Week 4 Blog Post: Citizenship Learning Through Geography

Hello again parents and welcome to my next blog post that will discuss the component of Geography and how it can connect with Citizenship learning opportunities. Maude (2010) states that teaching Geography in school allows students to gain knowledge about the world, improves their personal development and their geographical understanding to examine vital questions that are essential for becoming informed citizens. Geography influences students to learn about their local area, how to contribute to the improvement of society and the environment and how to gain empathy for others to participate as a community. 

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/world/australia/fires.html 

An activity has been created for our Year 5 class that is going to explore bushfires in Australia, the impact they have on the environment and people within the community. Panić et al. (2012) state that awareness for disasters need to be increased and is essential for education as it can save lives and reduce damage. This topic is very relevant for students given the recent fires that affected Australia just last summer. This lesson will start off with a short video clip found on YouTube that is shown below.

Students will be asked a sequence of questions, including: “what were the weather conditions during these fires? How did this effect the strength of the fires?” “How were these bushfires different to others from the past?” Class discussion will be formed by these questions and students will write key points down in their books. Students will also be tasked to come up with their own questions about this disaster, which they will have a chance to research later. This gives students freedom to explore their own interests in the subject and promotes more independent learning. Meyer, et al. (2008) state that independent learning can increase academic performance, motivation and confidence and can improve students’ engagement for lifetime learning.  

Students will be asked to research this disaster using the internet and will write a report that describes the extend of the damage these fires caused and how it affected the communities. Students will need to provide relevant information including: how much land was burnt, how many homes, human and animal lives were lost, and how communities were impacted, along with answering any questions they had earlier. The report will conclude with helpful information to inform others on what a threat bushfires are and ways in which we can help prevent it.


The content descriptors this activity links to is shown below. 

This activity allows students to learn graphical concepts including; the significance the environment has on human life, investigating geographical phenomena and how it has changed over time, and the importance of place and what it means for people. Students develop empathy towards how devastation can affect people’s homes, families and communities. Franzese (2017) states that teaching students empathy gives them both cognitive and emotional abilities and deepens their understanding of a subject matter. Students can also gain satisfaction with the knowledge that they are helping the community by informing them of the dangers and strategies that can be used to minimise the destruction.

Refrences

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] (2020b). The

Australian: Foundation to year 10 curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences:

Year 4. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/

BBC News. (2019, November, 12th). Australia bushfires: 'It's like fireballs exploding in 
            the air' [Video]. YouTube. URL: 
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iaxc2RuRnCQ   
Franzese, A. P. (2017). The power of empathy in the classroom. Seton Hall Law Review,

47(693), 693-716. 

Maude, A. (2010). What does geography contribute to the education of young 
             Australians? Geographical Education, 23, 14-23.

Meyer, B., Haywood, N., Sachdev, D., & Faraday, S. (2008). Independent learning:

Literature review. Learning and Skills Network. 1-68.  

Panić, M., Kovačević-Majkić, J., Miljanović, D., & Miletić R. (2012). Importance of 
            natural disaster education- Case study of the earthquake near the city Kraljevo. 
            Geographical Institute, 63(1), 75-88.  

Week 3 Blog Post: Citizenship Learning Through History

Welcome back parents, today I wanted to discuss how I will be integrating History within our Citizenship Education strand. Students develop their curiosity and imagination through the process of inquiry from the past. It is essential for students to carry an awareness of History in order to participate in society and gain an understanding of themselves and others (ACARA, 2020). Reynolds (2011) defines History as the study of the past, the continuity and change that enriches students’ understandings and appreciation of previous people, events and ideas. Through the study of History students can develop empathy and considerations for different perspectives.  

Source: https://nation.com.pk/21-Apr-2018/why-are-we-studying-history  

For my year 4 class I have conducted an activity that focuses on the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s citizenship which is a follow-up to previous learning in our history topic whereby students have already learnt some key events such as when the first fleet arrived. Students will be tasked to construct a timeline that shows important times and events that have a significant effect on Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people. I will generate a class discussion by encouraging brainstorming from each student about the details of these events including the time and setting, who was involved and what occurred.

"What was the nature and consequence of contact between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and early traders, explorers and settlers?"

All answers will be written on the board for students to relate back to. Students will then be put into small groups to work on one chosen event, they will research this event in greater detail and will explain how it affected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and how it influenced their culture and rights as citizens both positively and negatively. These will be made into posters in the form of a timeline so that when each group finishes them, they can all be linked up at the end and put on our wall. An example is shown below. 

