ENGAGE: Teaching the Social Studies Podcast

23. Simple Review that Creates a Classroom Showdown!

It’s review season, and Justin’s favorite time of year is in full swing! In this episode of ENGAGE, we dive into two tried-and-true strategies to get students fired up about reviewing content—The Race and Trivia Showdown. Learn how to turn your classroom into a competitive, high-energy review arena using nothing more than a good set of questions, some upbeat music, and a healthy dose of team spirit. Whether you’re teaching AP or gearing up for end-of-year exams, these low-prep, high-engagement games will help your students recall, reflect, and win. Grab your dice, get your playlists ready, and let the games begin.

22. Recharging Your Teaching: Takeaways from a Social Studies Conference

Fresh off the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies Conference in Madison, Justin and Alisha break down their biggest takeaways—from innovative teaching strategies to the power of professional development. They share engaging classroom activities, including gamified lessons inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and hands-on learning methods that bring history to life. Plus, they discuss how attending conferences fuels creativity, builds connections, and enhances teaching effectiveness. Whether you're looking for new ideas to implement Monday morning or inspiration to attend your next conference, this episode is packed with insights and energy!

21. Using AI to Make Realistic Scenario Activities

In this episode of ENGAGE, Justin dives into using AI to create dynamic classroom simulations. From Model UN to government crisis scenarios, he shares how AI tools like ChatGPT can streamline the process, making simulations more interactive and adaptable.  Learn how he designed a choose-your-own-adventure style UN Security Council simulation, where student decisions shape the evolving crisis.  Plus, discover tips on leveraging AI to create engaging, real-time learning experiences without hours of prep work.  Tune in for innovative strategies to enhance your social studies classroom!
UN Simulation Document

20. Navigating Civic Education -- Political Parties and Elections

In this episode of Engage, Justin continues exploring civics education, focusing on political parties, elections, polling, and voter behavior. He shares engaging classroom strategies, including a political party jersey design project, a political socialization pie chart activity, and mock elections that simulate real voting experiences. Plus, he discusses polling analysis and debates on voter turnout, voter ID laws, and election systems. Tune in for creative ways to bring civics to life in your classroom!

19. Navigating Civic Education -- Teaching Elections, Interest Groups, and More

Join Justin as he dives into creative and engaging ways to teach civics, focusing on elections, political parties, and interest groups.  From candy primaries to interest group speed dating, this episode is packed with interactive strategies to make government lessons come alive in your classroom.  Stay tuned for part two, where Justin continues exploring the best ways to bring civics to life!
Previous CIVICS focused episodes:
5. Foundations of Democracy
7. Civil Liberties and Citizenship
11. Policymaking Institutions
18. Civic Engagement Through Discussions and Debates

18. Healthy Debates, Civically Engaged Students

In this episode of ENGAGE: Teaching the Social Studies, Justin delves into the art of fostering healthy debates and discussions in the classroom.  Amid a polarized world dominated by divisive rhetoric and online insults, educators have the power to create spaces for thoughtful, respectful dialogue.  Justin shares practical strategies for building classroom culture that values listening, empathy, and nuanced thinking.  From icebreaker discussions about “Is a hotdog a sandwich?” to Socratic seminars on weighty political topics like the Electoral College or human rights, this episode is packed with tools and activities to prepare students for civic engagement and critical thinking in the real world.  Tune in for tips, tricks, and inspiration to transform classroom conversations!
Electoral College Discussion
 

17. Turning Rankings into Arguments

In this episode of ENGAGE: Teaching the Social Studies, I share a quick, engaging strategy I recently tried in my classroom: the Tier List.  This activity gets students ranking, debating, and discussing content in a way that’s fun and meaningful.  Hear how it worked with my AP Government class and how it set the stage for deeper argumentative writing.
Looking for a new way to spark engagement?  Tune in and give the Tier List a try!
Adam Moler's Blog Post of Inspiration!  AN AMAZING FOLLOW!
Eric Curt's Blog!  Another great follow!
 

16. Cultivating Civil Classrooms with Sphere Education

In today’s polarized world, classrooms are often the frontline for navigating challenging conversations.  How can educators create spaces where students feel safe to share, learn, and engage critically with diverse perspectives?  In this episode, we dive into practical strategies for fostering civil discourse with John Snoad from Sphere Education.  

15. Level Up Learning Through Competition

Justin Glodowski dives into the power of competition in the classroom as a strategy to boost student engagement and active participation. Justin shares how he makes learning fun and interactive by incorporating competitive elements in everyday activities, from breakout rooms to quiz challenges and review games. He explains his approach to incentivizing students with unique prizes, including creative rewards like sandboxes and leaderboard standings.
Justin describes how he fosters competition through classroom-wide quizzes, role-play debates, and prediction challenges—like forecasting election results—giving students a real-world connection to classroom material. He also shares his “gamified” approach for review season in AP Gov, where students compete for prizes, track their progress on a leaderboard, and see their achievements displayed alongside those of past classes.

14. Summer Adventures in Education: From Ellis Island to the White House

This episode of ENGAGE covers highlights from the hosts' summer travels and professional development experiences. Alisha shares about her time with the Founding Forward program, including a trip to Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum, as well as her immersive experience at the White House Historical Association Teacher Institute. Both hosts discuss their excitement about various professional development opportunities for educators, particularly those related to history and civil discourse. They also reflect on their joint experience at the Sphere Summit in Washington, D.C., which focused on civil dialogue and teacher collaboration.
 
https://foundingforward.org/
https://www.sphere-ed.org/sphere-summit
https://www.monticello.org/research-education/for-educators/monticello-teacher-institute/
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/rubenstein-center/k-12-education-resources-and-programs/professional-development-programs/white-house-history-teacher-institute
https://www.neh.gov/grants/apply-neh-funded-seminar-institute-or-workshop