Complex Change: Inquiry in Social Studies
Support for Administrators and Coaches to Implement Inquiry
bit.ly/inquirySS
The Hook: Change Activity
Big Question
How do we support the complex instructional change for social studies inquiry implementation?
Compelling Question
Do we have a clear vision of what inquiry in social studies could look like in our school?
Summative Task
Develop an observation tool to provide support and feedback to teachers as they implement social studies inquiry-based instruction.
Supporting Question #1
What is inquiry?
Standards
Content: Participants come to a common understanding of what inquiry is and what it looks like
Inquiry: Develop supporting questions that contribute to an inquiry and demonstrate how, through engaging source work, new compelling and supporting questions emerge
Literacy: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Learning Target
I can define inquiry with examples and non-examples based on multiple sources of information presented in multiple formats
Formative Task
I can define inquiry with examples and non-examples based on multiple sources of information presented in multiple formats
Group Task: Big Rocks
Divide up the sources in your group
Using sticky note, one note per idea, identify the key ideas in your assigned source (7 min)
Review, sort and arrange the sticky notes into big rocks (5 min)
Do we agree?
Group Task: Descriptors
Divide up the sources in your group
Using sticky note, one note per idea, identify the key ideas in your assigned source (7 min)
Review, sort and arrange the sticky notes into descriptors (5 min)
Do we agree?
Large Group Task
Share out the big rocks from each group.
Come to a consensus on big rocks of inquiry
Share out descriptors for each rock. Come to a consensus on the descriptors.
Supporting Question #2
How do the social studies standards support inquiry?
What’s in the
Iowa Standards?
Grade Level Themes
Grade | Theme | Grade | Middle | High School |
K | Spaces and Places | 6 | World Regions and Cultures/ Financial Literacy * | Behavioral Sciences |
1 | Communities and Cultures | Civics/Government | ||
2 | Choices and Consequences | 7 | Contemporary Global Studies/ Financial Literacy* | Economics/Financial Literacy* |
3 | Immigration and Migration | Geography | ||
4 | Change and Continuity | 8 | US History and Civic Ideals/ Financial Literacy* | US History |
5 | Rights and Responsibilities | World History |
Page 3
Review Standards Structure
Standards Organization
The inquiry anchor standards: |
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| ||||
The content anchor standards: | Behavioral Sciences | Civics | Economics | Financial Literacy | Geography | History |
Examine factors that led to continuity and change in human and group behavior | Analyze civic and political institutions | Engage in economic decision making | Develop financial and career goals | Create geographic representations | Analyze change, continuity, and context | |
Recognize the interaction between individuals and groups | Apply civic virtues and democratic principles | Critique exchange and markets | Create a saving and spending plan | Evaluate human environment interaction | Critique historical sources and evidence | |
Apply appropriate research procedures and skills of a behavioral scientist | Interpret processes, rules, and laws | Evaluate the national economy | Analyze credit and debt levels | Analyze human population movement and patterns | Compare perspectives | |
Assess the global economy | Evaluate savings and long term investments | Analyze global interconnections | Justify causation and argumentation | |||
Measure risk management tools | Iowa history | |||||
Page 6
Take a closer look
Take 5 minutes to read through one
anchor standard K-12. Select an anchor
off page 6 of the standards. Note the
Progression of learning as well as the
language of the standards. Jot down notes.
Do the same for an inquiry standard.
Question Formulation Technique
The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a simple step-by-step, rigorous process that facilitates the asking of many questions.
Question Focus: Q Focus
Question Focus: Q Focus
Your Q Focus: the standards and this quote--
“We forget that if students leave school less curious than when they started, we have failed them."George Couros
QFT: Rules of Producing Questions
In small groups: select a scribe
2-4 minutes
QFT: Improve the questions
QFT: Prioritize your questions
You will now choose three questions based on actions you want to take. For example, three most important questions, three questions you would like to address first, three questions you want to explore further, etc.
2-4 minutes
QFT: Next Steps & Reflection
How will you put your questions into action?
What have you learned through this process?
Questions and questioning are the heart of the Iowa Social Studies Standards
Revisit and refine the observation tool
Based on your exploration of the standards, what changes, additions or deletions would you make to the Observation Tool?
Revisit the change matrix
Does the learning and process you experienced shed light on where you might need renewed focus on the change matrix?
vision skills incentives resources action plan