Professional learning paper: Significant Aspects of Learning Assessing progress and achievement in Social Studies The work in progress on Significant Aspects of Learning was reviewed in June and July 2015 in the light of feedback from practitioners, schools and education authorities and in the context of developments in national education policy. This has led to a number of changes both in the overarching paper and in each of the papers related to an area of the curriculum. Within each of the curriculum area papers changes include: • the addition of two sections which set the context for the work on significant aspects of learning • the addition of references, wherever appropriate, to the relationship between significant aspects of learning and the development of skills for learning life and work, literacy and numeracy and digital competencies • changes (usually minor) to the definition and illustration of the significant aspects of learning in that area • the use of a common format in the presentation of the significant aspects of learning • the insertion of hyperlinks to texts referenced in the paper. This preface has been added to each paper. Feedback from practitioners made it clear that the original papers lacked a clear initial statement of context and purpose. Preface This paper is one element of a suite of resources which support assessment of progress and achievement. You are recommended to read this paper in conjunction with the following: • • • • Monitoring and tracking progress and achievement in the broad general education: bit.ly/edscotapasal Assessing progress and achievement overarching paper Social studies progression framework Annotated exemplification of work in the Social Studies: bit.ly/edscotsalsocst Professional learning paper 1 Assessing progress and achievement in Social Studies This resource supplements the Social Studies Principles and Practice paper and Experiences and Outcomes. These can be found on the social studies homepage at: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningandteaching/curriculumareas/socialstudies/index.asp Introduction The introduction to each paper has been revised as necessary to make clearer links to the Principles and Practice paper which identifies the key aims of learning in the relevant curriculum area. The Principles and Practice paper in Social Studies summarises the educational rationale underpinning the right of all young people to enjoy and benefit from the experience of learning Social Studies until the end of their Broad General Education. Through social studies, children and young people develop their understanding of the world by learning about other people and their values, in different times, places and circumstances; they also develop their understanding of their environment and of how it has been shaped. As they mature, children and young people’s experiences will be broadened using Scottish, British, European and wider contexts for learning, while maintaining a focus on the historical, social, geographic, economic and political changes that have shaped Scotland. Children and young people learn about human achievements and about how to make sense of changes in society, of conflicts and of environmental issues. With greater understanding comes the opportunity and ability to influence events by exercising informed and responsible citizenship. This paper builds on this statement by making use of significant aspects of learning to support practitioners in carrying out dependable valid, reliable and challenging assessment of progress and achievement in Social Studies. Through this children and young people will be supported in developing their understanding of social, political, economic and environmental issues, of the human achievements that have made the society in which they live, of how they can influence that society and of how well they are developing as global citizens in the 21st century. This paper provides: • • • a description of the significant aspects of learning within Social Studies an outline of what breadth, challenge and application look like within Social Studies information on planning for progression through curriculum levels, using breadth, challenge and application. What are significant aspects of learning? The overarching paper in this professional learning resource contains a section on ‘What are the significant aspects of learning?’ Feedback suggested strongly that it would be helpful to practitioners as they refer to and use the curriculum area papers to have a slightly abridged version of this section included in each curriculum area paper. Professional learning paper 2 Assessing progress and achievement in Social Studies Significant aspects of learning have been identified for each curriculum area. Each significant aspect of learning brings together a coherent body of knowledge and understanding and related skills, as outlined in the Principles and Practice paper and detailed in the Experiences and Outcomes. Each significant aspect of learning • • • • • is common to all levels from early to fourth can provide sound evidence of learning in accord with the principles of Building the Curriculum 5: A Framework for Assessment supports the practice of holistic (‘best fit’) assessment can be effectively used to inform assessment of progression within a level and achievement of a level can be used to plan further progression within a level and from one level to the next. Using significant aspects of learning makes assessing progress and achievement more dependable and more manageable. This structure: • • • • • • • • supports practitioners in planning and integrating learning, teaching and assessment ensures that learners and practitioners can draw on a range of meaningful, robust, valid and reliable evidence from all four contexts of learning: classroom activities, interdisciplinary learning, the life and ethos of the