Just Outside the Window: Possibilities for Local Problem-Based Learning
Elaine Alvey
Environmental issues extend far beyond the realm of science, deeply intertwining with economics, governance, civics, geography, human-environment interactions, public policy, international relations, trade, and society at large.1 Integrating science and social studies through socioscientific frameworks offers students a crucial opportunity to recognize these connections and develop deeper thinking and problem-solving skills across disciplines. 2 Additionally, anchoring problembased learning (PBL) in local issues invites students, particularly middle school learners, to grasp the immediate relevance of disciplinary content.
Over the course of two weeks, students in my sixth-grade geography class in Idaho explored and problem-solved local water issues using a culmination of skills they had developed in our course. This classroom project powerfully connects academic standards with students’ lived experiences. Students were empowered to identify, craft, and present solutions to local issues, leveraging integrated understandings (see Figure 1 on p. 3). They then had the chance to share these ideas at a community forum.
“We were inspired by what was just outside the window!” one of my students exclaimed at the end of their presentation. The student project described in this article allowed middle school students to look no further than their classroom window for inspiration, fostering solutions to complex and authentic community challenges.
Situating in Place
The classroom project my students worked on was rooted in authentic community issues. This type of place-based education encourages student engagement with their immediate
environment, promoting investigation into its intricacies and implications for their lives. 3 By prioritizing students’ lived experiences and local contexts, place-based educators view the nearby neighborhood, localized power dynamics, and social communities as fertile ground for curriculum development.4
Local Problems for Exploration
In this project, I provided students with a list of issues and instructed them to select a problem to tackle collaboratively with their team (see Figure 3). I presented three issue themes for students to choose from and explore, and they then worked through scaffolded prompts to brainstorm, design, refine, and present solutions around the complex place-based problem they had decided to investigate. This approach encourages
Moscow, Idaho is located in a valley in the Palouse region of northcentral Idaho, near the Washington border. Photo 2023. (Wikimedia Commons)
ON THE COVER: The Palouse River flows 167 miles southwest from northern Idaho into Washington; the watershed faces erosion and other challenges (Jgreenbook / Wikimedia Commons). Inset: Central Illinois's Alissa Schwermin guides her seventh-grade students through an inquiry lesson. (Photo by Bridgette Clements/Courtesy of C3 Teachers)
teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving as students navigate the complexities of their selected issue. Each of these issues was of local relevance and could be connected easily to both science content and social studies content, with a deliberate emphasis on how issues of diversity and environmental justice might intersect with each problem. When introducing the problem options, I found it incredibly helpful to spend time discussing what “environmental justice” means. We looked at local news articles and community reports that highlighted how certain environmental burdens, like pollution or lack of green spaces, disproportionately affect marginalized communities. This helped students understand that environmental problems are not just about “nature,” but about people and fairness. Prior to the start of this project and without using complex academic jargon, I introduced the idea that some problems (like environmental degradation or unequal resource distribution) have historical roots tied to power imbalances and exploitation. As I started to teach this and apply these ideas to the community-based problems that were part of this project, I scaffolded students through questions like “When we look at this problem, who are the people who have traditionally held power or made decisions, and how might that have shaped the problem?” “Whose voices might have been left out of the conversation historically, and how can we make sure their perspectives are heard now?”
Teachers can adopt the options in Figure 3 for relevance to their own communities, allowing students to apply problemsolving skills within a local context. As students consider which issue to explore as a team, they might look to local news articles,
Instructions & Challenges
Choose one of the following problems to solve with your team, then follow the steps outlined in this packet as you work to develop a solution to one of these challenges:
• (Landforms) Aquifer Challenges - The Basin Aquifer Committee (a group of local scientists) has shown evidence that the aquifers supporting our community are being used at a faster rate than they are being naturally recharged (or filled back up). How does this happen? Is this important? Does this mean we might eventually run the aquifer dry? What are the implications of that on our community? What could be done to prevent this from happening? Who might be most impacted by this? How does this impact the physical and human geography of a place?
