Reflective Report

As an elementary teacher currently working in a remote First

Nations community while completing the Senior Social Sciences
ABQ, this course has significantly reshaped my understanding of
teaching as a theory-informed, inquiry-driven, and socially
responsive practice. The readings and discussions provided concrete
frameworks for program development, planning, implementation,
and assessment, particularly in civic online reasoning, social action,
essential questions, differentiated instruction, literacy, and teaching
for understanding. More importantly, these frameworks helped me
connect theory to my own lived teaching experience.

1. What aspects of this course have benefited me the most?

The aspects of this course that have benefited me the most are
gaining a deeper understanding of essential questions, learning how
to implement the social action framework, and developing stronger
habits of critical thinking and reflection.
First, developing a clearer understanding of essential questions has
significantly strengthened my instructional planning. Although I was
introduced to inquiry-based learning in teacher’s college, this course
helped me refine how to design meaningful essential questions. As
Wiggins emphasizes, effective essential questions must
be arguable, require evidence and reasoning, spark debate, and
recur throughout a unit. Learning these criteria has allowed me to
move beyond surface-level engagement and design lessons that
promote deeper conceptual understanding.
Second, the six-stage framework for social action has been
particularly valuable in helping me connect classroom learning to
real-world application. Before learning this framework, I often felt
overwhelmed by how to teach the “practical side” of social sciences.
I used to view the subject mainly as understanding social issues;
however, I now recognize that it is equally about asking, “What can
we do about these issues?” The framework provides clear and
manageable steps, such as issue clarification, stakeholder analysis,
planning, and evaluation, which makes teaching social action more
structured and achievable.
Finally, this course has strengthened my ability to engage in critical
thinking and reflection. Activities such as comparing current Ontario
classrooms with those described in readings from 20 years ago
encouraged me to think more deeply about how educational
practices evolve over time. In addition, the course introduced me to
a wide range of valuable resources, which will continue to support
my professional growth.
Overall, these aspects have not only deepened my understanding of
social sciences education but also provided me with practical tools
that I can directly apply in my teaching.
2. What did I learn from others and from my readings?
From both the course readings and my classmates’ contributions, I
learned that effective social sciences teaching requires explicit
instruction in critical thinking, inquiry, and digital literacy, rather
than assuming students will develop these skills independently.
One of the most significant insights I gained from the readings is the
importance of civic online reasoning. I clearly remember being
surprised when learning that the Stanford History Education Group
designed and field-tested 56 tasks across 12 states and analyzed
approximately 8,000 student responses to evaluate how students
judge the credibility of online information (Wineburg, 2016). The
findings showed that even high-achieving students struggle to
evaluate sources. This highlighted the need for teachers to explicitly
teach students how to assess the credibility of information. This idea
is further reinforced in the article , which explains that we are living
in a “post-truth” world where opinions are often presented as facts
and emotional appeals outweigh evidence (Owen, 2017). From this,
I learned that students must be taught to distinguish between fact
and opinion and to evaluate expertise, which has reshaped how I
approach digital literacy in my teaching.
Another key learning from the readings is that inquiry must be
explicitly modeled and embedded into classroom practice. I learned
that students need to be shown how to ask meaningful questions
and how to think critically. As a result, I now understand the
importance of using strategies such as inquiry-based questions and
the “notice–wonder” approach to model thinking processes and
support student questioning (Wiggins, 2015).
I also learned that effective instruction should prioritize thinking
over memorization. The readings emphasized designing tasks that
require reasoning, evidence, and discussion, such as debates,
position papers, and reflective writing. This helped me realize that
deep learning happens when students actively engage with ideas
rather than passively recall information (Wiggins, 2015).
From the course readings, I further learned the importance of
creating a safe and supportive learning environment. I came to
understand that confusion is a natural and productive part of
learning, and students must feel comfortable expressing uncertainty
and asking questions (Wiggins, 2015). This connects to
differentiated instruction, which highlights the need for a respectful
and inclusive classroom environment to support all learners
(Baccay, 2017).
In addition, the literacy framework deepened my understanding
that literacy is embedded across all subject areas. I learned that
students need opportunities to think, express, reflect, and act using
multiple forms of communication, which reinforced the importance
of integrating literacy into social sciences instruction (Ontario
Ministry of Education, 2013).
The social action reading also taught me that student action must
be carefully scaffolded. I learned that before taking action, students
should engage in task analysis, stakeholder analysis, and reflection
on unintended consequences, which ensures that their actions are
thoughtful and responsible (Clark, 2020).
Finally, I learned valuable perspectives from my classmates. One
idea that stood out was the concept of persuasion as both a
teaching tool and a critical literacy focus, particularly the “decoy
option,” where a less desirable third choice is introduced to
influence decision-making (APA, 2020). This helped me understand
