As a starting point for my work within Social Studies I have decided to audit my current knowledge using the CfE  Principles and Practice as a guide. These can be found here.

The first of which is that Children will:

• develop their understanding of the history, heritage and culture of Scotland, and an appreciation of their local and national heritage within the world

In terms of my own learning:

•  I grew up in Arbroath and was taught a lot about The Bellrock Lighthouse and the fishing community.
• Coming from Angus meant a trip to Pictavia to learn all about the Picts, their battles and their culture.

The second is that Children will:

• broaden their understanding of the world by learning about human activities and achievements in the past and present

In terms of my own learning:

• In primary we studied the Vikings and the Victorians but I don’t recall any of the details!!
• In secondary I took history at Higher and studied both the World Wars as well as German and British Political changes.
• At Higher level I also learnt about Women’s Rights and the political reforms that led to them receiving the vote.

The third is that Children will:

• develop their understanding of their own values, beliefs and cultures and those of others

In terms of my own learning:

• I learnt a lot about values, beliefs and cultures within my study of RME, which I took to Higher level.
• We also explored differences between cultures within history in the early years of high school.

The fourth is to:

• develop an understanding of the principles of democracy and citizenship through experience of critical and independent thinking

In terms of my own learning:

• Democracy in terms of the British Political system wasn’t something I had much interest in until 5th year. My Higher history teacher taught about the German political system so well that it encouraged me to learn more about the one which governs me.

The fifth is to:

• explore and evaluate different types of sources and evidence

In terms of my own learning:

• This was a crucial part of my Higher history course as well as within my studies of RME.

The sixth is to:

• learn how to locate, explore and link periods, people and events in time and place

In terms of my own learning:

• We often explored timelines within my primary school and up into secondary. We also linked topics in an attempt to better understand when events occurred in relation to one another.
• In terms of place…I was never very good at geography and I don’t actually remember looking at many maps apart from when I was learning about the German Invasions within WW2.

The seventh:

• learn how to locate, explore and link features and places locally and further afield

In terms of my own learning:

• Again, I don’t really remember ever working with maps or learning about where places were in relation to me. I don’t recall primary topics ever linking in terms of history either.

The eighth:

• engage in activities which encourage enterprising attitudes

In terms of my own learning:

• At high school we took part in an enterprise day where we moved through groups and completed various tasks.

The ninth:

• develop an understanding of concepts that encourage enterprise and influence business

In terms of my own learning:

• Again, the only example I have is the above group task.

And finally:

• establish firm foundations for lifelong learning and for further specialised study and careers.

In terms of my own learning:

• I didn’t develop the skills I would have loved to have now like map reading, and plotting co-ordinates. I don’t have a great grasp of world geography either.

Overall I feel it is my duty as a trainee teacher to broaden my knowledge and skills. This audit has shown that my own learning has been restricted in fields such as geography and I have a stronger skill set in terms of history and modern studies. Now that I know this I plan to buy myself a globe or a world map so that I can build up an understanding of where the UK is in relation to the world. Every time I listen to a news article I shall endeavour to find the country being mentioned. Further more I shall use internet resources and television documentaries as well as trips and visits to broaden my knowledge of all these areas so that I can deliver a quality teaching experience to my pupils.