• (Climate) Changing Climate Zones - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has published data showing that there will be significant shifts in climate zones in the Western Hemisphere over the next few decades. What implications does this have for the people, flora, and fauna of these regions? Who might be most impacted by changing climate zones? How can these communities prepare for the shifts in climate zone, particularly if their economy relies on agriculture? How can the impacts be reduced, or are the impacts insignificant? How does this impact the physical and human geography of a place?
• (Themes of Geography) Physical Geography - Physical geography impacts where people live. Examine population and settlement patterns around the world. Where are big cities located most often? What physical geography features do they share? If you had to determine which medium-sized city would be the next to turn into a megacity based on physical geography, what would you predict? How can we make sure that new mega-cities have all of the resources they need to support a growing population? What physical features, natural resources, and climate zones are needed? What about supplying food and clean water for new mega-cities? How might we ensure equity as new cities are built?
Figure 1. Student-constructed model of a proposed technological solution addressing a local aquifer issue, integrating scientific, engineering, and social considerations.
Figure 2. Community members view students' proposed solutions at a public forum.
Figure 3. Example Problems
community organization websites, or even invite local experts (e.g., city planners, community activists, or scientists) to help them examine the components and varied perspectives present in the community, including those related to environmental justice. It may also be appropriate to show students oral histories or story maps that explore the intersections of science and social studies, as well as the human impact of environmental issues. Helpful examples can be found in the NOAA Story Maps project (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/map-stories).
Research & Inquiry Stage
• Which of the problem prompts did your team select to work on?
• What additional information do you need to begin thinking about solutions to this problem?
Component Parts Stage
• What are the components or parts of the problem you are working to solve?
• How is this problem(s) related to geography? Please include connections to physical and human geography where possible.
Brainstorm Stage
• Brainstorm possible solutions to this challenge, please be sure to jot down every idea you and your team have.
Evaluation Stage
• How will you evaluate and determine which of your ideas is the best? What criteria will you use? How will you consider equitable outcomes for all? (You may want to create a chart or table to show this information.)
• Using the criteria you developed in the previous step, which of the possible solutions your team developed makes the most sense? Which is the best possible solution? Why? Use evidence to support your claim.
Solution Development Stage
• Refine your solution. After thinking more carefully about your proposed solution, is there anything you can do to improve your solution? If so, what? Use evidence to support your changes.
• Develop a plan to implement your solution. What steps would you need to take to make this solution a reality?
Drawing on the well-established model of “Future Problem Solvers,”5 after selecting a problem, students completed the prompts outlined in Figure 4 (at left) to begin to craft and then subsequently refine their solutions by the metrics they develop. Helpful information about the problem-solving steps included in this model can be found at the Future Problem Solving website, https://fpspi.org/problem-solving-method. In this project, I adapted these problem-solving steps to provide scaffolded support for my students, drawing specific connections to social studies and science content. Frequently, during the work periods, I reminded students to consider the impacts of their proposed solutions on both human and ecological communities.
Through the prompts included in Figure 4, my students developed a wide range of ideas. Some groups explored policy solutions and new laws they might recommend to local leaders, considering how these policies would impact different socioeconomic groups. Others envisioned the invention of new technologies, taking into account accessibility and equitable distribution. In one example, a student team designed a rainwater catchment system using the slope of the mountains near the school (Figure 5) in Moscow, Idaho. This group articulated in the final presentation that their attention was captured by the hill and parking lot runoff we had been noticing from our classroom’s second-floor window and, importantly, discussed how their system could particularly benefit community gardens in underserved neighborhoods.
During the “Identifying Underlying Problems” stage, I had encouraged students to explicitly consider who is most affected
5. Student-designed graphic illustrating proposed rainwater catchment improvements to support aquifer replenishment and local agricultural practices. The project emphasizes agriculture’s importance to the local economy and culture.
by the problem they had chosen. We discussed how environmental issues often have a greater impact on low-income communities or communities of color due to historical inequities. This helped them frame their solutions with an equity lens.
Figure 4. Example Student-Facing Scaffolding Prompts Through Stages of the Project
Figure
For example, when one group was brainstorming solutions for local air pollution, I prompted them to research which neighborhoods had the highest rates of respiratory illnesses and consider the reasons behind this. Each group was required to present the connections they understood between their project and the content of social studies. This included specifically articulating how their proposed solution addressed issues of equity. Inviting students to explicitly recognize this overlap and their application of skills and content across disciplines led to particularly rich conversations and deepened engagement.
As students developed solutions, I helped them categorize their ideas along a spectrum (e.g., policy changes, technological innovations, community programs, educational campaigns, technological inventions). This helped them see the range of possible solutions and identify levers of change and influence. To support students with additional scaffolding, I provided examples of each solution type and a gallery of options. This was not offered as direction, but was available to students when they were stuck or struggling.
Students were assessed using a rubric checklist that evaluated their understanding of concepts related to physical and human geography, their appropriate use of geographic and academic vocabulary, and the use of evidence to support their claims and solutions. Additionally, the rubric considered the evidence of the process shown in their packet, the effort demonstrated in their work, and the success of collaboration within their team. The rubric also included criteria for demonstrating consideration of issues, equitable community outcomes related to their chosen problem, and the impact of their proposed solution.
Pacing this project within a two-week (10-day) timeframe requires clear milestones to keep students on track. I recommend dedicating the first week to foundational work, beginning with an introduction to the project, collaborative skill-building, and a discussion of key concepts such as environmental justice (Days 1-2). Allow students to select their topics and conduct initial research to identify the core underlying problems (Days 3-5). The second week should then focus on creation and synthesis. Students can spend time brainstorming, developing, and refining their solutions (Days 6-7), followed by dedicated time to create their final presentations and practice (Days 8–9). The final day can be
reserved for student presentations and a gallery walk.
Connections to Standards
This classroom project is rooted in social studies standards, primarily by engaging students in the four dimensions of the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework.6 The project moves students through the entire C3 Inquiry Arc. They develop compelling questions about authentic, local environmental problems (Dimension 1). From there, they apply disciplinary concepts and tools from geography, civics, and government to analyze their chosen issue (Dimension 2). This involves activities like using geographic reasoning to map pollution hotspots and considering policy-based solutions. Students evaluate sources and use evidence (Dimension 3), gathering information from public health data, news reports, and community testimony to build a coherent argument. Finally, the project culminates with students communicating their conclusions and taking informed action (Dimension 4) by presenting their proposed solutions to a real-world audience.
Beyond the C3 Framework, the project aligns with several key thematic strands from the National Council for the Social Studies. It directly addresses PEOPLE, PLACES, AND ENVIRONMENTS by requiring students to investigate the complex interactions between human societies and their local environment, analyzing how human activities modify the landscape and impact community well-being. It connects to SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY, encouraging students to think critically about the role of technology in both causing and solving environmental problems and to consider the social and ethical implications of their proposed solutions. And by tackling issues of environmental justice, the project engages with CIVIC IDEALS AND PRACTICES , prompting students to grapple with questions of equity, justice, and the common good while exploring pathways for civic participation.
Instructional Troubleshooting and Scaffolding
Teachers implementing this project may encounter several common challenges. A primary issue is that middle schoolers, eager to solve problems, may rush to propose solutions without first deeply analyzing the issue’s root causes and complexities. To mitigate this, it is crucial to use a structured process, such as Figure 4's scaffolded prompts, which guide students through distinct stages of brainstorming, research, and refinement.
Another challenge is managing the project’s scope to prevent students from being overwhelmed. This can be addressed by breaking the project into smaller, manageable milestones with clear deadlines, allowing teachers to intervene early and provide targeted support. Using shared digital workspaces can also help maintain transparency and keep groups on track.
Guiding students as they apply complex concepts, such as environmental justice, requires intentional support and guidance. When students get stuck or struggle to generate a variety of ideas, teachers can provide a “gallery of options” or examples of different solution types—such as policy changes, technological innovations, or community campaigns—to broaden their thinking without being prescriptive. The most effective tool for fostering deeper analysis is the use of targeted, guiding questions. Rather than providing answers, prompts like, “Whose voices might have been left out of the conversation historically?” or asking students to research which specific neighborhoods are most affected by an environmental problem, help them make the critical connection between abstract concepts and the tangible realities of their own community.
Problem-Based Learning
Problem-based learning offers a powerful method for integrating environmental and social issues across social studies content, especially for middle school students ready for more complex inquiry. Rather than receiving information through direct instruction, students engage first with authentic, realworld problems, collaboratively identifying what they need to know, researching potential solutions, and evaluating outcomes.7 This approach builds critical thinking, communication, and teamwork while deepening understanding of civic, economic, and environmental interconnections.
To help students succeed in extended, collaborative PBL projects, teachers should intentionally scaffold both the cognitive and social dimensions of the work. Explicit instruction in skills such as active listening, constructive feedback, and conflict resolution supports effective group dynamics. Defining clear, rotating roles (e.g., Facilitator, Recorder, Researcher) and establishing group norms or contracts promote accountability and equitable participation.
Breaking the project into manageable milestones, with regular teacher check-ins and guiding questions, keeps groups on track and fosters reflective problem solving. Digital collabora-
tion tools and individual reflections or peer evaluations ensure transparency and individual accountability.
Building students’ problem-solving stamina is equally important. Short, structured warm-ups like “See-Think-Wonder,” single-class case studies (e.g., cafeteria waste), or stakeholder mapping activities gradually prepare students to handle sustained inquiry. Structured feedback routines such as “PraiseQuestion-Suggest” cultivate the habits of collaboration and persistence that long-term PBL demands.
Conclusion
This project was a student favorite of the year, highlighting the importance of connecting local, real-world issues to middle school education. It effectively bridges science and social studies, focusing on local issues and providing students with a platform to share their solutions with the community. By presenting students with relevant problem-solving challenges based on their own community, teachers can encourage deeper engagement and more complex problem-solving applications. This not only sharpened their problem-solving skills but also helped them understand how science and social studies are interconnected and how these connections are reflected in real-world issues, which are deeply rooted in overlapping issues of equity and fairness. Encouraging students to explore these connections and share their insights in presentations further boosted their engagement and appreciation for their surroundings. By employing similar approaches and utilizing the provided teacher supports, educators can empower middle school students to become active, informed citizens, ready to tackle complex community challenges that extend beyond traditional subjects, thereby fostering a commitment to a more just and sustainable future.
Notes
1. Mark T. Kissling and Jonathan T. Bell, “Teaching Social Studies amid Ecological Crisis,” Theory & Research in Social Education 48, no. 1 (2020): 1–31; E. Alvey, “Deferral, Agency, and Hope: Pre-Service Social Studies Teachers Making Sense of the Pedagogical Demands of Engaging Climate Crisis,” Journal of Social Studies Education Research 11, no. 3 (2020): 18–45.
2. See Dana L. Zeidler and Bryan H. Nichols, “Socioscientific Issues: Theory and Practice,” Journal of Elementary Science Education 21, no. 2 (2009): 49–58; Mary Ratcliffe and Marcus Grace, Science Education for Citizenship: Teaching Socioscientific Issues (McGraw-Hill Education [UK], 2003).
3. David Sobel, “Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms and
Communities,” Education for Meaning and Social Justice 17, no. 3 (2004): 63–64; Gregory A. Smith, “Place-Based Education: Practice and Impacts,” in International Handbook of Research on Environmental Education, pp. 213–220 (Routledge, 2013); Gregory A. Smith, “Place-Based Education,” in Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education, July 27, 2017; Miri Yemini, Laura Engel, and Adi Ben Simon, “Place-Based Education–A Systematic Review of Literature,” Educational Review 77, no. 2 (2023): 640–60.
