Inquiry and Teaching Science

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Inquiry and Teaching Science

• TAMU - QU
• Methods for Teaching Science

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Objectives

• Define inquiry as it relates to teaching science
• Describe activities that students would do if
  they were engaged in inquiry
• List and explain inquiry process skills

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What is Inquiry?

• Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways
  in which scientists study the natural world and
  propose explanations based on the evidence
  derived from their work. Inquiry also refers to
  the activities of students in which they develop
  knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas,
  as well as an understanding of how scientists
  study the natural world.
• (National Science Education Standards, 1996)

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Scientific Inquiry

• Two critical aspects to consider
• There is a process of finding out
• There is a product of the search
• A lot of school science is just presenting
  products of the search. Inquiry allows students
  to experience the process of finding out.

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Inquiry Process Skills

• Observing
• Using space/time relationships
• Using numbers
• Classifying
• Measuring
• Communicating
• Predicting
• Inferring
• Controlling variables
• Interpreting data
• Formulating hypotheses
• Defining operationally
• Experimenting

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Process approach

• Used in science teaching to promote inquiry and
  discovery learning
• Main goal is to teach students investigative
  skills used by scientists
• De-emphasizes critical science content
• Note Approach is not recommended by
  decades of research

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Examples of Inquiry Methods

• Activities students could be
• doing if engaged in inquiry

• Making observations
• Posing questions
• Examining books
• Planning investigations
• Reviewing what is already known
• Using tools
• Proposing answers
• Identifying assumptions