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Check the topic work and the great text and then post how you can set up a HASS classroom.

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The humanities classroom is a democratic classroom and one which engages students, by nurturing student agency, fostering social belonging and preparing students to become active and informed citizens. The environment is safe and inclusive and promotes values such as representation and participation. This was highlighted in the ‘Atlanta’ speech video we watched this week. The first part of the video shows an authoritarian perspective, where power is leveraged to control student behaviour and dictate participation. In the second part, teachers in this space are facilitators of learning who share power with students and support them in managing their own behaviours.

The Knowles reading this week was very insightful and showed how a classroom incident could be used as a basis for discussion and learning.  How many opportunities are missed in classrooms today? Issues of social justice can be challenged every day which allow students to become aware. The main takeaway - give students the space to be themselves and give them a real choice about how they live their lives.

Green & Price (Chapter 20) acknowledges values education and social justice and embraces two general capabilities:  ethical understanding and critical and creative thinking. HASS subjects are founded on values which underpin everything we do in the classroom. Values education is essential in democracy.  By sitting in a circle, the community of inquiry empowers learners to discuss questions that matter, ethical inquiry questions are generated with and for learners to help them think critically.

As pre-service teachers it is important to note we do not have an impartial view of the world and until we can become aware of our own biases, we cannot help our students work beyond theirs.

Sally

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A HASS classroom should be where learning and discussion can occur freely. From the beginning, students must understand that a school is a place where their opinions will be listened to and respected. And that each and every person's opinions and beliefs have value.

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Characteristics of a humanities classroom.

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Characteristics of a humanities classroom.

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A humanities classroom is one that values critical thinking and ethical reasoning. In other words, in a humanities classroom students are encouraged to challenge ideas and examine them from different perspectives through the lens of equity and fairness. As discussed by Vigilante (2019), Freakley et al. (2018) stated that “values-based education requires more than listing a set of aspirational values and then identifying any disparities with our lived experiences. It is about critically considering both what we aspire to and what we actually do” (p. 365). As a teacher, my role is to facilitate a space where students are inspired to participate in respectful and inclusive group discussions in which they feel safe to challenge the status quo or their own lived experience. Furthermore, it is my responsibility to reflect on my own lived experience and identify any biases that could arise. As stated by Knowles (2012) “Until we can become aware of our own prejudices, we can never begin to help children work beyond theirs” (p. 50).

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How to embed democratic principles in your classroom. 

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How to embed democratic principles in your classroom. 

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I would embed democratic principals in the classroom by providing students with a voice in decision making. For example, classroom values and expectations can evolve from a student discussion around what they value in their learning space. Additionally, the classroom space should be set up to encourage all students to share and participate in discussions. Tables could be organised into group interaction hubs instead of desks and students should be encouraged to alternate their working groups so that they hear a range of perspectives. Furthermore, democratic principles should be role modeled by the teacher through a sustained effort to hear ideas from all students and encourage differences in opinion (Samanci, 2010, p. 31).

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The posts are all on the right track.Setting up a space where everyone's opinion is valued is crucial from the very first day of your career.Everyone must feel safe to be able to share opinions without fear of ridicule.

Peter

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A Humanities Classroom is an attitude and value throughout the year and flows from the classroom to the whole school, community, and society. Skills of critical consideration, independence and self-determination are fostered within inquiry-based activities and day-to-day routines. The development of powerful knowledge and a commitment to impartiality is celebrated. Students are empowered to discuss their ideas, provide reasoning and are open to alternative ideas expressed. Both constructive, sequential discussion plans and sporadic opportunities to consider alternative POVs are opportunities to develop the 21st Century skills of critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication.

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Democratic principles are modelled within high-quality, reciprocal relationships. Ethical reasoning, collaborative decision-making and full and equal participation of all groups are first explicitly taught, followed by facilitator lead opportunities to experience perspectives within the highly social environments of classrooms. Activities such as sharing circles develop social skills such as friendship, tolerance, love, respect, participation, leadership, assistance and democratic attitudes. Opportunities to make personal and class decisions regarding behavioural management, seating, motivation, standards and expectations are considered by discussing the values, rights and responsibilities of a democratic classroom.

