Learning Area Humanities 1

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

170 hours

Teacher Candidates must meet the minimum academic study requirements for teaching in specialist areas, in accordance with the Victorian Institute of Teaching's Specialist Area Guidelines, for entry into this subject.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject introduces teacher candidates to methods of teaching humanities. It prepares teacher candidates to teach history, geography, and civics and citizenship in the compulsory years of secondary schooling. Teacher candidates examine the Australian Curriculum/AusVELS. By exploring the principles of learning and teaching that underpin effective classrooms and the research that supports these principles, this subject widens teacher candidates’ appreciation of exemplary teaching in this area. They examine literacy and numeracy strategies appropriate to learning and teaching the humanities. For example, teacher candidates engage with literacy strategies for reading sources. They also address numeracy strategies; teacher candidates need to use evidence such as tables, charts and graphs to explain change over time in history and geography. The subject engages with best practice in teaching and learning of humanities. It explores frameworks of the humanities and links theory to practice. Through reflection on leading research, teacher candidates develop a personal philosophy of teaching in the humanities. The subject examines planning for learning, teaching strategies, approaches to inquiry in the classroom, and current methods of assessment and evaluation.

On the completion of this subject, students will

• Be highly skilled humanities teachers who demonstrate the professional capabilities to meet the individual needs of learners using interventionist practice;
• Demonstrate an understanding of ways in which theory and research inform practice;
• Demonstrate strong disciplinary and pedagogical content knowledge;Utilise diverse pedagogical strategies to provide rich and creative learning environments that empower learners.

The subject covers a range of the National Professional Standards for Teachers (for Graduate Teachers). In particular, the subject will contribute to students attaining the following standards:

2.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area;
2.2 Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence;
2.3 Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans;
3.2 Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies;
3.3 Use a range of teaching strategies;

There are three assessment tasks:

• Lesson Planning Task (800 words) due early semester, 20%
• Team Teaching Presentation (50 minutes) due as scheduled, 30%
• Extended Written Response on the Teaching of Humanities (2000 words) due end-of-Semester, 50%

Attendance at all classes (tutorial/seminars/practical classes/lectures/labs) is obligatory. Failure to attend 80% of classes will normally result in failure in the subject.

Gilbert, R. & Hoepper, B. (2014). Teaching humanities and social science: history, geography, economics and citizenship in the Australian Curriculum. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject, teacher candidates will have the knowledge, skills and understanding to enable them to:

• Be skilled communicators who can effectively articulate and justify their practices as knowledgeable agents of changes.
• Be flexible and able to adapt to change through knowing how to learn;
• Understand the significance of developing their practice on the basis of research evidence;
• Work in teams with skills in cooperation, communication and negotiation;
• Be independent of mind, responsible, resilient, self-regulating;
• Have a conscious personal and social values base.