Environmental Social Studies

rationale
Themes of immediate and obvious relevance to students can provide important motivation for further learning The use of students own life experience can act as a foundation for the introduction of the concept of active citizenship in a concrete and meaningful way; The multi-focal perspective provided by a thematic approach allows concepts from the separate disciplines to interact in mutually enriching ways; Each concept is explored in both space and time by co-ordinating the geography and history inputs; The study of real world issues requires an integrated approach since many disparate disciplines must simultaneously be brought to bear to give an understanding of such issues; A thematic structure allows for an examination of life roles of women and men in a range of geographical and historical settings. Accordingly issues concerning gender roles, social change and cultural diversity arise naturally in the context of the theme to be studied; A thematic structure helps students to appreciate the relevance of subject content to their own life experience and vocational needs; The pedagogical principle of integration, introduced in the Primary School can be continued into second level and used as a spring board for specific disciplines; Integration of the separate subjects allows the expertise of teachers of disparate disciplines to interact positively; A multi-disciplinary approach based on a small number of well-defined subjects can provide the basis for the further development of links with other areas of the curriculum; The specific skills of the integrated subjects can be taught in an issues-focused manner, so that their relevance is clear to students.