We want students to know not only THAT change happened, but also HOW change happens
How the Model Works
Affectionately dubbed “The Double Bubble” by our teachers, the IAC framework (above) is made up of Historical Analysis and Change Analysis domains. Along with student self-reflection about their worldview and ideas about justice, these domains work together to build student voice and agency. This is a framework, not a curriculum. Various concepts and strategies offered here can be easily inserted into an existing course of study at any grade level.
The “Change Analysis” domain is the key to the IAC framework. It serves dual purposes: Primarily, these lenses and strategies can be selectively used to support an inquiry arc within a unit, and can be interspersed throughout a full course of study. The lenses of power, stakeholders, and strategy development, among others, help students look at the content in a way that greatly extends traditional approaches to the study of the past.
Integrating strategies from this framework into the curriculum helps students learn and deepen their understanding of how people make change and work towards a more just world. This can empower them later in their studies, or in their lives, to engage with, respond to, and act on issues that are important to them and their communities.
History content and skills help empower students to understand and change their world. The IACP framework encourages (but doesn’t require) inquiry arcs to start by exploring a meaningful, local or current issue that echoes the essential course or unit themes.
Investigating course content sheds light on course themes as students develop and apply analytical skills, including IACP change-analysis strategies, during their study. Students can then return to the original, or related, current issues. They apply what they've learned to form and express their conclusions in class, and possibly share their insights with their school or broader communities.
In their course, or even later in life, students are now more equipped to respond to and engage with issues that are important to them. Course content provides them with a powerful appreciation of historical concepts and context. And by applying the change-analysis tools that they have practiced during their study, they are empowered to make change in their communities.
Sense of Self - Our history courses should empower students to engage in meaningful analysis and reflection about the past, and their lived experiences. This requires students to engage in thoughtful reflection about their own relationship to the topics and issues under consideration. Included in the IACP framework are strategies to help students explore their sense of self: how they came to view the world as they do, the values they hold, and their sense of what a just society might look like. This allows students to clarify and articulate their own beliefs, and find their voice and power to work toward a more just world for all.
How to Use This Site
Note: This site is still under construction and is far from complete. In the meanwhile, we have made many key models and resources available in the "Change Analysis" section. Watch for other resources to be added as we continue this work.
The website allows you to explore and access resources that support both the process of historical analysis (left side domain) and change analysis (right side domain). A few points to keep in mind:
- Multiple strategies or tools are offered in each category within each domain. They provide different approaches to the listed topic, but do not all need to be introduced.
- The strategies and tools can be explored as discrete activities at key points in your curriculum.
- The "Sense of Self" category appears in both 'historical analysis' and 'change strategies' since these understandings impact all aspects of learning and change-making.
- Specific tools and strategies are accessed via external links (Google Slides, Docs, etc.) and generally include an overview, directions, examples , and classroom-ready templates.
- TIP: Hold the Ctrl key (Cmd on Mac) when clicking on a link to open it in a new tab. Otherwise you'll need to use the browser's Back Arrow to return to the website.
“. . . students need the intellectual power to recognize societal problems; ask good questions and develop robust investigations into them; consider possible solutions and consequences; separate evidence-based claims from parochial opinions; and communicate and act upon what they learn. And most importantly, they must possess the capability and commitment to repeat that process as long as is necessary.”
-- C3 Framework, Quoted in H-SS Framework