Inquiry, as a method of instruction and model for leaning in Social Studies, is grounded in the C3 Framework. The C3 Framework is a set of state standards designed to provide students with the concepts, skills, and disciplinary tools in order to help them to achieve in college, their career, and civic life, the three c’s. With inquiry as its focus the C3 Framework is centered on four dimensions:

1. Developing questions and planning

2. Applying disciplinary concepts and tools

3. Evaluating sources and using evidence

4. Communicating conclusions and taking informed action

Stretching all the way back to my undergraduate methods courses in social studies and into my graduate work in ECI 525 and 727, inquiry, and namely the C3 Framework, has been taught as fundamental to student engagement and learning. But not merely limited to content specific courses the inquiry model for learning was applied in ECI 546, 524, and in doing this final project, though slightly different in its aims and scope. When students engage in the development of compelling questions they provide their own guidance and direction for their learning. In applying disciplinary tools they utilize reading and critical thinking skills as they develop their knowledge and generate additional questions about their topic beyond the compelling question. They further utilize those same skills as they evaluate their sources and collect their evidence to craft their answer to their compelling question. And finally, as students communicate their conclusions they again take pride and ownership of what they have discovered in crafting an answer to their compelling question. As they look to take informed action they will have to apply the knowledge they have learned from this lesson into how they might engage in civic life based on what they have learned.