World studies

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

World studies is a social science subject that is available at community schools in Schleswig-Holstein . It is taught exclusively in lower secondary level (grades 5 to 10). A subject with the same name exists in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the orientation level of the integrated comprehensive school.

Subject content and curricular structure

World studies is an integrated subject that encompasses geographical , historical and politico - economic aspects. World studies are offered as an alternative to geography and history. The subject economics / politics is offered parallel to world studies, but to a very different extent. In many schools, the political and economic content is mainly covered in world studies.

The concept of world studies does not consist in the additive stringing together of the original subjects (" epoch lessons "), but in the integration and linking of the different professional perspectives on phenomena such as migration, Europe or the city. Weltkunde has its own curriculum known as “technical requirements”.

The starting point of the world studies lesson is the student's environment. The aim of the subject is to enable pupils to deal with four topics that precede the technical requirements of all subjects in Schleswig-Holstein as "core problems":

Didactic basics

The current subject of world studies emerged as part of efforts to integrate social science content in the early 1970s. The critical-constructive didactics as developed by Wolfgang Klafki is one of the important theoretical foundations . For world studies of particular importance is Klafki's demand to put epoch-making key problems at the center of an interdisciplinary lesson. These classes are designed to promote four basic "attitudes and skills":

  • Willingness and ability to criticize
  • Willingness and ability to argue
  • Empathy in the sense of the ability to change perspective
  • "Networked thinking" or "connected thinking"

Integrated social science subjects should convey the ability to “network thinking”. “The emphasis on this ability arises inevitably from recent analyzes of time and society, which have worked out the diverse interdependencies that today, [...], to put it bluntly, link everything with everything; on the one hand within individual societies, and starting here in the area of ​​experience and action of each individual: For example, our consumer behavior has something to do with environmental destruction and its limitation, both with energy consumption and energy policy, etc. "

History of origin and current distribution

The integrated social science subjects, which exist in several federal states with social studies , are a result of the discussion about the Hessian framework guidelines for social teaching (1972), which were written with the significant participation of the didactic Klafki. In these plans, the integrated concept in social science school subjects should be made binding.

"Just from the large number of specialist sciences that are important for social studies, it turns out that any attempt to base social studies on the systematics of one of these specialist disciplines is doomed to failure."

“The main learning objective” is to “enable students to participate in the productive design of social reality”. The specialist sciences made their contribution “by asking the social sciences what they had to contribute to conveying accessible categories and basic knowledge.” So they were given the function of providing a conceptual and methodological set of tools, but the lessons were not supposed to be appropriate orientate their systematics.

The CDU-led countries strongly opposed this plan. After years of conflict, integrated social science subjects were only introduced at comprehensive schools in many federal states.

Weltkunde has a number of similar sister subjects in other federal states. These are mostly taught in school types that integrate several courses of education and school qualifications, e.g. B. the "learning area social sciences" at the district schools in Hamburg.

In Schleswig-Holstein, world studies were taught at all comprehensive schools from year 5 to 10, starting with the integrated comprehensive school Friedrichsort , which was founded in 1972. Since the school reform in 2007, numerous new community schools have been added. More than three quarters of the community schools in Schleswig-Holstein offer the subject world studies, so that it can be assumed that it is spreading to over 100 schools in Schleswig-Holstein. With 14,000 pupils enrolling at community schools in Schleswig-Holstein every year, this means that in 2014 around 45,000 pupils received specialist instruction in world studies.

Subject requirements and curriculum

In 2015, the 1997 curriculum was replaced by new subject requirements. The new specialist requirements for world studies come into force for each year. Individual schools can put the new technical requirements into effect immediately by resolution of the specialist conference.

The following timetable applies to the replacement of the old curriculum from 1997 by the new technical requirements:

  • 2015 for class 5
  • 2016 for year 6
  • 2017 for year 7
  • 2018 for year 8
  • 2019 for year 9
  • 2020 for year 10

Textbooks

The most widely used textbooks for world studies (new editions 2016) are:

  • World Studies (Westermann)
  • Project G - World Studies (Klett)

Cornelsen's world studies textbook has not been revised, but can still be used for large parts of the technical requirements from 2015:

  • Discovering and Understanding - World Studies / Social Studies (Cornelsen)

In addition, atlases are offered that cover historical, geographical and political-economic topics.

  • Haack composite atlas Schleswig-Holstein / Hamburg (Klett)
  • Home and World (Westermann)
  • Diercke Three (Westermann)

Training of teachers

World studies is a subject in Schleswig-Holstein, but not a subject. Subject teachers are therefore teachers trained in geography, history or economics / politics. An expansion of interdisciplinary elements in the university education of geography, history and economics / politics teachers is under discussion.

