How does seeing the complex web of cause and consequence of a problem help us clarify our goals for action?
Researching cause and consequence involves asking questions that go beyond superficial explanations. It requires interrogating sources of information, examining multiple perspectives and contradictory analysis, as well as accounting for the natural biases that are inherent in all sources. Students must apply historical thinking and take into consideration the ethical implications of what they find.
Exploring the complexity of a problem or event helps students understand the many interrelated factors involved in the change process. This set of activities helps students analyze the causes and consequences of an issue or event, supports student research, and guides students as they clarify their goals for civics action.
Learn more about the Integrated Action Civics framework.
Problem Analysis includes four analytical tools:
Cause & Consequence Analysis / Critical Inquiry / Clarify Action Goals / Research an Issue
Click for quick demo
Cause & Consequence Analysis
How do we understand the complex web of causes and consequences?
This strategy encourages students to look at the intricate web of factors leading to or stemming from a problem, condition or event by repeatedly asking “Why” and “So What?”. In this manner, they find the causes and consequences that flow from each preceding answer thus revealing the underlying systemic roots of a problem or event, and the cascading set of often unintended consequences.
USE THIS STRATEGY
HOW IT WORKS
CLASSROOM RESOURCES
|
EXAMPLES
|
LEARNING & EMPOWERMENT
- Contemporary Analysis / Action - Students can use a Why & So What analysis to surface related problems that surround their larger framing issue. While the overarching issue may be too expansive to tackle, they can take meaningful action on an important contributing or resulting problem or issue that is clearly visible in a larger context.
- Historical Investigation -This same model can help students understand historical events. The tree serves as a graphic organizer to show the connections among related issues or events and provides a powerful, overarching context within which to understand the content under investigation.
CONNECTIONS AND EXTENSIONS
- Text-based Cause/Consequence Reading Strategy - Students find cause/consequence 'trigger words' and identify causal factors/events and resulting consequence in a text. This can be followed by the above Tree graphic organizer. See Industrial Revolution example
- Historical Thinking Concepts and Guideposts - The Big Six (+1) is an approach to historical thinking that breaks down six main concepts of historical analysis. This version includes a 7th, "The Activists Dimension".
- Cheatsheet for Critical Inquiry - Ask critical questions to deepen exploration of an issue or problem.
- Locations of Power - Explore where power is located in addressing a problem
Critical Inquiry
How can probing questions help reveal critical understandings about an issue and spark historical thinking and investigation?
The ability to ask meaningful and critical questions with followup inquiries is a skill that must be taught. Too often, it is the teachers' and textbooks' inquiries that guide learning, with only superficial questioning expected by students.
These resources can help our students develop this crucial skill.
USE THIS STRATEGY
CLASSROOM RESOURCES
|
LEARNING & EMPOWERMENT
INQUIRY EXAMPLES
- Contemporary Analysis / Action - The set of questions helps students probe deeply into an issue that they have taken on. The questions help them explore the causes and consequences of an issue or policy, as well as uncover power dynamics, stakeholders and the creation of narratives that surround the issue.
- Historical Investigation -Certain questions evoke particular disciplinary lenses in order to arrive at meaningful conclusions. Each question in this set is linked to specific historical thinking concepts that can aid in students’ inquiry of the topic under study.
CONNECTIONS AND EXTENSIONS
- Cause & Consequence Analysis - Create a "Why" and "So What" tree to explore 'the complex web of cause and consequence'.
- Locations of Power - Explore where power is located in addressing a problem
Clarifying Action Goals
How do we focus our actions to maximize engagement and impact?
To be effective, change-makers need to select actionable goals from among a broad array of interrelated issues and concerns. They identify that which is achievable within longer-range efforts for more fundamental, broader change.
This strategy starts with students exploring possible answers to large, overarching issues or problems. They then break this larger problem down and identify more focused, narrower problems and possible solutions. It can be used to analyze a historical or contemporary examples of social change, or used to focus students' own civic action project.
USE THIS STRATEGY
HOW IT WORKS
CLASSROOM RESOURCES
|
LEARNING & EMPOWERMENT
INQUIRY EXAMPLES
- Contemporary Analysis / Action - How can a student campaign to reduce plastic use in their schools contribute to the fight against global warming?
- Historical Investigation - How did the Black Panthers' Free Breakfast Program fit within, and build toward, their goals for revolutionary change?
CONNECTIONS AND EXTENSIONS
- Locations of Power - Explore how different kinds of actions in different realms of society (individual, group, social, institutional) can all contribute to addressing a problem.
- Analyze Causes & Consequences - The "Why" and "So What" tree helps students see how a particualr campaign fits within the context of the larger issue and fundamental causes. It lets them see how specific goals can be pursued while educating about the larger, overarching issues and social context.
- 3 Kinds of Citizens - Chart - Explore different ways to think about civic engagement and action
Research the Issue
How do we investigate and uncover the complexities of the issues we have selected?
Students use their research and historical thinking skills to investigate their chosen issue.
The UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project has a wide range of strategies and scaffolds to support research as well as to make course content accessible and meaningful for all students.
See Making History to learn more about introducing, teaching and using historical thinking, especially as applied to local history.
USE IT IN THE CLASSROOM:
|