Week 5: Education for Sustainability

            A project has been designed for children in a child care context, in a 4 – 5 year old age group, to encourage children to preserve their environment for other children who move into the room as they get older.

            The project aims to encourage children to follow sustainable practice in their daily routines, and care for managed and constructed features of the environment. By participating in this project, children are making considerations to benefit the environment and other community members.

            Education for Sustainability (EfS) extends, enhances and has explicit links to Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE). Students learn the importance of maintaining the environment for the future and become active and informed citizens, making considerations to benefit future generations (Brett, 2017).  Gilbert and Hoepper (2014) state that Education for Sustainability leads to students developing an overall capacity to contribute to “a more sustainable aim of the future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations”.

            This project has links to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), Outcome 2.4: Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment (See Figure 1). As children begin to participate in group investigations, observe, notice and respond to change and develop an awareness of their human impact on the environment, children begin to show respect for the environment and become responsible for maintaining it (DEEWR, 2009).

            Figure 1: Outcome 2.4 Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009).

            The project also begins to move into the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences, Geography – Year 1 (See Figure 2). As children in this Child Care context are several years away from Year 1, the selected Content Descriptor is only guiding possible pathways in the project.

Figure 2: Year 1 Geography Content Descriptor (ACARA, 2016).

            Children who are participating in this project will be documenting their learning through photos. They will communicate their developing understanding about the importance of caring for the environment publically by creating a display in their room. This makes links to Australian Curriculum General Capabilities, such as Literacy and Critical and Creative thinking (ACARA, 2016).           

            From participating in this project, children are taking ownership of sustainability and creating steps for a better future (Taylor, Fahey, Kriewaldt & Boon, 2012). Children will be encouraged to take to an inquiry approach to developing their knowledge about sustainable practice, and then apply their new knowledge to their environment.

            When participating in this project, students are also becoming active and informed citizens. They are beginning to understand and develop a role in their community that involves working with others, broadening their understanding of the world in which they live, and contributing to decision-making about matters that affect them and those around them (DEEWR, 2009). This links closely to Outcome 2.1 of the Early Years Learning Framework (See Figure 3).

 

Figure 3: Outcome 2.1 Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009).

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] (2016) F – 2 The Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences (Version 8.3). Retrieved from: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/curriculum/f-10?layout=1

Brett, P, (2017). “Making Connections between Civics and Citizenship and Education for Sustainability”, In Peterson, A, & Tudball, L. (eds.) Civics and Citizenship in Australia: Challenges, Practices and International Perspectives, Bloomsbury Press, London (pp. 165-185).

Department of Education, Employment and workplace relations (DEEWR). (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming. The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra, ACT: DEEWR

Gilbert, R. & Hoepper, B. (2014). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences: History, geography, economics & citizenship (5th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia Pty. Ltd.

Taylor, T, Fahey, C., Kriewaldt, J., & Boon, D. (2012). Place and time: explorations in    teaching geography and history. NSW, Frenchs Forest: Pearson Australia

Week 3 Citizenship through History

            An experience has been developed for Year 1 students which integrates HE and CCE. There are links between the Year 1 History Curriculum (Figure 1) and the Year 3 Civics and Citizenship Curriculum (Figure 2).

Figure 1: History Year 2 Content Descriptor (ACARA, 2016).

 

Figure 2: Civics and Citizenship Year 3 Content Descriptor (ACARA, 2016)

In this experience, students will be exploring the differences and similarities between students’ daily lives and the life during their parents’ and grandparents’ childhoods. They will be asked to bring in photos of their parents, grandparents and themselves as children to compare in a class discussion. Students may also choose to bring an artefact, such as a toy, if this is an option for their family. Students will then develop a ‘similarities, differences and same’ chart to display their findings (See Figure 3). 

Figure 3: ‘Similarities, Differences, Same’ Chart.

            History Education (HE) and Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) have existing connections that allow for rich learning opportunities to take place (Brett, 2005). There are many concepts and topics studied in CCE that are also imbedded and integrated into History (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014). Integrating these two learning areas promotes a holistic, meaningful learning approach and allows students to become knowledgeable, informed participants in society (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014). Gilbert & Hopper (2014) state that it is possible to integrate and effectively blend authentic and active historical learning with rich, varied and transformative citizenship learning. 

The use of the childrens parents and grandparents as a starting point for this activitiy sets to engage students and spark an interest in the learning (Brett, 2013). Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer (2007) state that exeptional learning takes place when there is an engaging stimulation for students implemented.

