Utilizing Local History through Place-Based Critical Inquiry in the P–12 Classroom

One way to utilize local history within the P-12 classroom is through the use an “Inquiry Arc”. An “Inquiry Arc’s” focus on developing questions, applying disciplinary tools, evaluating sources, communicating conclusions and taking informed action. Using local history as a central part of this inquiry model provides a way for students to feel connected to their communities and themselves.^[1] Part of this personal experience is what social studies education research describes as “place-consciousness.” By being more aware of their communities, its history, its geography, and its landmarks, students develop a sense of attachment to their communities.^[2] Using place-based inquiry thus allows teachers to use landmarks and places as sources and prompts students through deliberation of questions that even our youngest learners can engage with. Moreover, research suggests that teachers who engage in place-based historical inquiry shift their perspectives on hard history.^[3] By combining place-based inquiry with critical inquiry, students can question how systems of power influence their own place-consciousness. By examining places, local history, and sources of marginalized perspectives, asking questions that critique oppression, and by examining how history has shaped our present, critical inquiry becomes a powerful lens to examine local history.^[4] This presentation describes ways to engage our teachers and P-12 students in local place-based critical inquiry.

^[1] Rebecca Mueller, “Local history as a Pathway for Powerful Social Studies” in Social Education, 36 (3), 2024, 25–30.

^[2] Annie M. Whitlock, “Walking the City: Developing Place-Consciousness through Inquiry” in Social Studies and the Young Learner, 33(2) 2020, 20-24.

^[3] Christine Baron, Sherri Sklarwitz, Hyeyoung Bang, & Hanadi Shatara, “What Teachers Retain from Historic Site-Based Professional Development” in Journal of Teacher Education, 71(4), 2020, 392–408.

^[4] Ryan M. Crowley & LaGarrett J. King, “Making Inquiry Critical: Examining Power and Inequity in the Classroom” in Social Education, 82(1) 2018, 14-17.