The Humanities Pose Questions And Students Look For Answers

After reading Gibson's (2018) article I wondered how I could connect this to a middle school Social Studies classroom in Canada and adapt it to a current issue surrounding Alberta. With the largest issue in Alberta at the moment being a huge surge in Albertans leaning towards separation from the larger country of Canada, I thought it might be a great way for students to dive deeper into the overarching issues and formulate their own opinions based on research and group work. I designed an activity that can engage

students without choosing a side. Students would gather into groups called Inquiry circles. Each group would get an assigned debate perspective given to them by the teacher. Some perspectives could include:

1. Supporters of an Alberta Independence Referendum,

2. Supporters of Alberta Remaining in Canada,

3. Legal & Constitutional Experts (What is legally possible?),

4. Indigenous Perspectives (Treaties, sovereignty, and consultation)

5. Youth & Community Voices (How might this affect everyday life?).

Each group will get a small write-up about the perspectives and then be allowed to work in their Inquiry circles to gather information to form a supported debate. Their arguments will utilize scaffolding questions that show an understanding of the perspective they have been assigned, critical inquiry and potential Implications. These questions could look like:

Understanding the Perspective

• What does this group believe?

• What concerns or hopes motivate this perspective?

Critical Inquiry

• Why might people support this position?

• What problems are they trying to solve?

• What assumptions might this perspective make?

Implications

• If this perspective shaped decisions, what might change?

• Who might benefit? Who might be impacted negatively?

• What questions remain unanswered?

Students will be expected to gather evidence to answer these questions and support their perspective. Once the inquiry groups are ready, they will engage in a structured civic debate. The structure for the debate will look like this:

Round 1: Perspective Statements

Each group presents:

• Their perspectives’ main ideas

• The questions that guide their thinking

  (2–3 minutes per group)

Round 2: Question-to-Question Exchange

Instead of rebuttals, groups:

• Ask another group a respectful, critical question

• The responding group answers using evidence

Round 3: Reflection Pause

Students individually write:

• Which question today made you think the most?

• Did any perspective surprise you? Why?

Followed by a class discussion with guided questions, and then a student Individual personal reflection, where a paragraph is written using a question prompt given to the students. This reflection will be a form os summative assessment to see what the students have learned. An add-on to add more depth to this would be to have the students use a Venn diagram and cross-reference all the positions to see if any overlap. This entire activity supports learning by making debate a tool for inquiry, not persuasion. It keeps the classroom politically neutral and psychologically safe while also encouraging positive exchange. It allows students to build critical thinking skills, encourages civic literacy, and enriches democratic dialogue skills. Burwell (2023) explains that "strong inquiry-based learning involves students in answering significant questions that are relevant to their own lives and that reflect contemporary issues". Thus helping the students to learn new tools for practical use in everyday life. This activity is engaging because it uses real-world issues that could affect their futures and allows room for students to learn from each other with group work. It encourages critical thinking, engages the ability to synthesize information, and allows them to formulate their own opinions. Critical thinking is the cornerstone to making effective, well-informed decisions, allowing for logical, effective solutions and is valued in all aspects of life.

References

Burwell, C. (2023). See it for yourself: Photography in student-led inquiry. English Journal, 113(2), 58-66.

Gibson, M.L. (2018). Scaffolding critical questions: Learning to read the world in a middle school civics class in Mexico. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 62(1), 25-34.

Photo Image taken from WIX photo gallery