Critical Response Strategies …a blueprint for cultivating inquiry Gooding & Metz, 2008

According to the National Science Education Standards changes in the delivery of instruction must be implemented in order for inquiry to occur. Among these changes are: Increasing the emphasis on understanding. Guiding students in active and extended inquiry. Encouraging debate among students. Providing opportunities for students to apply scientific knowledge. “Teachers should not be the source of information they should be the source of opportunity” Dr. Larry Malone, Lawrence Hall of Science

The Strategies Calling for Clarification Calling for Evidence Calling for Evaluation Playing Devil’s Advocate Wait Time I & II Not Looking for the “Right” answer

Calling for Clarification An overriding tactic because it requires students to revisit and rehearse their answers and they must “dig deeper” to reply. Provides additional time for students to process How else might you say that? Could you rephrase that? How do you think that applies?

Calling for Evidence The lynch pin of scientific literacy is interpreting and/or reporting the results of investigations with supportive data. There may be a number of ways to resolve a problem there is only one acceptable way to report it and that is with evidence. What is your proof? What evidence do you have to support that claim? What do you think your data shows? Can you use your data to make up a rule that describes or clarifies your results?

Calling for Evaluation This response strategy is a way to raise the bar by requiring the students to use higher order thinking skills that go beyond the processing to the crafting of reasonable speculations. What else might have caused that? If you did this again what could you change to get different results? Could you improve your investigation?

Playing Devil’s Advocate Similar to the interchanges one might expect in a courtroom. Students are invited to defend their data-based decisions against differing points of view. This strategy helps to prepare students to consider the ideas of others rather than rejecting them out of hand.

Wait Time I &II ”He who does the talking does the learning” The strategy of waiting for a student to respond or waiting after a student’s response is incredibly simple but difficult for most teachers to assimilate into their cadre of response strategies. Using wait time increases: the number of responses, the length of responses, the quality of responses and generates more student top student interaction. Remember: ”He who does the talking does the learning” Terry Shaw LHS

Not Looking for the “Right” Answer When teachers seek a single response (the one that was in “the book”) often they do so at the exclusion of a variety of other plausible responses. Likewise, if students believe there is only one response, they do so at the exclusion of a number of creative and plausible responses. Diversity of thought, supported by reasonable justification and evidence is critical to inquiry.

To Summarize Critical Response Strategies Calling for Clarification Calling for Evidence Calling for Evaluation Playing Devil’s Advocate Wait Time I & II Not Looking for the “Right” answer

Arts Language Arts Mathematics Science Social Studies Gooding & Metz, 2006 (Revised 2008 ) Process Skills Across the Disciplines Arts Language Arts Mathematics Science Social Studies Analyze Classify Sequence Order Reconstruct Temporal Order Accurately Describe Record Pertinent Material Collect Data Obtain Historical Data Articulate Communicate Communicate or Express Formulate Examples Compare/Contrast Design, Create or Improvise Create Other Endings Design Proofs Design Fair Tests Formulate a Position Evaluate/Justify Draw Conclusions Evaluate Formulate Questions Predict Outcomes Estimate, Predict, or Conjecture Hypothesize or Predict Formulate Historical Questions Interpret Relationships Cause and Effect Identify Relationships Identify and Manipulate Variables Form Judgments Infer Analyze Patterns Perceive Discriminate Observe Identify Issues Interpret Recognize Main Idea/ Summarize Organize and Interpret Data Organize and Interpret Data Marshal Evidence