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June 22, 2023 2024-05-21 16:40

The CivWiz Approach

These frameworks inform our unique approach to teaching civics:

The content behind CivWiz is formed around the Social Equity Consciousness Framework developed by the University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems. Grounded in research, education, and praxis, this framework fosters the personal and collective development of social equity consciousness, which is defined as “the dispositions, understanding, awareness, and skills that empower us to contemplate and cultivate social equity.” The ultimate goal of this framework is to catalyze community-wide opportunities for the development of programs and resources that encourage embracing our social differences and equitable social change in our communities. View the framework in full here! 

CivWiz’s questions are constantly evaluated against the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ “Intercultural Knowledge and Competence VALUE Rubric.” This rubric, developed by faculty experts from institutions of higher education across the United States provides educators with a framework they can use to ensure their curricula emphasize cultural self-awareness, knowledge of cultural worldview frameworks, empathy, curiosity, and openness. View the VALUE Rubric in full here!

Another theoretical framework that informs CivWiz and its associated content is that of attitudinal inoculation. Given that we believe racism and social injustice to be systemic issues, we also believe that any attempts to remedy them must also be systemic and comprehensive. Much of Ron Idoko—CivWiz’s founder and chief ideator—work has to do with formulation and dissemination of a “vaccine for racism.” We believe that in order for one to be truly antiracist, one must inoculate themself against the passive perpetuation of racism by actively and deliberately examining their assumptions, ideas, and behaviors regarding race. We think that CivWiz’s carefully crafted curriculum—especially those elements which concern themselves with issues of social and racial injustice—can catalyze this kind of examination and, thereby, serve as the first step toward widespread inoculation against racism. Check back here soon for more information about the Center on Race and Social Problems’ new book: Illuminating the Vaccine for Racism. 

The CivWiz Curriculum

Arts & Humanities

This category aims to improve media literacy through education on the content of modern and classic works and provide students with the tools they need to understand them.

In this category, you may see questions such as:

“_____ is a popular Brazilian dance style that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities and is often associated with carnival celebrations.”

“Most of our knowledge on Socrates’ philosophy comes from the writings of: “

We look to proliferate knowledge like this in order to increase cultural competency across our civic population.

Business & Economics

This category provides information on monetary and financial systems and how they interact with one another. It is aimed at helping students understand and navigate these complex and, at times, intimidating structures.

In this category, you may see questions such as:

“________ inequality is the unequal distribution of income and financial opportunity between different groups in society.”

“Women make up ___ of U.S. workers earning the federal minimum wage.”

With this category, we look to establish a well-rounded, intersectional base of knowledge across disciplines.

Civil Rights & Social Justice

This category’s questions educate students on current and historical civil rights and social justice issues as well as potential solutions and remediations. 

In this category, you may see questions such as:

“If you cannot vote in-person on election day, you might be able to submit an ________ ballot by mail.”

“In what year were American women enfranchised?”

This knowledge is crucial to living an informed life.

Government & Politcs

These questions will help students learn the basic structure and actions of their government and the politicians who operate it. 

In this category, you may see questions such as:

“The 16th Amendment empowers the federal government to collect a(n) ______ tax.”

“Which Supreme Court case’s ruling protected flag-burning under the first amendment?”

A great base of civic knowledge is crucial to participating in an equitable civic society.

Science & Sustainability

These questions aim to provide students with a scientific basis for understanding various concepts, processes, and advancements in our world. It further aims to inform students of the importance of our planet, the dire consequences of harming it, and actions we can take to lessen our ecological footprint as well.

In this category, you may see questions such as:

“________ is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be wasted and turning them into new products.”

“___________ is a study of how your surrounding environment and behaviors alter your genes.”

With this category, we again look to establish a well-rounded, intersectional base of knowledge across disciplines.

 

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