how persuasion operates in real-world contexts and led me to reflect
on its ethical use in education. I learned that while persuasion can
be used to increase engagement, it should be applied transparently,
and students should also be taught to critically analyze persuasion
in media, advertising, and politics.
Overall, I learned that teaching social sciences effectively involves
not only delivering content, but also explicitly teaching students
how to think, question, evaluate information, and engage
responsibly with the world around them.
3. What did I discover I need to work on?
This course really made me reflect on several areas where I still
need to grow as a teacher. First, I want to get better at
designing assessments that actually capture deep understanding,
especially when it comes to co-constructing success criteria with
students, as suggested in the Teaching for Understanding
framework (Wiske, 1994). In my current classroom with primary
students, I’m quite used to setting all the criteria myself, because
younger students often need that structure. But as I think about
teaching high school in the future, I’m starting to realize that it
might be more powerful to involve students in creating those
criteria together. I think that process could help them feel more
ownership over their learning, and also give them a clearer sense of
what quality work really looks like.
Another area I want to work on is integrating civic online
reasoning more intentionally into my teaching. Right now, I feel like
digital literacy sometimes becomes something I “add on” rather
than something I build into lessons from the start. What really stood
out to me is that even I sometimes get misled by information online,
especially when something looks professional or convincing at first
glance. That was a bit of a wake-up call. If I can be misled, then my
students definitely can too. So I think it’s really important that I
explicitly teach them how to question sources, double-check
information, and think more critically about what they see online.
I also realized that I need to get better at scaffolding complex
inquiry and social action tasks. I love the idea of students engaging
with real-world issues, but I can see now that without enough
structure, it can quickly become overwhelming for them. To support
students better, I know I also need to build my own understanding
of sociology and social science topics. I’m planning to do that by
reading more, exploring reliable resources, and paying closer
attention to current social issues, so that I can guide discussions
with more confidence and depth.
More broadly, I feel like I’m still in the process of building my own
understanding of social science as a discipline. I want to develop a
clearer framework in my own mind, so that my teaching feels more
coherent and purposeful, rather than just a collection of activities.
This course helped me see that growth more clearly, and also
showed me the direction I want to keep moving toward.
4. Where was I when I started this course, and where am I
now?
At the beginning of this course, although I had already been
teaching for two years, I had no real experience teaching social
sciences as a subject. I was familiar with general teaching principles
that apply across subjects, such as backward design, differentiating
instruction for different types of learners, and creating engaging
classroom activities. These were things I felt relatively confident
about, and I was able to design lessons and unit plans that met
basic expectations.
However, when it came specifically to teaching social sciences, I
often felt unsure about how to approach the subject in a deeper and
more meaningful way. My teaching tended to focus more
on engagement and activity-based learning, rather than being
grounded in clear disciplinary frameworks or big ideas. I didn’t
always have a strong sense of how to structure learning around
inquiry, or how to connect lessons to broader social science
concepts.
Now, I can see a clear shift in my thinking. I’ve started to approach
teaching in a more intentional and inquiry-driven way, especially
within the context of social sciences. Instead of starting with
activities, I now begin with essential questions that guide the
direction of a unit. I also think more carefully about how to connect
lessons to larger ideas, how to differentiate based on students’
readiness and interests, and how to integrate literacy meaningfully
into my teaching.
Overall, this course helped me move from having general teaching
skills to developing a more purposeful and discipline-specific
approach to teaching social sciences.
5. How does this contribute to my teaching practice and
philosophy?
All of these learning have gradually reshaped how I think about my
teaching practice and overall philosophy. Earlier in the course, I
reflected on how I was more focused on engagement and activities,
without a clear framework for teaching social sciences. Now, I find
myself thinking much more intentionally about why I design lessons
in certain ways, especially through inquiry-based learning guided by
essential questions. For example, when looking at real-world events
such as the death of Alex Pretti, I realize how complex social issues
are often presented differently depending on the source. Reports,
social media posts, and political narratives may all frame the same
event in conflicting ways, which makes it a powerful example for
teaching students how to question information, examine evidence,
and consider multiple perspectives.
This connects directly to my growing emphasis on student
empowerment through critical thinking. Instead of simply learning
about events, I want students to develop the ability to ask: Whose
perspective is this? What evidence is being used? What might be
missing? Situations like this highlight why it is so important for
students to distinguish between fact, opinion, and interpretation,
something I discussed earlier in relation to living in a “post-truth”
world. At the same time, these topics can also lead into meaningful
discussions about social action, helping students see that social
sciences are not only about understanding society, but also about
reflecting on their role within it.
6. How might I use this in a senior social sciences
classroom?

