inquiry in science
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Inquiry in Science. "In the science classroom, wondering should be as highly valued as knowing,". F. James Rutherford and Andrew Ahlgren in “Science for All Americans”. Scientific Inquiry. Addresses the California State Standard for:. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Inquiry in Inquiry in ScienceScience
"In the science classroom,"In the science classroom, wondering wondering should be as should be as
highly valuedhighly valued asas knowing," knowing,"F. James Rutherford and Andrew Ahlgren in
“Science for All Americans”
Scientific InquiryScientific Inquiry• Addresses the California State
Standard for:
Developing Explanations Based on Evidence
The Big PictureThe Big Picture
• Inquiry is the common thread in a student-centered classroom: Used in
–Cornell notes–Tutorials–Socratic Seminars–Philosophical Chairs–Learning Logs–Critical thinking & decision-making
• Often begins with a question
• Encourages students to think critically
• Creates the opportunity for students to problem-solve & share analyses
• Inquiry promotes COLLABORATION
The Big PictureThe Big Picture
• Inquiry immediatelyengages students with their own thinking processes.
Why Use Inquiry as a Why Use Inquiry as a Teaching Methodology? Teaching Methodology?
• What results isstudent ownershipfor enlargedunderstanding ofconcepts and values.
Why Use Inquiry as a Why Use Inquiry as a Teaching Methodology? Teaching Methodology?
• Encourages students to think critically about inferences and logical relationships between cause & effect
• Often begins with a question about a natural phenomenon.
Scientific InquiryScientific Inquiry
Scientific InquiryScientific Inquiry• Once asked, a process of scientific
inquiry begins– Eventually a proposed
explanation
• Experimental design is also part of the inquiry process.
From “Teaching About Evolution & the Nature of Science,” N.A.S.
“You can’t get students to think critically without asking critical questions”
Carmen Serret-Lopez
1. REMEMBER: recalling information2. UNDERSTAND: comprehend meaning3. APPLY: using learning in new
situations4. ANALYZE: ability to see parts &
relationships 5. EVALUATION: judgment based on
criteria 6. CREATE: Use parts to create a new
whole
Bloom’s LevelsBloom’s Levels
Level 1 -Level 1 - REMEMBERREMEMBER
• What information is given?• What are you being asked to find?• What formula would you use?• What does _____mean?• What is the formula for...?• List the...• Name the...• Where did...?• What is...?• Who was/were...?• When did...
Recalling Information
Level 2 -Level 2 - UNDERSTANDUNDERSTAND
• What are you being asked to find?
• Explain the concept of...
• Give me an example of...
• Describe in your words what ___ means.
• What concepts does this connect to?
• Draw a diagram of...
• Illustrate how _____ works.
• Explain how you calculate...
Comprehending Meaning
• What additional information is needed to solve
this problem?• Can you see other relationships that will help you
find this information?• How can you put your data in graphic form?• What occurs when..?• How would you change your procedures to get
better results?• What method would you use to...• Does it make sense to...?
Using Learning in New Situations
Level 3 -Level 3 - APPLYAPPLY
• Compare and contrast _____ to _____.
• What was important about...
• Which errors most affected your results?
• What were some sources of variability?
• How do your conclusions support your
hypothesis?
• What prior research/formulas support
your conclusions?
• How else could you account for...?
Ability to See Parts & Relationships
Level 4 - Level 4 - ANALYZEANALYZE
• How can you tell if your answer is reasonable?• What would happen to ____ if ____ variable
were increased/decreased?• How would repeat trials affect your data?• What significance is this experiment to the
subject you're learning?• What type of evidence is most compelling to
you?• Do you feel ____ experiment is ethical?• Are your results biased?
Judgment Based on Criteria
Level 5 -Level 5 - EVALUATEEVALUATE
• Design a lab to show...
• Predict what will happen to ____ as ____ is
changed?
• Using a principle of science, how can we find ...?
• Describe the events that might occur if...
• Design a scenario for...
• Pretend you are...
• What would the world be like if...
Use Parts to Create a New Whole
Level 6 -Level 6 - CREATECREATE
Why Is This Important?Why Is This Important?
• State and National surveys indicatethat approximately 90% of the questions K-12th grade students are exposed to are lower-level questions.
• In college this trend reverses, and students deal primarily with high-level critical questions.
• To increase rigor and give students a chance to study each topic more deeply:– encourage the use of higher-
level inquiry questioning that requires students to use their creativity and imagination.
TIMSSTIMSS RecommendationsRecommendations
Learner performs lab activity
Teacher asks students probing questions
Learner reads about prior scientific investigations
Learner justifies proposed
explanation
Science Science as inquiry is as inquiry is when…when…
Inquiry In ScienceInquiry In Science
Text-Driven InquiryText-Driven Inquiry
• Beluga Whale Article– Read each passage and answer
the questions on Cornell notes
Where Do Belugas Survive?Where Do Belugas Survive?
Passage OnePassage One• Why do you think the number of
whales has not increased?
• What is the question that would best guide a scientific investigation about why the population of whales does not increase?
Passage TwoPassage Two• Based on your understanding, were the
original investigations adequate?• Did scientists use appropriate tools &
techniques to gather, analyze & interpret data?
• Did scientists use evidence to explain that whales died because of pollutants?
• What would be the best approach to design & conduct a scientific investigation that would demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship?
Passage ThreePassage ThreeBriefly identify portions that illustrate one of the
aspects of scientific inquiry.
I.I. Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations.
2.2. Current scientific knowledge & understanding guide scientific investigations.
3.3. Math is important in all aspects of scientific inquiry. 4.4. Technology used to gather data enhances
accuracy and allows scientists to analyze and quantify results of investigations.
Passage ThreePassage ThreeBriefly identify portions that illustrate one
of the aspects of scientific inquiry.5.5. Scientific explanations emphasize evidence,
have logically consistent arguments, and use scientific principles, models, and theories.
6.6. Science advances through legitimate skepticism.
7.7. Scientific investigations sometimes result in new ideas and phenomena for study.
What do the What do the Footprints Say???Footprints Say???
• Reconstruct happenings from the geological past by analyzing a set of fossilized tracks
• Form defensible explanations of past events from limited evidence.
• As more evidence is available, modify or abandon your hypotheses.
MissionMission
Position #1Position #1• Can you tell anything about size or
nature of organisms?
• Were the tracks made at the same time?
• How many animals involved?
• Can you reconstruct a series of events represented by this set of fossil tracks?
• Suggest evidence to support your explanations!
Position #2Position #2• With new
info, revisit first explanation
• MODIFY your explanation and/or add new ones
Interpret What HappenedInterpret What Happened
Questions to Consider...Questions to Consider...• In what directions did animals move?• Did they change speed or direction?• What might have changed the footprint pattern?• Was the land level or irregular?• Was the soil moist or dry?• In what kind of rocks were the prints
made?• Were sediments coarse or fine?• Characteristics of track environment?
Remember!Remember!• Any reasonable explanation must
be based only on those proposed explanations that still apply when all of the puzzle is projected
For Each Explanation...For Each Explanation...• Be sure to indicate the evidence!
If you could VISIT the site, what evidence would you look for to support your hypothesis?
Adapted from a BSCS lab
Constructivist ProcessConstructivist Process• Journey in which the voyagers arrive without a map in hand
• Guided by the questions, "Where are we now?" and "Where should we go next?”
• Teacher initiates & facilitates learning activities that help students create their own maps to the territory
The “Black Tube” Model
Investigate the tube with all your senses
Make a drawing of what the INSIDE of the tube looks like
Post your drawings and take a “museum walk” to look at everyone’s model
Scientific ModelingScientific Modeling
Open-ended InquiryOpen-ended Inquiry• Creates the opportunity for students
to design their own experimental and compare their analyses with groups.–Teaches students to
comprehend science as a process
–Promotes COLLABORATION
Levels of OpennessLevels of OpennessTable 1. Schwab/Herron Levels of Laboratory Openness
LEVEL PROBLEM WAYS & MEANS ANSWERSO Given Given Given1 Given Given Open2 Given Open Open3 Open Open Open
• Level 0 = Students make few decisions-other than deciding whether they got the "right answers."