4. Sobel, “Place-Based Education”; Gregory A. Smith and David Sobel, “Place- and Community-Based Education: Definitions and Antecedents,” in Place- and Community-Based Education in Schools, pp. 21–30 (Routledge, 2014); Gregory A. Smith, “Place-Based Education: Learning to be Where We are,” Phi Delta Kappan 83, no. 8 (2002): 584–594; D. A. Gruenewald, “The Best of Both Worlds: A Critical Pedagogy of Place,” Environmental Education Research 14, no. 3 (2008): 308–324.
5. Donald J. Treffinger, Marianne Solomon, and Deb Woythal, “Four Decades of Creative Vision: Insights from an Evaluation of the Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI),” The Journal of Creative Behavior 46, no. 3 (2012): 209–219.
6. 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 (NCSS, 2013).
7. John R. Savery, “Overview of Problem-Based Learning: Definitions and Distinctions,” Essential Readings in Problem-Based Learning: Exploring and Extending the Legacy of Howard S. Barrows 9, no. 2 (2015): 5–15.
References
T. Chandler and Anand R. Marri, “Civic Engagement about Climate Change: A Case Study of Three Educators and Their Practice,” Journal of Social Studies Research 36, no. 1 (2012).
M. S. Crocco, A. R. Marri, and T. Chandler, “Social Studies and Sustainability: A Global Competency Framework,” in Schooling for Sustainable Development in Canada and the United States, eds. R. McKeown and V. Nolet (Springer, 2013), 170.
M. A. Hepburn, “Environmental Socialization and Social Studies,” The High School Journal 56, no. 7 (1973): 305–311.
N. O. Houser, “Ecological Democracy: An Environmental Approach to Citizenship Education,” Theory & Research in Social Education 37, no. 2 (2009): 192–214.
N. Houser, “Critical Ecological Citizenship Education: Social Studies–For the Good of Society and the Health of the Planet,” Journal of International Social Studies 14, no. 1 (2024): 20–35.
M. T. Kissling, “Place-Based Social Studies Teacher Education: Learning to Teach for Ecological Citizenship while Investigating Local Waste Issues,” in Rethinking Social Studies Teacher Education in the Twenty-First Century, eds. A. Crowe and A. Cuenca (Springer, 2016): 321–338.
M. T. Kissling and S. Rogers, “Connecting Economy and Environment in Social Studies Classrooms,” Ohio Social Studies Review 51, no. 2 (2014): 23–33.
A. P. Lawrence, “Am I Relevant to History?: The Environment,” in Teaching American History: The Quest for Relevancy, ed. A. O. Kownslar (National Council for the Social Studies, 1974), 189–214.
Zackary R. Seitz, “Rubber Ducks to Ecological Citizenship: A Review of Practitioner-Oriented Research on Ecological Issues in Social Studies,” Social Studies Research and Practice 15, no. 3 (2020): 261–275.
Elaine Alvey, PhD, is a passionate educator who is always excited by the awesome power and wisdom of young people. She is a former middle school teacher and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of education at the University of Alaska Southeast, where her work focuses on teacher education.
Junior Rho Kappa is the only national
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C3 Teachers Talk Taking Risks with Inquiry with Alissa Schwermin from Central Illinois
Edited by MaryBeth Yerdon, Kathy Swan, John Lee, and S.G. Grant
Alissa Schwermin began her teaching career in 2001, teaching middle school English in Central Illinois. After taking some time off, Alissa transitioned to teaching middle school social studies, which she has been doing for the past nine years. Alissa grounds her teaching in questioning as a means of making kids curious about both themselves and the world around them. Whenever Alissa gets to experience something new, like a museum or a historical site, she thinks about how she can bring that experience into her classroom. Alissa is motivated by sharing her love of learning with her students. She wants to get kids excited about exploring not only their own histories, but the histories and cultures of the world. More than anything else, Alissa wants her students to become lifelong learners and democratic citizens. Through inquiry and the Inquiry Design Model (IDM), Alissa wants to give her students the skills to ask questions, analyze evidence, and take informed action. She believes that inquiry is the basis for digging deeper into content that will foster the curiosity necessary for life-long learning.
