exploratory approach:inquiry method

Exploratory Approach:Inquiry Method

The Core of Inquiry is spontaneous and self- directed exploration.

STEPS IN THE INQUIRY METHOD1. DEFINE THE TOPIC OR

INTRODUCE THE QUESTION.

2. GUIDE STUDENTS PLAN WHERE AND HOW TO GATHER DATA, INFORMATION.

3. STUDENTS PRESENT FINDINGS THROUGH GRAPH, CHARTS, POWERPOINTPRESENTATION, MODELS, AND WRITING.

Advantages And

Disadvantages

DISADVANTAGES 1.DOESN´T WORK FOR ALL SCIENCE TOPICS.REQUIRES MORE PLANNING, PREPARATION, AND RESPONSIVENESS FROM THE EDUCATORS.

2. EDUCATORS MUST BE SKILLED IN HELPING STUDENTS LEARN THE ART OF ASKING A GOOD QUESTION.

DISADVANTAGES

3.REQUIRES MORE CLASS TIME

4. MAY BE LESS ABLE TO MEET GOALS OF STANDARDIZED TESTING

ADVANTAGES 1. INVESTIGATE PROCESSES SUCH AS INFERRING , HYPOTHESIZING, MEASURING, PREDICTING, CLASSIFYING, ANALYZING, AND EXPERIMENTING FORMULATING CONCLUSIONS AND GENERALIZATIONS ARE EMPLOYED.

2.STUDENTS ARE TREATED AS INDEPENDENT LEARNERS.

ADVANTAGES3.CHILDREN ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO SEARCH, HENCE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IS THE BEST INDICATOR OF INQUISITIVENESS.

4.ANSWERS PROVIDED ARE CAME FROM THE GENUINE PRODUCT OF THEIR OWN EFFORTS.

5.FOCUSED QUESTIONS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER ARE CRITICAL INGREDIENTS THAT PROVIDE DIRECTION AND SUSTAIN ACTION.

OUTCOMES OF

INQUIRY TEACHING

1. TEACHERS MUST KEEP IN MIND THAT THEIR ACT OF FACILITATING SATISFIES INNATE CURIOSITY.

2.CHILDREN LEARN BEST BY MANIPULATING AND CLOSELY EXAMINING REAL OBJECTS.

3. IT ALLOWS DEGREE OF FREEDOM , DEVELOPS INITIATIVE AND DIVERGENT THINKING.

4. SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY IS DEVELOPED WHEN LEARNERS ARE LEFT TO MANAGE ON THEIR OWN LEARNING.

5. EDUCATORS BELIEVE THAT FACTS AND CONCEPTS THAT LEARNERS DISCOVER BY THEMSELVES BECOME STORED AS PART OF THEIR PERMANENT LEARNING.

6.EXPERIENCING SUCCESS IN INQUIRY-BASED LESSONS BUILD UP THE LEARNERS’ FEELING OR CONFIDENCE.

7.PARTICIPATION IN INQUIRY ACTIVITIES STRENGTHENS LEARNERS’ INTELLECTUAL CAPABILITIES.

HOW TO FACILITATE INQUIRY TEACHING

1.ARRANGE IDEAL ROOM SETTING.

2.CHOOSE TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT THAT ARE EASY TO MANIPULATE.

3.QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED SHOULD ORIGINATE FROM THE LEARNERS, FOLLOWED BY THE FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESIS.

4. PROCEDURE SHOULD LIKEWISE BE PLANNED BY THEM.

5.IT SHOULD BE EVALUATED IMMEDIATELY.

6.TEACHERS SHOULD BE A FACILITATOR.

4. PROCEDURE SHOULD LIKEWISE BE PLANNED BY THEM.

5. IT SHOULD BE EVALUATED IMMEDIATELY.

6. TEACHER SHOULD BE A FACILITATOR .

Sample Lesson of Inquiry Method

TOPIC: ACIDS AND BASES

FORMULATION OF THE RESEARCH QUESTION

TEACHER ACTIVITY

TEACHER BEGINS A GROUP DISCUSSION AND SCAFFOLDS STUDENTS TO CONSIDER WHAT RESEARCH QUESTION WILL DRIVE THE INVESTIGATIONS. THE TEACHER PUTS THE POSSIBLE QUESTIONS ON THE BOARD AND REFINES THE QUESTIONS WITH THE HELP OF THE STUDENTS. THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS SHOULD RESEMBLE THE FOLLOWING:

1. HOW CAN WE TEST A SUBSTANCE TO SEE IF IT IS AN ACID OR A BASE?2. HOW DO WE KNOW IF SOME SUBSTANCES ARE STRONGER ACIDS OR BASES?


FORMULATION OF THE RESEARCH QUESTION

STUDENT ACTIVITY

STUDENTS PUT UP THEIR HANDS AND WHEN INSTRUCTED TO BY THE TEACHER, GIVE THEIR VIEWS ON WHAT RESEARCH QUESTIONS WILL REVOLVE AROUND THIS INVESTIGATION. THE STUDENTS USE THEIR PRIOR LEARNING FROM THE PREVIOUS LESSON TO HELP THEM ESTABLISH A RESEARCH QUESTION.

STUDENTS TAKE NOTE OF THE ACCEPTED RESEARCH QUESTIONS IN THEIR LAB COPIES.


