Learning outcome

KNOWLEDGE

The student will have acquired knowledge of:

• The essence and basic concepts of history, geography and social studies.
• The oldest settlements in Norwegian history, the Viking Age and the High Middle Ages.
• Children and young people’s socialisation and identity construction.
• Key developments in Norwegian society.
• The natural environment, industry, settlement patterns and environment - with an emphasis on Norway.
• Social studies as a school subject and an academic discipline.

SKILLS

The student will be able to:

• Use the local area and conditions as a basis for teaching social studies.
• Use the subject and subject didactics knowledge and skills in teaching social studies in the 1-7 grades.
• Critically evaluate textbooks and other teaching materials for use in teaching.
• Plan, lead and evaluate pupils’ learning activities and provide feedback that promotes learning.
• Lead pupils so they are able to work independently within the framework of the subject.

GENERAL COMPETENCE

The student will be able to:

• Reflect on their own practical training and update their professional skills.
• Reflect critically on social studies topics and stimulate critical thinking.
• Gain insight into children’s understanding of the subject and children’s learning.
• Provide training in basic skills within the framework of the subject.

Course Objectives

Social studies disciplines in the teacher education study programme include history, geography and civics. Teaching in social studies focuses on man and society across time and space.

The SAM 101 course will develop skills for teaching social studies at 1 to 7 year level, and emphasises primary teaching. The course will qualify students to work independently with both didactic and subject-specific challenges.

Course Description

The content of the SAM 101 course focuses on Norwegian social and natural conditions, and will provide expertise to enable students to teach basic courses in history, geography and civics. The course covers primary teaching – with the close and familiar world, home and community as a didactic point of departure. The basis for knowledge of society are the pupils’ experience of the world, the immediate surroundings and various kinds of sources.

Relevant learning resources, apart from what may be found in the pupils’ environment (natural and cultural), include everything from books (fiction and non-fiction) and art and crafts, to maps and statistics, the Internet and ICT. Oral sources, pictures, newspapers and museums are also important.

The course provides a foundation for the development of perspectives on Norway’s position in a larger world (cf. SAM 102). This involves creating connections between civics as knowledge about the world, and the students’ own world.

With regards to HISTORY, the course includes the oldest settlements, as well as the Viking Age and the High Middle Ages. In GEOGRAPHY we will focus on natural resources, the landscape, industries, population and environment in Norway. Civics includes topics such as socialisation and identity-development in childhood years, as well as important developments in Norwegian society.

Knowledge of social studies as an academic subject, and as a school subject, is an important part of the course, as well as DIDACTIC skills and expertise. This includes adaptation of teaching to different groups of learners, critical assessment and use of various teaching aids and sources, as well as guidance of pupils in important skills such as independence, reflection, collaboration and conflict resolution.

Learning Methods

The course will use varied and active learning methods such as, class discussions, lectures, seminars, working with sources, ICT, writing assignments and participation in field trips / fieldwork.

In connection with the seminars, the students will work in groups with assignments / questions, which will be presented to the class. Excursion (s) / field work will be arranged in connection with the work concerning using one’s own community as a learning arena and work with basic geography.

Part of teaching is mandatory. This includes the seminars with presentations, participation in field trips / field work, etc., and teaching involving practical and didactic activities. More information can be found in the semester schedule concerning what parts of the course are mandatory.

Assessment Methods

- Group report from the excursion / fieldwork. Evaluated on a pass / fail basis.

- Oral group presentation of the seminar assignment. Counts 1 / 3 of the final grade.

- Written 4-hour examination. Counts 2 / 3 of the final grade.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean