Professional Development

Inquiry Design Model (IDM) Workshop Series

Workshop 1: Introduction to Inquiry – Understanding the IDM Framework

• Foundation
  Participants gain an overview of IDM’s structure—compelling questions, supporting questions, tasks, and sources. Teachers explore how inquiry transforms classrooms by sparking curiosity and empowering students as critical thinkers.

• Building Engagement
  Teachers practice creating inquiry questions that guide learning. They learn to transform traditional content into questions that foster curiosity, critical thinking, and relevance for students.

• Inquiry in Action
  Educators learn how to select and scaffold primary sources while designing formative and summative tasks that help students wrestle with multiple perspectives and demonstrate understanding.

• Application
  In this hands-on session, teachers apply their learning by creating a complete IDM inquiry lesson tailored to their grade level and subject area. Peer collaboration and feedback support the design process.

• Extending Practice
  This session focuses on strategies for teaching sensitive or complex histories through IDM. Teachers explore the Sankofa philosophy—looking back to move forward—to connect the past with today’s civic and social justice issues while ensuring lessons remain age-appropriate, engaging, and empowering.

At Sankofa Educational Consulting LLC, I provide instructional coaching that supports educators in bringing the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) to life across disciplines. My coaching helps teachers move beyond siloed instruction by integrating history, social studies, language arts, and the humanities, while also making meaningful connections to civic engagement, science, and the arts.

Through a collaborative, step-by-step process, I guide educators in:

• Designing interdisciplinary inquiries that connect content areas through compelling questions.
   
• Embedding ELA strategies—such as close reading, evidence-based writing, and academic discourse—into inquiry-based lessons.
   
• Selecting and scaffolding primary sources and diverse perspectives that deepen student analysis.
   
• Building lessons that link historical and contemporary issues, fostering critical thinking and civic responsibility.
   
• Developing confidence in teaching complex and difficult histories in age-appropriate, culturally responsive ways.
   

My coaching is personalized and grounded in the Sankofa philosophy—looking back to move forward—so that educators gain both the tools and the confidence to design instruction that is engaging, rigorous, and transformative for students.