The learning outcomes addressed by this pathfinder have been given to the students in abbreviated form. Below are the same outcomes in the full form taken directly from the NESA K-10 History Syllabus.

Cross-Curriculum Priorities

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
The study of History in Australia requires a valued engagement in and celebration of the
experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, past and present, as part of the
shared history belonging to all Australians. Students examine historical perspectives from
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewpoints. Throughout the study of History, students learn
about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as the world’s oldest continuous cultures,
prior to colonisation by the British, the ensuing contact and its impact. They will examine the
interaction between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Europeans, with special
emphasis on Aboriginal initiatives and responses to key government policies since their earliest
contact with British colonists. Students develop an awareness of the significant roles Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples have played in Australian society and the wider world. This
knowledge and understanding will deepen and enable students’ capacity to participate in the
ongoing development of a just and equitable Australian society that genuinely reconciles with
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

General Capabilities

Critical and creative thinking
The process of critical and creative thinking is central to historical inquiry. Students are
introduced to sources which, in later stages, will be questioned for their reliability and
usefulness. These sources are critically selected and analysed to provide evidence and
information in the process of constructing and defending an argument or interpretation.
Students explore viewpoints and perspectives in the context of studying history. When
investigating the past, sources are incomplete and in this context, both critical and creative
modes of thinking are engaged in the construction of an historical explanation using limited
evidence. They also provide scope for presenting new and challenging interpretations when
difficult or distracting information, newly discovered sources or unsettling recent events contest
our familiar understanding of the past and require that this past be reinterpreted.

Ethical understanding
Through a study of History students engage with a range of human behaviours displayed by the
people of the past. This provides them with an opportunity to examine and explore the strengths
and weaknesses, motives and actions of historical personalities and groups. Such an encounter
with different behaviours from the past will enable students to compare and strengthen their
own ethical understanding. This ethical process allows them to create a firm perspective and
stance on right and wrong conduct.

Information and communication technology capability
Students develop ICT competence as they learn to use ICT effectively and appropriately when
investigating, creating and communicating ideas and information at school, at home, at work
and in their communities. Competence in ICT is most evident in historical skills associated with
locating, processing and communicating historical information. This includes the use of
information technologies to access a growing range of digitised online materials; spreadsheets
and databases for analysing evidence and historical trends; digital technologies to create,
publish and present their learning; communication technologies, for example wikis and blogs, to
enhance students’ analytical thinking capabilities in their study of history and online forums and
videoconferencing to discuss and debate ideas.