Civics and Citizenship Domain P-10

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Learning and Teaching Support

This section contains links to web sites, online resources and tools that provide learning and teaching support for teachers.

Digital learning in Civics and Citizenship

australianscreen (http://australianscreen.com.au/education) is developed in partnership with the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) by Curriculum Corporation through The Le@rning Federation. The site brings together material from the vast collections of the NFSA, the National Archives of Australia, the ABC, SBS, and AIATSIS in a unique collaboration. It represents over 1,300 Australian feature films, documentaries, television programs, newsreels, advertisements, short films, animations and home-movies produced over the last 100 years, with clips and curators’ and teachers’ notes. All material is made available with the permission of the copyright holders. The resource includes many clips on values and citizenship, society, identity and culture and indigenous Australia.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS): CensusAtSchool
(http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/cashome.nsf/Home/Teacher+Resources) CensusAtSchool is a student-centered online data collection and analysis project run by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Thousands of Australian students have completed the 2008 CensusAtSchool questionnaire, forming a rich database of real raw data about Australian school students available free from the ABS website. This link takes you to the CensusAtSchool data page, where you can use the random sampler to extract real raw data on student lifestyle and attitudes and explore diversity by comparing one community with another, using postcodes. Alternatively, use the range of prepared samples and information tables sourced from the CensusAtSchool database. Ready to use classroom activities based on raw, real data collected from students are also available on this site.

Connect - includes unique environments for teachers, primary and secondary students. Users can search for websites, images, video and audio with all resources tagged according to audience. Topic lists of websites are clustered under the VELS.

Digilearn is the new way teachers can access and download The Learning Federation’s learning objects and digital resources. Teachers are now able to search online by keyword or browse by Domain to discover hundreds of different digital learning resources.

Civics and Citizenship related web sites

Asia Education Foundation (http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au) – this website assists teachers to develop confidence in teaching about Asia though up-to-date curriculum resources and professional learning.

Australian Constitution (http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/general/constitution) - contains the Australian constitution.

Civics and Citizenship Education (http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce) - a web portal containing resources, information, activities and links for teachers, students and parents involved in civics and citizenship education. The Civics and Citizenship Education website is sponsored by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training, and maintained by Curriculum Corporation.

Discovering Democracy in Action: Implementing the program (PDF - 1.2Mb) -  contains twenty-nine case studies from this Program and was published with the intention of encouraging ongoing dialogue about Civics and Citizenship Education in schools. Hard copies of this resource were sent to all Victorian schools in March 2005.

Discovering Democracy Units (http://www.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits) - an online version of the Discovering Democracy Units first published in book form and distributed with the Discovering Democracy Kits to all primary and secondary schools in 1998. Discovering Democracy Units online utilises the dynamic web environment to enable teachers to customise the learning and teaching activities. Activities and advice for ESL (English as a second language) students are provided, as well as the full text of John Hirst's A Guide to Government and Law in Australia and selected sources such as the Australian Constitution.

Law Institute of Victoria (http://www.liv.asn.au) - The Law Institute of Victoria is the state's peak body for lawyers and those who work with them in the legal sector. The web site provides information on their history, their services, legal issues such as ethics, and how to qualify and practise law in Victoria. Programs offered through the Strategic Partnerships Program: Careers in the legal industry pathways program; SCRAM - Schools conflict resolution and mediation program.

MCEETYA Civics and Citizenship School Release Materials (http://www.mceetya.edu.au/mceetya) - The national Civics and Citizenship school release items are compiled in an easy to use test format for students in Years 6 and 10 can be download from the MCEETYA website. The information and assessment materials in these documents have been designed to assist teachers to gauge their own students’ proficiency in civics and citizenship and compare their results with the national proficiency levels and standards.

Parliament@Work (http://www.parliament.curriculum.edu.au) - for teachers and students and provides information about current state, territory and commonwealth parliamentarians and electorates. For each electorate, census data and the latest election results are provided. There is also information about every parliament in Australia and about major political parties.

Parliament of Australia - Education (http://www.aph.gov.au/parl.htm) - contains information about the Australian parliamentary system including: Separation of Powers, the Commonwealth Parliament, Governor-General, the Senate, the House of Representatives etc.

Parliamentary Education Office - Australia (http://www.peo.gov.au) - contains many resources about Australia’s Commonwealth Parliament, including an interactive website for primary students and teachers, units of work, fact sheets and information about educational programs held at Parliament House, Canberra.

Parliament of Victoria (http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au) - contains information about the Parliament of Victoria. A virtual tour of Parliament House (http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/windowintime) is available, as well as information about Members of Parliament, legislation and bills, sitting dates and Parliamentary committees.

Parliament of Victoria - Education Office (http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/education/edu.html) - offers guided tours to students. Teaching materials are also developed and published. Consultation for individual teachers in developing civics and citizenship curriculum is also available. Support is available for VCE teachers.

Schools’ Conventions Program (http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/education/const_convention.html) - aimed mainly at year 11 students. Students are addressed by guest speakers, often Members of Parliament or other expert on constitutional matters, who raise issues for the students to consider. Students can ask questions from the floor, before moving off into small discussion groups. The groups share the results of their discussions, and then conduct a mock referendum on the issue. Participants in the Regional Conventions are then eligible to apply to attend the State Constitutional Convention.

United Nations Millennium Development Goals (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals) – the UN website with information, news and resources about the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which range from halving world poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to universal primary school education for all by the target date of 2015. These goals form a blueprint for all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions.

Values Education for Australian Schooling (http://www.valueseducation.edu.au/values) - a dynamic portal for Australian school communities to find out more about the Australian Government's Values Education initiatives.

Victorian Electoral Commission (http://www.vec.vic.gov.au) - contains information about the Victorian Electoral Commission’s role in Victorian State elections, local council elections, certain statutory elections and commercial and community elections. The Education section provides a variety of curriculum resources about our democratic system.

Victoria Law Foundation (http://www.victorialawfoundation.org.au) - aims to demystify the law with programs and resources that bring key legal information to the community through two key programs: Law Week and Law Talks.

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Student Participation

Duke of Edinburgh's Award - Victoria (http://www.theaward.com.au/Victoria.html) - The Duke of Edinburgh's Award motivates boys and girls aged between 15 and 18 to become involved in a balanced program of voluntary self-development activities. The Victorian web site details how to get become involved, provides resources for teachers and provides links to professional development programs. Program offered through the Strategic Partnerships Program: The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

Student Action Teams
In a Student Action Team (SAT), a group of students identify and tackle a school or community issue: they research the issue, make plans and proposals about it, and take action on it. Student Action Teams provide schools with a student-centred and active approach to community-based learning and community linkages. Such initiatives, as part of the formal or informal school curriculum, engage students in purposeful, authentic activities which are valued by the students, which have broader community value and which meet or exceed mandated curriculum goals. Student Action Teams involve young people working together with teachers, local government and other community groups.

Student Youth Network Inc (http://www.syn.org.au) - provides access, education and training to young people aged 12-25 who are into radio, television, print and web media, providing practical experience. The web site provides information on the education programs offered including a radio tours and audio workshops and how young people can get involved.

Thirty-three curriculum approaches: enhancing effective student participation (http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce) - this article by Roger Holdsworth outlines some curriculum approaches, each based on actual programs that have operated in primary and secondary schools in Australia and elsewhere. Examples of these programs have been documented in issues of Connect over the past 23 years.

Young Achievement Australia (http://www.yaa.org.au) - provides business enterprise programs for students. The website details their national awards program, student events, and contains state-specific news sections.

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