the charisma, but I've got
The Class


Hi! I'm Mr Watson, and I'll be teaching your child in Year 6 this year. This series of blog posts will update you on what, why and how we are learning in HASS. I'll also suggest what you can do to support your child's learning at home.


So, what will my child learn about this year?


One first focus will be Civics and Citizenship Education, which covers topics such as government, democracy and identity (Australian Curriculum, Assessment & Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2018a). 

We will learn how to be active and informed citizens in the present by learning about the history of voting rights for Aboriginal People in Australia (see Figure 1). We'll use that as a launch pad to discuss and take action in current civics and citizenship topics. This unit also addresses several General Capabilities (see Figure 2).



Figure 1: Content Descriptor (ACHASSK135, ACARA, 2018b)

Figure 2: General Capabilities (ACARA, 2018c)


Okay, but why does my child need to know this?


The first key learning outcome for this unit is knowledge. Learning about Australia's history will give your child an understanding and appreciation of the factors which have shaped our current culture and lifestyle, and will build their sense of belonging to our country (Melleuish, 2007).

The second learning outcome is the research and community engagement skillset your child will develop. Our history inquiry will require students to hone their critical thinking, evaluating and communication skills (Melleuish, 2007). The civics and citizenship aspect of the unit will require students to develop empathy, and give them experience in acting as part of their local and national community.


Fair enough, but how are you going to teach them all this?


To teach inquiry, I refer to the Six Honest Serving Men, inspired by a Rudyard Kipling poem:

(School of Thinking, 2013)


We will use 6HSM to design inquiry questions as we investigate primary and secondary sources, which will help us discover more about Australia's history. After some group reflection on how Aboriginal people might have felt about not being allowed to vote, we'll hold a class debate on the pros and cons of lowering the voting age to 16. Finally, students will draft a letter on this topic to The Examiner, providing evidence to support their viewpoint.

 Aboriginal history is a sensitive topic, so we will approach discussions in an exploratory manner. I'll set clear guidelines for expected behaviour and language to ensure a safe, civil discussion. The focus will be on developing informed opinions, not arguing with 'knee-jerk reactions'.


How can I support my child's learning at home?


Homework boasts minimal benefits for primary school students (Baran, 2019). You can support your child by asking them what they learned, and what they think about it. This unit hinges on self-reflection, so encourage your child to take a stance and back it up with evidence. If they're unsure, start by asking, "How would you feel in that situation?", and go from there.

Word count: 500 words


References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment & Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2018a). Australian Curriculum: HASS: Structure (version 8.4). Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/structure/ 

ACARA. (2018b). Australian Curriculum: HASS Year 6 (version 8.4). Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/

 ACARA. (2018c). Australian Curriculum: General capabilities (version 8.4). Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/

 Baran, A. (2019). Home improvement: Look at the historical role of homework in education, where we are today, and what school need to consider as they evaluate their approach. Independent School, 78(2), 44-47.

 Melleuish, G. (2007). Why history? The teaching of Australian history in schools. Policy, 23(2), 27-32.

 School of Thinking. (2013). Kipling's six honest men... Retrieved from https://schoolofthinking.org/2013/01/kiplings-six-honest-men-3/

Comments

  1. Miss TargettMarch 25, 2019 at 3:31 PM

    Hi Marcus,
    Firstly, I have to say what an excellent layout you have chosen for your blog posts! I think it is really clear for parents to follow and gets straight to the point. I love the approach you have taken with this topic, it definitely seems like you will be stimulating some critical thinking among students. You have mentioned a debate and a writing task, I wonder if there are opportunities to take students out of the classroom or invite a guest speaker to engage with the class to bring the history to life?Your advice to parents was spot on. It is something they can any parent can do with their child to support their learning.
    Just a small thing, it doesn't actually say anywhere what year group you are teaching (I deduced it was Year 6 by looking at the resources but you might like to write that in somewhere for markers). I am also wondering if some of the key words you have highlighted, would there be opportunities to hyperlink further information for parents?
    Fantastic blog Marcus!
    Kelsey

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marcus WatsonMarch 26, 2019 at 6:02 PM

      Thanks for your comments, Kelsey! I changed the wording in the first paragraph to make it clear that I'm teaching a Year 6 class.
      That's a good suggestion you made about hyperlinking some words. I might give that a try in the next post, and if it works well I'll come back and change this one!

      Delete
  2. Sarah NobleMarch 26, 2019 at 11:14 PM

    Hi Marcus, Great work on your blog post! It's very engaging and I think will give parents a really clear idea of what their children will be learning. I like your use of real world issues like voting age and giving students the opportunity to impact change by writing to their local newspaper. What a cool experience for them to potentially see their letter published!
    It's a good idea to anticipate the possible conflict in the topic of Aboriginal history. Have you considered which sources you will use to ensure a balanced viewpoint on this?
    I think the self-reflection aspect may be hard for some students, so it's great you've included a scaffolded question of how they'd feel. Again, the letter to the Examiner is great because they can share their ideas there.
    I agree hyperlinks will be a useful addition, particularly for things from the curriculum or education terms, so parents know exactly what you're talking about.
    Nice work!
    Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pearl Gartside 439987April 1, 2019 at 5:27 AM

    Hey Marcus, I love how your blog post is very engaging and inviting at the start with your humorous 'You've got the charisma, but I've got the Class'. I really like that you've used Six Honest Serving Men to teach inquiry and that you have clearly set out guidelines on how the students are to conduct themselves when discussing this sensitive topic. I'm sure parents would be much assured by this. Excellent work!

    Pearl

    ReplyDelete

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