Preliminary Humanities Stage 1

This course is organised into four sequential stages. Each stage includes a learning focus statement, key guiding questions and examples of student learning. Each stage is designed to accommodate a learner's level of readiness and reflects their stage of development. It may be likely that a learner may engage in only one stage of learning in their study of this course.

Using a practical skills-based approach, the learning program focuses on the learner’s personal history, community organisations and local environment. Learning will take place in a limited range of highly familiar contexts, using concrete and immediate examples.

This course has been accredited under Section 55ZI of the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification Act 2003 - Other education. ‘Other education’ is defined by the Act as including ‘education specifically designed for a person with a disability’.

Section 55ZM of the Act requires that providers of this course issue qualifications to learners who achieve a Preliminary Achievement (PA) award or higher at any stage or size value. For further information and examples, see the Supporting Documents section of this course.

In addition to provider-issued qualifications, course providers may report learner results to the Office of TASC in late November each year using prescribed methods. Reported results will be used by TASC for inclusion on students’ Qualification Certificates (QCs) and may form part of the evidence base for a Tasmanian Certificate of Educational Achievement (TCEA) for eligible learners.

Achievement in courses Preliminary to Level 1 does not contribute to the Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE). This allows for greater flexibility in regard to learner movement between stages and their learning time (reflected in variable size values for this course) than are available in Level 1 and higher senior secondary courses.

The Preliminary to Level 1 suite of courses is designed for learners whose circumstances significantly impact their learning – in an ongoing manner or for extended periods of time. 

These learners include:

• learners with disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1992, whose disability requires educational adjustments to support access and participation in learning 
• learners whose circumstances have significantly impacted their ability to attend school for extended periods of time or engage in courses with higher levels of complexity
• learners who require significant support for learning English as an additional language or dialect.

In a world that is increasingly culturally diverse and dynamically interconnected, it is important that learners come to understand their world, past and present, and develop a capacity to respond to challenges, now and in the future, in innovative, informed, personal and collective ways.

The study of Humanities plays an important role in harnessing learners’ curiosity and imagination about the world they live in and empowers them to actively shape their lives; make reflective, informed decisions; value their belonging in a diverse and dynamic society; and positively contribute locally, nationally, regionally and globally.

In Preliminary Humanities, learners will develop their understanding of the community in which they live, the organisations and services that may meet their needs, and how to access a range of services.

This course is specifically designed for learners who require flexible and individualised programs. The skills, knowledge and understandings offered in this course will enable learners to move towards greater independence. Learners will experience a range of learning activities in a familiar context that will assist them to attend to and explore the world around them with as much independence as possible. Learning experiences in this course are designed to move learners from an emergent level of responding to a level where the response indicates intention.

With coactive support, Preliminary Humanities aims to develop learners' abilities to:

• form a sense of identity through the study of their personal and community histories
• make sense of the world around them and their place within the local environment and community
• identify, locate and interact with key people, places, organisations and agencies in communities familiar to them
• select and use appropriate services to meet their needs
• to solve problems, make decisions and propose actions in relation to real-world events and issues
• engage and participate in community activities and events.

On successful completion of this course, learners will be able to:

1. identify the objects, people, places and events that form their personal and community histories, and the ways in which these are commemorated
2. use historical skills to gather information and construct a narrative about the past
3. identify the location, features and purpose of personally significant places and activities
4. use geographical skills to locate, access and use places and services in their local community
5. attend to and implement some basic social rules.

This course focuses on progressing learners from a pre-intentional to intentional state. It encourages learners to develop their independence as they explore, participate and engage in the world around them. Expectations for learner achievement are set at four stages which are not associated with any set age or year level that links chronological age to cognitive progress. As learners progress through these stages the level of coactive support required decreases as they proceed towards becoming independent learners. 

This document is Stage 1 in four Stages of the course Preliminary Humanities.

 Stage 1
At this stage learners experience a range of activities that will assist them to attend to and explore the world around them with as much independence as possible. Experiences are designed to move learners from a pre-intentional level of responding to a level where the response indicates beginning intention. Learners will need high levels of coactive support and focused attention from the provider to help them initiate and refine their responses. Learners demonstrate some awareness and recognition of familiar people and routine activities.