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The humanities classroom is a space where students can explore relevant and authentic social issues in a non-judgemental environment. The classroom will develop the students’ ethical, critical and creative thinking skills while providing students with the opportunity to explore, analyse and reflect on the opinions of others and themselves. This process will challenge the student’s values, opinions, and thoughts and as a result, enable the learners to see social issues from a variety of perspectives.

My role as an educator with be to facilitate the inquiry process, stimulate the students to consider many perspectives, and ensure all students have the opportunity to share their thoughts, values, and opinions. It is important to note that I consider it essential that my own values, thoughts and opinions are not handed down to students; I want my student to develop their own values and sense of ethical identity.

In the classroom, I would embed democratic principles in my classroom by providing students with agency and actively encourage the students to voice their thoughts and opinions. A few examples of this in practice are:

-          choice in learning activities (i.e. report topics, how students present information)

-          collaborative learning experiences and discussions to enable to students to share their own values and opinions, while being presented with other perspectives to challenge their own thoughts.

-          open-ended inquiry-based learning experiences.

-          a physical environment to suit the needs of the individuals.

-          Opportunities for self-assessment and reflection

-          The collaborative development of group expectations and behaviour.

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A Humanities classroom enables students to investigate students to examine complex processes that shape the world and investigate responses to different challenges through Geography, History Civics and citizenship and Economics and business.

This can be done through the general capabilities and the cross curriculum priorities

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HASS will be evident in my classroom through the way I teach and interact with the students. Through critical and creative thinking practices and inquiry style learning, the students in my classroom will be encouraged to always ask "Why". This question will encourage others to join the conversation and give their opionions, ideas, and persepctives on topics creating a space where students feel safe to have their voice.

I will encourage students in my classroom to be vocal about how they would like to learn and give them oportunities to make choices. They will need to work collaboratively and build their communication skills to effectively achieve this.

Thanks,
Sara

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The evidence of democratic principles in my classroom would be aligning with the principles outlined in the Atlanta Speech School that should be part of a child's day and their education, not the earlier example shown by this video. The classroom is collaborative, inclusive, conversational, engaging, questioning, taking responsibility for one's learning, assuming high expectations of learners and building those positive, nurturing relationships with children that make them want to come to the classroom. It is evident here in this video the vital role of the teacher to embed the HASS principles within the classroom to make an inclusive, inviting and safe learning space.
As Samanci (2010, pp. 31-33) notes, there is an importance for teachers to understand and address the democratic issues that a child faces within their immediate world, their immediate environment, so that they then can understand and address democratic issues within the greater world around them.

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In order to create a democratic classroom styled setup, I believe the first step would be within the first week of the year, create a set of class rules all agreed upon and signed by all students. By doing this I believe students could have a greater sense of respect for their actions when they have been the ones to outline the class expectations.

I also believe that after a term students could then choose their own seating arrangements in the classroom and throughout the year understand that they can gain extra freedoms around the classroom if they remain on task and continue to uphold their own signed classroom expectations.

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The HASS classroom promotes inclusivity, democratic values and developing inquiry and creative thinking skills.

Developing strong teacher student relationships early within the school year, assists in creating student voice and agency so that students feel safe to seek change and problem solve proactively within the classroom enviornment.

Lauren Plunkett

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The HASS classroom should be an environment where students are able to inquire, investigate and examine the world they exist in. If the role of education is to develop critical thinking, creative and curious students, the HASS classroom is an ideal setting for students to explore different perspectives and challenge ideas and social norms in a respectful manner in order to make their own judgements.
- Hannah

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1. keep your classroom need and clean.

2. take responsibility of the computer and properties.

3. maintain silence in the lab

4. never use the computer for unncessary things.

5. arrange the chairs after using it.

submmitted by

1.kinley wangmo

2.ashika biswa

3.drowa zangmo