Dr. Brad HogeDirector of HUNSTEMUniversity of Houston Downtown(713) 221-8289Hogeb@uhd.edu

http://HUNSTEM.uhd.eduhttp://HUNSTEM.uhd.edu

Inquiry Works Best

Research shows that students learn science best by engaging in hands-on minds-on lessons through a inquiry based curriculum (Abell and Bryan, 1997; Stepans, et. al., 1995: Metz, 1995; Glasson, 1989).

What is “inquiry” in K-12 science education?

Inquiry as defined in the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1995)

… a multifaceted 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 the results.

Inquiry requires identification of assumptions, use of critical and logical thinking, and consideration of alternative explanations.

Goals for All Students

Learn the principles and concepts of science (the big ideas).

Be able to do science (the procedural skills and mental reasoning abilities needed to carry out an investigation).

Understand the nature of science as a human activity, a way of constructing knowledge.

Skills are more important than knowledge

NSF Standards for Inquiry

Students should be able to: Identify questions and concepts for

identification Design and conduct investigations Use technology and math to aid an

investigation Formulate explanations using logic and

evidence Analyze alternative explanations Communicate and defend an argument

NSF Standards for Inquiry

Students should understand that in science: Investigations involve asking a question

and comparing the answer to what is known

Explanations emphasize evidence Explanations have logically consistent

arguments Investigations are repeatable by others Scientists make their results public, review

and ask each other questions

Unexpected results are often the most important

Classroom Inquiry as a Teaching and Learning

Strategy Learners are engaged by scientifically oriented

questions Learners give priority to evidence, which allows

them to develop and evaluate explanations that address scientifically oriented questions

Learners formulate explanations from evidence to address scientifically oriented questions

Learners evaluate their explanations in light of alternative explanations, particularly those reflecting scientific understanding

Learners communicate and justify their proposed explanations

Research Base on Learning

People build new knowledge and understanding based on what they already know and believe (“prior knowledge”)

Understanding science is not just knowing facts; people must organize and actively build them into a conceptual framework to be useful in new settings (“constructivism”)

People need to monitor and reflect on their own learning as they learn (“metacognition”)

How People Learn, NRC 1999.

How People Learn

Individuals do not obtain knowledge by internalizing it from the outside but by constructing it from within, in interaction with the environment (Kamii, Manning, & Manning, 1991; Perkins, 1992; Piaget, 1969; Vygotsky, 1978)

Constructivism Constructivist views of learning provide

a theoretical framework to teachers in helping students reconstruct their own understanding through a process of interacting with objects in the environment and engaging in higher-level thinking and problem solving (Driver, Asoko, Leach, Mortimer, & Scott, 1994).

Inquiry Is Scientific MethodConstructivism provides the theoretical framework for all

forms of project-based learning (Grant, 2002).

PBS pedagogy (Schneider, Krajcik, Marx, & Soloway, 2002) assumes that students constantly ask and refine questions; design and conduct multiple investigations; gather, analyze, interpret, and draw conclusions from data; and report findings.

. . . by extension, learning scientific process (literacy) extends beyond the classroom (Bransfield etal, 1999).

Science starts with careful observation

Careful observation means being prepared (making

predictions)

Mastery of facts is not necessarily

understanding!Ideas must be organized or “built” by the learner into a conceptual framework in order to be useful.

Students sort physics problems by superficial features.

Experts sort problems by concepts.

The Monotillation of Traxoline

It is very important that you learn about traxoline. Traxoline is a new form of zionter. It is monotilled in Ceristanna. The Ceristannians gristerlate large amounts of fevon and then bracter it to quasel traxoline. Traxoline may well be one of our most lukised snezlaus in the future because of our zionter lescelidge.

1. What is traxoline?2. Where is traxoline monotilled?3. How is traxoline quaselled?4. Why is traxoline important?

Use Evolutionary Psychology

E.O. Wilson stated, the benefits of metaphor over analogy in teaching science is rooted in our evolutionary past. We use metaphor to make sense of our world.

Scientific Method Scientists explore the physical

world for reproducible patterns which they represent by models and organize into theories according to laws (Hestenes, 2004).

The acquisition of knowledge does not destroy the beauty of experience

Strategies for helping concept-building

Plan activities (hands-on, minds-on) rather than lectures

Have students predict-observe-explain Have students work in groups Have students relate ideas to existing

knowledge Be “a guide on the side”, not “a sage

on the stage”

Metacognition: Thinking about Thinking

Connecting new information to prior knowledge

Selecting thinking strategies deliberately

Planning, monitoring and evaluating own thinking processes

A statistic requires at least three data points

Common sense is part of science

Q. An army bus holds 36 soldiers. If 1128 soldiers are being bused to their training site, how many buses are needed?

A. 31 R 12B. 31C. 32

Use Scientific Method Simply providing knowledge without

experience or vice versa does not seem to be sufficient for the development of metacognitive control (Livingston, 1996).

The scientific process (historically and in a philosophical perspective) is the ultimate metacognitive strategy for problem solving.

Science is interdisciplinary

Use your whole brain

Three books are sitting on a shelf. Each book is two inches thick with front and back covers 1/6th of an inch thick. If a book worm chews threw the books from page one of the first book to the last page of the last book, how many inches does the book worm chew through?

Conclusions are only as good as the assumptions that go

into them

New discoveries lead to new problems

Inquiry in the Classroom Requires an Effective Learning Community