HSIE - What's it all about?
HSIE stands for Human
Society and Its Environment. It is one of the six Key Learning Areas (KLA's) of
the NSW K-6 Curriculum and consists of four strands – Change and Continuity,
Cultures, Environments, Social Systems and Structures
The NSW BOS Syllabus refers to HSIE as “….the key learning area in which students develop knowledge, understandings, skills, and values and attitudes about people and their social and physical environments.” It then goes further to describe the aim as “ to develop in students the values and attitudes, skills, and knowledge and understandings that: · enhance their sense of personal, community, national and global identity; · enable them to participate effectively in maintaining and improving the quality of their society and environment.” The description of HSIE more often makes reference to the skills gained rather than a succinct definition of the subject. Hart and Marsh describe the subject as “complex” because of the range of disciplines covered and the integration with other studies. HSIE encompasses the Australian Curriculum subjects of History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship, and Economics and Business, as the Humanities and Social Science. The importance of HSIE is that it develops the life skills of students and helps them to understand who they are and how they relate to the world. The skills learnt are transferrable to many other KLA’s and to future life experiences. The subject matter is broad and allows all students to be involved regardless of intellectual capabilities. Classes consist of students with mixed capabilities and backgrounds, which allows for the transfer of different viewpoints and mirrors the real world. HSIE prepares students to become the informed and active future global citizens. It gives them the ability to research and analyse information and instills in them responsibility, acceptance, and values that allow them to make responsible and informed decisions. The future well being of human society and its environment depends on quality of people’s interactions with each other and with their cultural, social and physical worlds (NSW BOS, 2001). |