Transcript Civics and Citizenship for years 5-6

Joy Schultz
SEAQ secretary
SCEAA committee member
Educational Consultant
National Goals
Goal 2: All young Australians should become:
 Successful learners
 Confident and creative individuals
 Active and informed citizens
Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young
Australians (December 2008)
Active and informed citizens
Among other things ….
 ….. have an understanding of Australia’s system of
government, history and culture
 Are committed to national values of democracy, equity
and justice, and participate in Australia’s civic life
 Work for the common good, in particular sustaining
and improving natural and social environments
 Are responsible global and local citizens
Definitions:
Suzanne Mellor, in a Research Digest: Civics and Citizenship Education,
prepared for the Queensland College of Teachers(No.8, September 2010)
“(I)n the Assessment Domain developed for the National
Assessment Program–Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC)
(MCEETYA, 2004)…… two sub-dimensions (known as the
Key Performance Measures) were defined:
◗ Civics: Knowledge and Understandings of Civic
Institutions and Processes
◗ Citizenship: Dispositions and Skills for Participation “
Mellor cont.: The most succinct description of the
difference is that Civics is cognitive whereas Citizenship
is dispositional in nature.
 Civics was defined … as the study of Australian
democracy, its history, traditions, structures and
processes; our democratic culture; the ways Australian
society is managed, by whom and to what end.
 Citizenship is a more abstract concept … (that)
involves the development of the skills, attitudes, beliefs
and values that will predispose students to participate,
to become and remain engaged and involved in that
society/culture/democracy.
How much Civics do you know?
 Try Civics Bingo
 Sources of Civics knowledge:
 http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/default.asp
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?id=9026
http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/discovering
_democracy_curriculum_resources,9067.html
http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/units/up3fq3a
cts.htm
http://www.peo.gov.au
http://www.aec.gov.au/Education/index.htm
http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/legal_system.html
Through the study of civics and citizenship, students
can develop skills of inquiry, values and
dispositions that enable them to become active and
informed citizens; to question, understand and
contribute to the world in which they live. The
curriculum also offers opportunities for students to
develop a wide range of general skills and
capabilities, including an appreciation of diverse
perspectives, empathy, collaboration, negotiation,
self- awareness and intercultural understanding.
(Rationale page 1.)
Achievement standards in CCE
The standards at each year level encompass:
 Understanding of particular concepts, information
and generalisations related to study of Key Questions
 Inquiry based on questions posed by students
 Investigation into real-life issue/s
 Demonstration of an understanding of multiple
perspectives related to an issue
 Presentation of evidence-based arguments and
negotiated solutions
 Recognise ways they can take action on an issue
e.g. Year 6 Achievement Standard
 By the end of Year 6, students explain …….
 When researching, students develop questions and
gather and analyse information from different sources
to investigate the society in which they live. When
planning for action, they identify different points of
view and solutions to an issue. Students develop and
present their ideas using appropriate texts and civics
and citizenship terms and concepts. They identify the
ways they can participate as citizens in the school.
All of the requirements of the achievement
standards in CCE can be met through the use of
inquiry based learning.
‘Inquiry’ is different from ‘research’
CCE Inquiry can be the basis for purposeful
integration
Purposefully connected curriculum
Dr. Jennifer Nayler has written a paper for the
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority
entitled
 Making connections across the Australian
Curriculum for quality learning http://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/ac_enac
t_ac_paper.pdf
Inquiry-based learning (Nayler)
There is a symbiotic relationship between
integrated curriculum and inquiry-based
learning.
 In an IBL approach, students are guided to pose and
respond to questions related to real-life contexts while
attending to the required curriculum. (page 12)
 Students will have opportunities to explore issues,
problems or phenomena in ways that are meaningful
and related to the real-world, with such opportunities
drawn from the content descriptions of the
contributing curricular areas (page 19)
The question of Inquiry – using a
model that promotes metacognition
 For educators, inquiry implies the emphasis on the development
of inquiry skills and the nurturing of inquiring attitudes or
habits of mind that enable individuals to continue the quest
for knowledge throughout life. (Adapted from What is
inquiry–based learning?, the first part of a series of articles called
Concept to Classroom on
www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html)
 If inquiry is ever to become metacognitively understood and
used by students, there should be very little difference in the
steps of inquiry used across the social sciences, otherwise it will
simply lead to confusion. Primary teachers will thank all
disciplines for creating conformity here.
(From a SEAQ submission to ACARA)
HaSS Inquiry models
model
A student-centred inquiry model
The benefits of TELSTAR:
 The use of simple words for each step
 The use of an acronym easily remembered by students
 It can be used with younger students
 It is adaptable to all social education disciplines
 It is a reflective, recursive model
 It promotes self-direction and metacognition in
students
Essential Questions in integrated
curriculum– Heidi Hayes Jacobs
 If kids learn from a curriculum shaped by essential
questions, they will be more likely to truly interact
with the content. Instead of answering, "Stuff..." when
asked what they learned, students will retain higher
levels of knowledge. Essential questions are like
mental Velcro; they give kids a "sticky" place to which
their thoughts adhere. They also give students a sense
of ownership of their curriculum from knowing what
questions are directing their learning and why.
 http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inter
disciplinary/exploration.html
TUNE IN - Inquiry into an issue
 http://www.seeturtles.org/sea-turtle-facts Turtles
think that plastic bags are jelly fish and then choke
 http://www.marineconservation.org.au/pages/plasticpollution.html Problems of plastic packaging and
simple solution
 http://www.takepart.com/oceans/plastic-pollution
Plastic is a global environmental problem – huge ocean
garbage swirls
 What is a good Key Question to inquire into?