C3 Teachers: How did you get hooked on inquiry and the IDM?
AS: Before coming to inquiry and the IDM, I actually tried implementing inquiry-based lessons from online resources, but struggled to do so in a consistent way. Then, I came across inquiry and the IDM at a professional development supporting teachers transitioning to inquiry-based learning. This PD led me to attend a summer training session on inquiry and the IDM; after that, I was hooked. What drew me to inquiry is the focus on asking questions that kids care about. When kids are engaged in the question, when the content is relevant to them, they naturally want to analyze the evidence. Since then, I’ve started my seventh-grade class out with the question: We won the Revolutionary War, now what? This inquiry really gets students thinking about where we have been as a country, how far we have come, and how far we still need to go. Since the institute, I have begun adopting the language of inquiry into my own instructional planning and the work I do with other teachers; and this year, I hope to write my first inquiry.
C3 Teachers: Tell us about the “symbols” inquiry you developed and implemented for this interview.
AS: Early in the school year, I asked students the compelling question, “What is the power of a symbol?” First, students
Alissa Schwermin engages her seventh-grade students in inquiry. (All photos by Bridgette Clements, Assistant Principal, Broadmoor Junior High School)
draw images and symbols that represent them. This builds on an exercise I do with students the first week of school, when I ask students “ Who is Mrs. Schwermin? ” I bring in all kinds of artifacts and then explore things about me. Then, to start this inquiry, they are drawing symbols that represent who they are. Next, I bring in select sources and have students categorize them into actions, objects, and words. Working in small groups, students debate on the placement and subsequent rationale of each image. Once students have an idea about the representation of symbols and different types of symbols, we start using the categories “reality vs. ideals.” Again, in small groups, kids are debating and coming to reasoned consensus about which categories these images should be placed in. Finally, for
this inquiry, students select one image that they think best represents the United States, and together they come up with a rationale for why they selected that image.
C3 Teachers: Some teachers think that this type of deep inquirybased exploration takes a lot of time. How much time did you spend on this inquiry snapshot?
AS: Just two class periods! The first day, I do the staging activity and introduce the sources and initial categories. Then, on the second day, I give some additional background information about each source. We take notes about each image as a group, and then it’s off to the races. Kids start categorizing images; then they
Student rationales explaining why each image best represents the United States.
select one and come up with a rationale for why that image best represents the United States. We create a bulletin board and then refer back to it throughout the year. As we learn about new events and figures, I’ll ask them to look back at the image they chose and their rationale and ask: Do we still like this as an image that represents us? Would we choose a different image now that we have learned more?
C3 Teachers: Many teachers might start building historical content knowledge right away. Why do this inquiry in the very beginning of the year?
AS: It’s a way of building trust. I share myself with them, then ask
them to take a risk with me. There’s no right or wrong, but it gives us something to return to throughout the year and helps them reflect on changing perspectives. Also, this inquiry gives me some benchmark data on how students support thinking with reasoning. Plus, because this is a group activity, it builds community, encourages shared risk-taking, and serves as a quick assessment to help me determine how to scaffold key social studies skills.
C3 Teachers: Did the symbols kids chose surprise you in any way?
AS: I was surprised how many of the groups chose a burning American flag, Colin Kaepernick’s silent protest (the kneeling protest picture), and the World Trade Center images as their
top image to represent our country. Their reasoning supported those images effectively, but it did surprise me a bit, that these were the top images over the American flag and the Declaration of Independence. I think their selections point to the relevance of these images for kids. They see their interests reflected in the images. For example, lots of students love football; 9/11 is early in the school year, so it’s on their mind; and the burning flag debate has been in the news recently. This showed the importance of making sure your sources are relevant. I’ve had some images that seemed relevant to me, but the students had no clue. For example, I had a picture of Oprah, and nobody knew who she was! Some sources may remain consistent, like the American flag, March on Selma, or the Declaration of Independence, but you also have to incorporate relevant images, and if something isn’t working, get rid of it.
