The humanities in the primary school – where are we and in which direction should we be heading? A perspective from Scotland

Abstract

In Scotland, although there is no agreed definition of what constitutes the humanities, they have their locus principally within two of eight curricular areas in Curriculum for Excellence (CfE): Social Studies (SS) and Religious and Moral Education (RME). Both SS and RME are contexts for learning where broad principles apply in relation to curricular coverage. These principles are formalised in Experiences and Outcomes for each of these curricular areas which provide broad guidance around topic areas for study while allowing for the use of local contexts for learning and flexibility in pedagogy. Key opportunities in SS include: exciting and engaging learners, enabling personalisation and choice and equipping learners with a range of skills. In RME, opportunities include helping learners to: understand themselves and others; draw upon religious and other beliefs in forming their own views and engaging in positive social change. Key challenges for SS include: ensuring breadth and depth of coverage; reaching agreed standards across the educational community; responding to the requirement for an increased focus on literacy and numeracy. In RME challenges include: ensuring that national expectations are met; ensuring breadth and depth in learning; the nature and role of assessment; practitioner and parental conceptualisations of the curricular area.