October 25, 2023 11:09 am

Report Finds that 90% of Educators See AI as a Beacon for More Accessible Education

Despite low levels of preparedness and other barriers to adoption , there is a prevailing belief in Generative AI’s potential to empower educators and learners alike

Scottsdale, Arizona, October 25, 2023 – Imagine Learning, the largest provider of digital curriculum solutions in the U.S., serving 15 million students in more than half the school districts nationwide, today released its inaugural report, “The 2023 Educator AI Report: Perceptions, Practices, and Potential,” showcasing a comprehensive exploration of AI’s current and future role in K–12 classrooms.

With Generative AI emerging as a pivotal element in the dynamic educational landscape of 2023, Imagine Learning conducted the survey to explore the perceptions, current practices, and future aspirations of educators who have already embraced technology in the classroom.

One compelling finding coming out of the report is that a resounding 90% of educators surveyed believe that AI has the potential to make education more accessible. Increasingly, teachers are recognizing that when implemented ethically and with thoughtful consideration, AI can help students with special needs, learning disabilities, and language barriers, for example, and experience more effective, personalized learning methods.

When it comes to readiness, however, only 15% of educators feel “prepared” or “very prepared” to oversee the use of Generative AI in the classroom, with over twice that number (32%) expressing they are completely unprepared to do so. What’s more, educators indicate a disparity when it comes to the likelihood of using Generative AI in the classroom, with district and school leaders perceived as less likely to embrace new AI tools when compared to educators and students.

On top of this, only one-third (33%) of surveyed educators feel that they have the support they need from their district and school leadership to successfully implement Generative AI into their teaching.

Other key findings from Imagine Learning’s report include:

Almost half of educators (44%) who have used Generative AI believe that its use has alleviated the burden of their workload and made their jobs easier.
Of the respondents who reported they have not used AI in the classroom, 65% cite a lack of familiarity as the primary obstacle to the future utilization of Generative AI, with 48% also expressing ethical concerns.
72% of educators are most concerned about plagiarism and cheating due to Generative AI, highlighting the need for clear guidelines for students for using AI with academic integrity.

“Generative AI is a blend of promise and prudence. Its transformative potential is undeniable, but the journey forward requires thoughtful consideration,” said Sari Factor, Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer, of Imagine Learning. “Learning is above all a human endeavor. With Generative AI as a tool to simplify lesson planning, reduce administrative tasks, and enhance personalized learning, we can empower the potential of teachers and students and improve learning outcomes.”

To learn more about the findings, you can download the full report here.

Methodology

The survey consisted of responses from K–12 educators who work in districts across the U.S. and are members of Imagine Learning’s Teachers’ Lounge, a virtual space for teachers using Imagine Learning programs to connect, collaborate, and share classroom insights with colleagues across the country. Imagine Learning conducted the survey from August 25 – September 8, 2023, through a web-based quantitative survey that was approximately 7 minutes in length. 69% of respondents were teachers, followed by 19% administrators, and 12% support staff.

About Imagine Learning
Every classroom, every student is bursting with potential. That’s why we pursue relentless innovation at the intersection of technology, people, and curricula. Imagine Learning creates K–12 digital-first solutions fueled by insights from educators, working alongside educators to support 15 million students in over half of the districts nationwide. Our core portfolio includes Imagine IM^®, Imagine Learning EL Education^®, Twig Science^®, and Traverse^®. Our robust supplemental and intervention suite equips learners with personalized instruction for English and Spanish literacy, math, coding, and more. Imagine Edgenuity^™ is our flagship courseware solution, complemented by Imagine School Services’ Certified Teachers. Imagine Learning. Empower potential. Learn more: imaginelearning.com.

October 25, 2023 9:00 am

Imagine Learning Announces Newest Core Math Program, Imagine IM, in Partnership with Illustrative Mathematics

Published by: Associated Press

The fortified relationship with the Imagine Learning team will continue scaling the reach of the high-quality curriculum with the launch of Imagine IM, Imagine Learning’s new edition of the Illustrative Mathematics curriculum, empowering even more students to learn grade-level mathematics and develop positive mathematical identities.

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October 25, 2023 6:30 am

A Majority of Educators are Concerned About How AI May Boost Cheating and Plagiarism but Think it will also Boost Accessibility, According to a New Report

Published by: Fortune

An overwhelming number of educators—90%—believe that generative AI will increase education accessibility. But a majority are also concerned about cheating and plagiarism—with the belief that tools like ChatGPT or Google Bard will hurt students’ writing, thinking, and researching skills.

