Human Rights Education Resources for the Classroom Please click here for url link to the website www.humanrights.gov.au/info_for_teachersThe Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) has developed a structured online human rights education program for teachers of upper primary and secondary school students. The program has been developed as a direct response to increased demands for human rights education resources in schools and the relative absence of relevant published material which can be incorporated into current Australian education curricula. HREOC's human rights education program has detailed links to the currcula of each state and territory and includes strategies for teaching about international instruments and domestic laws, but most importantly, encourages students to explore the relevance of human rights to their own experiences and communities.
An education resource for Australian secondary school teachers
Voices of Australia: Education Module allows for the different stories of Australian people to be heard and celebrated in the classroom. Students will increase their awareness about experiences of diversity, discrimination, race relations, friendship, and respect. Click here for a link to the website link Voices of Australia
The teaching and learning activities in this module are curriculum linked and applicable for use in:
- upper primary Civics and Citizenship
- lower secondary Civics and Citizenship/ English/ Personal Development/ Arts
- post compulsory Legal Studies, English, Modern History
Human Rights Education Principles
HREOC believes that the appropriate approach to human rights education is one that is engaging, relevant and discursive. If human rights are about human experiences, human rights education programs should draw students into real-life situations relevant to their own experiences.
- Contextual: human rights are discussed in social contexts relevant to the learners
- Skills-oriented: human rights education develops skills, and is linked with literacy, numeracy and decision making skills
- Cross-curricular: human rights, as human experience, are relevant to all aspects of learning
- Discursive: learning is based on discussion, exchanging ideas and values, understanding human communication Inclusive: allows all students, regardless of their learning styles/abilities, to participate.
Educational Outcomes
HREOC's Human Rights Education Resources are designed to assist student in developing:
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An understanding of what human rights are and an understanding of the origins of modern human rights
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An appreciation of the meaning and significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights instruments
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An understanding of how human rights instruments are applied in Australian law and society
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An ability to apply the concepts of human rights to their daily lives
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An understanding of issues concerning asylum seekers and refugees, migrants and multiculturalism and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
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Research and fact-sourcing, and an ability to think creatively and to communicate information to others
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Decision making skills, within an individual, group and class context
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Literacy skills, including critical literacy, code breaking and comprehension skills, through reading and responding to a variety of texts, both orally and through writing
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Skills in describing, reflecting, interpreting, analysing, evaluating and higher order thinking.