To encourage and support students in making comparisons and connections across different elements of the course, the knowledge questions suggested for each theme and area of knowledge are organised into a “knowledge framework” consisting of four common characteristics: scope, perspectives, methods and tools, and ethics.
These four elements provide a structure to help students explore and analyse the different aspects of the course and provide a common vocabulary to help encourage comparisons and connections.
•Scope—
this includes how each theme or area of knowledge fits within the totality of human knowledge and also considers the nature of the problems that each theme or area of knowledge faces and tries to address them.
•Perspectives—
this includes reflection on the student’s own perspectives, how different people or groups approach knowledge, historical perspectives and how knowledge changes over time.
•Methods and tools—
this includes the establishment of traditions and practices, methodologies employed by formal disciplines and the use of cognitive and physical tools that help us to produce knowledge.
•Ethics—
this looks at how ethics and ethical considerations have an impact on inquiry in different areas of knowledge and themes, including the relationship between facts and values, and questions relating to inequality and justice.