Teaching Strategies to Encourage Inquiry and Enhance Learning Cheryl Wilmott and Angela Piccolo Allentown School District – William Allen High School – GAMSP 2013 Inquiry Boards Description: A step-by-step method of learning the scientific process by creating a poster or board. Students work with variables, predictions, data collection, and conclusions. Purpose: To provide a visual scaffold for learning the scientific process. Notebooks Manipulatives Measuring the Rate of Xylem Flow in Coleus Stems Above is a picture of an inquiry board from an experiment we worked on during our professional development. As you can see, each poster is divided into 8 sections and each section represents a part of the scientific method During inquiry, students generate their own questions and hypotheses, design and conduct an experiment, then analyze their results and draw conclusions. Teachers play the role of facilitator, helping each group to properly form their ideas. Teachers can also ask each group questions in order to push them in the right direction. The final task is for each group to present the poster to their peers during class. Short discussions usually follow each presentation. Using Inquiry Boards in the Classroom Description: Any physical objects used as teaching tools that engage students and help them learn concepts. Purpose: Hands-on activities help… Students retain material better. Students have an increased sense of accomplishment. Increase student engagement. “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” –Ancient Chinese Proverb The Benefits of Teaching Science with– Modelshttp:// Examining the Importance of Enzyme Shape Above are pictures of Legos we used to create enzymes and their corresponding substrates. The “Lego Lab” helped us to see how enzymes and their substrates fit together. We had to follow specific directions in order to construct the enzyme which models the same process ribosomes use to create enzymes inside the cell. Teachers act as quality control, double checking the students’ enzymes for errors/denaturing. Why Cells Aren’t Big VIRTmac kits were used on our white boards. They have magnets that stick to the board so they can be moved easily. We used this kit to model membrane transport and show why cells cannot continue to grow. Students could use these types of models at their desks as well as on the board to learn the concept and/or demonstrate mastery of concepts. Description: Notebooks are tools for recording, observing, journaling, and reflecting on what students are learning. Purpose: To help students develop, practice, and refine their science understanding. Notebooks can also enhance reading, writing, mathematics and communication skills. *Special Note: Writing is a component of the Common Core Standards for all grades. Science Notebooks in K12 Classrooms – Common Core Standards-Writing in Science – Teaching and Learning Science Through Writing – Above are sample notebook pages from GAMSP Benefits of Writing in the Science Classroom 1.Writing incorporates prior knowledge. 2.Writing helps students monitor their understanding(metacognition). 3.Writing encourages active involvement in the learning process. 4.Writing builds organizational skills. Notebooks can make science experiences more meaningful and authentic! Even Darwin did it!