Scientific Inquiry Science Standards of Learning Institutes Virginia Department of Education October 2010

Scientific Inquiry When you hear the term scientific inquiry, what does it look like in action? What is the teacher doing? What are the students doing?

Scientific Inquiry Project 2061 Scientific inquiry is … for instance, a more subtle and demanding process than the naive idea of "making a great many careful observations and then organizing them.”… More imagination and inventiveness are involved in scientific inquiry than many people realize, yet sooner or later strict logic and empirical evidence must have their day. Individual investigators working alone sometimes make great discoveries, but the steady advancement of science depends on the enterprise as a whole.

Scientific Inquiry National Science Education Standards Definition Inquiry is a multifaceted activity that involves making observations; posing questions; examining books and other sources of information to see what is already known; planning investigations; reviewing what is already known in light of experimental evidence; using tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data; proposing answers, explanations, and predictions; and communicating the results. Inquiry requires identification of assumptions, use of critical and logical thinking, and consideration of alternative explanations. Students will engage in selected aspects of inquiry as they learn the scientific way of knowing the natural world, but they also should develop the capacity to conduct complete inquiries.

Scientific Inquiry Research Findings:  Understanding science is more than knowing facts.  Students build new knowledge and understanding on what they already know and believe.  Students formulate new knowledge by modifying and refining their current concepts and by adding new concepts to what they already know. Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning

Scientific Inquiry Research Findings:  Learning is mediated by the social environment in which learners interact with others.  Effective learning requires that students take control of their own learning.  The ability to apply knowledge to novel situations, that is, transfer of learning, is affected by the degree to which students learn with understanding. Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning

Scientific Inquiry

Ask these questions: Who decides the questions students are to investigate- teacher or student?Who decides the questions students are to investigate- teacher or student? Who decides the procedure to follow answering the question-teacher or student?Who decides the procedure to follow answering the question-teacher or student? Who decides what to observe and data to collect-teacher or student?Who decides what to observe and data to collect-teacher or student? Who decides the response to the question(s) investigated- teacher or student?Who decides the response to the question(s) investigated- teacher or student? Who decides how to communicate this information, including data-teacher or student?Who decides how to communicate this information, including data-teacher or student? Modifying Science Activities

Scientific Inquiry K-3 Magnetic Fishing Overview: Students “catch” as many 4-5 Salty Sea Overview: Students will investigate salinity. 6-8 Molecular Attraction Overview: Students examine water’s unique properties of adhesion, cohesion, surface tension, and capillarity. Modifying Science Activities

Scientific Inquiry High School A Freshwater Field Study: Abiotic Factors and Macroinvertebrate Bioassessment Overview Students study the abiotic and biotic factors that impact a freshwater environment. They make and interpret scientific measurements, using probeware or alternate tests, and determine the limitations of freshwater organisms, given the abiotic factors of the freshwater environment. They learn how to predict the quality of a water environment by knowing the facts about either the water quality or the living organisms. Modifying Science Activities

Scientific Inquiry Reflect: When you hear the term scientific inquiry, what does it look like in action? What is the teacher doing? What are the students doing?