The historical subject of world studies

The term "Weltkunde" was coined at the beginning of the 19th century by Wilhelm Harnisch , who, along with Adolph Diesterweg, is considered to be the founder of general science. Some of his didactic approaches can still be regarded today as exemplary for good world studies.

“The task I strive to solve is not a small one, but a very difficult one: I want to know the world, that is, the knowledge of creation (nature) and human life, to a living one, in oneself and in To create knowledge that is constantly developing for the student, so that the student arrives at a specific, coherent knowledge and at one that continues to develop afterwards, even without the involvement of the teacher, but according to the inherent law. I want the teaching of world studies to have its specific levels, its specific limits, which, however, are formed differently in different students and in different places, although always according to a law. "

As can be seen from the quote at hand, the historical subject of world studies also included scientific content. It is therefore close to today's homeland, world and general teaching, as it is given in primary schools in Schleswig-Holstein. The historical subject of world studies was anchored in elementary schools, so it was also taught in lower secondary level. In contrast to the modern subject of world studies, however, it was also a training subject. Wilhelm Harnisch was head of the Weißenfels teachers' seminar from 1822 to 1842.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Decree of August 1, 2011 with the changes of June 12, 2013 and August 21, 2014 and June 29, 2019 , on schleswig-holstein.de, accessed on July 20, 2020
  2. ^ A b Ministry of Education of the State of Schleswig-Holstein (ed.): Technical requirements for world studies. Retrieved July 20, 2020 . , Kiel 2015
  3. ↑ See Wolfgang Klafki: New Studies on Educational Theory and Didactics. Contemporary general education and critical-constructive didactics , 6th edition, Weinheim and Basel 2007, p. 56ff.
  4. ↑ Wolfgang Klafki 2007, p. 63.
  5. ↑ Wolfgang Klafki 2007, p. 63f.
  6. ^ Hessian framework guidelines on social theory 1972, quoted from Political Education in Germany. Development - Status - Perspectives. Ed .: Hans-Werner Kuhn u. a., Opladen 1990, p. 271.
  7. ^ Hessian framework guidelines on social theory 1972, quoted from Political Education in Germany. Development - Status - Perspectives. Ed .: Hans-Werner Kuhn u. a., Opladen 1990, pp. 271f.
  8. ↑ Cf. Political Education in Germany. Development - Status - Perspectives. Ed .: Hans-Werner Kuhn u. a., Opladen 1990, pp. 263-269.
  9. ^ District school grades 5–11, social sciences learning area
  10. ↑ Friedrichsorter Geschichte , on kiel-friedrichsort.de
  11. ↑ Research by Johann Knigge-Blietschau, regional expert advisor for world studies at the IQSH (Institute for Quality Development at Schleswig-Holstein Schools) in the years 2010 to 2012.
  12. ↑ Calculation by the regional expert advisor on world studies at IQSH, Johann Knigge-Blietschau, in May 2014
  13. ↑ World Studies curriculum. 1997, accessed March 9, 2016 .
  14. ↑ World studies for community schools in Schleswig-Holstein - 2016 edition - school volume 5/6 - with dust jacket. In: Westermann Verlag. Accessed March 9, 2016 (German).
  15. ^ Ernst Klett Verlag - Project G Weltkunde Schleswig-Holstein Product details. In: www.klett.de. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016 ; accessed on March 9, 2016 .
  16. ↑ Discovering and understanding - social studies / world studies
  17. ↑ What is Haack Verbundatlas-Online?
  18. ↑ Home and World. World atlas + history. 1st edition, Braunschweig 2012.
  19. ↑ The whole world of Diercke
  20. ↑ Prof. Holger Jahnke (Didactics of the Geography University of Flensburg) explained the interdisciplinary approaches in the new specialist teacher training for geographers in a lecture at the 2nd State Conference on World Studies on November 2, 2013 in Kronshagen.
  21. ↑ From: "On teaching in world studies" in: "Harnisch: The school council on the Oder", Ed .: Dr. Julius Plath, Leipzig 1900, p. 280. "The School Council on the Oder" was a magazine that appeared for the first time in 1816 and was largely authored by Harnisch. An edited edition from 1900 is cited here.
  22. ↑ See: Dr. Wilhelm Harnisch's Handbook for German Elementary Schools , ed. From Dr. Friedrich Bartels, Langensalza 1893, p. XLVII.