Handbook : Unit informationEdith Cowan University

School: Education

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

• Unit Title

  Teaching Society and Environment (Primary)

• Unit Code

  SSE4215

• Year

  2016

• Enrolment Period

  1

• Version

  2

• Credit Points

  10

• Full Year Unit

  N

• Mode of Delivery

  On Campus
  

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Description

This unit investigates the nature and scope of the Humanities and Social Sciences Learning Area within the context of WA and Australian curriculum documents. Pre-service teachers will analyse the structure, content and use of the current curriculum documents. They will examine inquiry oriented teaching strategies and learning activities for developing conceptual understandings, consider issues based approaches, review Humanities and Social Sciences processes and skills and core values underpinning the learning area. In addition, pre-service teachers will identify a range of teaching and learning resources, examine assessment in this learning area and introduce long term planning.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. Develop an integrated teaching and learning program, which utilises the processes of investigation, communication and participation to achieve society and environment outcomes and their essential content within a framework that encourages active citizenship.
2. Explain and justify the nature, scope and role of the Society and Environment Learning Area for Western Australian schools.
3. Identify and apply appropriate techniques to monitor and report on the level of achievement of society and environment outcomes.
4. Identify and describe the conceptual and methodological contributions of the various social science disciplines to the development of the seven major outcomes of the Society and Environment Learning Area.
5. Locate and utilise a range of society and environment resource materials and local community resource locations for effective teaching and learning in the Society and Environment Learning Area.
6. Plan and implement teaching and learning activities to assist children in their development and achievement of outcomes in the Society and Environment Learning Area.

Unit Content

1. A wide range of teaching and learning strategies:
2. Assessment techniques, monitoring processes and reporting procedures for the Humanities and Social Sciences learning area.
3. Current curriculum documents in the Humanities and Social Sciences learning area.
4. Planning and implementing excursions and incursions within a teaching and learning program to address the Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum.
5. Planning within a framework: Long term planning.
6. Processes and skills for developing an inquiry to address the curriculum.
7. Promoting active citizenship values of democratic process, social justice, and ecological sustainability.
8. Resources for teaching the Humanities and Social Sciences (including textual, audio visual, computer software, the Internet, community based and other types of resources).
9. Society and environment, social studies, social education, social inquiry and the social sciences: similarities, differences and linkages.
10. Strategies for developing conceptual understandings.
11. The Australian Curriculum learning area, Humanities and Social Sciences: rationale, year level descriptions, content descriptors, content elaborations, and achievement standards.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures Workshops Tutorials

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

Text References

• ^ Reynolds, R. (2014). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences in the Primary School. (3rd ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.
• Marsh, C., & Hart, C. (2011). Teaching about studies of society and environment. (4th ed.). Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.

Journal References

• Theory and research in social education. [East Lansing : Michigan State University Press]
• Simulation & gaming. Newbury Park, CA : Sage Publications, c1990
• Journal of social studies research
• International journal of social education
• Curriculum perspectives
• Journal of curriculum studies
• Social education. [Arlington, Va., etc.] : National Council for the Social Studies [etc.]

^ Mandatory reference

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