Supporting an Inquiry Mindset: Resisting the Lack of Curiosity by Design Model

Abstract

As we work with students within teacher education and secondary contexts, we face an ever-growing disconnect over what should be taught or valued in the learning environment: Is it the memorization of content or the acquisition of skills related to being better citizens? As professors of social studies and literacy education and a teacher of secondary science, we introduce our students to our respective fields and task them with applying content within real-world contexts. This is not an easy task for teachers in any content area, political and social forces complicate this task. They must strike a balance between competing approaches to content implementation. In social studies these approaches can be as varied as teaching a hero narrative versus a more complex inquiry-based approach to understanding people in historical settings. With this context in mind, the purpose of this article is to advocate for an inquiry approach to teaching social studies and other disciplines in all grades through research and personal experiences.