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October 23, 2023 9:41 am

The Power of a Positive Math Identity

Ever wondered why it’s acceptable to say ‘I’m NOT a math person’ but rare to hear ‘I’m not a reading person’? Dive into a thought-provoking exploration of the detrimental effects of math anxiety, and why it’s time to embrace that we are all, indeed, ‘Mathers’.

“I am not a reading person,” is not something we typically hear people say, yet it is quite common to hear,

“I am NOT a math person!”

A few months ago, I traveled to Baltimore for work, but my travel shoes were just not comfortable. I decided to run into Marshall’s and pick up a pair of sneakers before heading to the airport. I tried on a few and decided on a comfy pair of black sneakers, and then headed over to grab some socks. While I really only needed one pair, they had a 10 pack for $7 and a 6 pack for $9. They were similar styles and brands, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take home some extras. In my mind, it was a no brainer, but sadly it became evident this was not the case for the young sales associate.

Sales Associate: “Do you need some help?”

Deborah: “Not really, just comparing these sock bundles. The 10 pack is $7 and the 6 pack is $9,” I responded with a chuckle.

Sales Associate: “That is just too much math! Sorry, I cannot help you. I am NOT a math person.”

This exchange was disheartening not just because the only math involved was comparing numbers within 10, but also because I can’t imagine someone would ever say, “Ugh, that’s too many words. I just can’t help you. I am not a reading person.” So, why is it okay to declare, “I am NOT a math person?”

In many spaces, adults refuse to engage with mathematics. They have opted out based on the belief that only certain careers need mathematics and only certain individuals are wired to “do” mathematics. We must break the cycle of math anxious adults, teaching children to be intimidated by mathematics, who then grow up to be math anxious adults. When students don’t have a positive math identity they don’t see themselves as math people. So, what happens when teachers don’t believe they are math people?

Research by Hadley, K. M., & Dorward, J. (2011) found that there is a correlation between teachers’ math anxiety and student math achievement. When teachers have unhealthy relationships with mathematics, it can interfere with their ability to connect to the subject and portray mathematics in a positive light. Teachers are the anchors in the classroom, so they need to be grounded and confident in order to facilitate optimal learning. If math anxiety is not addressed, we will continue to see simple math concepts causing freeze, fight, or flight responses in students, parents, and yes teachers.

Some people believe they can teach mathematics without addressing their own anxiety, but it is necessary to heal and actively work to nurture your own positive math identity development. Teachers with negative math identities can negatively impact the development of their students’ identities because they unknowingly project anxieties and mindsets onto their students. Even teachers with positive math identities and a strong connection to mathematics can unintentionally do harm to students’ fragile math identities. Whether it’s an offhand comment, inadequate wait time, or a perplexed look when a student shares a creative strategy, we all could use proven methods for developing cognitive empathy and alleviating math anxiety.

The results from the 2023 NAEP Mathematics Assessment revealed that we have experienced the greatest decline in NAEP Mathematics Assessment scores at grades 4 and 8 since 1990 when they began. One proposed solution to improve mathematics achievement is to support teachers with relevant professional learning. Teachers deserve high quality professional development focused on math content and effective instructional practices. For years, there has been an imbalance between literacy and mathematics training and support. It’s time to invest time and resources in mathematics, so we can make an impact on student math achievement. In order to nurture positive math identities with students, there must be a shift in mindsets, beliefs, and practices. Let’s work together to build a community of mathers!

Math is for Life.

What if instead of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, we redefined the core academic skills as Reading, Writing, and Mathing? Imagine classrooms where all students are encouraged to be mathers. What is a mather? A mather is a person who uses mathematics to make sense of the world. With so many people opting out of mathematics because of the myth that some are born with “math brains” and others are not, it is important to establish a norm that math is for everyone. If we start by changing our language, students can see that even if they don’t choose to be mathematicians they can still keep mathing.

We must make it a practice to highlight all the ways we use math everyday and help students experience success with math tasks. Math talk should also take place outside of the designated math block, which demonstrates that math is everywhere. Mathematizing stories and the world around them allows students to experience math in ways that are long lasting. Students must engage with relevant contexts and experience mathematics in ways that are inviting, without time pressures and ideals of perfection. Even toddlers would choose the hand that has three snacks over the hand that has one, so it’s safe to say that we were all born with mathematical minds.