school and personal achievements, including those outwith the school affords learners space to demonstrate the breadth of their learning, effective responses to challenging learning experiences and the ability to apply what they have learned in new and unfamiliar situations allows learners to progress by different routes and pathways through the experiences and outcomes helps practitioners avoid fragmented approaches to assessment which prevent learners from demonstrating the full range of their knowledge, understanding and skills removes the need to rely on evidence derived from single brief learning experiences or end of unit tests affords practitioners opportunities to plan and assess within a curricular area the development of the skills, attributes and capabilities required for learning, life and work, including the development of literacy, numeracy and digital competencies supports practitioners in making holistic (‘best fit’) judgements about the achievement of a level either in an individual significant aspect of learning or, drawing on evidence from across the relevant significant aspects of learning, in a curriculum area. The use of significant aspects of learning will inform: • • • • moderation activities based on holistic judgements supported by dependable evidence monitoring and tracking progress in learning quality assurance approaches the use of assessment to inform improvement at all levels of the education system. Professional learning paper 3 Assessing progress and achievement in Social Studies Significant aspects of learning in Social Studies A number of minor changes have been made in this section: • the significant aspects are presented as a bold bullet pointed list • numbering of significant aspects of learning has been removed; there were concerns that numbering could be interpreted as an order of priority • the wording of the introductory paragraph has been amended for clarity. Careful planning using the experiences and outcomes in the three organisers of People, past events and societies, People, place and environment and People in society, economy and business will ensure that children and young people develop the knowledge and understanding, skills, attributes and capabilities outlined in the Social Studies Principles and Practice paper. Planning for learning and teaching involves and includes planning assessment. By using significant aspects of learning, practitioners can plan and integrate learning, teaching and assessment in the most appropriate ways for children and young people in their own establishment. The significant aspects of learning in the Social Studies derived from the rationale in the Principles and Practices paper are: • • • • • • • • • understanding the place, history, heritage and culture of Scotland and appreciating local and national heritage within the world developing an understanding of the world by learning about how people live today and in the past understanding economic, political, social and environmental issues becoming aware of change, cause and effect, sequence and chronology understanding the principles of representative democracy, participation and citizenship by practising democracy through electoral participation and active citizenship in the school and local community using and applying skills in creating models, maps and graphical representation of information locating, exploring and linking periods, people, events and features in time and place gaining business enterprise skills and knowledge and an understanding of the importance and methods of managing finance developing useful skills for learning, life and work. Professional learning paper 4 Assessing progress and achievement in Social Studies Apart from the inclusion of references to ‘digital competencies’ and ‘digital media’, there are no changes to this section. What do breadth, challenge and application look like in Social Studies? Well‐planned learning, teaching and assessment provide opportunities for learners to experience breadth, challenge and application across the significant aspects of Social Studies. Breadth Breadth in Social Studies relates to: • • • new areas of political, social, economic or environmental knowledge and understanding increasing awareness of the range and use of evidence the development of new skills relating to Social Studies. These are developed through careful planning and in line with the design principle of personalisation and choice. Children and young people should be encouraged to explore contexts beyond those planned by staff to broaden their social, political, economic and environmental understanding (for example, through more open-ended homework tasks). They can investigate a range of business enterprises and examine how they satisfy consumer wants and needs. Children and young people can broaden their learning by studying a wide range of places, historical periods and different cultures. They can look at current local conservation issues and broaden this out to look at global climate issues. While exploring the needs of people in our society they can compare and contrast how they are met in the United Kingdom with other societies. They can broaden their political awareness by organising and participating in elections in school; lobbying at local and national level (for example through Scottish Parliament petitions) and by actively participating in school and local democratic bodies such as the Youth Parliament. They should be encouraged to explore a variety of ways in which they can manage their finances e.g. savings and investment opportunities. Challenge Challenge in Social Studies relates to: • • • • increasing independence and reduced level of support, including peer or teacher support, and support through timelines, glossaries etc. increasing length and complexity of task including discussion, analysis, synthesis, creativity and making conclusions