Imagine science classrooms in which:

1
Imagine science classrooms in which

• The teacher pushes a steel needle through a
  balloon and the balloon does not burst. The
  teacher asks the students to find out why the
  balloon didn't burst.
• Students are dropping objects into jars
  containing liquids with different densities and
  recording the time it takes each object to reach
  the bottom of the jar. They are trying to find
  out about viscosity.
• Students are using probes connected to a
  microcomputer to measure the heart rates of
  students before and after doing five minutes of
  exercise. They are investigating the effect of
  exercise on pulse rate.
• Students are reading newspaper articles on the
  topic "toxic waste dumps" in order to form
  opinions about a proposed dump being established
  in their community.

2
What is Inquiry?

• "Inquiry is the set of behaviors involved in
  the struggle of human beings for reasonable
  explanations of phenomena about which they are
  curious." (Novak 1964) So, inquiry involves
  activity and skills, but the focus is on the
  active search for knowledge or understanding to
  satisfy a curiosity.
• A focus on inquiry always involves, though,
  collection and interpretation of information in
  response to wondering and exploring.

3
What is Inquiry?

• It is the scientific process by which knowledge
  is generated and validated. In this process the
  learners are confronted with a problem- a
  discrepancy or a puzzle for which a solution is
  not obviously evident- and by gathering
  information, they generate ideas of the
  explanation and subsequently test them to assess
  their usefulness.
• It is not discovery of an answer that is taken
  out from the text book but rather the development
  of an answer by the learner based on the result
  of the investigation.
• Inquiry is a term used in science teaching that
  refers to a way of questioning, seeking knowledge
  or information, or finding out about phenomena.

4
A pedagogical perspective

• Inquiry-oriented teaching is often contrasted
  with more traditional expository methods and
  reflects the constructivist model of learning,
  often referred to as active learning, so strongly
  held among science educators today. According to
  constructivist models, learning is the result of
  ongoing changes in our mental frameworks as we
  attempt to make meaning out of our experiences
  (Osborne Freyberg, 1985).
• In classrooms where students are encouraged to
  make meaning, they are generally involved in
  "developing and restructuring their knowledge
  schemes through experiences with phenomena,
  through exploratory talk and teacher
  intervention" (Driver, 1989). Indeed, research
  findings indicate that, "students are likely to
  begin to understand the natural world if they
  work directly with natural phenomena, using their
  senses to observe and using instruments to extend
  the power of their senses" (National Science
  Board, 1991, p. 27).

5
A pedagogical perspective

• In its essence, then, inquiry-oriented teaching
  engages students in investigations to satisfy
  curiosities, with curiosities being satisfied
  when individuals have constructed mental
  frameworks that adequately explain their
  experiences. One implication is that
  inquiry-oriented teaching begins or at least
  involves stimulating curiosity or provoking
  wonder. There is no authentic investigation or
  meaningful learning if there is no inquiring mind
  seeking an answer, solution, explanation, or
  decision.

6
Principles of Inquiry Learning

• Intrinsic motivation is basic to inquiry
• Process oriented rather than content oriented
• conceptual rather than factual
• It is student centered

7
The phases of Inquiry teaching

• Defining a problem
• It assumes learning begins with a dilemma, puzzle
  or a problem bothering the learner. The questions
  or problems should be in researchable forms
  rather than precise terms.
• Eg. How does access to internet affect learning
  of SCE students?

8
The phases of Inquiry teaching

• Formulating hypothesis
• Hypothesis is an unverified generalization.
  Hypothesis generation may be done by
  brainstorming generate ideas to analyze and
  prioritize
• They make meaningful guesses to the problems in
  the light of their experiences and data available
  to them.

9
The phases of Inquiry teaching

• Gathering data
• The data is gathered to either support or refute
  hypothesis. Some of the ways of gathering data
  are surveys, case study, interviews, field trips,
  questionnaires.
• Testing the validity of the hypothesis
• The data gathered is analyzed to test the
  validity of the hypothesis. Those hypotheses
  which are supported by adequate evidences are
  checked and accepted. The hypotheses which are
  not supported by adequate evidences are refuted
  or studied further

10
The phases of Inquiry teaching

• Generalizing or drawing Conclusion
• Baesd on the accepted hypothesis students will
  generalize stating the solution to the problem
  encountered. This generalization is not the final
  truth but is tentative and subject to change.
• Applying the Solution/Generalization/Conclusion
• The teacher can guide the students so that they
  may resolve to apply the solution to new learning
  situations or in their day to day life
  experiences