• Level 3 = Students decide what to investigate, how to investigate it, and how to interpret the results they generate.
• Level 3 activities are what most scientists do
• Whole faculty agrees on what the students in ALL sciences need to do:1. to be able to design an experiment
2. to be able to write a GROUP
lab report
3. to be able to graph
information
Experimental DesignExperimental Design
Example: Example: Pill Bug ExperimentPill Bug Experiment
• Demonstrates experimental design principles and scientific method
• Constructivist ApproachOpen-ended
lab
Title:
Hypothesis:
Independent Variable (IV):
Dependent Variable (DV):
Control:
Constants:1)
2)
3)
ExD TemplateExD Template
GROUPS
Repeated Trials
• Define the problem– “The Effect Of Substrate On
Pillbug Habitat Selection”
• Define the Independent Variable(s)– Time in habitat chamber
• Define the Dependent Variable(s)– Type of substrate
Creating an ExDCreating an ExD
• Define the Experimental Group(s)– Cut grass, wood chips
• Define the Control Group– Chamber with natural humus
substrate
Creating an ExDCreating an ExD
• Make a Hypothesis– If Pillbugs prefer the natural humus
chamber, then they will stay there at least 80% of the time after the first 10 minutes of experimentation.
Creating an ExDCreating an ExD
• Determine the Experimental Constants– Moisture level, temperature, food, lack
of predation
• Choose and Sketch the set-up
Creating an ExDCreating an ExD
• Determine the number of trials or groups needed for validity– 10 pillbugs/chamber– 10 thirty-second trials
• Determine how the results will be quantified– # of pillbugs/ chamber/30
sec– T-test
Creating an ExDCreating an ExD
• 1) Prepare a choice chamber • 2) Cover the bottom of each chamber with
either wood chips, cut grass or natural humus
• 3) Transfer ten pillbugs from the stock culture into each choice chamber
• 4) Cover the chambers
Write Up the ProcedureWrite Up the Procedure
• 5) Count and record how many pillbugs are in each chamber every 30 seconds for I0 minutes
Write Up the ProcedureWrite Up the Procedure
• Quantitatively summarize data– Make a Bar Graph of the number of
pillbugs in experimental and control chambers per 30 second interval.
– Perform a “t-test”
Run the ExperimentRun the Experiment
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
# of Pillbugs.
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300Time (secs)
Substrate Preference in Pill Bugs
Wood Chips Cut Grass Natural Humus
Analyze The ResultsAnalyze The Results
• Interpret statistics properly– DON’T make broad statements from
small samples
– Use P .05 that differences have occurred from chance alone
Analyze The ResultsAnalyze The Results• Compare data with other groups
• Analyze the trends
• Address errors
• Look at all alternative interpretations
• Validate the hypothesis– Decide whether your data fits the:
Null hypothesis or Alternative hypothesis
Come to a ConclusionCome to a Conclusion
• Refine the experiment
– Choose the same size pillbugs
• Re-test
• Write a group Lab Report
RetestRetest
• To show what you know about experimental design, you will design an experiment to test the claims in a magazine ad.
ExD Using AdvertisementsExD Using Advertisements
ExD Using AdvertisementsExD Using Advertisements
1. Select a magazine ad.2. Neatly cut out the advertisement.3. Design a valid experiment that focuses
on what the magazine ad is claiming. 4. Create an Experimental Design Chart
showing the design of your valid experiment. – Neatly written using markers.
ProcedureProcedure
5. Write a complete list of steps to perform the experiment. Things to consider:– How much product to apply– How to choose participants– How to measure the responses/ variables– # of trials– What are the constants and how would you control
them– What is the control– What types of experimental groups are used, etc.
ProcedureProcedure
ConstructExperimental Design Chart
Here
Group Member Names
6. Peer Review your procedure with another group. Redraft your procedure based on the all revisions suggested.
7. Attach the ad and the procedure to the front of your poster.
ProcedureProcedure
Attach AD here
AttachProcedure
Here
Developed byDeveloped by
Anne F. MabenAnne F. MabenAVID LACOE Science CoachAVID LACOE Science Coach