Appropriate for Year 5 content descriptions:
 Civics and Citizenship: Why people work in groups to achieve
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their aims, and how they can express their shared beliefs and
values and exercise influence.
Geography: Influences people have on the environmental
characteristics of Australian places.
Economics and Business: Influences on consumer choices and
methods that can be used to help make informed personal
consumer and financial choices.
Science: Chemical sciences – Solids, liquids and gases have
different observable properties and behave in different ways.
Science: Science as a Human Endeavour – Scientific
knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions.
EXPLORE - What will be your sticky
‘Velcro’ questions?
 Who?
(Who else?)
 When?
(When else?)
 Where?
(Where else?)
 What systems? - economic?
- environmental/ecological?
- social?
- political?
LOOK/SORT - What social science/ General
Capability skills may be involved?
 General research skills in information search,
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including literacy, numeracy and ICT skills
Mapping skills
Economics – decision-making/numeracy
Personal and social skills in collaboration and
negotiation, and ethical decision-making
CCE – recognition of levels of government and
community and volunteer organisations; use of civics
concepts and terminology (democracy, rights,
responsibilities, rule of law, fairness, common good,
legislation) and skills of meeting procedure,
negotiation, role-playing, survey taking …………
SORT – understand concepts; critical
thinking; analysis - strategies
 Concepts - concept map; T-chart (e.g. looks
like/sounds like)
 Critical thinking – check the researched information
(is it up-to-date; from a reliable source; does it take a
particular perspective; what values are represented;
what should we trust – on what evidence ….)
 Analysis – what are the perspectives presented
(categorise); what connections (flow charts),
consequences (consequences wheel, futures ‘What if?
scenarios, letter from the future); what strategies are
used elsewhere ………
TEST – Have we answered our question?
Decision-making or problem-solving
ACT – how can we respond to improve
the common good?
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACTION
 Action to inform others (presentations, displays) – Informative action
 Action to encourage others to take part (letters, debate, articles in
newsletters) – Stimulative action
 Action to direct change by those in power (letters to the editor; a
petition; contact a politician) – Directive action
 Action to become personally involved in community activities (volunteer
time; help raise money; join an action group) – Operative action
 Action to change one’s own behaviour (use less water, plant more trees,
learn conflict resolution techniques) – Transformative action
REFLECT – Achievement standards; attitude
change; how can our learning be improved?
 CCE Achievement standard Year 5: … students identify the values
that underpin Australian democracy….. They identify various ways people
can participate effectively in groups to achieve shared goals. Students
develop questions and use information from different sources to
investigate ….. They identify possible solutions to an issue as part of a plan
for action. Students develop and present civics and citizenship ideas and
viewpoints using civics and citizenship terms and concepts.
 Attitude change – a good way to ascertain attitude change is to do a
pre- and post- inquiry attitude continuum. Students stand where they think
their attitude lies (totally agree, totally disagree, neutral) and give reasons
for their position. They should note somewhere where they stood at the
beginning of the inquiry in order to compare their later change of attitude
(if any).
 Reflection - Encourage metacognition by asking the class how they think
the inquiry could have been improved and what skills each person needs to
improve.
Alternative - Using a role play
The website of the federal Parliamentary Education
Office (PEO) has a number of role plays with scripts
and seating arrangements
For example, another way of conducting this inquiry
could have been to use the Committee Role Play,
which involves groups investigating different
perspectives on the issue and presenting those to a
Parliamentary Inquiry:
 http://www.peo.gov.au/teaching/role-play-lessonplans/committee.html
International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks
Active Citizenship: Definitions, Goals and Practices
Background Paper
National Foundation for Educational Research (UK), Nelson, J and Kerr D (2005)
Quote from the Crick report of 2000:
Young adults will only be able to realise their potential as active and
effective members of society at large, and of all kinds of public and
voluntary bodies, if those responsible for their education, training,
employment and other forms of development provide the necessary
models and learning environments for active and participative
citizenship.
(Murray Print,
Curriculum
Corporation
1996)
A Final Word
There is a danger of C&C becoming submerged by other
disciplines because of the paucity of time allocated, when
in fact it should be the centre of a vibrant school life and
interdisciplinary learning, where students learn how our
society is organised and learn to practice the skills for
engaging in society at a local and global level as full and
effective citizens.
We believe that it is possible for schools to creatively choose a
variety of organisational options, beginning with an audit
of what is currently done in the name of citizenship and
expanding on that.
Hopefully, this might include making C&C compulsory for all
students to the end of Year 10.