H.S.I.E+and+Inquiry+Learning

 H.S.I.E and Inquiry Learning
Studying Human Society and Its Environment is the 'key learning area in which students develop knowledge, understandings, skills, and values and attitudes about people and their social and physical environments'. (HSIE Syllabus, pg. 5) The syllabus aims to allow students to gain understandings about change and continuity, cultures, environments, and social systems and structures. Fine knowledge of these 4 strands provides students with lifelong understanding about global processes and the nature of authentic, meaningful experiences. This unit of work is essential as it provides students the opportunities to challenge their curiosity, ideas and become involved learners about issues relevant to their surrounding environment.

Inquiry learning is open-ended and encourages students to take control of their own learning. Inquiry learning-based strategies are supported within the HSIE K-6 Syllabus to allow students to actively investigate things about their world and to communicate their ideas within the classroom setting, as well as providing opportunities for reflection to take place. HSIE as a key learning area in the NSW K-6 Board of Studies, (2006) highlights the significance and objective for teaching students about the world around them by enhancing student’s skills, knowledge and understanding, and values and attitudes. This is where the inquiry process becomes a very important tool to use to be able to engage the students in deeper thinking required to achieve these elements in terms of the HSIE syllabus.

As seen in the [|HSIE K-6 Syllabus (pg. 9)] it is divided into three key learning areas that contain various content students will be taught. These include (Board of Studies, 2006):
 * Knowledge and Understandings
 * Values and Attitudes
 * Skills



'Skills' is the key component where inquiry learning takes place and these three areas all intertwine with each other in order to create meaning and understanding within the HSIE key learning areas of the syllabus. Within inquiry learning the HSIE Curriculum demonstrates the subject matter having a focus on an issue which is relevant to the learner, where Reynolds (2009) states that “inquiry learning encourages students to link learning to real life, society and sociteal issues” (p. 20). This as a result doesn't only make learning meaningful, but it also entrusts the learner a link to their community which in turn “enhances a sense of personal, community, national and global identity. (Board of Studies, 2006. p. 8)

The HSIE K-6 Syllabus aims for learners to have social and civic particpation wtihin their community (Board of Studies, 2006). This takes place through the use of an inquiry process. Such a process allows children to reconsige an issue which they are connected to, increase their knowledge by undertaking the inquiry process, and as a result create meaning and understanding. This outcome resulting from the inquiry process also displays an aim of the HSIE K-6 Syllabus where students are “enable to participate effectively in maintaining and improving the quality of their society and environment” (Board of Studies, 2006, p. 8). Furthermore, demonstrating how inquiry learning and HSIE work collectively to achieve high levels of students' learning attainment.

