How to Use the Inquiry Approach to Science Activities
Inquiry allows the student to investigate scientific questions that are student designed. Initially, the students may require more guidance in this process until they become familiar with how the process of inquiry is carried out. Make sure any instruction given to the student is minimally invasive because "guidance" can limit what is learned. Remember that the goal is to infer, not to spell out, the investigation and, therefore, what is learned.
Instructions
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Design a rubric. Many teachers use a program like rubistar.4teachers.org to help design the rubric. Show students the rubric you will use and the targeted items of this lesson you will focus on for grading.
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Prepare the students by reviewing what is expected of them by posting, on the walls of the classroom, the steps of the "inquiry" method in this article on the wall that they will need to complete the assignment (starting with the next step). Also post the rubric you will use and the targeted items of this lesson you will focus on for grading.
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Record student questions about the natural world. Get the student to ask the questions with answers that are testable. Each student then designs an experiment to answer one of the questions that they select.
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Identify what the student knows about the topic in a way he can compare to their first ideas about the topic with the results after the experiment is complete. Have the student commit this prior knowledge to paper so that it does not change during the course of inquiry.
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Collect copies of the data the student gathers before the analysis stage. Make sure that there is enough data recorded to be able to answer the question. The quality of the data will be discussed during peer review, so resist the temptation to tell the student about data quality issues.
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Put the student through a peer review process where the experiment presented to other class members. The students will then submit questions, comment on the experiment, and discuss the credibility of the presentation. Alternative explanations for the results are also discussed.
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Review the results of the experience with the student and how it was different or similar to their expectations based on their prior knowledge. Ask if the student is satisfied with the findings or if further experimentation is needed.
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Review the rubric with the student. Discuss strengths and weaknesses. If more experimentation is required to answer the question or achieve an interesting result, the student may repeat this process from the beginning with the new knowledge.
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Tips & Warnings
True inquiry offers less control over the content (what is learned). To ensure that state or national standards are included, the inquiry can be helped (guided) by breaking it into stages and restricting it through materials available and questions that the teacher asks.
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nice
