2025 North Carolina Council for the Social Studies Conference

This session explores the role of structured, regular discussion in enhancing student engagement and deepening understanding within an inquiry-based social studies framework. The presenter will share a flexible tool that was featured on C3Teahers.org to help facilitate reflection in student discussions, enabling educators to capture students' evolving thoughts, questions, and insights over time. By integrating this tool, teachers can create a dynamic classroom environment where students actively construct knowledge through dialogue throughout the inquiry process, critically examine diverse perspectives, and develop essential communication and reasoning skills. The session will provide practical strategies for implementing regular discussions and utilizing tools to support inquiry, foster deeper learning, and promote student-centered engagement.