increasing length, complexity and accuracy of response in written and oral responses to social, political, economic and environmental issues increasing confidence in taking the initiative (including asking for help), sustaining arguments and justifying conclusions. Children and young people can be challenged through studying increasingly complex social, political, economic and environmental problems. They should interpret increasingly complex sources, including levels of validity and reliability. They will be asked more often to give their opinion about Professional learning paper 5 Assessing progress and achievement in Social Studies an issue and justify that opinion. They will be introduced to terminology that is more specific and be expected to use it. They will handle more complex maps, graphs and social data from a range of sources and media, including digital media, and be able to draw valid conclusions from them. They will be able to express their views and ideas in a variety of ways which suits their purpose. Application Application in Social Studies relates to: • • the ability to apply the knowledge and skills developed in one area of Social Studies across Social Studies and other areas of learning and life the ability to use their knowledge of Social Studies to participate in today’s society. Children and young people can apply their developing knowledge and skills in a wide range of situations that are new and unfamiliar. These may include debates in school, discussions with invited speakers, fieldwork in unfamiliar areas, working with others in new situations, presenting findings to peers and participation in local youth groups, councils and parliaments. For example, by using their understanding of climate change young people can argue the case for or against subsidies for wind farms. Interdisciplinary learning offers children and young people opportunities to develop awareness of social issues such as sustainability and enterprise through field trips, visits to local and national heritage sites, and meetings with members of the community. Visits to local historical sites allow for discussion on the site as a tourist attraction and as part of the local economy. Major events such as elections, volcanic eruptions, and new views about the past can be analysed and debated. Financial management knowledge and skills can be applied throughout life in a variety of situations e.g. house buying, retirement. Learners will develop their understanding of society, the economy and the world of work. Through learning in social studies, children and young people will develop important transferable skills for learning, life and work, including literacy, numeracy and digital competencies. Apart from the removal of numbering, the addition of references to developing skills in literacy, numeracy and digital competencies and some expansion of the final paragraph, there are no changes to this section. Planning for progression through breadth, challenge and application in Social Studies • Understanding the place, history, heritage and culture of Scotland and appreciating local and national heritage within the world Children and young people will develop an increasingly complex mental map, starting with their local environment and moving towards a more global picture of the world. They will develop an overview of Scotland’s past and its place in the world. This will include some key turning points/events in Scotland’s history. They will become increasingly aware of how the past influences our society today and the importance of preserving aspects of a country’s past. Professional learning paper 6 Assessing progress and achievement in Social Studies • Developing an understanding of the world by learning about how people live today and in the past Children will be able from a young age to demonstrate knowledge of differences between their lives and those of others in contrasting geographical areas. Children and young people will extend their knowledge and understanding of how society continues to change and develop. They will increase their understanding of key people and events in the past and will use this knowledge to evaluate aspects of the present. • Understanding economic, political, social and environmental issues At the early level, children and young people will be aware of their immediate environment. They will move from understanding local environmental issues e.g. local land use, to having an understanding of global environmental issues such as desertification. They will develop an understanding of how the economy aims to meet society’s needs and how economies can be organised. Children and young people will come to understand the difference between needs and wants and learn how different types of society aim to meet the needs of its citizens. • Becoming aware of change, cause and effect, sequence and chronology At the early level children and young people will develop an awareness of the world around them, their place in society and an understanding that the past exists. They can appreciate that this information can be found from a variety of sources. Children and young people will move from an initial understanding that things change, to describing changes that have taken place historically in their communities and local environment. They can make contrasts between life in the past and the present day. They will begin to understand how societies have changed and the impact of major events over time. Children and young people will move from understanding the consequences of an event to being able to see long term causes and effects. They will progress to developing an overview of modern Scotland and to being able to place events within an increasingly complex timeline. • Understanding the principles of representative democracy, participation and citizenship by practising democracy through electoral participation and