 Stage 2
Learners at this level become less reliant on high levels of coactive support and become more reliant on verbal prompts and gestures to facilitate their learning. They begin to explore their world independently and engage in simple cause-and-effect play activities. Learners are able to focus on structured learning activities for short periods of time. They respond to familiar people and events and begin to use ‘yes/no’ responses. 

Stage 3

Learners at this level are less dependent on coactive support and respond more consistently to prompts and simple clear directions from the provider to support them in their learning. They are displaying the first signs of independence and becoming more peer focused. Learners participate in structured learning activities with others and they begin to use pictures, photos and objects to communicate personal interests and experiences. They start to use and link some familiar words and images to form a meaningful communication. 

Stage 4
With provider support and curriculum scaffolding, learners at this level participate cooperatively in group learning activities. They express their feelings, needs and choices in increasingly appropriate ways, and combine and sequence key words and images to communicate personal interests and to recount significant experiences. They indicate beginning understanding of social rules and expectations and are beginning to reflect on their own behaviour.

Learners can enter the course at any of the four stages depending upon their level of readiness or ability.  Providers will determine the entry point for learners based on each learner’s level of readiness.

All learners have a right to an education that meets their needs through full participation and engagement with learning. Providers enhance the quality of all students’ learning through responsive and planned learning programs that optimise achievement using inclusive practices.

Learners will have access to appropriate resources such as professional support staff (or adult assistance), and equipment such as assistive technology or modified facilities, as required. The Disability Standards for Education, 2005 outline the obligations that educational providers must meet in supporting the needs of learners with disability through reasonable adjustments. 

Adjustments include a range of supports and accommodations including but not limited to: 

• supportive learning environments 
• tailored delivery models 
• visual and organisational supports 
• multimodal learning and assessment opportunities 
• varying levels of prompting and adult assistance. 

‘Adjustment’ does not mean the lowering or removal of standards but rather it means allowing learners appropriate means to demonstrate their learning and achievement against standards.

In the instance of online, distance or flexible delivery, adjustments may be made in the delivery of the courses by providers to suit the individual student’s learning environment. This may involve differentiation to reflect the resources readily available to the learner within their home or community.

This course has a complexity Preliminary to Level 1.

Each stage of the course has a size value of 5 or 10 or 15 depending upon learners’ needs. A learner will undertake a minimum of 50 hours study in this course, through to a maximum of 150 hours dependent on learner needs.

There are many possible ways of combining the Stages of learning and the size value of 5 or 10 or 15 depending upon learners needs.

For example:

• A learner might study Preliminary to Level 1, Stage 3 of the course and complete it in 50 hours. This learner might then study Preliminary to Level 1, Stage 4 of the course and require 100 hours to achieve this. After successful completion, this learner might then undertake You, Your Family and the Community Level 1 in the following year.
•  In one year a learner might study Preliminary to Level 1, Stage 2 of the course and complete it in 50 hours. This learner might then also study Preliminary to Level 1, Stage 3 of the course and require 100 hours to achieve this. 
•  A learner may study Preliminary to Level 1 Stage 1 in 150 hours.

The sequence of delivery of the Stages is at the discretion of the provider. A personalised learning program will be developed for each learner, dependent on their needs. Not all learners will achieve all stages of the course content.

All content in each Stage is compulsory and must be completed.

The knowledge and understanding strand provides the content focus through which particular skills are to be developed. The Personal and Social Capability provides opportunities for learners to interact with others and to develop their interpersonal skills. It is expected that the three strands will be delivered in an integrated manner.

STAGE 1: (50, 100 AND 150 HOURS)

This stage has a size value of 5, 10 or 15. 

At Stage 1, the focus is on the present. Learners learn about themselves through stories, objects and artefacts such as photos and images. 

Learners will develop an awareness of a place on a personal, local scale. They are supported to use their senses to explore the tangible characteristics of a significant place such as the sound, smell, feel of significant features, and environmental and human characteristics. Places will range in size from a part of a room or garden to community places.

The idea of a place, its purpose, features and location (a part of the concept of space) are introduced through personal experience and reinforced through the use of multisensory and multi modal texts, images, maps, photos and models. The emphasis in Stage 1 is on the significant places in which they live, and their reaction to them.

