TEACHER`S TRAINING ON INQUIRY-BASED METHOD T o o m a s T e n n o K a r i n H e l l a t University of Tartu Estonia

Starting hands-on inquiry project in Estonia Project  Tartu, Võru, Järva and Pärnu counties;  Primary schools and kindergarten level;  Units from different programs (STC and Insights) adapted for Estonia;  Curriuculum development in teacher training programs;  Curriculum development in primary school.

Implementation of inquiry method at school as a team work representative of authority school leaders teachers teacher trainers

Questions arising at implementation of inquiry based teaching Why we have to change paradigm of teaching and learning? Why we have to change the subject centred teaching method, which mainly is based on memorising facts and concepts? Why most educationalist and politicians are thinking, that existing school system is good? Why teachers state: “we already use the hands on inquiry methods”?

I hear, and I forget, I see, and I remember, I do, and I understand! CHAINESE PROVERB

THE FUTURE OF SCIENCE AND SCIENCE EDUCATION Lecture at the University of Tartu, 2004 Bruce Alberts President, US National Academy of Sciences Professor, University of California, San Francisco

Bruce Alberts president of Academy of Science of USA “Science at school is something that YOU DO, not something that is DONE FOR YOU”

Herbert Simon What is meaning of “KNOWING”? “REMEMBER AND REPEAT” or “FIND AND USE”?

Prof. Philip Gammage Scientific advisor of South Australian University The social character and decisive importance of the early age learning is investigated. … formal educational systems have the contradictory tendency to invest into education AFTER, when the main suitable time for learning is over. Researchers have the position, that learning process is going effectively between the birth and 12 years age of a child. Formal curriculum and the “delivering” of knowledge to the child are not the best ways to go forward in the education.

Primary education in last and previous centuries was focused on:  acquisition of literary skills in simple reading, writing and calculating  testing materials were prepared for assessing student’s memory and it is still in use at school in a large extent

Education in 21 century Required skills and personal properties of people applying for a job are changed dramatically The amount of information and knowledge is growing so fast than ever before in the history THAT’S WHY WE NEED THE CHANGE IN EDUCATION!

The need of changes New paradigm of learning and teaching that lies as a fundamental concept of the inquiry program for primary school and kindergarten studies, must be implemented into school. School yesterday was mainly oriented to achieve lower order cognitive skills and teachers with their old fashioned training were prepared to fulfill those requirements that were laid upon them.

Traditional school Developing lower order cognitive skills (LOCS): memorizing facts and definitions using teaching methods as lecturing, demonstrations, etc doing cook-book experiments using patterns and examples developing student’s algorithmic thinking

School today has to meet new standards of learning and teaching ¤ the main goal of present studies is learning with understanding on the bases of hands on inquiry curriculum, that will lead to formation of higher order cognitive skills as problem solving, critical and systemic thinking, question asking, creativity and social adaptation.

Hands-on inquiry is giving a shift  from algorithmic lower-order cognitive skills (LOCS) of teaching to higher order cognitive skills (HOCS) of learning;  from doing justice of the disciplines to doing justice the learner’s ability of gaining interdisciplinary (or cross-disciplinary) approach;  from assessment of passive knowledge to assessment of HOCS;  from focusing on “what should the graduates know “ to “what should graduates be able to do”.

Subject oriented curriculum Complex curriculum Problem based curriculum Active learning curriculum Subject orientedStudent oriented Types of the curriculum by Johnson “Fundamentals of American Education” (1990)

Subject oriented curriculum All subjects are clearly defined In some cases subjects are taught separately ( still in use in Estonian schools ) Integration between subjects is not valued Students are passiv at the lessons

Subject oriented curriculum Problems:  As a result of studies creative thinking is not formed  Learning is performed by memorizing facts and ideas  Subjects are not connected to the real life  Positive attitude towards the subject matter will not formed during the study process