Math is a Team Sport!

In order to build a community where math is celebrated and enjoyed, we must encourage collaboration. Teachers benefit from planning together, solving problems together, and exploring new ways of mathing together. As we step outside of our comfort zones, we can model for students how to take deep breaths before new challenges, how to view mistakes as growth opportunities, and how to ask for help when we really need it. We can establish a class culture where students view one another as experts, choose appropriate tools to support their understanding, and boldly justify their reasoning and critique the reasoning of others.

We are Born to be Mathers!

Teachers’ math identity development has a direct impact on students’ identities and math achievement. As the adults in their lives, we owe it to our students to be reflective so we can address our own math anxiety and show compassion for those around us experiencing it. Building a math culture and community focused on preparing all students for college, career, and beyond is grounded in the belief that all students can learn mathematics and need math for life. Look in the mirror and ask yourself how you can lead the way with reframing mathematics to help others believe math is for everyone. It is time to celebrate that we are all Mathers!

About the Author-Deborah Peart

Deborah Peart is the founder and CEO of My Mathematical Mind. With over 30 years in the field of education, Deborah speaks on a variety of topics related to math identity, elementary math content and instruction, and literacy connections to mathematics. As a master facilitator and content developer, she supports teachers, coaches, and instructional leaders across the nation. Deborah has dedicated her career and doctoral studies to supporting educators with innovative teaching strategies that allow students to see themselves as assets to the learning community and curious problem-solvers. Deborah believes that all children deserve high quality instruction and the opportunity to become competent readers, writers, and mathers.

4 Tips for a Mathematical Mindset Makeover

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October 20, 2023 9:14 am

Inquiry-Based Learning: What I’ve Learned

Imagine Learning implementation specialist and former social studies teacher Timothy Lent discusses the value of inquiry-based learning for students, strategies teachers can use to create successful inquiry projects, and why Traverse’s huge library saves teachers “a ton of time.”

Engaging Students with Real-World Contexts

Inquiry-based learning involves getting students to actively apply their skills to real-world contexts through problem-solving activities. I use inquiry in my social studies classes because it gets students engaged and topics appear more relevant to them. By exploring problems, ideas, or questions through a range of different media sources and activities, students can draw their own conclusions, and the lesson is brought to life.

For the first three years of my teaching career, I used a more traditional style of teaching. Often, it very much felt like we were just going lockstep through history: this happened, then this, then this, then this. Every once in a while, we would stop to look at a source here or there.

I was lucky enough to attend some workshops and be involved with some training that introduced me to the inquiry design model that Kathy Swan helped to create. When I started to introduce this method into my own classroom, I saw straight away that students became much more connected to what they were learning. We were still moving along chronologically—because that’s usually how you teach social studies—but instead of taking a day to look at a source, you’re really taking maybe three or four classes to breathe a little bit within a time period. Instead of telling kids what happened, you’re providing students with just enough context to get to the inquiry question so they understand what led up to it, and they can grapple with the question.

Inquiry in Action

At the beginning of an inquiry, you present students with the scenario: here’s the big question you’re trying to answer, and here are four or five sources that you’re gonna try to figure out the answer to that question with. And instead of students searching for the right answer to get the points, they now have the opportunity to come up with their own answer. Not only is this more interesting and more engaging, it’s also more challenging and rewarding to have to support a claim with evidence and then try to explain how that evidence supports the claim.

My first inquiry was on the Industrial Revolution, and by at the end of this inquiry, students were involved in a debate where they had roles—so you had students who took on the role of being child workers in factories, there were factory owners, there were labor leaders, and some of the kids dressed up for the roles. They prepared for it for a week and a half, gathering their evidence, from the point of view of their roles: “That testimonial is gonna be perfect for us” or “This piece from Adam Smith is perfect for me as a factory owner to prove that it’s just more efficient.” The students were the ones providing the momentum in the instruction because they really got into the debate and thought it was fun. It was very fulfilling to see as a teacher.

One of the biggest challenges of inquiry is finding the right question or right topic—if the inquiry is flat or the students aren’t so interested in the subject, you can look to implement a range of different sources so the students can draw connections to the subject, whether that be thematic or direct connections. Sources don’t necessarily need to be historical or traditional formats. In an inquiry about Black Lives Matter protests in July 2020, I brought in some tweets from a local reporter, Instagram posts from a student group, and a local news report, and the students had to figure out why the protests took place. They loved it because they could draw connections from people they were familiar with and work with media that resonated with them.

