As much as we wish that education is a safe place that will teach students about the injustices but that is not the reality. Our current education system has been described as “… not neutral. Rather, it is political, designed to advance the interests of the groups in power and privilege” (Steinberg & Kirylo 2013). This is something that students are unaware of this fact and how it will affect their own beliefs ((Beach, Thein, & Webb, 2016, p. 14). To change this, implementing Critical Inquiry can address the injustices in society and prepare students to take action. To adopt this within my classroom, I must ensure that students have the content and skills for the questioning and the preparation for students to make the change.
Implementing Critical Inquiry in the Social Studies classroom is compliments the current C3 Social Studies framework by the National Council for the Social Studies. The framework content and skills revolves around a 4-level Inquiry arc where it states that it “...encourages the use of compelling and supporting questions, both teacher- and student-generated, as a central element of the teaching and learning process” (National Council for the Social Studies. This aligns with Critical Inquiry necessity for students to pursue their own questions while evaluating the societal norms and injustices (Beach, Thein, & Webb, 2016, p. 6). There are many opportunities to help students with creating their own questioning. For example, during a history course, I will teach about the Civil War during an 8th grade history course or U.S. History in High School. I often hear students say how ‘Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves’ and without using Critical Inquiry approach to this topic would be a great injustice. Students must question the perspectives of of the Civil War in the past and present. Students must understand what ‘freed’ in our society actually means. Students must know about antebellum United States and the various faces discrimination has. Students must know the facts of sharecropping, Jim Crow laws, and the fight for Civil Rights. While implementing this in my classroom, however, I must ensure that students are prepared to make their own questions. Several studies have indicated that students require support to create engaging and thoughtful question. Teachers must be capable of scaffolding the inquiry and question-making process while still being able to balance to allow students to have ownership of their questions (Hsin‐Kai & Chou‐En, 2006). There are several methods for achieving this, such as apprenticeship-like guidance or explicit teaching of questioning strategies (Harris, Phillips, & Penuel, 2012).
Additionally, to properly approach Critical Inquiry in my classroom, I must prepare multiple sources for students to be fully prepared. Critical Inquiry demands that students are able to read through multiple sources and as they read them, identify the different perspectives that the authors might have. This directly aligns with the Social Studies Common Core standard “CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts” (Common Core Standards). There are several strategies that I use to implement this while I use expository or narrative texts in my classroom. Since I aim to teach middle-school students, a kid friendly mnemonic device “MAAPP” (Main Idea, Author, Audience, Purpose, Place” is a device to help assist students use this necessary skill for Critical Inquiry. For example, while focusing on the Civil War, students “MAAPP” out the Sullivan Ballou Letter or evaluate a contract by a 9-year old girl agreeing to be an Indentured Servant. Using this variety of sources will help students have a deeper understanding and have an connection to the topic at hand. Relatedly, people select sources that will only confirm their preconceived notions of what they believe to be true (Beach, Thein, & Webb, 2016, p. 11). Whether it is a student using Infowars, or OccupyDemocrats as their sole sources for political news, it is damaging to students engaging in Critical Inquiry. To be responsible and informed citizens engaging in Critical Inquiry, students be prepared to challenge the sources that they read and seek alternative sources (Beach, Thein, & Webb, 2016, p. 11). To foster this in my classroom, I must explicitly teach and supply texts that vary in different ways. Additionally, activities such as debate or Structured Controversy are beneficial for encouraging students to analyze arguments and texts critically.
Critical Inquiry can be a beneficial method in Language Arts and Social Studies classes alike. In our complex society, students have unique experiences and roles that they must be encouraged to analyze and CONCLUSION HERE
Beach, R., Thein, A. H., & Webb, A. (2016). Teaching to exceed the English language arts common core state standards: A literacy practices approach for 6-12 classrooms. London: Routledge.
Common Core Standards (2010). English Language Arts Standards » History/Social Studies. Washington D.C: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers.
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History (Silver Spring, MD: NCSS, 2013)
Harris, C. Phillips, R., & Penuel, W. (2012). Examining teachers’ instructional moves aimed at developing students’ ideas and questions in learner-centered science classrooms. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 23(7), 769–788. https://doi- org.ecsu.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s10972-011-9237-0
Hsin‐Kai W., Chou‐En H. (2006) Developing sixth graders’ inquiry skills to construct explanations in inquiry‐based learning environments. International Journal of Science Education (28)11, 1289-1313.
Steinberg, S., & Kirylo, J. (2013). A Critical Pedagogy of Resistance 34 Pedagogues We Need to Know (Transgressions, Cultural Studies and Education).