Curricular Design from Start to Finish: A Case Study
Four years ago, curriculum leaders and teachers at Concordia International School Shanghai decided they needed to overhaul the elementary school social studies curriculum. They knew they needed help for this massive task, and they called on the Inspire Citizens team to lead the charge.
Steve and Aaron (founders of Inspire Citizens), and facilitator Kavita Tanna have worked with Concordia teachers to completely redesign the grade 1-4 social studies curriculum around the C3 (College, Career & Civics) Framework, and that work has now begun in grades 5-8, as well. They have augmented the C3 Framework by embedding the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and tools from SPARK inquiry. They have also layered in their own Empathy to Impact model, as well, to deepen the ways in which students can take informed action.
The results are pretty spectacular.
Casey Koschmeder, a former grade 3 teacher and now instructional coach, has been a participant in the entire elementary redesign process. He remembers what the curriculum used to be like: “Most of what we were doing before, in social studies, wasn’t tied to standards or anything like that; it seemed to be more literacy-focused and topical. By working with Inspire Citizens, we were able to shape some solid units that included service learning and the C3 framework and it has been really positive. We had a nice allocation of time to work with Inspire Citizens through a 3-year process. Steve, Aaron and Kavita joined us for face-to-face team meetings initially, and those continued virtually through Covid.”
Casey remembers that, in those team meetings, work was done efficiently and positively, and he speaks highly of Steve and Aaron’s facilitation skills: “The excitement they brought to the table was really nice and I appreciated how they could work with the group. There were lots of opinions and voices but by the end of each meeting we always had something to take away.”
Melissa Alcorn, a grade 2, agrees: “I’ve enjoyed working with Inspire Citizen’s because they provided time in our busy schedules to sit and talk about what Social Studies looks like around the world. The highlight of our partnership was getting positive feedback from the Inspire Citizen’s leaders after they watched the movies created by my second graders. My class invested hours into reporting about homeless cats, friendship circles and money clubs and it’s a blessing when other educators watch the student work and provide feedback.”
A learning activity in Melissa Alcorn’s grade 2 class involving design thinking in relation to the C3 standards.
The C3 Framework is broken into four dimensions:
Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries
Applying Disciplinary Tools and Concepts
Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence
Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action
These dimensions translate into standards for all grade levels, kindergarten to grade 12, and are sequenced to scaffold student learning.
The fourth dimension, which includes taking informed action, aligns perfectly with Concordia’s commitment to service learning, and this became a natural way to include the service learning coach in conversations with elementary teams.
Since adopting the C3 Framework and working with Inspire Citizens, there is evidence of students taking meaningful action across the grade levels. Last year, in grade 2, students made a large sculpture from single-use water bottles and used it to teach peers about how to avoid adding plastics to our oceans. Another group lobbied to plant a native tree in the school playground and made posters to teach others about the importance of caring for our forests. Yet another group planned a diversity and inclusion luncheon for new students.
“After that amazing lunch event hosted by my students, I received an email from one of the parents of the new students,” says Melissa. “She was overjoyed and grateful that our class took time to create a kind, loving event for her son, who was new to Concordia.”
Melissa has seen her students grow in their ability to truly empathize with others, take responsibility for their actions, creatively solve problems, and explain their ideas clearly. In short, says Melissa, “we have developed a thriving classroom culture that is filled with student leaders who show accountability, demonstrate a growth mindset, promote kindness and work hard to change their classroom, school and community for the better.”
Casey couldn’t agree more.
“I’ve noticed a lot more engagement with the students, and many more opportunities to engage with each other. Social studies isn’t just about one topic area like history or geography; there’s a social component to it, learning from each other and communicating with each other. I see a lot more of that now, and we have broadened the stereotypical view of social studies to make it much more contemporary (how to collaborate with each other, communicate with each other, how to ask follow-up questions). Being able to have time to focus on these skills means higher engagement. It’s getting the kids involved and giving them ownership and helping them find the ownership of what they’re learning,” he says.
Elementary students interviewing high school students as part of a redesigned learning experience.
The Concordia story is one that showcases what it looks like to engage in a full-scale curriculum redesign, and how successful this can be for student learning. As the middle school teams continue to work on reworking curriculum for grades 5-8, it will be wonderful to see the cumulative effect of these endeavors over the next few years. With the elementary curriculum as a foundation, it promises to be bright times for social studies learners on campus for many years to come.
The new C3 social studies curriculum at Concordia is the result of a multi-year partnership with Inspire Citizens.