Outline

Overview

This final HSIE unit of study gives you the opportunity to consolidate and build new knowledge for teaching the NSW NESA syllabuses for the Australian Curriculum in History K-6 and Geography K-6. It is expected that you will draw on relevant research and theories to inform your pedagogical decisions for teaching history and geography in the primary setting. Through the practical assessment tasks and classroom activities, you will develop a deeper understanding of pedagogy and how technologies can be used to activate geographical and historical understanding. The authentic learning experiences and assessment tasks offered in this unit are strongly aligned to the NESA Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Education
Credit points	4
Prerequisites ?	170 credit points including (EDUP4018 or EDUP4019) and EDUP4074 and EDUP4076 and (EDUP4079 or EDUP4085)
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Jia Ying Neoh, jiaying.neoh@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 1 September 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
In-person written or creative task	Teaching, learning and assessing in HSIE (History) Students will critically analyse and synthesise 5–7 key readings from Weeks 1–3 to reflect on the purpose, content, and relational dimensions of HSIE in primary education to demonstrate an understanding of how these elements shape teaching and learning	50%	Week 04 Due date: 29 Aug 2025 at 17:00 Closing date: 29 Aug 2025	Total: 1000 words	AI prohibited
Outcomes assessed:
Practical skill	inquiry Project – Investigating the World Through HSIE You design and conduct a small-scale inquiry project related to a HSIE topic. You collect and analyse data, and present your findings in a presentation to demonstrate your content knowledge and understanding of inquiry-based learning.	50%	Week 09 Due date: 06 Oct 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 13 Oct 2025	2000 words (max 10 mins video)	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction and overview: The curricular purpose of K-6 HSIE: Pedagogy and active citizenship	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 01	Introduction and overview: The purpose of teaching and learning K-6 HSIE: Pedagogy and active citizenship	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	What matters to young people and how does it influence how we teach HSIE?	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	What Matters to Young People: Rethinking How We Teach HSIE in primary classrooms	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	AI, Ethics, and the Global Citizen: Navigating Social Sciences Education in a Digital Age	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Task 1: Examining What We Teach – HSIE’s Purpose, Content and Relationships	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Teaching Sustainability in HSIE: Curriculum Content and Cross-Curriculum Priorities	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Teaching for Global Connection: Asia, Australia, and the Role of HSIE	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Learning Through Inquiry: A Pedagogical Approach to HSIE	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Building Knowledge Through Inquiry: Designing Your HSIE Investigation	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: The Sydney School of Education and Social Work requires attendance of at least 90 percent of all seminars, workshops or lectures. Where a student is unable to attend at the required rate evidence of illness or misadventure may be required and the student may be required to undertake extra work. Students should discuss the circumstances of their absence(s) with the co-ordinator of the unit of study. Further details are provided in the School canvas site: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/13426

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 4 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 80-100 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit will be listed on the Canvas site.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. consider different curriculum approaches to help primary students make sense of the experiences of everyday life by relating them to a broader context of ideas, issues and experiences
LO2. collaboratively plan and develop cohesive, well-sequenced and effective HSIE lessons
LO3. recognise the pedagogical implications of the NSW K-6 syllabuses for the Australian curriculum: history and geography
LO4. draw on pedagogical research to explain how primary students develop geographical and historical understanding
LO5. engage in critical reflection of own practice and learning
LO6. effectively use a range of resources and different ICTs to teach geography and history.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Alignment with Competency standards

Outcomes	Competency standards
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 1. Professional Knowledge: Standard 1 - Know students and how they learn 1.1. Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students. 1.2. Understand how students learn. 1.2.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching. 1.3. Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. 1.3.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. 1.4.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. 1.5. Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. 2.1. Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area 2.1.1. (Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area. 2.2. Content selection and organisation 2.2.1. (Graduate) Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence. 2.3. Curriculum, assessment and reporting 2.3.1. (Graduate) Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans. 2.4. Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians 3. Professional Practice: Standard 3 - Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning 3.1. Establish challenging learning goals 4. Professional Practice: Standard 4 - Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 1. Professional Knowledge: Standard 1 - Know students and how they learn 2. Professional Knowledge: Standard 2 - Know the content and how to teach it 2.1. Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area 2.2. Content selection and organisation
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 2. Professional Knowledge: Standard 2 - Know the content and how to teach it 3. Professional Practice: Standard 3 - Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 1. Professional Knowledge: Standard 1 - Know students and how they learn 3. Professional Practice: Standard 3 - Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning 3.3. Use teaching strategies 3.3.1. (Graduate) Include a range of teaching strategies. 3.4. Select and use resources
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 6. Professional Engagement: Standard 6 - Engage in professional learning 6.3. Engage with colleagues and improve practice
	Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) - 2. Professional Knowledge: Standard 2 - Know the content and how to teach it 3. Professional Practice: Standard 3 - Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) -

Competency code	Taught, Practiced or Assessed	Competency standard
1.1.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
1.2.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
1.3.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds.
1.5.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
2.1.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.
2.2.1		(Graduate) Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.
2.3.1		(Graduate) Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Following the positive feedback received about the structure of the tutorials in providing opportunities for students to work towards the task, and receive ongoing feedback each week on work done, this unit will continue to be structured to provide opportunities for the feedback-feedforward cycle to continue.

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

If you are undertaking professional experience/field education placement as part of your enrolment in this unit of study, please assess your specific needs and requirements for the safe and successful completion of an external placement within a host organisation. You will be given the opportunity to disclose any health issues that have a work health and safety significance before arranging a placement so that your safety, and the safety of others, can be properly assessed. The Professional Experience Coordinator/Field Education Manager will work to ensure that the workplace assignment to you is appropriate for your needs and requirements. If you are experiencing disability, and require reasonable adjustments to be arranged, please contact Disability Services as early as possible prior to commencing the internship. Please note, in all cases, and for the purpose of organising reasonable adjustments, only the impact and not the nature, of your disability will be disclosed to the host organisation.

Disclaimer

Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

EDUP4080: Human Society and its Environment 3

Semester 2, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links