In early December, our Director of Humanities and Assessment, Ron, attended the 103rd NCSS Annual Conference in Music City. This conference inspires best practices and strategies for delivering Social Studies education in a way that is engaging for students. This conference offered a chance to explore new technologies that can help in the classroom. This year’s theme, Social Studies: Working in Harmony for a Better Tomorrow, emphasized inclusivity, collaboration, and the importance of Social Studies as a local and global area of study. There were many highlights and takeaways on a variety of themes that CSA can apply to future projects.
C3 Framework
One of the central takeaways from the conference was the celebration of the C3 Framework’s 10-year anniversary. Some of the writers of the framework provided background information on the development of the framework, reflected on its impact over the last 10 years, and explored how inquiry in Social Studies classrooms will evolve in the future.
Additionally, this celebration of the C3 Framework’s inquiry base was on display throughout the conference. Dozens of sessions focused on inquiry in the classroom, and countless products included approaches for incorporating inquiry into instruction. It was also great to see these products “live” in use. This gave Ron the opportunity to see many products CSA has worked on and helped develop over the past few years.
Inclusivity
In addition to the emphasis on inquiry and the C3 Framework, the conference also had a major focus on inclusivity. Ron attended several sessions that brainstormed and discussed how to incorporate diverse texts into classroom materials and instruction. And, it wouldn’t be a conference in Nashville without some attention to music! The conference also featured some great speakers from the music world, and engaging sessions centered on music as a primary source, providing ample opportunities and suggestions for mixing music into Social Studies classrooms.
Conclusion
A lot of great information was shared at the 103rd NCSS Annual Conference. Not only did it provide Ron a chance to connect with our clients and educators, but it also gave him an opportunity to look forward to new practices and approaches that CSA can incorporate into our work in creative ways.