active citizenship in the school and local community At the early level, children and young people will begin to describe people in their community who can assist them e.g. police officers or school crossing patrols to help them cross the road. At the next level, they will start to give examples of the rights of people in Scotland and compare these with the lack of rights people may experience in other countries. As they develop further, children and young people will begin to describe and explain the responsibilities that go with rights in a democratic society such as Scotland. They will be able to describe and explain the ways in which representative democracy operates in Scotland and the ways in which they can participate in the decision making process. • Using and applying skills in creating models, maps and graphical representation of information Professional learning paper 7 Assessing progress and achievement in Social Studies Children and young people will be given the opportunity to explore a wide range of maps and develop associated skills. They will move from using simple plans of their local environment to more complex maps on a global scale. Within this, they will develop their interpretation of Ordnance Survey (O.S.) maps including significant aspects of physical geography. Whilst studying weather, as they move in to the third level, children and young people will develop an understanding of synoptic charts. Children and young people will recognise the importance and relevance of using graphs from bar charts to scatter graphs and will become more confident in creating and analysing graphs. Learners will at all levels draw on their developing skills in literacy, numeracy and digital competence. • Locating, exploring and linking periods, people, events and features in time and place Children and young people will develop an overview of Scottish landscapes both physical and human and be able to extend this to other parts of the world. They will investigate aspects of people and place in Scotland and by second level will be able to compare and contrast with a developing country. By third level, the interrelationships between settlement and physical landscape should be explored. Children and young people will increasingly display knowledge and understanding of significant aspects of life in past societies and important events and people in a range of historical contexts, lifestyles and cultures. They will have knowledge of current events as well as key turning points/events in Scotland’s past and be able to link them to have a mental picture of how Scotland developed. Children and young people will be able to locate events they study in an increasingly complex overview of the present and past. • Gaining business enterprise skills and knowledge and an understanding of the importance and methods of managing finance Children and young people will learn about the role of business enterprises in satisfying consumer needs and wants. They will gain an understanding of business ethics e.g. fair trade and work with each other to develop an idea for a good or service. They will research the market for this product and ways in which it could be produced ethically. Children and young people will have opportunities to choose an appropriate method of presenting their business idea e.g. poster, slide show. They will be able to identify the skills required to be a successful entrepreneur and learn the importance of managing finances so that they can plan for their future lives. Children and young people will be able to complete a budget. They will explore the different methods of saving and investing money and the advantages and disadvantages involved. They will investigate the ways in which finance can be borrowed and will be alert to the risks involved. Throughout this learning they will enjoy extensive opportunities to make use of digital technology. • Developing useful skills for learning, life and work Children and young people will develop a range of skills through learning about aspects of Social Studies. They will begin to describe the world around them and events that happened in the past. They will develop listening skills and a respect for other’s views. At the next level, they will be able to develop an argument related to a local social, political, economic or environmental issue. They will assess data and decide why they support an argument. As they progress, they will be able to evaluate evidence to support an argument and manipulate increasingly complex data. They will Professional learning paper 8 Assessing progress and achievement in Social Studies move on to be able to consider a range of arguments, evaluate, compare and contrast evidence and develop and use this to develop an informed opinion on a range of social, political, economic and environmental issues. Through their learning in the Social Studies, learners will develop important transferable skills for learning, life and work. These skills include being able to: analyse and evaluate their own work and the work of others; solve problems of increasing complexity; collaborate effectively; think and act creatively; develop and use their digital competencies. This section has been reworded to stress the value of using all elements of the professional resource: overarching paper, relevant curriculum area paper(s), progression framework(s) and annotated exemplification. Next steps Practitioners are encouraged to use this paper with the other elements of the professional learning resource to inform reflection on practice and plan for improvement as they support learners’ progress and achievement in learning. The professional resource, including this paper, can be used to stimulate, inform and support professional dialogue during quality assurance and moderation activities. Professional learning paper 9 Assessing progress and achievement in Social Studies