Video Transcript

Module 2_Category 4_Element 2

Making Inquiry Critical: Crafting Critical
Inquiries
Facilitator: Dr. Ryan Crowley, University of Kentucky

Hello again, my name is Ryan Crowley from the University of Kentucky.

In the previous element, we talked about what it means to adopt a critical stance in social
studies. We continue that discussion here by sharing some guidelines for crafting inquiries that
align with the ideas of critical theory.

As you have seen elsewhere in this module, we will discuss how to create inquiries using the
Inquiry Design Model. And, we see the development of critical inquiries as a way to use the new
KAS for Social Studies to promote equity in your classroom.

When you boil down the IDM framework, you see its three main components: questions,
sources, and tasks. When we set out to craft a critical inquiry, we must attend to all three of
these elements. In the coming slides, I will discuss some considerations for how to write critical
questions, expose students to critical sources, and create critical tasks.

First, questions. For a critical inquiry, compelling and supporting questions should explicitly
critique systems of oppression and power. These questions should not just be about exploring a
topic connected to oppression in a limited fashion. For example, an inquiry related to apartheid
in South Africa should not only talk about how the system ended or how the system worked.
Instead it should explore the motivations behind apartheid and who benefited from the system.

To pull a few examples from the inquiries available on C3teachers.org, the compelling questions
shown here related to Emmett Till, women’s suffrage, and economic inequality all ask students
to consider past or contemporary inequities in an expansive, justice-oriented fashion. The first
inquiry does not just explore what happened to Emmett Till but takes up the question of
whether or not justice could be done for his murder.

When we think about the nature of critical sources, the most important guideline is that the
sources chosen for the inquiry include the perspectives of the marginalized or oppressed groups
under investigation.

An inquiry focused on the civil rights movement would not limit itself to speeches of political
leaders like or ask students to read parts of legislation passed or court rulings handed down
during that time period. Critical sources would include the voices of those on the ground who
organized and agitated so that those legislative and judicial battles could be won.

In crafting tasks for a critical inquiry it is important that your summative tasks or Taking Informed
Action activity push students to take tangible steps toward alleviating the injustice identified in
the inquiry.

This guideline relates back to the activist element crucial to adopting a critical stance in your
teaching.

To put these guidelines into practice, let’s take a closer look at an inquiry currently available at
C3teachers.org written by Kentucky teacher Kenny Stancil. Kenny’s inquiry focuses on economic
inequality, asking the compelling question: Can we afford the super rich? The entire inquiry is
available for download on this page.

We will talk about this inquiry in light of the three components of the IDM framework.

First, questions. Kenny’s compelling question explicitly asks students to critique the fairness of an
economic system that allows for accumulation of wealth in the hands of a small group of
individuals. And, the two supporting questions shown here focus in on the consequences of
inequality to mental and physical health as well as the damage it does to our democratic
institutions.

Although Kenny’s inquiry includes a number of sources, I pulled out three critical sources to
share. All of these do a nice job of helping us to understand the experiences of those on the
losing end of an economic system that has produced vast inequality.

Finally, tasks. Kenny’s inquiry is designed so that students build their understanding of the
effects of economic inequality through a number of formative assessment tasks. Then, their
summative task encourages students to develop an argumentative essay and then convert it into
an op-ed that could be shared with a wider audience. For students to take an even stronger
activist stance, the TIA task calls for a town-hall-style event in which students could share what
they learned with school and community members.

So, what does it mean to make inquiry critical?

Remember that critical inquiries aim for critical questions, critical sources, and critical tasks.
Putting these together allows your students to understand past or contemporary inequities and
to consider how to alleviate those injustices.

After this element, you will be moving on to the Prove-It for Module 2. But first, please take a
few moments to complete the 3 Practice-It questions below.