Inquiry Learning in the Classroom
This topic submitted by Jeff Cross ( nr_cross@mveca.ohio.gov ) at 13:05 on 2/25/99. Additions were last made on Monday, April 3, 2000.
Scientific Inquiry is a key component in the science classroom. In fact, one of the strands in the Ohio Science Model is entitled Scientific Inquiry. It states, "This strand explores the modes of inquiry, habits of mind and attitudes and dispositions that we believe should be empowered to employ and exhibit when engaged in science explorations and constructing their understanding of the natural world." In fact, this strand represents the manner with which we do science and must be used as a guide as how students interact with the natural world.
We can trace inquiry back to the constructivists' theory of learning. The emphasis is more on students than teachers. Learning is an active process which is influenced by how the student processes information rather than just the teacher presentation. Knowledge is not acquired passively.
Teachers can encourage this type of learning using several strategies. They include:
1) Encouraging students to test their own ideas, i.e., answereing their questions, their guesses as to causes and their predictions of certain consequences.
2) Using student thinking, experiences and interests to drive lessons
3) Using cooperative learning strategies that emphasize collaboration, respect individuality and use division of labor tactics.
Even though I am currently a building administrator, I used inquiry-based learning when I was in the classroom. I used "Discovery" training to enhance my lessons. My focus was to get away from "cook book" type labs and start to have students discover their own protocols. This was not always easy. During this transition, students were resistant to this process. They would rather know what will happen before it occurs. I ended up modifying my approach somewhat by giving them a sound base of knowledge from which to draw their conclusions as well as the results of their investigations. It is hard to develop a lab about something which you know nothing about.
I found that when my students were actively engaged in learning, they were more apt to retain information. They also enjoyed class more and were excited about what they were doing. This certainly made my job more fun as well. If you are using the Ohio Science Model as a guideline for your teaching, you must use inquiry lerning as one of the approaches in teaching your students.
For Further Info on this Topic, Check out this WWW Site: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ .
Next Article
Previous Article
Return to the Topic Menu
Here is a list of responses that have been posted to this Discussion Entry...
Important: Press the Browser Reload button to view the latest contribution.
Respond to this Submission!
IMPORTANT: For each Response, make sure the title of the response is different than previous titles shown above!
Article complete. Click HERE
to return to the Inquire Ohio Feedback Menu.
It is 1:00:05 PM on Sunday, November 22, 2009. Last Update: Monday, April 3, 2000