Details for CRS204 Geography and History

The Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) area of the Australian Curriculum includes both History and Geography as substrands. In New South Wales, these subjects are taught through the Key Learning Area (KLA) of Human Society and its
Environment (HSIE), which includes the History K–10 Syllabus and the Geography K–10 Syllabus. CRS204 explores the
disciplines of Geography and History as they relate to teaching in primary schools, focusing especially on the content,
concepts and skills required. History is the study of the past whereas Geography is the study of place. Specifically, the
content of History includes the impact of people together with their cultures, politics and worldviews, their memories,
their commemorations, their discoveries, artefact collection and preservation, the impact of colonisation and
immigration, and how we interpret and learn from the past. Geography focuses on the interrelationship between the
physical and human elements of the environment, including climate and the atmosphere, oceans and coasts, rivers and
valleys, population and migration, food and health, settlement and industry, economic development resource use and
quality of life. Both Geography and History open up many possibilities for integrated studies with other KLAs, including
the significant role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in shaping Australia’s history and geography.

Quick Stats

• Currently offered by Alphacrucis: Yes
• Course code: CRS204
• Credit points: 10

Subject Coordinator

Prerequisite

The following are prerequisites:

• EDU103 Foundations of Christian Education
• or 40 credit points

Unit Content

Outcomes

1. Examine ways in which assumptions, cultural perspectives and underlying worldviews cause people to view historical events and geographical issues in different ways within the context of both the History K–10 Syllabus and the Geography K–10 Syllabus;
2. Prepare a teaching plan for a half-day or full-day field trip for a Year 5 or Year 6 class to investigate a local geographical planning issue or local historical event;
3. Apply skills of observation, inference and critical thinking to analyse the conflicts and/or ethical dilemmas demonstrated by a site that is studied in the field;
4. Demonstrate an applied understanding of ethical behaviour expectations, legislative, administrative and organisational policies, health and safety requirements, and strategies for differentiating teaching to meet specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities and from diverse backgrounds;
5. Use the Understanding by Design framework to develop a classroom-ready, student-centred, outcomes-focussed, innovative and soundly constructed lesson sequence that incorporates skills development, knowledge acquisition, literacy formation, and critical/creative thinking capabilities, linked to the cross curriculum priorities, and which differentiates for the full range of student abilities and diverse backgrounds (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) while providing explicit strategies to support students’ well-being and safety – legally and educationally – in a range of school contexts.

Subject Content

1. The scope, characteristics, methodology and distinctive nature of the discipline of Geography including key concepts such as space, place, scale, distance, area and regions, and the ways in
   which Geography can be used to describe and account for the characteristics of both the
   physical and human elements of environments in different places, including different parts of
   Australia and various parts of the world. This analysis should include the role of fieldwork and
   the importance of diverse perspectives and worldviews
2. The scope, characteristics, methodology and distinctive nature of the discipline of History including key concepts such as evidence, relevance, coherence and bias (selection bias,
   hindsight bias, confirmation bias, cultural bias), and the ways in which History can be used to
   describe and explain present circumstances, attitudes, debates and perspectives in terms of
   past events and forces, including significant people and their worldviews.
3. Establish the relationship between the ACARA Australian Curriculum in HASS (Humanities and
   Social Sciences) and the NESA History K–10 Syllabus and Geography K–10 Syllabus for Stages 1,
   2 and 3, with particular emphasis on the general capabilities and cross curriculum priorities
4. The aims, rationale and sequential development of the NESA History K–10 Syllabus and
   Geography K–10 Syllabus, the value of support documents in developing effective teaching and
   learning programs that support student academic achievement, the wider goals of society and
   whole person development
5.  The place of Geography and History in the continuum of learning in K-12, including a particular
   understanding of the links between Stage 3 and Stage 4, with emphasis on the aims, objectives,
   outcomes, content, course requirements and key terms pertaining to Stages 1, 2 and 3.
6. The place of Geography and History within Christian and other school contexts, including
   content issues such as the enhancement of social justice, reconciliation, resource stewardship
   and management, understanding the challenges confronting indigenous, immigrant and other
   communities, and methodological considerations such as pupil-centredness, co-operative
   classroom learning, consultation protocols and sensitivities, skills formation (development of
   talents) and personal worldview formation.
7. Geographical concepts (place, space, environment, interconnection, scale, sustainability,
   change), geographical skills (acquiring, processing and communicating geographical
   information), and geographical tools (maps, fieldwork, graphs, statistics, spatial technologies
   and visual representations)
8. Historical concepts (continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathetic
   understanding, significance, contestability), and historical skills (comprehension [chronology,
   terms and concepts], analysis and use of sources, perspectives and interpretations, empathetic
   understanding, research, explanation and communication
9. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s perspectives on Australian History and Australian
   Geography (including sustainability): Indigenous Australians’ management of the environment
   and traditional society before European influence, contested narratives of colonisation and its
   impact; the influence of missions and the role of Christian education in Australian Indigenous
   communities, influential Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women, recognising and
   addressing racism in Australia.
10. The history, distribution and impact of non-English speaking and multi-lingual communities in
    Australia.

This course may be offered in the following formats

• Face to face (intensive)
• Online e-learning (synchronous)

Please check the timetable to see when this subject will next be offered at Alphacrucis University College.

Assessment Methods

1. Minor Essay (30%)
2. Field Study Plan (40%)
3. Lesson Plan Sequence (30%)

Prescribed Text

No prescribed texts applicable.