VELS - Allowing marine studies to come to life
What I learned at the courses of 2005
Allow me to expand quoting from several of the VELS documents prepared by VCAA.
| VELS Subject Area |
Comments |
Implications |
Interpersonal Development
Civics and Citizenship
|
“includes forms of conflict within local and wider contexts from historical and contemporary perspectives”.
“Domain facilitates the practice of citizenship skills, the exploration and development of values and dispositions to support citizenship and the empowerment of informed decision making. Teaching of civics engages students in active interaction with the community. In a world where people, environments, economics and politics are inextricably linked, and where dislocation and change is accelerating, a strong sense of personal identity developed through participation in communities is a sound basis from which to connect with the world.
Education strengthens understanding and valuing of the self. It teaches why citizens need a sense of personal identity within their own community and how they can contribute to local, national and global communities.”
“They are provided with opportunities to investigate and participate in activities that support sustainable practices…. And underpin the future wellbeing of societies from a local to a global level.”
|
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| Geography |
“The essential skills students develop are the ability to identify and collect evidence from a primary source through fieldwork.” |
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| Science |
“To be human is to be curious about the world we live in, to wonder why it is that way, and to ask about our place in it. A fundamental goal for science education is to stimulate, respond to nourish such curiosity, wonder and questioning. Science provides us with one view of the world – a view that changes as our knowledge and understanding of science evolves. “
“Science uses techniques of scientific investigation to create an understanding of the world. “
“Science has had, and will continue to have, successes and setbacks as technologies that provide people with an improved quality of life are developed and implemented.”
“It is becoming increasingly important that students understand these challenges and redirections, and the implications of these for their own life choices, the environment and community (local and global) in which they live.”
“A set of values inform and govern how scientists operate including respect for the environment (living and non-living) and the opinions and ideas of others, honesty in collecting and presenting data and evidence, and acknowledgement of the work of others.”
“A major goal of science education is to develop citizens who are capable of engaging in informed debate about science and its applications. Increasing emphasis will be placed on the role of science and the work of Australian and other scientists in addressing issues of sustainability at a local and global level.” |
Holds a multitude of links to this type of work. |
| “Science knowledge and understanding”
“Science at work” |
“The nature of the similarities between, and the diversity of, living things and their sustainable relationships with each other and their environment.”
“Focuses on students experiencing and researching how people work with and through science.”
“Through their investigations, they gain insight into science as a human activity and the relationship between science, technology and society both now and in the future.” |
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| Interdisciplinary Learning strand within Communication |
“Communication helps to construct all learning and is central to the capacity to demonstrate and convey what one has learned in different contexts and to different people. This domain assists students to understand that language and discourse differ in different disciplines and that there is a need to learn particular literacy’s involved in each task.” |
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References
- vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au
- Fiji Islands Wildlife Guide, Neville Coleman’s World of Water, 2005
- Indo Pacific Coral Reef field Guide, Dr Gerald R Allen and Roger Steene, 2002
- The Coral Reef Crisis, Trends and Solutions, 5 Years of Reef Check, Gregor Hodgson and Jennifer Liebeler, 2002
- Coral Watch Reef Education CD, Vision, Touch and Hearing Research Centre, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, 2005
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