Constructivism is a broad theory with a variety of perspectives. However the basic tenet of constructivism is that learning is an active process where the learner constructs knowledge rather than acquiring it. The emergence of an inquiry-based approach to history education along with the new opportunities made possible by advances in technology have made constructivist approaches quite applicable in today’s history classroom.

There is a growing emphasis in history education on students being able to construct and analyze historical arguments. Many state standards, such as California’s History and Social Science Standards, call for students to be able to "construct and test hypotheses." Increasingly, both state standards and scholarship in history education are calling for students to analyze primary documents and assess various interpretations of the past.

Constructivism’s focus on the learner constructing knowledge might lead one to ask: what then is the role of the teacher? While students learn from experience from the constructivist view, a main function of the teacher is to shape those experiences. In many cases it is necessary for the teacher to provide scaffolds for students to construct knowledge. For example, sending students to an archive for an hour might not be the most productive way for them to learn how to construct an historical argument. Rather, providing them with a set of modified primary sources can create the conditions where students can begin to develop their own interpretations of the past.

Modeling how to construct an historical argument is also an important role of the history teacher. While an inquiry approach to history education is on the upswing, many students have been taught to simply recall facts. Modeling the complexity of constructing an historical interpretation based on evidence helps students develop their own historical interpretations.

Critics of constructivism fear that such an approach leads to completely subjective understandings of the past and fails to provide the common understandings of the past. Constructivists respond by saying that they are not proposing that students should discover just any ideas about the past, but rather that students develop the skills and dispositions to discern what to believe based on the available evidence.

Many constructivists also believe that students need to apply their understanding to concrete examples and point out that content standards can be mined for deeper concepts that in turn are exemplified by the several facts that are typically included in the content standards.

Technology facilitates constructivist’s approaches in the history classroom. Technology now offers unprecedented access to historical records and has made the goals of constructivism more attainable. Doolittle and Hicks (2003) outline six strategies for using technology to advance the basic tenets of constructivism in the social studies classroom. Theses strategies include using technology as a tool for inquiry, accessing authentic materials, and fostering local and global social interaction. Each strategy is accompanied by several websites that serve as exemplars.

Finally we should note that no single theory or approach should define a teacher’s practice. Students should inquire about the past, but history teachers still need to provide background materials for students. The theory of constructivism is not a prescription for how to teach, but rather provides a useful way for a teachers to think about their practice.

The broad scope of Social Studies that examines past and present human behaviors and interactions provides potentially rich topics for the Social Studies classroom. However, as a result of examining the human condition through such a broad lens, Social Studies teachers invariably encounter a variety of charged or difficult topics.

Issues around personal values, race, ethics, and stereotypes highlight just a few of the topics that can be potentially charged and consequently challenging for the Social Studies teacher. Teachers can also struggle with how to present controversial or contested interpretations of the past.

The Curriculum Guidelines for Multicultural Education issued by the NCSS recommends "Students should also be encouraged to examine alternative interpretations of the discrepancies between ideals and realities in the life and history of the United States."

The NCSS suggests that teachers provide students with a conceptual framework for understanding and identifying multiple perspectives. The Canadian Benchmarks of Historical Thinking offers some guidance for teachers to develop such frameworks for their students. The document describes the aspects of perspective taking as well as identifies two potential tasks that ask students to assume or critique perspectives.

Lastly, while some teachers find role-playing to be an effective way to teach perspective, other educators view such simulations as being superficial or potentially harmful to students. Regardless of what approach teachers use, students should be equipped with the skills necessary to identify and understand multiple perspectives about the past and present.

You might find that an inquiry approach to teaching history aligns nicely with the Montessori philosophy of education. An inquiry approach requires students to construct and critique interpretations of the past. Through investigation, close reading, and analysis of primary source evidence, students learn how history is viewed from multiple perspectives and develop a deep understanding of the past.

Primary sources, and to a lesser extent textbooks, can support inquiry-based instruction.

