Social Studies

Phase 1: Stage the Compelling Question

Compelling Questions are essential in the inquiry process. As the compelling question is the most critical, it can also be the most challenging to  design because it it based on authentic inquiry. 

Inquiry is not a new concept; however, there is a difference between utilizing questioning in your teaching repertoire and developing an inquiry-based approach. One must consider that developing authentic questions helps students focus their inquiries and create meaningful learning experiences. 

In short, compelling questions address “problems and issues found in and across the academic disciplines that make up social studies.” (Grant, 2013)They “deal with curiosities about how things work; interpretations and applications of disciplinary concepts; and unresolved issues that require students to construct arguments in response.” They are provocatively engaging, and compel students to seek insight to their inquiries.(Grant, 2013)

Compelling questions must: 

1.  Be intellectually significant, which means they reflect an enduring issue, concern, or debate in social studies. Please note that social studies is "all encompassing" and as such, compelling questions draw on multiple disciplines.  (Please see example inquiries)

2. Be relevant, which reflect on a quality or a condition that students care about and that honors and respects their efforts as intellectuals. For example, The American Revolution inquiry, brings students into an authentic debate and offers the possibility that adults may be confused—how could the American Revolution not be revolutionary? (Grant, 2013)

Phase 2: Develop your Supporting Questions and Performance tasks 

Questions, tasks, and sources help inform on and further define an inquiry. Some teachers prefer to work backwards using the Understanding by Design (Wiggins, Wiggins, & McTighe 2005) and some teachers prefer to develop the supporting questions first. Finding the appropriate sources of information to use depends on the actual question.  

The internet hosts a lot of information for social studies. However, not all information is reliable information. Not all sources have the same type of format.  Some sources contain words , data, maps, etc. Not all sources are equally valuable either. Nonetheless it is our responsibility to teach our students to evaluate sources. We must teach our students to tell the difference between primary and secondary sources. Also, biases are inherent in sources of information as they reflect perspectives, implicitly and/or explicitly, of the author(Grant, 2013). In terms of good research, the author points out and highlights possible biases to help the reader come to informed conclusions of their inquiry.  It is our job as educators to help our students to dig deeper to analyze perspectives in their own contexts when creating conclusions. 

Phase 3: Lead Them Back to their Inquiry

Developing and argument, extending the lesson, and/or giving students opportunity to make informed actions is the ultimate. Many teachers will lean towards a summative performance task and that is okay. That is acceptable. However, it's critical to remember the framework of inquiry-based social studies education.  We want to encourage taking informed action. 

Informed actions can be in multiple modalities such as skits, debates, discussions, presentations. What is key here is that the students are further informed because of their inquiry. As a result they have strengthened their knowledge and understanding of content surrounding their inquiry. they are prepared. They demonstrate their critical thinking; they consider alternative perspectives, scenarios and can define what their informed action is. Again as mentioned earlier, the students are being prepared to be active and responsible citizens of the community, nation, and world.