C3 Teachers: What do you love the most about teaching with inquiry?
AS: What I see with inquiry is that students are really digging in. They are curious. I see that curiosity in my own children. When we go on family trips and we visit historical sites, my boys are curious; they start with one question, then another, then another. When I’m teaching my students, I think about that curiosity and through inquiry I can make those moments come alive in the classroom. Inquiry is about depth, taking time to really analyze a source. Children are natural explorers. When we give kids time to explore, they come up with amazing questions that lead them to conclusions and eventually arguments. With that kind of deep exploration, whether it’s an actual object, an image, or a text, we can curate classroom experiences that expose students to new things. When children are exposed to something new and spend time really looking at it, questions naturally emerge. And just like anything with kids, one question leads to another, and so on. Naturally, when you explore something for the first time, you may have an initial thought and what you end up with could be very different. For me and my students, inquiry becomes the basis for deep discovery and that form of lifelong learning is what I want to share most with my students.
C3 Teachers: What’s the biggest barrier you meet in implementing inquiry in your classroom?
AS: Kids are obsessed with being right. Our students are constantly asking, “Is this right?” “Did I get it right?” and inquiry is not really about being right. The anxiety about being right is a real roadblock for inquiry. Struggle is an important part of inquiry, and inquiry demands that kids pull their sleeves up and really get into sources, accept that history and democracy are messy, and understand that there isn’t always one right answer. I think that in the early grades, students would benefit from engaging with this messiness, playing around with primary sources, and having more time to ask questions and be curious. There’s such a focus on reading and math, understandably so, reading and reasoning are essential building blocks. But there are so many resources available to support elementary-level social studies right on the C3 Teachers website.
C3 Teachers: Based on your students’ exposure to social studies and historical thinking, what knowledge and skills do you spend the most time building, and what could elementary teachers focus on to support students’ social studies knowledge and skills?
AS: Our students come with pretty standard historical and civic content knowledge, which is to be expected. I think elementary teachers could explore more topics with kids, especially relevant and engaging ones. I’d encourage teachers to plan content across the elementary grade bands so students aren’t learning the same material in each grade. That way, kids would come to middle school with more diverse historical and civic knowledge and some consistency in the kind of content they bring with them.
It is challenging to dive into a topic with multiple starting points. Maybe some students have been exposed to the 13 colonies, for example, and some haven’t. A focus on citizenship would also help scaffold how kids, as citizens, can take informed action, seeing action as citizenship and something to be proud of. Our country is built on civic action, but there are so many stories children aren’t exposed to. Finally, and most importantly, analytical skills. If there was one thing I wish my kids all came to me with, it’s doubt—not trusting everything they see in the media and leaning into curiosity and analysis. If kids came to us ready to analyze sources, corroborate, factcheck, and come to their own conclusions, rather than taking everything at face value, we could really cover a lot of ground in middle school.
C3 Teachers: What was the most difficult part for you in shifting to inquiry and the IDM?
AS: You know, it’s funny, I said the biggest barrier for students was their obsession with being right, and for me, the hardest part of inquiry was the obsession with doing it right. I remember being at the inquiry training with Dr. [Kathy] Swan and thinking, “Oh, is this in the right spot? Did I do this question right?” which really illustrates how much we all need to take risks and be comfortable making mistakes. It’s not just hard for kids; it’s hard for all of us, especially teachers who are new to the classroom or new to inquiry. When I think about both of those moments in my own life, I wish I had been more comfortable making mistakes instead of worrying I was doing something wrong.
C3 Teachers: Your inquiry was all about symbols, and you mentioned relevant analytical skills, like questioning the media. What kinds of symbols do you think your students are taking
in on their own time, and how do you see that reflected in the classroom?
