1. Science Curriculum Design
(Hawai‘i International Conference on Education)
Francis M. Pottenger III, PhD January 8, 2010

2. What Is Inquiry?
Inquiry is a cognitive survival mechanism of our species.
Inquiry is how we humans know and make sense of our surroundings.
In sum, inquiry is the multiple ways we discover, invent, and test answers and solutions to questions and problems, and make conclusions about their usefulness.

3. Inquiry is a process of considered thought in
contrast to reflexive response.
Out of inquiry, we construct a mental virtual reality,
an analog of our surroundings and ourselves; thus, we are constructivists; we are makers of knowledge.
We correct our mental versions of the world by personal inquiry into natural phenomena and the knowledge of others.

4. Infrastructure Knowledge Generation Existing Knowledge
Informal Knowlege
Directed by inquiring person
Personally produced knowledge
Creates a heuristic problem solutions, testing, and interpretation
Creates new knowledge
Directed by inquiring person individual receiver
Personally, acquired knowledge
Learn of another’s problem solutions, tests, and interpretations
Learns existing knowledge
Formal Knowlege
Directed by a community
Individual producer
Community produced knowledge
Creates a rule-based problem solutions, testing, interpretation, and community validated products
• Creates new knowledge
• Directed by a community
• Individual receiver
• Community instructed knowledge
• Learn products of rule-based problem solving, testing, interpretation, and community validation
• Learns existing knowledge

5. Associated Members of the Natural Science Disciplines

6. Structural Elements of Disciplines
King and Brownell
A discipline is a community of persons.
A discipline is an expression of human imagination.
A discipline is a domain.
A discipline is a mode of inquiry.
A discipline is a tradition.
A discipline is a conceptual structure.
A discipline is a specialized language or other system of symbols.
A discipline is a heritage of literature and artifacts and networks of communication.
A discipline is a valuing and affective stance.
A discipline is an instructive community.

8. Instructional Models

9. Modes of Inquiry

10. Taxonomy of Inquiry

11. Taxonomy of Inquiry (part 2)

12. Proto-curiousity Structural Profile

13. Curiousity Inquiry Structural Profile

14. Replicative Structural Profile

15. Technological Structural Profile

16. Informal Personal Learning Profile

17. Formal Authoritative Community Instruction

18. Evaluative Structural Profile

19. Quantitative Structural Profile

20. Communicative Structural Profile

21. Deductive Structural Profile

22. Deductive Structural Profile

23. Explanatory-Experimental Inquiry

24. Theoretic Structural Profile

25. Operations of the Phases of Disciplinary Inquiry

27. CONTENT IN UPPER ELEMENTARY GRADES
BIOLOGICAL NEED
Social Bonding
Learning
Communication
Control of Self
and Others
Acquisitiveness
Curiosity
Aesthetic Balance
TECHNOLOGY
Mental Health
Systems
Education Systems
Communication Sys.
Government
Merchandizing,
Banking Systems
All Technologies
Music, Art,
Drama, Writing
DISCIPLINARY
AREAS
Astronomy
Chemistry
Biology
Earth Science
Physics
Ecology
Health
Nutrition
Information Science
Ethics
Economics

28. Interpersonal Bonding
CONTENT IN LOWER ELEMENTARY GRADES
BIOLOGICAL NEED
Air
Water
Food
Sleep
Elimination
Reproduction
Disease/Injury Prot.
Thermal Protection
Exercise
Mobility
Interpersonal Bonding
Learning
Communication
Curiousity
Aesthetic Bonding
TECHNOLOGY
Ventilation
Plumbing,
Hydrology
Hunting, Gathering,
Herding, Farming
Shelter Crafts
Sanitation
Animal Breeding
Medicine
Tailoring
Sports
Transportation,
Wayfinding
Family, Community
Schooling
Language, Graphics
All Technologies
Music, Art, Drama
SCIENCE
Descriptive
Meteorology
Natural History
Astronomy

29. What is Socratic Inquiry
flexible, interactive tool that allows the user to explore new ideas, build on ideas, jog memories, and explore knowledge status
interactive involving teacher and student
student(s) attempts to invent an answer to satisfy teacher’s testing question and teacher invents next testing question to guide student’s response in desired pathway