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Inquiry Based Learning

adapted with permission fromDouglas Llewellyn

School of EducationSt. John Fisher CollegeRochester, New York

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Descriptions of Skills Used in Scientific Inquiry (Ministry of Education, 2008) for Grades 9-12

Initiating and Planning - Formulate questions or hypotheses or make predictions about issues, problems, or the relationship between observable variables, and plan investigations to answer the questions or test the hypotheses/predictions

Performing and Recording - Conduct research by gathering, organizing, and recording information from appropriate sources; and conduct inquiries, making observations and collecting, organizing, and recording qualitative and quantitative data

Analyzing and Interpreting - Evaluate the reliability of data from inquiries, and of information from research sources, and analyze the data or information to identify patterns and relationships and draw and justify results

Communicating - Use appropriate linguistic, numeric, symbolic, and graphic modes to communicate ideas, procedures, results, and conclusions in a variety of ways

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“Inquiry is a multi-faceted activity that involves making observations, posing questions; examining books and other sources of information to see what is

already known; planning investigations; reviewing what is

already known in light of experimental evidence; using tools to gather,

analyze, and interpret data; proposing answers, explanations, and

predictions; and communicating results” (NRC, 1996).

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“Smarter Science” Process Skills

QuestioningObservingInferringSearching MeasuringUsing instrumentsComparingContrastingClassifying

ExperimentingGathering dataRecordingAnalyzingReviewingReportingDiscussingReflectingExplaining

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Where do I begin?

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Set Professional Goals for Expectations

• Levels of Teaching Science • What’s Your Present State? • What’s Your Desired State?• What’s Your Instructional Pie?

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Levels of Teaching

• Reading & Telling• Discussing• Demonstrating• Prescribed Activities & Labs• Problem Solving Activities• Inquiry-based Investigations

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What’s Your Instructional Pie?

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reading/telling

discussing

demonstrating

hands-onactivities/labs

problem solvingactivities

inquiry-basedinvestigations

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10 Reasons Teachers Say They Can’t Do Inquiry

#10 I feel more comfortable teaching the

traditional labs. That’s the way I was taught.

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10 Reasons Teachers Say They Can’t Do Inquiry

#9 When you teach through inquiry, you lose control.

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10 Reasons Teachers Say They Can’t Do Inquiry

#8 I have not had any professional development on teaching through inquiry.

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10 Reasons Teachers Say They Can’t Do Inquiry

#7 Inquiry is not a focus of the textbook I am using.

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10 Reasons Teachers Say They Can’t Do Inquiry

#6 Students need to be told how to do a science experiment.

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10 Reasons Teachers Say They Can’t Do Inquiry

#5 I don’t have enough supplies and equipment to do inquiry.

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10 Reasons Teachers Say They Can’t Do Inquiry

#4 Students don’t have the background or the skills to do inquiry.

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10 Reasons Teachers Say They Can’t Do Inquiry

#3 I have too much content I have to cover.

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10 Reasons Teachers Say They Can’t Do Inquiry

#2 Students are accustomed to getting an answer from their teacher.

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10 Reasons Teachers Say They Can’t Do Inquiry

#1 I don’t have enough classroom time to do inquiry.

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Myths and Misconceptions about Inquiry-Based Teaching

Doing hands-on is the same as doing inquiry.

Inquiry is unstructured and chaotic. Inquiry involves asking a lot of

questions. Doing scientific inquiry is the same

as using the scientific method.

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Myths and Misconceptions about Inquiry-Based Teaching

Only high-achieving students can learn through inquiry.

Inquiry is the latest “fad” in teaching science.

You can’t assess inquiry. Students learn about scientific

inquiry and the NOS from doing inquiry.

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Expectations and Goals of the Science and Technology

Program

#2 - to develop skills, strategies, and habits of mind required for scientific inquiry and technological problem

solving

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Building Capacity

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“Inquiry is not just finding the right answers,

it’s seeking the right questions.”

D. Llewellyn, Inquire Within

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“Of one thing I am convinced. I have never seen anyone improve in the

art and techniques of inquiry by any means other than engaging in

inquiry.”

Jerome Bruner, 1961

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Paper Fold-Ability

Claim: a piece of paper can only be folded in half 7 times.