DESIGNING INVESTIGATION

TEACHER ACTIVITY

THE TEACHER SHOWS THE STUDENTS A NUMBER OF PIECES OF APPARATUS AND SUBSTANCES (THESE INCLUDE EQUIPMENT THAT CAN BE USED IN THE INVESTIGATIONS AND SOME “RED HERRINGS”)THE TEACHER CIRCULATES AS THE STUDENTS ARE DESIGNING THEIR INVESTIGATION

THE TEACHER THEN USING THE STUDENTS’ SUGGESTIONS WRITES THE INVESTIGATIONS ON AN ACETATE SHOWN USING AN OVERHEAD PROJECTOR. THE TEACHER CONFIRMS THE PROCEDURE THAT WILL BE USED

THE TEACHER ASKS STUDENTS TO PUT ON THEIR LAB GOGGLES, COATS AND GLOVES AND ADVISES STUDENTS TO BE CAREFUL AS SOME OF THE SUBSTANCES CAN BE DANGEROUS.


DESIGNING INVESTIGATION

STUDENT ACTIVITY

STUDENTS LOOK AT THE APPARATUS AVAILABLE FOR THE INVESTIGATION AND IN PAIRS WORK ON PROCEDURE TO TEST OUT THE RESEARCH QUESTION. THEY PUT THIS SAMPLE PROCEDURE IN THEIR LAB COPIES.

STUDENTS DISCUSS WITH THE TEACHER WHY THEY HAVE DECIDED TO DO THE INVESTIGATION IN THE WAY THEY DID.

STUDENTS CONTRIBUTE TO THE DESIGN OF THE PROCEDURE AS THE TEACHER PUTS IT ON THE OVERHEAD PROJECTOR.

THE STUDENTS PUT ON THE REQUIRED SAFETY GEAR AND LISTEN TO THE TEACHER’S SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS.


CONDUCTING INVESTIGATION

TEACHER ACTIVITY

THE TEACHER CIRCULATES AS THE STUDENTS CARRY OUT THE INVESTIGATION AND PROBES THEIR THINKING AS THEY ARE DOING THIS.

STUDENT ACTIVITY

STUDENTS CARRY OUT THE PROCEDURE IN THEIR PAIRS. STUDENTS FIRST TEST A NUMBER OF SUBSTANCES WITH RED PAPER AND THEN A NUMBER OF SUBSTANCES WITH BLUE PAPER. STUDENTS THEN TEST THE SAME SUBSTANCES WITH THE WHITE PAPER.


COLLECTING DATA

TEACHER ACTIVITY

AS THE STUDENTS COLLECT THE DATA THE TEACHER DISCUSSES THE DATA WITH STUDENTS.

STUDENT ACTIVITY

STUDENTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS AND CHOSE THEIR OWN WAY OF REPRESENTING THE DATA (I.E ON A TABLE OR PICTORIALLY). THE MAIN OBSERVATIONS STUDENTS SHOULD NOT IS THAT RED PAPER STAYS RED IN ACID AND TURNS BLUE IN A BASE AND VICE VERSA WITH BLUE PAPER (BLUE PAPER TURNS RED IN ACID AND STAYS BLUE IN A BASE). THEY SHOULD ALSO NOTE THAT THE WHITE PAPER TURNS A VARIETY OF COLOURS DEPENDING ON WHAT SUBSTANCE IT IS PUT INTO.


DRAWING CONCLUSION

TEACHER ACTIVITY

THE TEACHER REVISITS THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND ASKS STUDENTS TO USE THEIR DATA IN GROUPS TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS.

THE TEACHER LEADS A DISCUSSION ON THE CONCLUSIONS. THE TEACHER INFORMS THE STUDENTS THAT THE PAPER USED TO TEST FOR AN ACID OR BASE IS LITMUS PAPER AND IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN INDICATOR.

TEACHER ASKS THE STUDENTS TO DEFINE WHAT AN INDICATOR IS BASED ON WHAT THEY HAVE OBSERVED.


DRAWING CONCLUSION

TEACHER ACTIVITY

THE TEACHER NOW LEADS A DISCUSSION ON WHAT THE STUDENTS OBSERVED WHEN THEY USED THE OTHER PAPER. THE TEACHER ASKS STUDENTS WHY THEY THINK THE PAPER CHANGES DIFFERENT COLOURS IN DIFFERENT SUBSTANCES.

THE TEACHER NOW PUTS UP A POWERPOINT SLIDE OF A PH SCALE AND ASKS STUDENTS TO NOW DRAW CONCLUSIONS USING THIS SCALE.

THE TEACHER ASKS RANDOM STUDENTS TO SAY ONE NEW THING THEY HAD LEARNED TODAY.


DRAWING CONCLUSION

TEACHER ACTIVITY

THE TEACHER THEN COLLECTS THE STUDENTS WORK AND WILL OFFER THEM FEEDBACK IN THE NEXT LESSON.

THE TEACHER ENDS THE LESSON BY ASKING STUDENTS WHETHER THEY THINK WATER IS AN ACID OR A BASE, THE TEACHER ADVISES THAT THIS WILL BE COVERED IN THE NEXT LESSON.


DRAWING CONCLUSION

STUDENT ACTIVITY

STUDENTS DRAW CONCLUSIONS WHICH SHOULD REFLECT THE FOLLOWING:

• RED OR BLUE PAPER CAN BE USED TO TEST WHETHER A SUBSTANCE IS AN ACID OR A BASE AND IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN INDICATOR

• THE WHITE PAPER TURNS DIFFERENT COLOURS WHEN DROPPED IN DIFFERENT SUBSTANCES.


DRAWING CONCLUSION

STUDENT ACTIVITY

STUDENTS LOOK AT THE SCALE AND SHOULD COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT A STRONG ACID IS A DIFFERENT COLOUR TO A WEAK ACID AND A STRONG BASE IS A DIFFERENT COLOUR TO A WEAK BASE.

THE STUDENTS TAKE NOTE OF THESE CONCLUSIONS .

STUDENTS ANSWER QUESTIONS WHEN ASKED BY THE TEACHER.

END

BRYAN KEVIN B. BOHOLBIO SCIE 2P

exploratory approach:inquiry method

Education