Subject oriented curriculum People supporting the subject oriented curriculum believe that if students are passed the study, they are well prepared for the further life and they will behave as good citizens Creativity and personal attitude towards the matter are not expected, they have to learn all that teacher has proposed Motivation for studies will be usually the recognition from parents or teacher, students are motivated having in mind some furthercoming aim, e g to enter the University

Active learning curriculum Curriculum will be created on the bases of student interest and needs Studies are oriented as emotional process towards the study material Borders between subjects practically do not exist Content of studies will be involved into whole Main method for studies is hands-on inquiry

Active learning Main aims at the active learning program are development of student’s creativity, critical thinking, problem solving ability and writing and reading skills Problems: Studies are fragmental, curriculum does not exist If students are during studies dealing only with problems, they are interested in, the will not get the integrative picture of the world

Active learning The aim of the educational system must be to encapture all children actively into the study process and develop their higher order cognitive skills (HOCS) It is possible, if we use directed hands on inquiry curriculum based on new paradigm

Open inquiryDirected inquiry Textbook Demonstrations and “cook-book” activities Teacher Student high low high Who is controlling the process of learning?

Directed inquiry program The curriculum is build up in hierarchic principles of knowledge and skills that are needed to develope in students Studies will be perfomed with hands-on inquiry method Learning with understanding Students will get an integrative picture of the surrounding world scientific thinking will be developed Students will be good in writing and verbal communication Social skills will be developed

Directed inquiry program Hands on and minds on directed inquiry method is designed on the high activity of both, teacher and student The teacher and students are working together on the bases of directed inquiry curriculum Using directed inquiry method gives us possibilities to move from learning by heart to learning with understanding

Magnets and Motors The Technology of Paper Measuring TimeExperiments with Plants6 Floating and Sinking Food chemistry EcosystemsMicroworlds5 Electric Circuits Motion and Design Land and WaterAnimal Studies4 Sound Chemical Tests Rocks and Minerals Plant Growths & Development 3 Balancing and Weighing ChangesSoils The Life Cycles of Butterflies 2 Comparing and Measuring Solids and Liquids WetherOrganisms1 Sequence of units in STC program

Development of scientific reasoning skills IDENTIFYING CAUSE AND EFFECT, EXTENDING THE SENSES OBSERVING, MEASURING, IDENTIFYING PROPERTIES GRADES SEEKING EVIDENCE, RECOGNIZING PATTERNS AND CYCLES DESIGNING & CONDUCTING CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS

Hands-on inquiry in science  Kits for every unit (consisting Teacher’s guide and materials for 30  40 students)  Teacher training and teacher’s trainers  Methodology development (content of units and assessment strategy)  Kit preparation center  Shift in the paradigm of learning and teaching

Assessment of students development everyday assessment pre and post unit assessment assessment of the applying abilities of the student

Teacher training on directed inquiry method The service and pre service teacher training at the guided inquiry method in the primary school has mainly focused onto two targets: ¤ to introduce teachers to the fundamental ideology of the inquiry method and to have the practical experience in classroom ¤ to give the basic knowledge in science to those teachers who haven’t had advanced courses in integrated science (class teachers, primary school teachers)

Basic consepts for teacher training  Pre -requisite of teacher training efficiency is to develop teacher’s understanding of inquiry based learning, get authorities into the program and facilitate the inquiry based teaching at school  Teachers should be taught the same way they are expected to teach at school  Teachers will have awareness that they would find it useful to learn more for implementation the inquiry at school

Is research in the field of education needed? A lot educationalist are sure that old fashion system in science must not be changed To demonstrate the efectivness of the learning method of inquiry (compared to the traditional algoritmic methods at school) To show evidence that inquiry based learning helps to achieve expected results and fulfill the goals defined in the curriculum

“That’s a wonder, that nowadays’ methods at school have not destroyed completely the holy thirst for knowledge. This disire needs mainly freedom, without this it will die for sure.”

GOOD LUCK IN DOING SCIENCE WITH HANDS ON INQUIRY!