John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, 2013, Daintree, R, Gold miners outside a bark hut, Queensland, ca. 1870. Retrieved 9th December 2013.
< http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/primo_library/libweb/action/display.>
< http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/primo_library/libweb/action/display.>
The humanities present educators with opportunities to remind children that they are citizens of the world. The curriculum guides the process to encourage thinking through different points of view, empathy and inquiry, these ideals better humanity. Integrating arts practice and thinking in the humanities presents richer learning environments allow students to adopt multiple perspectives. My practice is to implement some level of creative integration into my teaching designs, and the humanities have provided me with an opportunity to widen the perspective of this creativity. In this historical inquiry I have observed the common strands for problem solving strategies that we maintain in arts integration, they are evident and valuable. For the purpose of humanities inquiry, arts practices provide a creative response that aren’t dependant on an external response but a focused processing of information for the purpose of exploring different points of view and ways of learning about the past. My purpose of arts integration is to teach creatively for creative learning.
As noted in Newton 2012, the notions of creativity have widened and it is now considered that artists do more that replicate the world. Their part in historical inquiry is to utilise problem solving and analytical thinking skills. It is in the humanities that there is a need for a more flexible construction of their knowledge of the world. This unit also access appropriate graphic organisers and ICT connections to help student systematise their information and communicate their findings in a multi modal way, allowing the students to retrieve their higher order thinking skills.
This year 5 history unit is divided over two terms; I have prepared a revision section that contains the historical skills and within those the knowledge that will be required to complete the assessment material for the second stage of this work. This unit is designed on an inquiry model, but not one that just requires students to answer questions posed by the teacher but an inqirey posed by the student and the through guided research they can answer their own inqury questions. History is a fact rich subject and as suggeted in Sahlberg & Boce (2010), it would be reasonable to assume that the best presentation for this subject is a lecture format, however, this is not in keeping with the thinking of the 21st century learner. This contemporary student calls for a more active role in their learning, it is important that there be opportunity for students to engage in productive learning. The humanities present a changing world, and we change with it, through humanities we explore those changes.
How have I carered for the 21st century learner in this unit? It isnt enough for teachers to provide content, facts, theories and information, but our role isn’t obsolete. Students now can find information anywhere, anytime teachers are no longer the main source of information. In this changing world the new direction for the teachers can be showing students how to validate, communicate, and prolem solve with this information. This new generation of learner needs visually relevant, challenging and engaging projects. Could we rethink the tools and stratagies we use? Could they collaborate using Skype, Facebook or blogging? Could the students publish and evaluate their work using Web sites and, You Tube.
Utilising ICT in planning and design of this unit I have invited the students to communicate their ideas in a way that connects them to the world, the world wide web is a great reminder that they are a part of a bigger society, and they have a resposibility to act ethically when acessing or contributing to it. I am fortunate to have accrued a range of ICT skills over a lifetime, and as with any part of my teaching I will bring those skills to the calssroom where appropriate.
The design of my unit encompasses both the curriculum content, which has been directed by the Australian Curriculum but also contains a technology based arts discipline. I have started with a sampling of the skills required to complete the historical inquiry, lead the students through a historical inquiry and then offered a range of suggested media that they can utilise to communicate ideas and research outcomes. The inquiry is structured in a way that could be presented as a workbook or as worksheets, for me the most important component is that the students are learning the skills needed for a historical inquiry while being guided by their own questions and research.
The development of the Australian colonies is a great subject to explore different points of view, empathy and how significant people can make positive and enduring changes to the world they live in. But the humanities, and in particular history, reflects the changes in society and how our thinking needs to reflect the changing world. Politics, governments, environments are ever changing and as humanities teachers we need to stay current in our knowledge and maintain a flexibility in our thinking.
References:
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Australian Curriculum v5.1: History for Foundation–10 Retrieved 23rd November 2013. <http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Year5?a=H&c=1&c=6&c=5&c=3&c=4&c=2&c=7&p=3&p=1&p=2&layout=1>.
Hoodless, P, & Dawsonera 2009, Teaching Humanities In Primary Schools, Exeter: Learning Matters, eBook Collection, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 December 2013.
Newton, Lynn D 2012, Creativity for a New Curriculum: 5-11, e-book, accessed 17 December 2013, <http://deakin.eblib.com.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=982034>.
Harvie, K 2013, 'The Humanities Curriculum in a Changing World', Ethos, 21, 1, pp. 10-13, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 17 December 2013.
Kennedy, K 2008, ‘Civics and citizen education’ in C Marsh (ed), Studies of Society and Environment: exploring the teaching possibilities, 5th edn, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW, pp. 388-407.