AS: The influence of the media is terrifying to me, which is why inquiry is so important. We no longer allow phones in our school, and that has helped in so many ways. I was so shocked that they didn’t know who Oprah was, but a lot of students are consuming short-form media instead of TV and movies. They talk about not having the attention span for film and television, and honestly, it scares me. They have an invisible algorithm giving them everything they like and competing for their attention, and that is really the most important civic action issue for their generation. That’s why I think inquiry and analysis are so important. We want kids to ask questions about what they’re taking in and why, where, and who it’s coming from.
C3 Teachers: Finally, what’s your hope for inquiry both in your classroom and broadly?
AS: I want to get better at writing argument stems. They are so important for writing a great inquiry, but they are so hard. Someone, please help me write argument stems! For my classroom, I want to harness kids’ curiosity and build lifelong learning through inquiry. I want them to ask questions and be critical of what they see and hear, and I know I can do that through inquiry. For inquiry more broadly, I really like the new shorter inquiries coming out, the Building Blocks of Inquiry Project. I’d like to see more on digital literacy and media analysis skills; those sources can be hard to keep up to date, which is the challenge of writing inquiries using media. Finally, there are lots of great things about inquiry. One of the things I see is that it’s great for all types of learners, and I hope more and more teachers will continue to adopt inquiry and the language of inquiry in their teaching.
The C3 Teachers initiative is guided by MaryBeth Yerdon (SUNY Cortland), Kathy Swan (University of Kentucky), John Lee (North Carolina State University), and S.G. Grant (Binghamton University). Kathy, John, and S.G. have worked as leaders and writers in the C3 Framework project and know first-hand the critical role teachers play in the implementation and realization of the C3 goals. Their work extends beyond the C3 into teacher education and preparing new teachers to tackle the challenges of teaching social studies in the 21st century.
Teachers from around the world are using inquiry and the IDM in the classroom. Creating community through connecting teachers is one of C3 Teachers’ primary goals. Through inquiry development, hubs, blogging, publications, the C3 Teachers Academy, and the Making Inquiry Possible Project C3 Teachers strive to support teachers as they implement inquiry in the classroom. Join us! We want to hear from you.
MaryBeth Yerdon
Kathy Swan John Lee S. G. Grant
Photos by Bridgette Clements, Assistant Principal, Broadmoor Junior High School.
Axel Donizetti Ramirez is a Professor of Education at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was a middle school teacher for 12 years and has been teaching at the university level for 23 years.
Q. Why did you become an educator?
A. My fifth-grade teacher was the first grownup I remember acting like an adult when things did not go well. She was my first civility role model. I wanted to grow up to be like her.
Q. What teaching success or career achieve ment are you most proud of?
A. I am most proud of being the NCSS Middle Level Teacher of the Year in 2001.
Q. When and why did you join NCSS?
A I joined NCSS in [1994]. As I became involved with the Utah
Council, I realized that to be at the top of my game, I needed to be around the best teachers in the country and learn from them.
Q. How has being a part of a professional association enriched your career?
I can’t get enough of other professionals offering cutting edge, engaging techniques that I can use and pass on to future teachers. I love being an educator because we never compete with each other, instead, we share our best ideas so that students throughout our states and the country can benefit.
Save the Date:
2026 NCSS Summer Virtual Conference From Revolution to Resilience
June 23 and 24
This year’s theme is “From Revolution to Resilience: Exploring America's Past, Present, and Future.” From the birth of the nation in 1776 to the enduring impact of 9/11, the American story is one of revolution, challenge, and resilience. Join us in celebrating 250 years of resilience and explore how pivotal events—from the founding to the present—can be taught in ways that engage students in critical thinking, civic responsibility, and historical understanding. https://www.socialstudies.org/professional-learning/2026-summer-virtual-conference
Middle School Teachers, We Want to Hear from You! Write about the social studies lesson you are most proud of—the one your students are sure to remember. Was it a U.S. or world history lesson? Geography? Economics? Civics? Submit an article to Middle Level Learning and share your work: www.editorialmanager. com/ncssjournalscom/ncssjournals
Jennifer Bauduy, MLL Editor • Laura Godfrey, Interim Director of Publications and Resources • Rich Palmer, Art Manager