The Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies has developed a resource to equip K-12 educators with practical, state-aligned strategies for teaching difficult histories and current events in the Social Studies classroom in an era of increasing national volatility and external pressures on curriculum.
Navigating Difficult Histories and Complex Current Events in the Classroom outlines a set of instructional tools and pedagogical strategies that can serve as a supportive framework to protect the civic purpose of social studies in the Commonwealth. It is designed to help educators facilitate open inquiry, cultivate welcoming and ethical classrooms, and prepare Massachusetts students to evaluate modern media, examine diverse perspectives, and participate responsibly in a democratic society.
This resource can be used with departments to define and build expertise in best practices, and it can also be shared with administrators and families to help them understand the pedagogies used in social studies classrooms.
This school year, MCSS will support educators in developing the shared understandings and capacity needed to implement the goals and strategies defined in this resource through the following:
- An appendix with recommendations for additional resources aligned with these practices
- A slide deck version of the resource to support professional development
- A professional learning community (PLC) for educators to share dilemmas and build capacity for principle-aligned teaching and leadership
- Additional opportunities for educators to share feedback on the resource