Finding High-Quality Sources

One of the reasons why Traverse is so valuable is because of the sources that have been selected. Most of them are really great quality and they’ve already been pared down. I think that’s incredibly important, not just for engaging students but also saving teachers time. It takes a ton of time for teachers to find sources.

Let’s say I’m teaching about the Whiskey Rebellion and I want to have five sources. I’ll probably pull a little excerpt from the textbook. I’ll look online, type in “Whiskey Rebellion, primary sources,” and then I have to read through all of them, and excerpt them, and they’re probably in PDF format so I need to find a way to copy and paste that. When I’m done with that, I have to actually create questions for the kids. And a lot of what you can find online is public domain, from 1916 or something like that, and written in a style that you need to translate for your students.

With Traverse you’ve got, for each chapter, a source set, a question already developed, activities for each source, additional source information in the Teacher Edition that you wouldn’t know about unless you did some next-level investigation on your own. And it’s so easily customizable, so let’s say there are six sources in the Traverse source set and I know we only have time to look at three or four, I just have to click a button and then those aren’t assigned to the kids. It just saves people a ton of time.

Strategies

Here are some tips and strategies that I’ve found helpful to create successful inquiry projects:

Develop compelling questions—Work closely with your students to guide their inquiry by developing questions that are open-ended and encourage critical thinking and exploration.
Provide scaffolding—Throughout inquiry journeys, provide scaffolding to support your students, including offering background information, modeling the inquiry process, and giving feedback.
Encourage reflection—Encourage your students to reflect on what they have learned and to make connections between their new knowledge and their prior knowledge and experiences.
Assess learning—Formative assessments such as observations, checklists, or rubrics can be used to gauge student understanding throughout the process. Presentations, research papers, or debates are good ways of evaluating learning outcomes too.
Positive classroom culture—It’s important to have an environment that promotes collaboration and open communication. Students need to feel comfortable asking questions, taking conceptual risks, and exploring different ideas and perspectives.

Using these approaches, I have witnessed the transformative power of inquiry-based learning in my classroom. I’d recommend it to any teacher who wants to not only enhance students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills but also help inspire a genuine passion for learning and a deeper understanding of their subject.

About the Author Timothy Lent

Timothy Lent is a social studies educator from New York State. He taught middle school and high school social studies in Brooklyn and Syracuse, NY and has years of experience in curriculum development and professional learning in schools, non-profits, and for-profit companies. He is now a Professional Learning Specialist at Imagine Learning, training educators who use IL’s innovative social studies program, Traverse, to develop the next generation of informed and active citizens.

Inquiry driven. Media powered. A new approach to social studies.

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October 19, 2023 8:00 am

Stop Blaming Ed Tech for Our Current Education Inequality

Published by: Sari Factor in EdWeek

Technology can and has reduced inequities in education, unleashing potential and providing new opportunities for millions of learners.

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October 16, 2023 8:00 am

Inquiry-Based Curriculum Solves Urgent Need to Develop Critical Thinking and Civic Engagement for Grades 6–12

Paradigm Shift from Legacy Textbooks to Fully Digital Social Studies Curriculum

Scottsdale, Arizona, October 16, 2023 – Imagine Learning, the largest provider of digital curriculum solutions in the U.S., serving 15 million students in more than half of school districts nationwide, today announced the launch of Traverse, a groundbreaking, innovative, and digital-first social studies, living core curriculum solution for grades 6–12. Traverse, created by a team of Imagine Learning developers and educators, represents a significant milestone for the organization as it expands its comprehensive suite of dedicated and immersive digital core curriculum courses for teachers and students across the country.

“Gone are the days of large history books that cannot be easily updated. Traverse turns that paradigm on its head and provides an on-ramp to ensuring that our students are taught the most updated information, yet customized to meet the standards of local communities,” said Jonathan Grayer, CEO of Imagine Learning. “This launch is a significant step forward for Imagine Learning as we now provide thousands of school districts — large and small — a complete array of solutions, from supplemental to intervention to core.“

In today’s evolving world, the demand for teaching social studies appropriately has never been greater. Districts have been searching for a modern curriculum that can adapt to their needs and empower teachers to meet the required content and instructional standards while encouraging critical thinking and civic engagement for students. Pairing advanced technology and engaging media with inquiry-based learning, Imagine Learning developed Traverse to address this market demand with a highly adaptable and engaging curriculum.