Information found from ABC News (2015).

This activity links to the following content descriptors shown in the images below. Students learn about the nature of contact between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and whether these exchanges were positive or negative through researching and inquiry skills. The cultural diversity in the community is explored along with the use of communication skills to present findings.  

History:

Civics and Citizenship: 

Literacy: 

The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (2007) states that there are strong links between civics and citizenship education and Australian History, emphasising that civics and the values it holds, should be recognised as part of Australian history. Students creating a timeline acts as a visual aid that will help develop students’ confusion with what time period certain events took place as they may often forget or do not have prior knowledge. Twyman, McCleery and Tindal (2006) state that the lack of proper background knowledge will cause students to struggle to develop the contexts for historical thinking. This project promotes collaborative participation that will improve students’ historical understanding along with what it means to be a citizen. 

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] (2020a). The

Australian: Foundation to year 10 curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences:

Year 4. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] (2020b). The

Australian: Foundation to year 10 curriculum: English: Year 4. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/english/

Henderson, A. (2015, July 13). Timeline: Recognition of Australia's Indigenous people. 
           ABC. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-06/indigenous-recognition-
           timeline-of-australian-history/6586176
The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (2007). Civics and electoral 
          education. The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, 27-63.  

Reynolds, R. (2011). Teaching History. Geography and SOSE in the Primary School 
           (2^nd Ed.) South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.  

Twyman, T., McCleery, J., & Tindal, G. (2006). Using concepts to frame history 
            content. The Journal of Experimental Education, 74(4), 331-349.   

Week 2 Blog Post: Civics and Citizenship

Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) is an important component included in the Australian Curriculum as it provides students with the knowledge and understanding of what makes an effective citizen and how they can actively participate in society. Through the teaching of CCE, students can develop skills of initiative, they can identify how different beliefs effect people, how to propose possible actions, appreciate varied perspectives and create debates (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2017). This blog post is to reassure all parents how necessary it is to for this subject to be part of the curriculum and how it can change children’s lives through their schooling years and into adulthood.

An activity has been developed for our Year 3 students that directly links to the Civics and Citizenship strand in The Australian Curriculum (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] 2020). This project investigates the idea of volunteering and how it assists different members of the wider community. To introduce the lesson students will be asked ‘what is a volunteer?’. All answers will be written on the board as students brainstorm ideas and contribute to class discussion. Students will list volunteer examples and what it entails and what benefits there can be from volunteering. Groups will be formed and asked to think about the following question: 

"How can we actively contribute to the wellbeing of our school and its people?"

Once students have generated various ideas, each group will be tasked to interview and research these different volunteers to collect information on their roles and duties. Students will then create posters with creative imagery depicting these volunteers and a description of what they do and how it benefits the school, while also providing recognition for these volunteers’ efforts by presenting achievements with their names. I will then also ask students how they can help in the school and will encourage everyone to take initiative in small volunteer opportunities.  

Source: https://pixabay.com/ 

The content descriptors that link to this activity is shown below. Students learns ways in which they can contribute to their community by undertaking investigations and posing questions. Students also develop personal and social capability skills through working collaboratively as a team and valuing other people’s thoughts and perspectives (ACARA, 2020). Students develop creative thinking and are encouraged to use their curiosity and imaginative side to envision a number of possibilities and come up with solutions.     

Heggart, Arvanitakis and Matthews (2018) state that volunteering acts as a form of civic engagement, which is defined as ways in which citizens participate to help develop the shape of the community’s future. Students can learn how to advocate the involvement in communities and make a difference in civic life. According to Volunteering ACT (2015) students can learn how to demonstrate respect and understanding for the needs of others and how to develop positive relationships. Participating in this activity allows students to gain knowledge on how much volunteers contribute to civil society, along with encouraging student group collaboration. I hope this blog post has influenced a more positive view on teaching HASS education. 

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] (2020). The

Australian: Foundation to year 10 curriculum: HASS: Year 3. Retrieved from:

https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/

Gilbert, R., & Hoepper, B. (2017). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences (5th edn).

Melbourne: Cengage.  

Heggart, K., Arvanitakis, J., & Matthews, I. (2018). Civics and citizenship education: 
            What have we learned and what does it mean for the future of Australian
            democracy? Education Citizenship and Social Justice, 1-17.

Volunteering ACT. (2015). Practical lessons and resources for teachers from foundation 
            to year 10. Volunteering Australia. Retrieved from: 
             https://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/wp-
             content/files_mf/1438056660VA03895_Resources_Book_WEB_150727.pdf