Logistics of Inquiry Erin E. Peters, NBCT Williamsburg Middle School Arlington, Virginia

Meaningful Inquiry Purpose of this presentation is to look first at The philosophical foundations of inquiry (why we do it) and The logistics involved in providing an inquiry environment in the class (how we do it)

What National Documents Say about Inquiry Science for All Americans Benchmarks for Science Literacy National Science Education Standards

Purpose of Inquiry Authentic reproduction of what scientists do Science is a way of knowing that is valuable Research points to deeper and more long term understanding of science concepts through inquiry

The Scientific Community Inquiry is the enactment of the habits of mind of scientists Understanding how the nature of science is recreated in our classroom communities helps establish inquiry as a meaningful learning tool

Connection to the Nature of Science Process skillsNature of Science Concepts Observation Empirical evidence is used to support ideas Classification Knowledge production shares common factors Measurement Science and technology impact each other but are not the same Organization of data Careful data recording is necessary for clear communication Generalizing Theories help to connect and explain facts

Teacher’s Role in Inquiry Be a filter for Content – prevent developing misconceptions Process – check if students are acting and thinking like scientists

Student Buy-In Typical education model has three part dialogs between teachers and students Question-Answer-Feedback Inquiry redefines this communication Barriers for students Tell us the answer and we will give it back

Developing Questions Look at major ideas in SOLs Understanding by Design Essential Questions Brainstorming with students Sort possible topics and questions by scientific merit Doesn’t have to adhere to strict “Scientific Method” framework

In Pursuit of Answers Intelligible – Does the new idea make sense to you? Plausible – Does the new idea fit into your experiences? Fruitful – Does the new idea make sense in different situations?

Gathering Materials Consider looking at the materials you have before developing questions What experimental condition can I set up with these materials? How do these materials behave so I can test a variable? Substitutions

The Reliable 4-Question Strategy Question 1: What materials are available for conducting experiments on ________? Question 2: How does _________ act? Question 3: How can I change the set of ________ materials to affect the action? Question 4: How can a measure the response of __________ to change? Adapted from Students and Research

Guiding Student Data Collection Since you will often get the unexpected, look to the nature of science to guide your suggestions to students Identify similarities and differences Finding no correlation is still considered learning

Special Needs Students Task analysis might be necessary for their success Bridge the gap between traditional methods and inquiry by providing more explicit “in-between” steps Handout – Electromagnet research

Assessing Student Work Assessments can be made from... Records the students keep during the inquiry Portfolio products Experimental project design Reflective journals

Assessing Student Work Different assessment will help identify different strengths and weaknesses of students Should be informative about student achievement and learning goals Student generated assessments can be developed by asking students what quality would look like

Barriers Individually, write down all of the reasons you don’t/can’t do inquiry Find a partner/small group Try to collectively find solutions to the barriers

Thank you for coming today! More about the Nature of Science and Inquiry at my website: or me at