Reynolds, R 2009, ‘Inquiry learning’, in R Reynolds, Teaching Studies of Society and Environment in the Primary School, Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand, South Melbourne, Vic, pp. 32-60.
Pagnotti, J, & Russell, W 2012, 'Exploring Medieval European Society with Chess: An Engaging Activity for the World History Classroom', History Teacher, 46, 1, pp. 29-43, ERIC, EBSCOhost, viewed 17 December 2013.
Pasi Sahlberg & Elona Boce (2010) Are teachers teaching for a knowledge
society?, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 16:1, 31-48
As noted in Newton 2012, the notions of creativity have widened and it is now considered that artists do more that replicate the world. Their part in historical inquiry is to utilise problem solving and analytical thinking skills. It is in the humanities that there is a need for a more flexible construction of their knowledge of the world. This unit also access appropriate graphic organisers and ICT connections to help student systematise their information and communicate their findings in a multi modal way, allowing the students to retrieve their higher order thinking skills.
This year 5 history unit is divided over two terms; I have prepared a revision section that contains the historical skills and within those the knowledge that will be required to complete the assessment material for the second stage of this work. This unit is designed on an inquiry model, but not one that just requires students to answer questions posed by the teacher but an inqirey posed by the student and the through guided research they can answer their own inqury questions. History is a fact rich subject and as suggeted in Sahlberg & Boce (2010), it would be reasonable to assume that the best presentation for this subject is a lecture format, however, this is not in keeping with the thinking of the 21st century learner. This contemporary student calls for a more active role in their learning, it is important that there be opportunity for students to engage in productive learning. The humanities present a changing world, and we change with it, through humanities we explore those changes.
How have I carered for the 21st century learner in this unit? It isnt enough for teachers to provide content, facts, theories and information, but our role isn’t obsolete. Students now can find information anywhere, anytime teachers are no longer the main source of information. In this changing world the new direction for the teachers can be showing students how to validate, communicate, and prolem solve with this information. This new generation of learner needs visually relevant, challenging and engaging projects. Could we rethink the tools and stratagies we use? Could they collaborate using Skype, Facebook or blogging? Could the students publish and evaluate their work using Web sites and, You Tube.
Utilising ICT in planning and design of this unit I have invited the students to communicate their ideas in a way that connects them to the world, the world wide web is a great reminder that they are a part of a bigger society, and they have a resposibility to act ethically when acessing or contributing to it. I am fortunate to have accrued a range of ICT skills over a lifetime, and as with any part of my teaching I will bring those skills to the calssroom where appropriate.
The design of my unit encompasses both the curriculum content, which has been directed by the Australian Curriculum but also contains a technology based arts discipline. I have started with a sampling of the skills required to complete the historical inquiry, lead the students through a historical inquiry and then offered a range of suggested media that they can utilise to communicate ideas and research outcomes. The inquiry is structured in a way that could be presented as a workbook or as worksheets, for me the most important component is that the students are learning the skills needed for a historical inquiry while being guided by their own questions and research.
The development of the Australian colonies is a great subject to explore different points of view, empathy and how significant people can make positive and enduring changes to the world they live in. But the humanities, and in particular history, reflects the changes in society and how our thinking needs to reflect the changing world. Politics, governments, environments are ever changing and as humanities teachers we need to stay current in our knowledge and maintain a flexibility in our thinking.
References:
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Australian Curriculum v5.1: History for Foundation–10 Retrieved 23rd November 2013. <http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Year5?a=H&c=1&c=6&c=5&c=3&c=4&c=2&c=7&p=3&p=1&p=2&layout=1>.
Hoodless, P, & Dawsonera 2009, Teaching Humanities In Primary Schools, Exeter: Learning Matters, eBook Collection, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 December 2013.
Newton, Lynn D 2012, Creativity for a New Curriculum: 5-11, e-book, accessed 17 December 2013, <http://deakin.eblib.com.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=982034>.
Harvie, K 2013, 'The Humanities Curriculum in a Changing World', Ethos, 21, 1, pp. 10-13, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 17 December 2013.
Kennedy, K 2008, ‘Civics and citizen education’ in C Marsh (ed), Studies of Society and Environment: exploring the teaching possibilities, 5th edn, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW, pp. 388-407.
Reynolds, R 2009, ‘Inquiry learning’, in R Reynolds, Teaching Studies of Society and Environment in the Primary School, Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand, South Melbourne, Vic, pp. 32-60.
Pagnotti, J, & Russell, W 2012, 'Exploring Medieval European Society with Chess: An Engaging Activity for the World History Classroom', History Teacher, 46, 1, pp. 29-43, ERIC, EBSCOhost, viewed 17 December 2013.
Pasi Sahlberg & Elona Boce (2010) Are teachers teaching for a knowledge
society?, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 16:1, 31-48