Learning Area History 1

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

The course prepares teacher candidates to teach history and social education in the compulsory years of secondary schooling, as well as VCE history, international studies and classics. Students are encouraged to reflect on the purposes of history education and to engage with public debate as they consider the place of this learning area in contemporary goals of school in Australia and in the Victorian curriculum in particular. By considering the principles of learning and teaching that underpin effective classrooms and the research that supports these principles, this subject will widen teacher candidates’ appreciation of exemplary teaching in this area.

The subject encourages teacher candidates to consider the knowledge, skills and values that they will foster in their classrooms and examines ways to tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of individual students. The subject has a focus on planning for learning, and this involves critical analysis of Victorian curriculum policies, as well as opportunities to reflect on theoretical issues that underpin the history curriculum. Key topics include: lesson design, co-operative learning activities, questioning techniques, critical thinking, inquiry method, empathy and resources. These areas are examined through the lens of discipline-based pedagogy.

The course engages with issues that link history to other disciplines such as global perspectives and social justice and seeks to produce skilled history teachers who reflect on their practice.

On completion of this subject, teacher candidates will be able to:

• Appreciate the place of this learning area in Australian curriculum
• Describe an exemplary classroom in this learning area
• Critically reflect on teaching practice;
• Work collegiality and demonstrate a commitment to best practice.

There are 3 assessment tasks:

• An analytical exercise (1,500 words) due mid-semester (30%);
• A team teaching presentation that is delivered in class (20%);
• A unit of work (2,000 words) due end of semester (50%).

• VCAA, History VCE Study Design. 2004.
• Collected Readings

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Be skilled professionals who can effectively articulate and justify their teaching practices;
• Understand the significance of developing their practice on the basis of research evidence;
• Plan and teach in teams with skills in cooperation, communication and negotiation.