Define the infinite, define the change of wind

To define an 'Exemplary Humanities, Civics and Citizenship Teacher' is near impossible, as there is no finite in the definition! The Exemplary teacher are defined by the students he or she teachers. And exemplary teacher does not have specific, fixed qualities but rahter, is exemplary in serving the needs of his or her students. And so the qualities of an exemplary teacher varies, just as the needs of every class, every student across time vary. 

An exemplary Humanities, Civics and Citizenship teacher may display flexibility, a love of learning, and an open mind. These are the natural qualities that are nested deep into my being, and that I learnt to draw upon and develop as part of my teaching practice at Strathmore Secondary College. During my teaching practice, I worked with a year 9 History class who were studying Australia’s role during ‘World War I’. In particular, this cohort of students represented a diversity of cultural, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds and thus, it was necessary that I respond to the dynamics of the class in a flexible and open minded way. Particularly with integrated students who required a larger amount of patience, and a greater variety of materials to draw from. It is in this sense, that I perceive my role as a Humanities, Civics and Citizenship teacher, not necessarily defined and restricted to the domains of VELS, That is, an Exemplary Humanities Teacher has a responsibility to be responsive to the needs of his or her students.

 

During my teacher practice at Strathmore Secondary College, I also observed the many opportunities that Humanities, Civic and Citizenship teachers have in fostering a life-long love of learning, inquiring, and experiencing. For example, through the study of History, students have the opportunity to learn about their past in order to understand their present, themselves and of the cultures of the world. To develop an appreciation for history, for to not to learn the lessons of history would mean that we are only doomed to repeat them. Additionally, through the study of History, students learn of the mistakes and the triumphs of the past and can use this knowledge to form their future. In this way, fundamental to my philosophy of teaching is the ideal that learning is a consequence of experience, evidence of having lived and experienced something in the world. For this reason, an Exemplary Humanities Teacher must be innovative and creative, open to new experience, and willing to share their experiences with students.

 

Despite this, Exemplary Humanities, Civics and Citizenship teachers also identify the value of VELS curriculum guidelines as a framework for serving the needs of their students. Particularly, through the integration of VELS domains; including those compromising Humanities (History, Economics and Geography) and Civics and Citizenship, and ICT; Humanities, Civic and Citizenship teachers are able to adapt their teaching to provide engaging and challenging learning experiences. This is fundamental to VIT standards outlining and challenging learning experiences. This is fundamental to VIT standards outlining the need to (1) know how students learn and how to teach them effectively, and to (5) create safe and challenging learning environments.

Specifically, an Exemplary Humanities, Civics and Citizenship Teacher must (2) know that content they teach, that is, the content outlined in VELS curriculum. Through the study of VELS curriculum and continual efforts to develop professional repertoire, Exemplary Humanities Teachers are able to best serve their students and provide positive learning opportunities.

Particularly, an Exemplary Humanities, Civics and Citizenship Teacher must be able to ensure that students gain an essential insight into the History of the world and Australia, the influence of nature on the lives of living organisms, the responsibilities and rights individuals have as citizens and members of Australian society and economy and, the political framework that underpins our lives in Australia. Such insights are not only important learning exercises in engaging a student’s love of learning and inquiry, but also, are essential to understanding life as we know it in Australia and around the world. In this way, an Exemplary Humanities Teacher understands and acknowledges the value that content and learning opportunities present to students during a fundamental transition of adolescence.

Similarly, an Exemplary Humanities, Civics and Citizenship Teacher also acknowledge the opportunities that VCE study presents to students in enabling them to achieve their goals. For this reason, and consistent with VIT standards, an Exemplary Humanities Teacher continuously engages in professional development efforts to ensure the best outcomes for students.

 

It is also important for a Humanities, Civics and Citizenship Teacher to engage in professional development due to the great variety of subjects and content that a Humanities Teacher is eligible to teach. This is particularly relevant in the case of teaching VCE. Unlike VELS curriculum, VCE guidelines have a strong emphasis on assessment.

It is important that an Exemplary teacher makes the distinction between teaching to the VELS curriculum and, teaching to the VCE curriculum. Particularly, the VCE curriculum requires a more specific and focused attention to the prescribed content and skills that students are expected to develop. For this reason, it is important that an Exemplary Humanities teacher is not only familiar with the content and curriculum, but is also competent to teach it in an effective way. This was particularly highlighted during my teaching practice in which I participated with a VCE History: French Revolution group. As a VCE teacher, students come to rely on the expertise and guidance of their teachers to a greater extent due to the strong emphasis on assessment and 'results'.

  

Particularly, during my pre-service training, I had the opportunity to study VCE guidelines in the subject area of Legal Studies. Importantly, this study highlighted the importance of constantly revising knowledge in order to accommodate changes in the curriculum and assessment requirements.

For example, it appears that curriculum guidelines for History unit 1: Twentieth century history 1900 – 1945, students not only study the causes and consequences of the two world wars, imperialism and world large alliances, students also create, annotate and interpret maps. Students use key concepts relevant to the selected historical context; such as culture, nationalism, internationalism, race, ideology, gender and class. And developing such skills to analyse primary and secondary sources, and testing their credibility.

In this way, an Exemplary Humanities Teacher is able to strike a balance between serving the needs and interests of students, and providing an engaging and enjoyable learning experience and life lesson, whilst reflecting a curriculum designed to support student development and learning.