The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is working to turn young people into passionate and active participants in the democratic process, with the release of new resources for kids and teachers.
Announced by Minister for Education, James Merlino, the Authority’s new non-partisan digital resources are to help students from Years 3 to 10 build their understanding of civics and citizenship.
“The resources focus on five topics – voting, active participation, citizenship, policy and the media’s influence on the political environment – and are accompanied by videos of students interviewing experts and other students about their experiences and thoughts on the topics,” Mr Merlino said.
“Students will develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the political and legal systems, and the values which underpin a democratic society, to become informed and active citizens,” he said.
“The course content is age-appropriate, teaching students about issues and processes like debates over changes to the law, elections, Government responses to international events, basic theory of political and legal institutions, and democratic values like fairness, equality, representation and accountability and citizens’ rights.”
Mr Merlino said the VCAA resources included a Teacher Guide and a series of workshops to introduce teachers to the new materials as part of a professional development learning program.
The Minister said the resources were co-developed by students, the Victorian Student Representative Council and Monash University.
Further information on the VCAA’s Civics and Citizenship resources can be accessed at this PS News link.
