Dear Parents/Guardians,
Here in Grade 5, we think it’s really important to get everyone
involved in learning and this means keeping you informed about what we get up
to. This year a focus in Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), is promoting student’s curiosity and
understanding about the world they live in, through highlighting their ability
to positively contribute to their community and how they belong in today’s
society. This learning is achieved through the HASS sub-strand: Civics and
Citizenship Education (CCE), which aims to produce active, empathetic and
informed citizens. The unit we are starting focuses on ‘Democracy’ through the
Australian curriculum content descriptor “The key values that underpin
Australia’s democracy (ACHASSK115)”
(Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2019). Through
this unit, students will develop their understanding of what democracy means,
the key values that underpin Australian democracy and how they can apply
democratic values in different contexts.
We are focusing on Civics and Citizenship:
Democracy as it is a vital part of not only the curriculum but your child’s
life. As research by Hess & McAvoy (2014),
states that through studying democracy
students will:
-
Increase political
literacy.
-
Develop tolerance through
participation in civil discourse.
-
Respect of
differing viewpoints.
-
Develop a proactive
mindset.
-
Have continual
political participation throughout life.
Throughout this unit, students will also interact with
other areas of the curriculum such as the general capabilities: ethical understanding, critical and creative thinking and personal and social capabilities, through the various activities they participate in. And
the cross-curriculum priority of sustainability, as one of the underlying
themes of the unit is the importance of sustaining futures through democracy
(ACARA, 2019).
The unit will follow an inquiry-based approach as
it respects student’s choice, increases motivation and empowers student voice (Shih, Chuang & Hwang, 2010). To introduce
the unit students will begin by creating a KWL chart,
students will be invited to elicit any prior knowledge they know about
democracy, which will guide an initial class discussion about what students
want to know about democracy. Students will then be directed to the
computers where in pairs they will receive a list of online
resources to search their identified questions. Pairs will then be asked to
share what they learnt about democracy to the class, the class will discuss
everyone’s findings. To conclude the lesson students will brainstorm in groups
and share any issues they have noticed around the community, which will
lead into a local inquiry project starting next lesson.
As actively involving students in citizenship
education is the most effective approach for engagement (Gordon and Tudball,
2017).
To support your child’s learning at home, I would encourage you to
create an open dialogue about democracy and its role and effect in society, as
allowing your child to share their understanding and opinions with you through
discourse promotes confidence and increases achievement (LaRocque, Kleiman & Darling, 2011). In ensuring this dialogue is successful I have attached a video
below that summarises democracy and its key features.
References:
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2019). Retrieved from the Australian Curriculum website: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
Gilbert, R., & Hoepper, B. (Eds.). (2017). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences: History, Geography, Economics and Citizenship (6th edn.). Southbank, VIC: Cengage Learning.
Hess, D. E., & McAvoy, P. (2014). The political classroom: Evidence and ethics in democratic education. New York: Routledge.
LaRocque, M., Kleiman, I., & Darling, S. M. (2011). Parental involvement: The missing link in school achievement. Preventing School Failure, 55(3), 115-122. DOI:10.1080/10459880903472876
Shih, J. L., Chuang, C. W., & Hwang, G. J. (2010). An inquiry-based mobile learning approach to enhancing social science learning effectiveness. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 13(4), 50-62. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/jeductechsoci.13.4.50.pdf
Hi Sophie,
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog! I love how clear it is and it meets majority of the criteria for the task. I like how you have given links to the information you are talking about such as ACARA so that parents can go and see the actual website and look around more on what students will be learning.
The only thing I could really say to improve on is maybe have a few example questions of what students may be looking for on the computer so parents understand the level they are at and to see that what they are looking up does actually align with the curriculum.
A really solid effort well done!
Emily Down.
Hi Sophie,
ReplyDeleteYou established the learning content of the topic Democracy and where it fits in Civics Education, and within HASS and the Australian Curriculum. Your images are relevant to the topic. Your video is an effective inclusion for parents to understand what their children are doing and provides a resource for them to look at, along with the suggestions at the conclusion of the blog for how to have a conversation about aspects of Democracy at home. Could I suggest, you think about using subheadings to clearly signpost your directions. Within paragraphs, using bullet points could also break up the text.
Paige
Hi Sophie,
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog post and especially your images you have used. I really like how you have included a video for parents to assist them in conversations with their children. You have linked to the curriculum really well also.
Nicole.
Dear Sophie,
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog about teaching democracy. You have done this in a really thoughtful way, especially teaching a topic which some parents find controversial. My personal pedagogical approach is that it is worthwhile for students as does Taylor & Robinson (2009) and I am glad you see this approach also.
Emily.