For rich and relevant primary resources, the Library of Congress (LoC) has several documents sets that have been created for teachers. The LoC also provides teachers with document analysis worksheets for students as well as several document-based lesson plans.

Go to The Bringing History Home website for comprehensive examples of unit plans that support an inquiry approach for grades K-5. This site has several fully developed units with lesson plans and assessments where students are encouraged and supported to engage in rigorous history explorations.

As for textbooks, A History of US, a series of history textbooks written by Joy Hakim, is considered by many to be an engaging narrative that pushes students to think critically about the past. Teachers may also wish to use a textbook from the major publishers. When selecting any textbook, teachers may want to consider the points raised by researchers about how textbooks present information.

There are several online and print resources available to teachers to help them develop an inquiry approach to teaching history. We highlighted a few, but also recommend that you search our history content page where you can search for a variety of history resources based on topic.

To view examples of elementary school teachers engaged in inquiry-based instruction with primary documents, check out the following "Examples of Teaching" on our site:

• Maps
• Photographs
• John Brown’s Song (Primary source) and Textbook.

There are a lot of different ways you could go with this, depending on the issue you choose. So, let's choose one and explore some of the resources available.

With a growing emphasis on global awareness in the curriculum, you might consider having your elementary students look at a non-profit organization that works to advance humanitarian concerns in the world. A number of organizations offer curricular resources, and each takes a different approach to combating global poverty.

One resource is Heifer International.

Heifer distributes animals like cows, goats, rabbits, and bees to impoverished areas around the world—something your children may take an immediate interest in. In addition to the resources for teachers available on their website, there is an excellent children's book about one of the early success stories, Beatrice's Goat, that can be used in the classroom. Check out this Sixty Minutes program on the real Beatrice.

The Heifer site also contains an interactive section called "Explore the World of Hiefer" that students can use as a resource. It is engaging and can be used on a Smartboard, an LCD, opened on computers and projected onto a Smartboard or large screen via LCD. Students could explore the areas in which Heifer has projects and the history of those areas.

Ultimately, students might develop/host school or community fundraisers to buy, say, a goat or cow or other animal to be sent to one of the impoverished areas in which Heifer works.

Another organization that works to combat global poverty is Oxfam.

Oxfam has offices across the world, and works to deliver aid and conduct development work. Based in Great Britain, Oxfam's Educational wing works to empower young people to become global citizens.

Oxfam's educational resources offer age-appropriate lessons for students aged 7-11. Among the themes that their resources cover are those on children's rights, climate change, and ending poverty.

Any work on Oxfam could certainly culminate in a fund-raising effort. But students could also use resources available on Oxfam's website to educate the school community about pressing global issues.

Another organization working to end poverty and hunger across the globe is UNICEF.

UNICEF, which is the United Nations Children's Fund, works for child survival, safety, and education around the world—another approach to global humanitarian issues that your students might take an interest in.

Among their many projects, UNICEF has a new site called "MAGIC—Media Activities and Good Ideas by, with and for Children." One thing you might do is have students watch videos or listen to broadcasts created by children in other countries. Check out the MAGICbank.

In your final project, you might have your students do a radio broadcast, create a video, or establish a connection with another school via the internet. They might even decide to raise money for students working on a particular project.

A fourth great organization that works on international humanitarian concerns is Doctors Without Borders.

Doctors Without Borders has a Learning Resources page which provides materials to lead students through research projects. Although the resources are not specifically tailored for grade school students, they are open-ended enough that they can be accessed by younger students.

After your students research conflict and explore the ways that an organization like Doctors Without Borders works to bring aid to conflict regions, they might do a school-wide fundraiser for the organization.

Of course, there are plenty of great organizations working to advance humanitarian concerns in the world, but these four are a great place to start. Whether you choose one as a class, or divide students up to look at different non-profit groups, they represent an accessible way to introduce young people to public global issues, while also providing them with a way to take action.