The link between Humanities subjects is we humans and the human experience- what we use the earth for, how the earth shapes humans, how beliefs shape attitudes of people towards each other, and how the experience of the past has shaped the present. History teaches us about our past, it grounds us in our roots and helps us to understand the present. Geography prepares us for our future by allowing us to understand places and the relationships between people and their environments, and Religious Education gives us an understanding of world cultures, the diversity of the human race and our place within it.
The vision across the humanities subjects at Mullion School is to give pupils a broad and rich curriculum which fosters social justice and equality, teaches empathy and that allows students to become curious, critical thinkers.
Our aim:
To stimulate interest, enjoyment and a sense of wonder and awe about our world. We want to fascinate and inspire our pupils about the beauty and intrigue of our planet and the people in it, past, present and future.
To provide essential knowledge that allows pupils to be educated citizens to make informed choices in a society which is rapidly changing.
To develop and encourage questioning and critical thinking across the faculty so students become confident thinkers and learners inside and outside of the classroom.
To encourage students to develop a range of knowledge and skills that will provide a foundation for future study and a preparation for employment or higher education.
How:
Students in KS3 will have 2 lessons of Geography and History and 1 lesson of RE per week. Each lesson has been carefully planned and resourced to ensure that students are able to develop mastery of the skills from each department area and widen their knowledge of the world.
Humanities Feedback Policy
Within Humanities the primary aims of feedback are to move learning forward so students can make sustained progress by developing their knowledge and skills base. It is also used to inform teachers’ planning to best support students in their learning journey.
We recognise that feedback is an essential part of effective teaching, it can improve a student’s confidence, self-awareness and enthusiasm for learning. Therefore, feedback in Humanities will be approached in a variety of ways to cater to the individual needs of each student. It must also be purposeful and timely in its delivery.
Implementation of feedback:
- Feedback must be appropriate to the class and the students’ needs.
- Lessons are driven by clear objectives and students will be made aware of the outcomes. The success criteria will be clear to both students and staff when giving feedback, and feedback should always include how to improve.
- The feedback provided should look at the knowledge acquired and the application of this knowledge. To support this in Humanities there will be a combination of low stakes tests and written assessments.
- Students will be given time to work on feedback, sometimes this will involve using a purple pen.
- Modelling of student work and the use of teachers’ resources will help students understand expectations.
- Oracy is a key area of feedback. Within Humanities we should develop the use of more ambitious vocabulary, for example, by encouraging students to correctly pronounce words.
Frequency of feedback:
- Some form of feedback will happen in every lesson.
- Formal written assessments and feedback will be regular and timely and only be given when it impacts learning. This will be a minimum of 4 each
- academic year at KS3 and at least once a month at KS4. There will also be regular low stakes tests, which will enable students to improve memory and
- inform teaching and planning.
Marking:
- All written feedback will be completed in green pen. Students DIT feedback will be completed using the purple pen of progress.
- Feedback will include praise and how to progress. The terminology that will be used is: WWW (What went well…) and EBI (Even better if…).
- Feedback will be linked to the success criteria.
- To support literacy development across the school, Humanities teachers will correct a maximum of three common SPAG mistakes per piece of assessed work; which could include subject specific errors. Students will be expected to repeat the correct spelling as part of DIT.