At Stage 1, the course focuses on enabling learners to react and engage with and to be socially receptive to others. Learners show emotions when reacting to people and events they experience. They begin to develop an understanding of themselves and their needs. Learners are provided with opportunities to interact with others and develop emotional bonds.

Key questions:

• ‘What is my name and what do I look like?’
• ‘What people are familiar and support me?’
• ‘What objects are familiar to me?’
• ‘What do I experience in this place?

STRAND 1: KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

History

• who they are and what they look like
• the people in their family
• experience significant events and places
• how stories about them can be communicated, for example in photographs and multimedia.

Geography

• experience and react to the sensory elements of a place
• experience the distance and location of familiar places
• experience the purpose of or the special event/s of a space
• react to features and activities of a familiar place
• experience weather and seasons
• experience local area dreaming stories and country/places.

STRAND 2: HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES SKILLS

History

• recognise personally significant objects from their childhood and from now
• explore a source that describes self or familiar person
• explore objects from the past and present
• experience narratives about a person.

Geography

• experience and react to a place and its features
• react to familiar places and activities
• experience places that are important for specific people and related activities
• experience geographical information by using their senses
• react to images or sensory elements which represent preferred personally significant places.

STRAND 3: PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CAPABILITY

• react to people and express emotions
• identify significant objects and people and make a choice between alternatives to show what they like
• identify significant people by gesturing, vocalising or orienting towards them
• develop ability to focus attention on others and acknowledge their presence
• being supported to interact with others
• interact with another showing cooperation 
• experience problems within everyday situations and assist to implement routine and accept assistance from familiar adults to manage problems.

Criterion-based assessment is a form of outcomes assessment that identifies the extent of learner achievement at an appropriate end-point of study. Although assessment – as part of the learning program – is continuous, much of it is formative, and is done to help learners identify what they need to do to attain the maximum benefit from their study of the course.

The standard of achievement each learner attains on each criterion is recorded as a rating of ‘C’ (satisfactory standard) according to the outcomes specified in the standards section of the course document.

A ‘t’ notation must be used where a learner demonstrates any achievement against a criterion less than the standard specified for the ‘C’ rating. The ‘t’ notation is not described in course standards.

A ‘z’ notation is to be used where a learner provides no evidence of achievement at all.

Internal assessment of all criteria will be made by the provider. Assessment processes must gather evidence that clearly shows the match between individual learner performance, the standards of the course and the learner’s award.

NOTATION ON EVIDENCE OF LEARNING

 Some of the criteria standard elements use the terms reacting, responding and recognising.

In the context of this preliminary level course reacting/responding might be defined as:

• an intentional repeatable and observable behaviour that can be interpreted simply, objectively and conclusively.

In the context of this preliminary level course recognising might be defined as:

• intentionally signalling identification of (someone or something) through gesture, facial expression or sound from having encountered them before.

Each provider is responsible for ensuring the integrity and validity of their assessment results against the requirements of the course, including standards, and for maintaining records and documentation that will demonstrate the integrity, accuracy and validity of the award decisions they make each year.

Under Section 55ZN of the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification Act 2003, TASC may give a provider written direction regarding the provision and assessment of an accredited other education course.

The assessment of Preliminary Humanities Stage 1 will be based on whether the learner can:

• 1. identify personal and community histories
• 2. use historical skills
• 3. identify the location, features and purposes of places
• 4. use geographical skills
• 5. use basic social rules.

Preliminary Humanities Preliminary, Preliminary to Level 1: Stage 1, 2, 3 or 4 (with the award of):

SATISFACTORY ACHIEVEMENT

PRELIMINARY ACHIEVEMENT.

The minimum requirements for an award in this course are as follows:

Satisfactory Achievement (SA)

5 ‘C’ ratings

Preliminary Achievement (PA)
2 ‘C’ ratings

The accreditation period for this course is from 1 January 2019 until 31 December 2025.

During the accreditation period required amendments can be considered via established processes.

Should outcomes of the Years 9-12 Review process find this course unsuitable for inclusion in the Tasmanian curriculum, its accreditation may be cancelled. Any such cancellation would not occur during an academic year.

1. GLOSSARY OF VERBS

2.  GLOSSARY