Navigating the politically charged classroom: Using inquiry to teach contentious social studies

Teaching social studies during politically volatile times is challenging. This article draws from the findings of an explanatory case study that examined 2 teachers’ instructional choices as they taught contentious social studies. The researchers sought to understand how the teachers navigated conflicting educational ideologies through their instructional choices when designing and delivering inquiry-based instruction. Data consisted of interviews, observations, and artifacts and was analyzed using a thematic approach with the Questions, Tasks, and Sources [QTS] Observation Protocol and the Framework for Teaching Controversial Issues serving as the analytical framework. From this study, we offer instructional strategies for navigating the challenges of teaching contentious social studies through an inquiry-based curriculum. We note how teachers can craft democratic compelling questions, select sources that contextualize contentious social studies, and plan for formative and summative performance tasks to support more deliberative argumentation.