The Inquiry Cycle: Faculty Discussion INQUIRY THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE INVESTIGATION Sally Blake 364

Class Outline Community Centered Learning Environment Learner Centered Learning Environment Knowledge Centered Learning Environment Assessment Centered Learning Environment Inquiry Cycle Investigate Prepare to report Report GAK

Community-Centered Learning: Setting the stage Develop a culture of respect, questioning and risk taking. A wrong answer is seen as an exciting discovery, not a failure. A diverse array of thoughts are a source for good conversation and questions and new discoveries. Open discussions create a “learning community.”

Learner-Centered Engage students in activities that draw out what or how they know content Students are active processors of information They have acquired concepts, skills, and attitudes that affect their thinking about content They have acquired concepts, skills, and attitudes that affect their thinking about what it means to do science Their preconceptions can shape or misshape learning

Knowledge-Centered Students’ control a lot of activity BUT teachers guide the content through use of standards Inquiry is the method for learning content Get rid of following the “Scientific Method” Experience the excitement of actual discovery Work smart by adopting, adapting and sometimes inventing tools and models Use collective intelligence of group thinking Get rid of lockstep approaches to teaching science

Assessment-Centered Guide students to assess the quality of their: Hypotheses and models Adequacy of their methods and conclusions Effectiveness of the efforts to learn and collaborate Teachers use this to guide instruction Teachers use formative assessment to revise their and student thinking

Claims and evidence Teaching Through Guided Inquiry: First-Hand Investigations Reporting Prepare to Report Investigate Prepare to Investigate Engage Small Group Public Sharing Classroom Community Evaluation Theories Predictions conclusions Observation representation question Empirical relationship explanations Hypothesis

Prepare to report. This should follow your prepare to investigate outline 1. Observe - 2. Compare Classify - 4. Measure - 5. Sequence - 6. Quantify Field Notes -

Analysis: Prepare to Report Present your data using averages, not individual measurements. Don't present the data more than once. Don't make a line graph and pie chart of the same data. Don't include more than one variable on a graph. Report sample size (n=?). Older students should give some statistical analysis of their data.

Formulate a conclusion: Prepare to Report Did your data support your hypothesis? Consider other possible explanations for your results. “I thought this would happen and here is what did happen.” Make inferences. Prepare your claims and evidence!!!!!

Reporting: Claims and Evidence Report what you did clearly and in detail. Show data summary or analysis. Present your conclusion or inferences. Be ready to support your claims based on your evidence.

Refining: Leads to new or adapted questions List how your findings supported or did not support your hypothesis. Develop new questions to continue the investigation. Start the cycle again and continue forever.

Keeping Inquiry in your Classroom Organize your teaching around broad science themes recommended by AAAS. Teachers model appropriate behavior with vigor and enthusiasm. Science: Not just for science fairs anymore! Make your room a lab for young scientists Science as Main Theme (SAMT) Teachers Model Behavior (TMB) Continuous Inquiry Investigations (CII) Classroom as a Lab (CAL)

Questions