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The Australian Curriculum requires F-6 learners to engage in the subject of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), the study of human behaviour and interaction in social, cultural, environmental and political contexts. In the Bachelor of Education Primary program, pre-service teachers are required to develop an understanding of the key ideas in relation to each sub-strand (History; Geography; Civics and Citizenship; and Economics and Business) by engaging in learning experiences that articulate the interrelated strands (knowledge and understanding; inquiry and skills). The effective teaching and learning of HASS is aligned to the signature pedagogy of inquiry and the questions that are the foundation. This course builds on the pedagogical foundation of previously studied courses in this program to develop informed, active citizens committed to shaping sustainable futures; a goal that is as relevant to future teachers as it is to school learners.

The aim of this course is to explore the framework of the Humanities and Social Sciences Learning Area in the Australian Curriculum. Pre-service educators in this course will develop an understanding of the sub-strands of Humanities and Social Sciences (History; Geography; Civics and Citizenship; and Economics and Business) through an interdisciplinary approach. The key ideas and concepts of the sub-strands are central to understanding the curriculum scope and sequence. They also provide the contexts through which the particular knowledge and understanding, and inquiry and skills are developed. Complementing this curriculum framework, the pedagogy, encompassing inquiry learning, questioning and reflecting, is a focus of this course, both in theory and in practice. Pre-service educators will embed the Cross-Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities, when designing from the Australian Curriculum, to integrate them into a teaching and learning sequence. HASS draws on learners' growing experience of community and the wider world.

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course in accordance with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s (AITSL) Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). On successful completion of this course pre-service educators should be able to:

1. apply a knowledge of the curriculum framework and an understanding of the interrelationships among the key ideas, concepts and key skills of the sub-strands of History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship, and Economics and Business (APST 2.1, 2.2, 2.3);
2. design integrated teaching, learning and assessment from the curriculum utilising inquiry pedagogy (APST 2.3, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2);
3. consider and embed, where relevant, the Cross-Curriculum Priorities, specifically an understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages, and the General Capabilities, specifically literacy and numeracy teaching strategies when designing an effective teaching and learning sequence within HASS (APST 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6);
4. investigate approaches for teaching Humanities and Social Sciences in the primary school in relation to students’ learning through inquiry, the teacher’s role for inquiry teaching, and the implementation of the curriculum as a learning area. (APST 1.2, 2.1)