How many times can you fold a 8½" X 11"

piece of paper in half?

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5 Elements of Inquiry (NRC, 2000)

• The learner engages (physically, mentally and personally) with a science-oriented question.

• The learner gives priority to evidence when responding to a question.

• The learner uses evidence to form an explanation.

• The learner connects an explanation to scientific knowledge.

• The learner communicates and justifies an explanation.

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“The purpose on inquiry is not to instill curiosity in students, but rather to discover it;

for curiosity and inquisitiveness already lie

within the individual – awaiting opportunities to be revealed

and made known.”

D. Llewellyn

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Four Levels of Science Inquiry:

Demonstrated Structured Guided Self-Directed

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Invitation to Inquiry GridDemon- Structured Guided Self-

strated Inquiry Inquiry Directed

Inquiry Inquiry

Q Teacher Teacher Teacher Student

P Teacher Teacher Student Student

R Teacher Student Student Student

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Demonstrated Inquiry

Where students observe a teacher-led inquiry and draw conclusions from their observations. It usually ends with a surprising, puzzling, counter-intuitive result.

Also called a discrepant event.

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Discrepant Events

Wonder (Ah)+

Laughter (Ha)=

“I got it!” (Ah Ha)

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Structured Inquiry

Where students engage in a hands-on investigation by following a sequence of procedures provided by the teacher or the textbook. The students then collect and organize the data, and make claims and explanations from the evidence.

Sometimes misnamed cookbook labs, confirmation labs, and verification labs.

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Guided Inquiry

Where the teacher provides the question or a problem to be investigated and a suggested list of the materials to be used. The students then, on their own, design and carry out a procedure for the investigation.

Also called problem solving or teacher-initiated inquiry.

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Self-Directed Inquiry

Where students generate their own questions concerning a topic or phenomenon and then design their investigations to solve their questions. At the end, they make and justify their claims with supporting evidence.

Also called full inquiry, open inquiry, or student-initiated inquiry.

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Demonstrated Inquiry

Structured Inquiry

Guided Inquiry

Self-DirectedInquiry

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Teacher - Student Positional Relationships

in Inquiry

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The Art and Science of Inquiry

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The Art and Science of Inquiry

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The Art and Science of Inquiry

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The Art and Science of Inquiry

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Finger-Painting

Sandbox Science

Paint by Numbers

Structured Labs

Paint Bowl of Fruit

Problem-Solving

Paint What You Like

Scientific Inquiry

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Modifying Traditional Labs

Do the lab before introducing formal concepts

Use a discrepant event to initiate the question or topic to be investigated

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Modifying Traditional Labs

Revise the materials section

Remove the safely rules

Revise the procedure section

Add procedural errors

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Modifying Traditional Labs

Take away the data table or chart

Add extension or “going further” questions and investigations to the end of the lab

Encourage students to use reasoning and argumentation skills to link their claims, evidence, and explanations.

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Self-Directed LearningGoleman, Boyatzis, & McKee

1) Self-assess the “present” self 2) Form an image of the “desired” self3) Plan professional development to bridge

the gap4) Create a support system5) Improve performance through practice

and reflection6) Monitor progress

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The Change Process

Transforming Practice Takes 3-5 years

Who Moved My Cheese?

Our Iceberg Is Melting

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Join or Form a Support Group

• Reading Articles and Books on Inquiry

• Journaling Progress• Sharing Instructional Successes• Reflecting with Colleagues• Collaborating with Peers• Using the Japanese Lesson Study• Using the 5E Lesson Plan

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The 3 R’s• Re-structuring the science curriculum

& lessons; including the modification of traditional labs

• Re-tooling the teacher’s instructional strategies and questioning skills through on-going professional development

• Re-culturing the classroom norms and relationships that foster inquiry-based strategies and a learner-centered environment

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“When you inspire students to imagine beyond their

expectations, to seek more questions than they will ever answer, and to persist when

others concede, you are becoming an

inquiry-based teacher.”

D. Llewellyn

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In closing…

The average teacher tells us.The good teacher tells us and

explains why.The better teacher shows us and

explains why.The greatest teacher inspires us to

inquire on our own.