Humanities - Department Overview

Introduction

The Humanities in Prep to Year 10 involve the study of human societies and environments, people and their cultures in the past and the present. The Humanities provide a framework for developing in students the key ideas and concepts that enable them to understand the way in which people and societies have organised their world under particular conditions and made meaning of it.

The Humanities take as their subject matter human behaviour. They provide unique ways to understand how and why groups of people have settled where they have, organised their societies, developed means of generating and distributing wealth, developed codes, laws and belief systems, related to other groups of people and interacted with their physical environment.

The Humanities encourage use of research skills and inquiry processes. Students learn to plan an investigation and ask key questions. They question and analyse a range of data and sources including artefacts, photographs, maps, stories, special events, interviews, site visits and electronic media. They form conclusions supported by evidence and present information in a variety of ways.

Structure of the Humanities

The Humanities discipline is organised into four domains:

• The Humanities - (Levels 1-3)

• The Humanities - History (Levels 4-6)

• The Humanities - Geography (Levels 4-6)

• The Humanities - Economics (Levels 4-6).

During Levels 1 to 3, students are introduced to basic concepts related to history, geography and economics under a general umbrella of 'The Humanities';. Each level includes a learning focus statement with standards introduced from Level 3. Specific learning focus statements and standards for Economics, Geography and History are introduced at Level 4.

Learning focus

Learning focus statements are written for each level. These outline the learning that students need to focus on if they are to progress in the domain and achieve the standards at the levels where they apply. They suggest appropriate learning experiences from which teachers can draw to develop relevant teaching and learning activities.

Standards

Standards define what students should know and be able to do at different levels and are written for each dimension. Standards that focus on historical and geographical knowledge and understanding are introduced at Level 3. Specific standards for Economics, Geography and History are introduced at Level 4.

Dimensions

Standards in the Humanities are organised in two dimensions:

• Humanities knowledge and understanding

• Humanities skills.

Humanities knowledge and understanding

The Humanities knowledge and understanding dimension focuses on key humanities knowledge and concepts. Students learn about their immediate and local community and environment and are introduced to the history and geography of their country and the diversity of culture and environment. Through structured activities they learn the concepts of time - chronology and sequencing, change and continuity - and spatial concepts of location, distance, scale and distribution.

Humanities skills

The Humanities skills dimension focuses on the development of basic inquiry skills including observation, the collection of various types of evidence, asking and answering questions about evidence and presenting information in a variety of ways.

 

Alan Tomassini
Head of Humanities