Recently, Cambridge made an exciting addition to its curriculum with the launch of Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Humanities. In this blog post we explain the similarities and differences between humanities and Cambridge Global Perspectives™ to help you make an informed decision about your teaching choices.
From our conversations with Cambridge schools and teachers, we know that many of you have questions such as:
- How are Cambridge Global Perspectives and humanities different?
- Should we stop teaching Cambridge Global Perspectives and teach humanities?
- We have been teaching humanities or social studies using the Cambridge Global Perspectives curriculum framework. What should we do now?
With the introduction of Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Humanities, you might be wondering whether to:
- include both subjects in the timetable,
- choose one of them
- teach them as one integrated subject.
First let’s take a look at the main aims and approach of each curriculum.
Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Humanities curriculum
This curriculum is designed to develop learners’ curiosity about the world and its people, preparing them to be informed, engaged and empathetic members of their communities.
The subject is organised into three strands: People, Past, and Places. In the People strand, learners explore identities, communities and societies, gaining an awareness of different worldviews and the diversity of human experiences.
The Past strand focuses on how the world has changed over time, examining historical events, evidence and interpretations to understand their impact on the present and future.
The Places strand involves exploring local, national and global environments, understanding physical and human geography, and addressing environmental challenges.
A unique feature of the curriculum is the Enquiry Approach, where learners start with an enquiry question and engage in research, analysis and presentation, reflecting on their learning journey to deepen their understanding of humanities topics.
Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Global Perspectives curriculum
This curriculum is designed to develop and embed the skills of analysis, collaboration, communication, evaluation, reflection and research from an early age. Research shows that the earlier learners start to develop and practise these transferable skills, the greater the impact on their learning. There is no prescribed content and you can choose topics and global issues that are interesting and relevant for your learners. Learners explore different perspectives, which helps them to develop a global outlook. Delivery is flexible with some schools choosing to develop all six skills through an end of year project that consolidates what they have been learning in other subjects.
We have created the following table to help you make your decision.
Ideas for integrating both curricula
Thematic units
Develop units that address both Cambridge Global Perspectives and humanities topics. For example, sustainability can cover environmental issues (Cambridge Global Perspectives) and the historical development and current situation of human interaction with the environment (humanities). Learners can investigate local and global environmental issues, exploring historical contexts and current impacts; visit local natural sites or historical landmarks to understand the interplay between human activities and the environment; debate how historical practices have shaped current environmental policies and what can be done to promote sustainability.
Skill development
Both curricula focus on developing critical skills such as analysis, collaboration, communication, evaluation, reflection, and research; Cambridge Global Perspectives through the learning objectives, and humanities through the Enquiry Approach. You can teach these skills, along with discipline-specific skills from the humanities skills toolbox, through integrated activities that utilise content from both frameworks.
For example, team projects can involve learners working in groups to research a global issue, such as climate change, and present their findings by incorporating historical perspectives such as asking historical questions and analysing interpretations, while examining current data. Role-playing activities can simulate historical events or global issues, encouraging learners to analyse different perspectives and collaborate on solutions. You can use reflective journals to encourage learners to reflect on their learning process, how their views have changed, and the skills they have developed.
Enquiry Approach
You can apply the Enquiry Approach used in the Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Humanities curriculum to Cambridge Global Perspectives topics, encouraging learners to ask questions, conduct research and present their findings.
For example, posing enquiry questions such as ‘How have historical migrations influenced current global cultures?’ or ‘What can we learn from past conflicts to resolve current global issues?’ can stimulate learners’ curiosity and critical thinking. Through research and analysis, learners investigate these questions using both historical sources and current data, developing a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of the past and present. Learners can the present their findings in various formats, such as reports, presentations or creative projects.
FAQs
We don’t have space in the timetable to teach Humanities. How do we manage?
