In this webinar, we will introduce participants to argument mapping - a research-backed method students can use to organize and evaluate claims using reasoning and evidence. Participants will see how argument mapping can help teachers facilitate discussions around controversial issues, such as whether communities should defund the police or abolish ICE. How We Argue Webinar Series Educators often want to discuss current issues and empower students to engage as active citizens. Yet, when discussing controversial topics, some students rely on unsubstantiated…

To acknowledge societal issues and problem-solve solutions that promote the common good, we cannot conceptualize current issues as “single factual narratives” or universalize our personal perspectives as the “one and absolute truth.” We should not debate whether systemic racism exists, but provide opportunities for students, precluding racist commentary, to analyze the data evidence and establish this conclusion on their own. Welcoming both conservative and liberal opinions into classroom discussion by using open race-related policy questions, like affirmative action, fosters an environment…

The Inquiry and Teaching with Primary Sources to Prepare Students for College, Career, and Civic Life institute discusses how to construct social studies curriculum inquiries for your pre-service teachers using digital sources from the Library of Congress. Pilot and share in-depth feedback on two online methods texts currently under development:  Using Inquiry to Prepare Students for College, Career, and Civic Life (Elementary K-6 Edition) Using Inquiry to Prepare Students for College, Career, and Civic Life (Secondary 6-12 Edition) These texts are a project generously…

Examine how the realities of COVID-19 can usher students into new ways of connecting with the past. Using the C3 as a guide, participants will engage in inquiry based activities using primary sources from the Library of Congress to promote historical empathy, and spur students towards action.

Often, social studies and history instruction expose students to broad themes and principles like equality and justice, but students lack the ability to apply those principles to historical case studies and current social issues. This webinar will give participants a clear and systematic method through which students can incorporate social and political principles into argumentative classroom discussions and written assignments. How We Argue Webinar Series Educators often want to discuss current issues and empower students to engage as active citizens. Yet, when discussing…

This presentation focuses on the listening and interpretation skills students need to engage in disagreements-- especially when they feel passionate about the topic being debated. Participants will see a series of sample exercises and a project they can use in the classroom to help students practice their close listening and argument analysis skills. How We Argue Webinar Series Educators often want to discuss current issues and empower students to engage as active citizens. Yet, when discussing controversial topics, some students rely on unsubstantiated facts or emotional…

Melanie McCormick and Alycia West implore educators to engage in thoughtful conversations about transnational adoption in “Seen but not Seen: Supporting Transracial and Transnational Adoptees in the Classroom.” The authors draw on their stories of growing up as transracial and transnational adoptees as well as their research on children’s literature on adoption to provide instructional guidelines and resources for teachers to teach about transnational adoption.

Step into a new experience. Explore the education system from a unique view point: that of Black girls. Adultification has hindered BIPOC children for years. To successfully teach the whole child instructors must be equipped. Learn how to create engaging curriculum that is both culturally and historically responsive. Speaker: Gabrielle Dingle Owens

We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." Ben Franklin didn't know it at the time, but we was talking about teachers in 2023! Let's share stories where hanging together has made us all smarter, and helped us stay energized as educators! Speaker: Joe Schmidt, Bill of Rights Institute Director of Programs

This teacher's take will be centered on the power of helping students find their voice through debate. Speaker: Ahlam Yassin, High School History Teacher, New Jersey