Building on my evolving teaching philosophy, I would apply these

ideas in a senior social sciences classroom by designing learning
experiences that are inquiry-driven, connected to real-world issues,
and grounded in critical thinking. Rather than organizing a unit
around isolated topics, I would begin with an essential question such
as “How do we know what information we can trust in a digital
world?” or “To what extent can individuals influence social
change?”These questions would guide the unit and encourage
students to think more deeply and make connections across
lessons.
To support students in developing civic online reasoning, I would
incorporate real-world examples from the media and guide students
in analyzing how the same event is presented from different
perspectives. In particular, I would use more balanced and
transparent tools such as the AllSides app, which allows students to
compare left, center, and right-leaning news sources side by side.
This would help students better understand bias, recognize
differences in framing, and practice distinguishing between fact,
opinion, and interpretation, something I identified earlier as
essential in today’s “post-truth” context.
At the same time, I would create opportunities for student voice and
social action. Instead of only learning about social issues, students
could choose a topic they care about, research it using credible and
varied sources, and design a small-scale action or awareness
project. I would also encourage them to embrace the power of social
media as a tool to share their ideas and raise awareness about the
issues they care about. Through posting and engaging with others,
students may encounter a wide range of perspectives in the
comments, including opinions they may not initially agree with. I see
this as a valuable learning opportunity, as it allows them to practice
responding thoughtfully, evaluating different viewpoints, and
reflecting on their own assumptions. In this way, social media
becomes not just a platform for expression, but also a space for
developing critical thinking, digital citizenship, and respectful
dialogue.
In terms of instruction, I would continue to use differentiated
strategies to support a range of learners, while also building a
classroom environment where students feel safe expressing
different viewpoints. I would also integrate assessment as learning,
such as peer feedback and self-reflection, and involve students in
co-constructing success criteria when appropriate, to deepen their
understanding of expectations.
Overall, my goal would be to create a classroom where students are
not just learning content, but are actively questioning, analyzing,
and applying their understanding. By doing so, I hope to support
them in becoming more thoughtful, informed, and engaged
participants in society.
Conclusion
Overall, this course has provided me with practical, research-
informed frameworks that have meaningfully transformed my
teaching practice. As an elementary teacher, I can now clearly see
how the work I am doing in my current classroom connects to my
future goal of teaching senior social sciences. What once felt like
two very different contexts now feels much more aligned.
My own educational background also plays an important role in this
shift. I completed my high school education in China, where social
science was primarily taught through textbooks and focused heavily
on content knowledge. Because of this experience, I initially felt
overwhelmed by the idea of teaching social sciences in a more
open-ended, inquiry-based way that requires professional judgment,
flexibility, and responsiveness to students’ thinking.
However, through this course, I have gradually gained both the
confidence and the tools to approach this subject differently. I no
longer see social science as simply delivering content, but as
creating space for students to question, analyze, and engage with
the world around them. By integrating inquiry, social action, and
critical literacy, I now feel better prepared to guide students in
becoming thoughtful, informed, and critically aware citizens. At the
same time, I also recognize that this is an ongoing journey, and I am
motivated to continue learning and refining my practice as I move
forward in my teaching career.

Works Cited
Baccay, Merwyn. Reach Every Student Through Differentiated Instruction,
2017.

Clark, Penny. “Clark, P. (2020). the Place of Social Action in Social Studies. in
R. Case & P. Clark (Eds.), Learning to Inquire in History, Geography and
Social Studies: An Anthology for Secondary Teachers, 4ed., 215-25.
Vancouver, BC: The Critical Thinking Consortium.” Thinking Historically for
Canada’s Future, 2020, [Link]/clark-p-2020-the-place-of-
social-action-in-social-studies-in-r-case-p-clark-eds-learning-to-inquire-in-
history-geography-and-social-studies-an-anthology-for-secondary-teachers-4ed-
2/.

K–12 Paying Attention to Literacy Six Foundational Principles For, 2013,

[Link]/eng/literacynumeracy/paying_attention_literacy.pdf.

Owen, Clare. “Why We Must Teach Our Children to Understand the Difference
between Fact and Opinion and the Role of Experts.” HuffPost UK, 13 Jan. 2018,
[Link]/dr-clare-owen/why-we-must-teach-our-
chi_b_14103886.html.

Wiggins, Grant. “How to Make Your Questions Essential.” ASCD, 15 Sept.

2015, [Link]/el/articles/how-to-make-your-questions-essential.

Wineburg, Sam, et al. “Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic

Online Reasoning.” Stanford Digital Repository, 1 Jan. 2016,
[Link]/fv751yt5934.

Wiske, Martha Stone. “How Teaching for Understanding Changes the Rules in
the Classroom.” ASCD, Feb. 1994, [Link]/el/articles/how-teaching-for-
understanding-changes-the-rules-in-the-classroom.