Teaching the Truth - Center for Inspired Teaching

June 21, 2021

By Aleta Margolis, Founder and President, Center for Inspired Teaching

Hooray for Monday is a weekly blog filled with questions, ideas, reflections, and actions we can all take to remodel the school experience for students.

When I taught sixth grade, in the early 1990s, I designed an activity to teach my students how natural selection works: each student became a finch and was assigned a round or pointy beak (represented by a piece of construction paper in the shape of a circle or triangle), and then had to face a variety of challenges (no food source other than tiny bugs that hide inside tree bark, etc.) and experience the effects on the gene pool. Through this interactive biology lesson, students learned how traits are selected for or against over time, as part of the process of evolution.

I had invited my principal to observe the lesson. After it ended, she announced: “Remember, evolution is only a theory!” She later explained to me that she was concerned students might tell their parents they had learned evolution in school, and that parents might become upset that I’d taught their children about this “controversial” topic.

Her words sparked a whole new lesson in my classroom, this time a history lesson on the famous 1925 Scopes Trial, in which a public school science teacher in Tennessee was prosecuted for teaching evolution to his students.

Today, in 2021, at least 25 states have introduced legislation that would prevent public school teachers from teaching critical race theory, or any so-called “controversial” approach that acknowledges the role systemic racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression play in our nation’s history. On June 11, thousands of teachers gathered to push back against these laws, standing up for the right to teach students about the complexities of our nation’s history.

Everything we do at Inspired Teaching is based on the belief that teachers should be Instigators of Thought who teach students how to think, instead of doing the thinking for them. What does this mean as we navigate questions around what does and does not belong in a school curriculum? Who should decide what kids are exposed to, or learn about in school? And how can we ensure teachers are protected and supported when they engage their students in studying the important and complex issues of our times?

The late great Ted Sizer, one of the greatest progressive educators of the twentieth century, believed the purpose of school is to teach students to “use their minds well.” When teachers teach students to use their minds well, teachers take on the role of Instigator of Thought.

Teachers who are Instigators of Thought:

Do their research, and make their research process transparent so students know how to do research too.
Teach critical media literacy, which includes embracing a learning stance and exposing learners to reliable and varied news sources – including those that challenge and reinforce their personal viewpoints.
Have complicated conversations with students and teach them how to talk with one another about tough topics.
Ask, don’t tell. They ask students to draw their own conclusions and support those conclusions with evidence from reliable news sources. Then they invite students to listen to their classmates who’ve reached similar conclusions, and to those who’ve reached different ones.

This is the kind of honest, engaging learning environment students need and deserve. However, we can’t ask teachers to risk their job security to engage in good teaching.

To those Hooray For Monday readers who are school and district leaders, parents, and policymakers: I invite you to share your voice in support of teachers who are willing to take on the role of Instigator of Thought, and to change the landscape so that students and teachers can engage thoughtfully and professionally in analyzing the issues of our times. Teachers, I invite you to share this post with your school and district leaders and other key decision-makers in your community and encourage them to support true inquiry-based teaching and learning.

Knowledge and understanding are what move us forward as a society. Education rooted in our ever-evolving understanding of the past and present is key to that forward momentum. We must support the educators who teach the truth and open our eyes to who we are and what we can be.

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.