Importance of History and Geography in Society

Awareness of history and geography is essential within any society. Acquiring knowledge of these two aspects of humanities is fundamental to understanding ourselves, others and the world in which we live. Through effective teaching of history and geography students begin to develop an understanding of ‘societies, events, movements and developments that have shaped humanity from earliest times’ (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], n.d.). As well as understanding the ‘characteristics of the places that make up our world, using the concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability, scale and change. (ACARA, n.d.)’ All of which aims to nurture positive outcomes for later life.

Through my lesson,

53). Aitken mentions this in relation to Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert approach to teaching and learning and knowing how students learn in order to help them effectively engage in reflection. My lesson encourages and incorporates many moments for reflection and rich discussions to take place. I choose to use the story My Grandmother’s Toy Box in the lesson which is a story that the students were introduced to on a recent excursion to the museum. The book provides an opportunity to reflect on what was learnt from the museum and for rich discussions to develop when exploring each of the toys from the book. My instruction for reflections and discussions is developed so that students are the producers, not just the consumers, of knowledge. For example, students are encouraged to actively participate in reflections and discussions, and in turn build upon knowledge as they are guided and prompted with questions that require a depth of articulation and understanding. For example, “What unique futuristic features will your toy have?” Based on their understanding of toys from the past and present, students begin to produce ideas about the characteristics of future toys and later on share these ideas with the class. According to Costa and Kallick (2008), this type of guiding and instruction is important to ensure students achieve understanding. Costa and Kallic state that ‘teachers who promote reflective classrooms ensure that students are fully engaged in the process of making meaning’ (p.