Mr. Grayer continued, “Traverse represents a real breakthrough in how social studies can and should be taught in this country. In a rapidly changing world where there is a greater urgency placed on teaching our students how to be responsible citizens contributing to the well-being of our society, Traverse solves an enormous problem facing our schools by equiping students with the knowledge and skills to navigate a complex and ever-changing global landscape. Like other Imagine Learning curricula, Traverse shares responsibility for this process with teachers, empowering them to cultivate the active, informed, and engaged citizens our society needs. We are very excited to bring Traverse to market.”

For the first time, students will be engaged in a comprehensive learning experience that combines content, inquiry, and skills development. Students are exposed to a wide array of multimedia resources, primary and secondary sources, lessons designed to build their skills, collaborative learning activities, and assessments to deepen their engagement with the subject matter. Traverse will prepare students for civic engagement beyond their classrooms by using a standards-backed, inquiry-based approach to learning. It aligns with the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework and state standards, providing teachers with a cohesive instructional social studies program for grades 6–12.

The Traverse Solution

Traverse was developed in collaboration with renowned educators Kathy Swan and Sam Wineburg , and designed by Imagine Learning’s development group, the same team that created the award-winning ELA program StudySync. Its digital-first instructional design allows districts to easily support changing curriculum standards with adaptable courses that are built with powerful media and interactives. Through a combination of video, activities, and tools, Traverse leverages interactive media to enhance engagement in instruction. Aligned to the C3 Framework, Traverse prepares students for college, career, and civic life by connecting the lessons to real-life social issues. Students are further supported through active learning and are encouraged to collaborate with their peers and find answers themselves through careful and critical study of the standards-based resources provided.

As part of its modern, new approach to social studies, Traverse:

Maximizes student learning by focusing only on the content standards teachers are expected to teach.
Enables students to critically evaluate issues, both inside and outside the classroom.
Blends technology and multimedia to empower learners.
Supports teachers in facilitating an equitable learning environment by providing the necessary resources to create personalized learning experiences.
Includes Imagine Learning’s exceptional digital and print implementation support and toolkits that work with districts according to their needs.
Offers varied modalities for lessons and is compatible with multiple devices.

Traverse is the latest digital-first curriculum to be added to Imagine Learning’s core product line, joining Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics, Twig Science, and Imagine Learning EL Education. It is available for U.S. History: Beginnings to the Civil War; U.S. History: Reconstruction to the Present; World History: Beginnings to the Reformation; World History: Emergence of the Modern World to the Present; World Geography; U.S. Government; and Economics. For more information on Traverse, visit www.imaginelearning.com/traverse.

About Imagine Learning

Every classroom, every student is bursting with potential. That’s why we pursue relentless innovation at the intersection of technology, people, and curricula. Imagine Learning creates K–12 digital-first solutions fueled by insights from educators, working alongside educators to support 15 million students in over half of the districts nationwide. Our core portfolio includes Twig Science^®, Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics^®, and Imagine Learning EL Education^®. Our robust supplemental and intervention suite equips learners with personalized instruction for English and Spanish literacy, math, coding, and more. Imagine Edgenuity^™ is our flagship courseware solution, complemented by Imagine School Services’ Certified Teachers. Imagine Learning. Empower potential. Learn more: imaginelearning.com.

October 5, 2023 10:11 am

Celebrating Bilingual Students with Imagine Español

The benefits of bilingualism are astounding, and our multilingual students deserve to be celebrated. Here are 5 ways Imagine Español, our K–5 supplemental Spanish literacy program, honors the culture and heritage of bilingual students.

In today’s interconnected world, being bilingual is an invaluable skill. It not only opens doors to diverse cultures but also enhances cognitive abilities and provides a competitive edge in the job market. For K–5 dual language program coordinators, fostering bilingualism in young learners is a mission that carries immense significance. These enriching programs allow students’ bilingualism to fully blossom. However, we must ensure instructional materials value and build upon the cultural and linguistic assets students bring from home.

