The Teaching History Her Way Podcast · CherylAnne Amendola

Navigating Civics Education: Insights and Strategies with Trish Everett

·37 min·2 clips

A student points out that a naturalization perspective is missing from the room.

1. The Teaching History Her Way Podcast centers this episode on civics education, classroom discourse, and teacher support with Trish Everett. 2. Host Sherrilyn Amendola introduces Trish Everett as a member of the I-TECH for Schools Educational Design Team, South Florida Division, and Trish brings nearly two decades in education across American government, psychology, museums, instructional coaching, and professional development. 3. The episode asks how teachers can build brave spaces for civil discourse, connect civics to current events, and give students practical tools they can use in class. 4. Trish describes her job at iTech for Schools as taking tasks off teachers' plates by asking what they wish they could do and what obstacle is blocking it. 5. She gives examples that include project-based learning, the innovation ladder, small-group accountability, and building rubrics or rollout plans. 6. Trish says her role often provides a "permission structure" for teachers to try a tool they have not used before. 7. For classroom norms, she uses three prompts: what success would look, feel, and sound like; how each student will contribute; and what the class will do when things go wrong. 8. She says she began using Padlet during COVID, posting those prompts and having students contribute individually before summarizing themes as a group. 9. Trish explains that the group norms become a class constitution with five to seven bullet points, signatures, and sometimes a printed poster with a dramatic bottom line. 10. She says the practice helps even fifth graders and eighth graders use sentence starters when feelings are hurt or norms are broken. 11. Trish argues that teachers should act more like managers than dictators so students can self-sort and resolve conflict without constant hovering. 12. She says the norms work best when everyone agrees, because the standard is a social contract rather than a majority vote. 13. Trish recommends refreshing the norms before touchy topics so students can focus on one rule when tension rises. 14. She avoids the word "debate," saying debate is something you win, and instead frames discussion around learning one new thing or understanding another perspective. 15. She uses the branches-of-government example to show that there can be "many possible right answers" when evidence is supplied, but not every answer fits. 16. A student in her class noticed that an immigration discussion lacked the perspective of someone who had gone through naturalization, which Trish says exposed a blind spot in the room. 17. She says that insight led her to invite a guest speaker with lived experience and to use silent conversations, anonymous index cards, and exit tickets for students who are reluctant to speak. 18. Trish also talks about school-ai spaces, Common Sense Media source-check questions, and AI tools that can adjust Lexile levels or read text aloud. 19. The conversation stays practical and conversational, with Sherrilyn and Trish moving quickly between classroom examples, professional development, and specific tools for teachers. 20. Teachers who want concrete civics routines and current-event strategies should listen, while listeners who want a general history chat with no classroom tactics may skip it.

As heard by us

Civics teaching becomes concrete when discussion, evidence, and student perspective replace empty debate.

Trish Everett's conversation with Sherrilyn Amendola takes civics teaching out of the abstract and into the daily work of helping students listen, argue from evidence, and see why an issue can matter to someone else.

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Looking for a civics-teaching move you can try in a history or social studies class?

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