Using the Inquiry Matrix to Improve Teaching Dr. Anna Lewis College of Education University of South Florida St. Petersburg FL

Goals of Science Education To become self-reliant learners To think critically and systemically To collaborate in constructing understanding regarding the natural world

The Pendulum Swings Historically - the pendulum of educational practice has been mostly on Direct Teaching In recent years, with the formulation of national and state science education standards, Inquiry Teaching has become the favored practice for science instruction (National Research Council, 2000b; American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1990; Alberts, 2008).

Inquiry Instruction Reflects the investigative approach Uses empirical techniques A reliance on evidence that scientists use in making discoveries and constructing new knowledge Is student centered

Inquiry Doesn’t Work! It’s too confusing It’s hard to do It takes too much time to plan It takes students too much time to think Students don’t like it

Introducing the Inquiry Matrix Grady, Julie “The Inquiry Matrix” Sci Teach 77 no8 N 2010 p The Matrix for Assessing and Planning Scientific Inquiry (MAPSI) a modification of a tool designed by Dolan and Grady (2010), was inspired by the National Research Council's "Essential Features of Classroom Inquiry and Their Variations“ (NRC Inquiry and the national science education standards: A guide for teaching and learning. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.)

MAPSI Assess existing lessons Modify lessons to increase complexity Introduce incremental steps toward greater inquiry Plan future inquiries so that students are gradually able to engage in more complex reasoning Identify areas of student strengths to facilitate their engagement with more complex tasks

Let’s try it! Use the Inquiry Matrix to Assess Lessons ◦ Review 5 lessons ◦ For each lesson identify where in the matrix it falls for each section:  Generating scientifically oriented questions  Making predictions or posing preliminary hypotheses prior to conducting investigations  Designing and conducting the research study  4 sub-processes  Explaining Results  6 sub-processes

Let’s try it! Use the Inquiry Matrix to Modify Lessons, to Increase Complexity & Introduce Incremental Steps Toward Greater Inquiry Tasks ◦ Take one of the lessons – list 2 things that would increase the inquiry quotient

Let’s try it! Use the Inquiry Matrix to Plan Future Inquiries so that Students are Gradually able to Engage in more Complex Reasoning ◦ Take one of the lessons – list 2 things that would increase student engagement in the lesson

Let’s try it! Use the Inquiry Matrix to Identify Areas of Student Strengths to Facilitate their Engagement with more Complex Tasks ◦ Take one of the lessons – write some characteristics of one of your students – now look to the matrix and identify items that might increase this student’s engagement in that particular lesson

Inquiry Works! Use the matrix to… identify inquiry components increase complexity quickly plan critical thinking tasks identify additional ways to engage students

Thank you!