Imagine Español ® is an innovative, personalized digital learning program that accelerates Spanish language and literacy development for students in grades K–5. Here are 5 ways the program honors the culture and heritage of bilingual students:

1. Transfers students’ foundational literacy skills across languages

Imagine Español provides explicit instruction in foundational literacy skills like phonological awareness, letter-sound connections, decoding, and sight word recognition in Spanish. As research shows, these critical early skills then transfer to English, supporting students’ overall literacy development. For example, when students learn to segment sounds and syllables in Spanish words, it improves their phonological awareness in English as well. Their ability to map letters to sounds transfers across languages too. Building this early literacy foundation in Spanish allows students’ knowledge to flow into English acquisition.

2. Builds vocabulary in two languages

Imagine Español has robust vocabulary instruction integrated throughout. Students learn high frequency Spanish words, English/Spanish cognates, and academic terms. As dual language learners use and retain more words, their comprehension improves in both languages. Hearing vocabulary terms pronounced and used in meaningful Spanish texts, then recognizing those words again in English, cements the terms in students’ minds. This vocabulary reinforcement in two languages helps students understand texts they read and set them up for success.

3. Mirrors students’ cultures

Imagine Español includes authentic Hispanic songs, texts, and artwork that reflect 20 different Spanish-speaking countries. Hearing traditional songs and seeing images from Spanish-speaking countries allows students to see themselves and their community reflected in learning. This fosters biliteracy development and bicultural identities simultaneously. Students stay engaged and motivated when lessons resonate with their cultural background knowledge. The cultural mirror of Imagine Español program validates students’ identity and home experiences.

4. Provides scaffolded support for biliteracy development

Imagine Español has embedded multimedia, visuals, and interactivity designed to support students’ Spanish literacy growth. Songs, videos, and animated stories introduce letter sounds in engaging ways. Interactives allow students to click pictures to learn vocabulary meanings. Built-in dictionaries and text highlighting provide guidance with reading. This scaffolding provides assistance to students as needed until literacy skills are mastered. The program allows them to engage meaningfully with Spanish texts while ensuring support is in place.

5. Ignites students’ potential

When students have access to quality dual language learning, it ignites their inner sparks. Robust materials like Imagine Español build students’ skills and knowledge, instilling confidence and motivation. Our bilingual students blaze trails to promising, bilingual futures when their potential is recognized. Imagine Español fuses students’ home language and culture with instruction to help them achieve their highest potentials. This is the transformative power of valuing our bilingual learners.

Imagine Español honors the home languages and cultures of our dual language students. With this program, students’ bilingualism is celebrated as the valuable resource it is.

Discover a culturally relevant curriculum

Imagine Español

October 5, 2023 8:00 am

Artificial Intelligence, Human Intelligence—and a Fundamental Shift in Teaching

Published by: EdTech Digest

The introduction of generative AI is another milestone that we believe has the potential to help teachers become more effective and efficient, in support of student learning. As a digital curriculum leader, we’ve always leveraged technology and AI, though we know that human interaction is at the heart of teaching and learning.

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September 19, 2023 10:30 am

Trusting Inquiry

By allowing students space to think (deliberate ideas), talk (collaborate around ideas), and do (produce ideas), teachers can build a culture of classroom trust with their students that accelerates inquiry-based learning in the classroom.

It is one thing to build an inquiry-based curriculum, it is quite another to make an inquiry come to life in a classroom. If curriculum is a recipe, then how do teachers move from being line-cooks to inquiry chefs? How do they get students to eat their inquiry vegetables and keep coming back for more? What makes an inquiry rise in one classroom and flop in another? What is inquiry’s instructional secret sauce? I will argue that trust is how inquiry teachers “kick it up a notch”!

Why trust? Recently, I co-directed a documentary film project, Making Inquiry Possible (MIP) featuring four films that explore how innovative teachers, schools, and districts are shifting to inquiry-based instruction. At the core of each documentary is the question: What does it take to make inquiry possible in social studies? The answer has become unmistakable: trust. Like a song that gets stuck, once I started to hear it, I couldn’t un-hear it.

For example, when I asked one of the teachers in the project how inquiry had changed his teaching, he responded this way:

So my role as a teacher has changed. What I’ve noticed with the use of compelling questions and using IDM in my classroom it is absolutely incumbent on the student to answer that question for themselves. Now that doesn’t seem wild when we say that, but in the moment of teaching, many of our students have been accustomed to being able to find an answer, rather than simply create one…

Do you hear it? Did you notice how he needs to trust the students to answer the compelling question “for themselves”?Let’s listen again. When I asked a teacher about scaffolding inquiry, this was the response:

Students need enough support in order for them to even put the pieces together. What I’ve noticed is that it’s almost like holding an egg. If you grip it too tightly, it’s gonna break. But if you truncate everything too much for the student, what you get on the other end is, is simply just not a robust answer. It kills the process. So because of that, I have to be both the support, but also have to like, kick the kid out in the pasture a little bit to kind of figure things out on their own.

