Four Steps for Improving InquiryBased Teaching and Learning

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Four Steps for Improving Inquiry-Based Teaching
and Learning

• Jeff C. Marshall
• Clemson University
• 2009 NSTA Presentation

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Agenda

• Inquiry
• What is it?
• What does it look like?
• 4 critical components of effective inquiry-based
  teaching and learning
• Examples
• Your teaching practice

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What NSTA can and cannot do?

• Canhelp motivate, help network, provide ideas,
• Cannotprovide a magic elixir for improving
  learning in your class!!!
• SOnew ideas, motivation, what improves
  learning?

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BETTER TEACHING

• So do you need more flash and bang?
• More hands-on?
• More vocabulary?
• More content?
• Answer NO, NO, NO, NO
• Rathermore focused, intentional, formative,
  minds-on, reflective teachingBETTER TEACHING

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Session Focus

• INQUIRY-BASED instruction and learning
• National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996)
• Inquiry and the NSES (NRC, 2000)
• Inquiry Within (Llewellyn, 2007)
• 4E x 2 Instructional Model (www.clemson.edu/iim)

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What is Inquiry?

• 100 consensus lacking, but inquiry is
• multifaceted activity that involves students
• observing
• questioning (scientific)
• predicting
• planning investigations
• gathering and analyzing data
• communicating solutions and explanations
• considering alternate hypotheses

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Inquiry Continuum

• Inquiry follows a continuumnot an either/or
• Pre-Inquiry or Non-Inquiryother strategy used
• Developing Inquiryprescriptive/cookbook
• Proficient Inquiryoften guided
• Exemplary Inquirymaximal student engagement

Proficient Inquiryis often guided but challenges
students to think and problem solve within the
context of critical content.
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Facilitating Inquiry

• If you improve the following areaslearning
  increases!
• Instruction (How do I lead?)
• Discourse (How do we interact?)
• Assessment (How is instruction influenced by
  student achievement/knowledge?)
• Curriculum (What guides teaching and learning?)
• Although all are inter-related, each will be
  considered independently.

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Instructional Factors

• Instructional Strategies
• Order of Instruction
• Teacher Role
• Student Role
• Knowledge Acquisition

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Order of Instruction
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Discourse Factors

• Questioning Level
• Complexity of Questions
• Questioning Ecology
• Communication Pattern
• Classroom Interactions

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Complexity of Questions
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Assessment Factors

• Prior Knowledge
• Conceptual Development
• Student Reflection
• Assessment Type
• Role of Assessing

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Prior Knowledge
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Curriculum Factors

• Content Depth
• Learner Centrality
• Integration of Content and Investigation
• Organizing and Recording Information

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Learner Centrality
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You and Your Class

• Focus on one indicator for each category
  (instruction, discourse, assessment, and
  curriculum) to improve.
• Make small changes to lessons until you
  consistently earn at least a proficient.

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Further Information

• Jeff C. Marshall, Clemson University
• email marsha9_at_clemson.edu
• website www.clemson.edu/iim
• The Science Teacher, April 2009 issue