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The number one question educators ask about inquiry is how many time a year should it be done. One of the inescapable challenges to inquiry is its lack of efficiency in "covering" content. Inquiry necessarily takes longer than direct instruction and this can be problematic for teachers struggling to find time to cover the breadth of content outlined in most social studies courses. As a result, the authors say that they often suggested teachers begin with two to four inquiries a year, believing that a couple of meaningful inquiry experiences a year is better than none. The C3 Framework emphasizes the acquisition and application of knowledge to prepare students for college, career, and civic life. Impressed by C3 teachers who have embraced and tinkered with the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) blueprint, the authors write that they are now rethinking that response. This article outlines how Innovative IDM practitioners have reached out to to demonstrate ways to weave inquiry into the fabric of their courses as part of their daily instruction.

'Research & Practice, 'established early in 2001,features educational research that is directly relevant to the work of classroom teachers. In this, the 19th article in the series, I invited S.G. [...]

Research of the influence of New York's state-required testing on teaching social studies suggests state tests interact with teachers' views of learners and subject matter. State test scores may therefore not be a reliable motivator of high-quality teaching and public trust in testing may be misplaced.

America's children seem to have at least one large experience in common--school. They spend roughly one-quarter of their rooms, corridors, lunchrooms, and playgrounds, all under teachers' supervision. But the more [...]

Recent studies have suggested that the pineal hormone melatonin may protect against breast cancer, and the mechanisms underlying its actions are becoming clearer. Melatonin works through receptors and distinct second [...]