Civics and citizenship – Learning about democracy

Year six students will be studying the key institutions of Australia’s democratic government. A series of lessons have been designed in order to teach students about state and federal parliaments, and the responsibilities of electors and representatives. Students will also learn about law making in Australia, and how being an Australian citizen gives us rights and responsibilities (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], n.d.).

In order to assist students to become active and informed citizens, able to make decisions that benefit not only themselves but their community, students require practice engaging in their immediate community, be it their school or in a wider local sphere(Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014). This semester children will have the opportunity observe a local government sitting and talk with council representatives, giving them exposure and understanding of some basic elements of local government.

The children will also put into practise their developing knowledge and understanding of the institutions of Australia’s democratic government when they form their own classroom government where they can design new laws and test those new ideas against the parliamentary process in their own classroom!

At the end of this unit the students will look at Australia’s rich tradition of political cartooning, where all politicians feel the wrath of the cartoonist’s pen!  They will be analysing political cartoons, learning about the humour and caricature involved, eventually creating a caricature of themselves in the context of their classroom parliament.

At this stage of schooling students should be developing their political literacy, which is a practical understanding of concepts drawn from everyday life but also an understanding of what might be considered the main political disputes (Brett, 2019). What they might be and how they impact our lives. Political literacy stems from a developing understanding about government and democracy, citizen and citizenship, laws, diversity and identity which are covered in this unit of work (ACARA, n.d.). It is our goal that students will develop communication skills and an understanding of the democratic process that allows them to see opportunities for community engagement during their lives. Marsh suggests that students should be able to reflect on the rights and responsibilities that being a citizen entails (2005). This is put into practice during the activities where learning is structured so students feel like valued participants, with their opinions and ideas heard and respectfully negotiated with peers. Students have the opportunity to explore meaning and interpret some social and cultural contexts in political cartooning. This integration of the visual arts into the HASS curriculum extends student understanding of how artists realise their ideas through different conceptual and visual representations (ACARA, n.d.).

An effective way to teach civics and citizenship is to engage with real issues. This creates an authenticity in the activities and adds an identifiable purpose to the lesson for the students (Brett, 2019). The excursion to Launceston’s council chambers is our active citizen project for this unit of work. The excursion gives students a real world experience where decisions might be made that have a direct impact on their lives. 

Parents can support their child during this time by simply talking about community and government, and even getting involved with their community where they have a voice and ability to contribute.

Steven Tyers

References

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2019, March 15). The Australian Curriculum: all subjects (Version 8.3), all years, all curriculum elements, all curriculum dimensions. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/download/

Brett, P. (2019). Educating for Democratic Citizenship: Promoting active citizenship and community involvement. Retrieved from https://mylo.utas.edu.au/content/enforced/296741-AW_EAS_19S1_19935_0_0_0_1_1/1.%20Active%20Citizenship_PB_SLIDES.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=dX0BRDsVDVZldGP6H5Anv87PR&ou=296741

Gilbert, R. Hoepper, B. (2014). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences, History, Geography, Economics & Citizenship in the Australian Curriculum. (5^th ed.) South Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia

Marsh, C. (2005). Teaching Studies of society and Environment (4^th ed.) Frenchs Forest NSW: Pearson Educations Australia