First of all, it is not compulsory to teach all subjects in the Cambridge offer. Schools have the flexibility to choose subjects that suit their context. The recommended number of teaching hours (30 hours per stage) is for the whole curriculum. However, if you would like to teach humanities but don’t have space in your timetable, you can try one or more of the following:
• the recommended teaching time (30 hours per stage) is for the whole curriculum – select parts of the curriculum to teach to reduce teaching time
• select parts of the Cambridge Primary or Lower Secondary Humanities curriculum relevant to your learners to incorporate into other school subjects e.g. environment studies, history, geography, civics
• integrate it with other subjects like Global Perspectives
• have a humanities day or week or organise a class humanities project over several weeks.
Why should my school continue offering Cambridge Global Perspectives now there is a humanities curriculum?
Schools need to make sure that their learners are ready for their next stage of learning or work. Both skill development and subject knowledge are essential to support learner progression. By studying global issues, learners explore different, and often opposing, perspectives to develop their critical thinking, research and communication skills. They practise researching arguments before analysing, evaluating and communicating their findings. These skills are highly valued in education and work. When Cambridge schools deliver Cambridge Global Perspectives they report that:
• learners become motivated to take control of their learning
• learners are excited by the global issues and topics which they can relate to
• teachers see evidence that learners are able to carry over their skill development to subject lessons such as mathematics, sciences and languages.
Can we deliver Global Perspectives in a different way to fit in with our already busy timetable?
Yes. One of the most important aspects of Cambridge Global Perspectives is that it can be successfully delivered in several ways. The best way is the way that works best for you. There are three main options:
1. Introduce a fixed, regular teaching period called Cambridge Global Perspectives on the timetable.
2. Set aside a whole day to work exclusively on a Challenge. This works well at the beginning or end of a semester, term or half term.
3. Embed Cambridge Global Perspectives in content based subjects.
Try a mix of these approaches to see what works well in your setting.
We don’t have Cambridge Global Perspectives teachers. What kind of teacher should teach this?
Cambridge Global Perspectives is about developing skills that are found in every subject. Every good teacher understands the value of the skills in their lessons. Evaluating sources and communicating ideas are just as important in science as in English. There are endless links between skills and subjects. Cambridge Global perspectives teachers:
• use a range of active learning approaches rather than lecture or broadcast information
• support and guide learners, commenting on where they are doing well and what they need to do next to further develop their skills
• do not tell learners what they need to do
• plan lessons and reflect on what went well and what can be improved.
Training for Cambridge Global Perspectives is available to book from our events and training calendar. All the resources you need are available on the School Support Hub.
How can we help parents understand the value of Cambridge Global Perspectives to their children?
Parents are enthusiastic about the idea of their children developing transferable skills. They like that the programme supports the next stage of study, and they appreciate that good universities favour the development of these skills. Parents have told us that they see a difference in their children when they come home from Cambridge Global Perspectives classes. They describe how they ask more – and better – questions and are more engaged with current global issues and local and international news. It’s a good idea to tap into this enthusiasm and interest. Show parents examples of how the skills can be applied in other contexts such as in different subject areas. You can also show them practical applications that they can relate to, such as research skills, presentation skills, group work and negotiation skills.
How can we help parents understand the value of humanities to their children?
Parents are often deeply supportive of subjects that help their children understand the world, think critically and express themselves clearly. Cambridge Humanities provides exactly that. Through the study of people, the past and places, learners learn to analyse complex ideas, build arguments and consider different perspectives – skills that are highly transferable and valued by universities and employers. Through the study of humanities, learners become more thoughtful about human behaviour, more articulate when discussing challenging topics and more interested in how the past has shaped today’s world. This greater awareness and empathy is something parents really value.
The introduction of Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Humanities offers a rich opportunity to deepen learners’ understanding of the world through historical, geographical and social lenses. While Cambridge Global Perspectives continues to be a powerful framework for developing essential skills and a global outlook, the humanities curriculum brings structured content and a strong disciplinary foundation.
Rather than viewing these curricula as competing options, consider how they might complement each other. Whether you choose to teach them separately, integrate them into thematic units, or blend their approaches, both curricula support the development of curious, reflective and informed learners. By aligning your teaching choices with your learners’ needs and your school’s context, you can create a dynamic and engaging learning experience that prepares students for the complexities of the modern world.
Find out more about:
Cambridge Primary Global Perspectives
Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives
Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities.
Discover our digital teaching resources for Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Humanities.