Surely you heard it this time — how the teacher needs to hold (or trust) the inquiry “egg” by not gripping too tight? Or how he needs to “kick the kid out in the pasture a little bit to figure things out on their own” as an act of pedagogical trust? While I would never suggest or condone literally kicking a kid, metaphorically (and only metaphorically), it does make sense for inquiry. Students need space to figure things out in an inquiry. Teachers need to trust students and give them that space. And, students need to trust teachers to make that space meaningful and to be there when they lose their way. Sometimes that space is uncomfortable and teachers will need to nurture students and scaffold the process so that they can ultimately embrace that intellectual freedom.

This theme of trust surfaced in every facet of the film project and further deepened a curiosity about trust and its relationship to inquiry. Trust is now popping up in every conversation with an inquiry teacher and in every classroom observation. It has been a Eureka! moment. But, trust is one of those words that is kind of squishy and a platitude like, “just trust your students” seems really unsatisfying and possibly frustrating for teachers wanting to go deeper into inquiry-based instruction. So, trust me, you are going to want to read on!

Along with my C3 Teachers colleagues, S.G. Grant and John Lee, we have landed on three key inquiry processes that build a culture of trust in the classroom: deliberation, collaboration, and production.

Deliberation involves instructional practices that allow students to listen to each other’s ideas and speak about their own. This might include a Harkness Discussion, Think-Pair-Share, Take a Stand debate, or Socratic Discussion. These types of deliberative experiences engender respect for others and an appreciation for a pluralistic democracy where people hold different perspectives on life. Deliberative exercises build trust by fostering empathy between students and between teacher and students because they show that teachers trust their students to think about big ideas.

Collaboration involves instructional practices that allow students to work with others to problem solve through teamwork. This might include a Jigsaw, Question Formulation Technique (QFT) exercise, or Structured Academic Controversy. During collaborative experiences, students negotiate with others and learn to respect other ways of knowing and doing. If a task is “group worthy”, students learn to value team member’s strengths and to value their own contributions to the whole. These kinds of experiences build trust by creating interdependence between students and demonstrating that a teacher trusts their students to work with others.

Production involves instructional practices that allow students to construct meaningful work. This could include an evidentiary argument or a project (Public Service Announcement, Museum exhibit) or it could include important formative work like a map, timeline, or T-Chart. When students produce work, they risk putting their ideas out there and cultivate agency in the process. Healthy inquiry cultures allow students to explore frontiers and create forgiving spaces to learn and grow. In doing so, they build classroom trust.

By allowing students space to think (deliberate ideas), talk (collaborate around ideas), and do (produce ideas), teachers build a culture of classroom trust with their students that engenders key attitudes of empathy, interdependence, and agency that can accelerate inquiry-based learning in the classroom. While these processes and attributes are not exclusive to social studies, they do connect deeply to citizenship and our role in preparing students for civic life. “Bam!” Now, we are really cooking with (inquiry) gas!

So, this year, as you think about strategies that you use in or outside of an inquiry experience, spare a thought for trust. Consider: How am I creating a trustworthy classroom? How do I show my students that I trust them? When do students learn to trust each other? What strategies really accentuate trust and what differences do they make in students’ attitudes toward my class? How does a trustworthy classroom accelerate learning? And, finally, to my fellow inquiry travelers, let’s keep trusting inquiry!

For your corkboard

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About the Author – Dr. Kathy Swan

Professor, University of Kentucky, C3 Framework Lead Author

Kathy Swan is a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Kentucky. Kathy was awarded UKY’s Great Teacher Award in 2021 and has been a four-time recipient of the National Technology Leadership Award in Social Studies Education, innovating with inquiry-based curricula. Dr. Swan served as the project director and lead writer of the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards (2013), the national standards for social studies. She has co-written a number of best-selling books including Inquiry-Based Practice in Social Studies Education: The Inquiry Design Model (2017); The Inquiry Design Model: Building Inquiries in Social Studies (2018), and; Blueprinting an Inquiry-Based Curriculum: Planning with the Inquiry Design Model (2019).