Port School Humanities And Social Sciences Department: HASS
(Humanities: History; Geography, Civics and Citizenship; Philosophy; Sociology; Psychology)
The recently reconfigured HASS program was developed in response to a scope and sequencing review of the old Health and Human Science curriculum. It was done in conjunction with the voice of Port students and followed the school-wide mandate to incorporate the High Impact Direct Instruction model across all classroom contexts.
This new program offers Port senior students the opportunity to build a repertoire of important educational and transferable life skills, with the rich backdrop of the full breadth of humanities disciplines, as the engaging and diverse context for learning.
Each term, students from all the learning groups are exposed to a range of carefully crafted lessons that will engage students in the following key skills:
In addition, this subject area will also regularly weave in themes and concepts relating to holistic Health and Wellbeing (Health and Human Science), to secure the best lifestyles and outcomes for all the students in our care.
The co-ordinator of Humanities and Joint Head of Senior School Raf Fecondi, has 30 years of classroom experience. As Head of Humanities Departments in Europe and Australia, Raf has managed large teaching teams, to bring cohorts of students to the successful completion of their Year 12 studies (or equivalent). As an Oxford graduate of Philosophy, Raf also brings her expertise in this area to assist students to develop their confidence when grappling with some of life’s big-picture questions.
The underlying focus will be on giving students practice in the art of constructing a well-reasoned and logically-scaffolded argument, which contains clear causal evidence, in support of whichever idea, opinion or conclusion the student is eager to communicate. Although we follow the Australian Curriculum’s scope and sequence for HASS in a broad sense, the School’s unique internal structures do not allow for a linear adherence to the prescribed curriculum content. Port HASS Department therefore supplements its curriculum planning and mapping with additional ideas and projects that open up and extend the possibilities for students’ creative engagement, whatever their ability level.
The HASS program is also intended to create valuable opportunities for the enrichment of essential literacy and numeracy skills, as well as increasing students’ analytic, critical skills and increasing their ethical understanding and agency – especially with respect to contemporary moral issues and society and civics.
The Department is committed to delivering a program that is rich and diverse, offering students the regular chance for immersive/interactive and experiential learning experiences, alongside the more traditional demands of the Direct Instruction educational model. A quick look at the photos from some recent HASS classes, will yield a fuller flavour of the ‘vibe’ of our HASS lessons!
