My kid is such as smart guy but he struggles to sit still and complete assessment tasks. I knew that I needed to learn more about how to get people with sensory processing disabilities to learn effectively. It turns out that by using some of the latest teaching techniques and some additional teaching resources such as wiggle chairs and fiddle balls which can help kids to focus. My son has had such great results with a different style of teaching which is why I wanted t start this blog. It should be useful for parents and teachers of kids with sensory processing issues.
As the Australian curriculum debates rage on, the role of history in the primary school curriculum is changing. Teachers are being asked to focus on history again from a younger age, and many primary school teachers find this challenging.
To increase the engagement of your class in history lessons, inject more personal relevancy into the facts and figures of history. Here are some ways to teach history at all levels that will get your students interested.
Early primary school students
In the earliest years of primary school, you can teach history lessons where children look into their personal history. They can ask their parents or guardians about when they were born and the houses they have lived in. With digital photographs they can often create multi media presentations and incorporate images from significant life events into a timeline.
As children progress through this topic, they can start to research the history of their family. For many children of immigrants' families, this gives a good opportunity for parents to discuss the differences in their childhoods, and why they made the decision to move to Australia.
Middle primary school students
As children get a little older, they can understand more abstract ideas and broader ideas of history. Getting them to research the history on the school and interview some of the ex-alumni is a great way to connect students to the wider community, as well as forming ties with the older generation. For students without local grandparents, this can be a good way to connect the children with some local seniors.
Senior primary school students
As students reach the final years of primary school, they are usually expected to learn some more traditional history of the state and country. Increase the relevancy of this work by finding stories of the roles children played in these events. With many of the Anzac diggers lying about their ages to join up, for example, you can often find examples of 14 and 15 year olds fighting in wars at similar age to the children's siblings. Equally convicts often arrived in Australia as orphaned children, and some went on to have very interesting lives that demonstrate broader historical trends.
By increasing the relevancy of the history lessons to your children, you will find they are eager participants in history lessons. By maintaining a personal enthusiasm and interest in history, your passion will help the children enjoy the lessons.
For more information, contact Catholic Education Services.
Share6 March 2015