            As students participating are Year 1, the link to the CCE Curriculum will only be a small part of the experience. Students will use the chart that they have developed, and begin to inquire about why things have changed over time. They will then discuss what rules they think their parents and grandparents would have had, in comparison to the rules that we have today (these rules can just be classroom rules). After this discussion, there will be an activity about what the consequences may have been if the rules were not followed in the past, compared to now. Gilbert & Hoepper (2014) say that historical discussions develop skills for analysisng and empathy.

            This activity provides students with real life experiences and focuses on links between the past and present, in terms of daily living (Brett, 2013). Students begin to understand more about their own lives if they appreciate important developments of the past (Brett, 2013). By enaging thoughtfully with the past and understanding historical developments, students can make informed decisions about their futures and participate with their local community with an empathic understanding of daily conventions (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014). This starts with the school enviornment where students have the opportunity to contribute to decisions and rules that affect them. 

References

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th Ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] (2016) F – 2 The Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences. (Version 8.3). (Humanities and Social Sciences, all year levels, all curriculum elements) Retrieved from: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/curriculum/f-10?layout=1

Brett, P. (2013). Claims made for the benefits of history education and its links to citizenship education (unpublished). Drawn from: The shape of the Australian Curriculum: History (2010). www.acara.edu.au and the National Centre for History Education – www.hyperhistory.org. Retrieved from: https://mylo.utas.edu.au/d2l/le/content/186678/viewContent/2195156/View

Brett, P. (2005). Citizenship through history – what is good practice? International Journal of Historical Teaching, Learning and Research, 5, 10-26.

Brett, P. (2013). Links between History and Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) Concepts (unpublished). Adapted from Claire, H. (2004) Teaching Citizenship in Primary Schools (Learning Matters, 2004). Retrieved from: https://mylo.utas.edu.au/d2l/le/content/186678/viewContent/2195156/View

Gilbert, R. & Hoepper, B. (2014). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences: History, geography, economics & citizenship (5th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia Pty. Ltd.

Week 2 Civics and Citizenship Education

            Civics and Citizenship education (CCE) aims to provide young Australian’s with the knowledge, skills and values needed to actively and effectively participate in democratic societies (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014). CCE is important because it educates for open minds, and an understanding of the changing world we live in. Gilbert & Hoepper (2014) state that CCE is important because it validates contemporary issues in the classroom and aims to give students a chance to engage with issues that interest them.  For students to be active citizens, they must learn through purposeful investigations of issues in local and global contexts (ACARA: 2015).

            The Australian curriculum: Civics and Citizenship is organised into two strands – Knowledge and understanding, and Skills. The curriculum covers from grade 3 – 10 (ACARA: 2015). Although the curriculum bypasses F-2, it is still important that these students are exposed in some way to CCE concepts in other learning areas (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014).

             CCE is important in primary schools, and earlier years, because it begins to develop justice, equality, responsibility, rights and fairness in students (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014).  CCE in primary years lays important foundations for citizenship involvement. In the early years CCE is about socialisation and developing an understanding in children about what it means to contribute to their wider community (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014).

Tudball & Brett (2014), suggest that where citizenship education is built into school programs in meaningful ways, it can potentially develop young people’s knowledge and understanding, their rights and responsibilities, and their capacity to engage with local communities. This can all begin in the early years of schooling, and sits nicely with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

A CCE program has been developed for use in an early years setting, with use of the EYLF. This program teaches children about active citizenship through simple curriculum activities and by allowing them to make choices and take responsibility.

            The program has a main focus on outcome 2.1 of the EYLF (Figure 1). This outcome suggests that educators can promote learning to meet this outcome by providing opportunities for children to investigate ideas, concepts and ethical issues that are relevant to their lives and their local communities (DEEWR, 2009). This can be done through activities, such as reading stories about fair and unfair situations, or through puppet play and exploring issues of right and wrong through characters (Tudball & Brett, 2014).

Figure 1: Outcome 2.1 Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009).

           Outcome 2.1 (Figure 1) also suggests that children begin to contribute to fair decision-making about matters that affect them (DEEWR, 2009). This could be seen through making choices in the education setting, for example; choosing a play partner, selecting materials for an activity, or voting on a group issue. These are all important parts of becoming an active citizen in their environment (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014).

           Cassie Mayer has written a citizenship series of books about following rules, being honest, being a good citizen, being fair and being a leader. These books are a great starting point for developing citizenship skills in young children and can be used in this program, or at home.

 

 

References

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th Ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] (2015) F – 2 The Australian Curriculum (Version 8.2). Retrieved from: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Department of Education, Employment and workplace relations (DEEWR). (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming. The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra, ACT: DEEWR

Gilbert, R. & Hoepper, B. (2014). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences: History, geography, economics & citizenship (5th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia Pty. Ltd.

Tudball, L. & Brett, P. (2014). What matters and what’s next for civics and citizenship education in Australia? The social Educator, 32 (2) 4-15