NS 3310 Physical Science Studies Dr. Brad Hoge N725E ext Director of: HUNSTEM

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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.

HUNSTEM Definition of Inquiry  Inquiry is any opportunity to teach by asking questions  This includes PBL which can be both Project- Based Learning or Problem-Based Learning  Ask questions to introduce topics, to develop content understanding, and to summarize and close lessons

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.

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

Science starts with Careful Observation Careful Observation means Being Prepared (making predictions from theory)

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 (“meta-cognition”) How People Learn, NRC 1999.

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

Meta-cognition: Thinking about Thinking  Connecting new information to prior knowledge  Selecting thinking strategies deliberately  Planning, monitoring and evaluating own thinking processes

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?

Taphonomy in Arcellacean Thanatocoenoses It is very important that you learn about arcellacean taphonomy. Arcellaceans are a major group of testaceous rhizopods. During preservation in any depositional environment, taphonomy produces different thanatocoenoses from extant biocoenoses. Thenatocoenoses are the result of differental preservation during burial, but differ between environments of deposition due to differences in original biocoenoses and soil biogeochemistry. Arcellaceans are one of our most useful paleoindicators for lacustrine environments. 1. What are arcellaceans? 2. How do thanatocoenoses form? 3. Why do thanatocoenoses differ? 4. Why are arcellaceans important?

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”

The acquisition of knowledge does not destroy the beauty of experience New discoveries lead to new problems

Use your whole brain Three books are sitting on a shelf. Each book is two inches thick with front and back covers 1/6 th of an inch thick. If a book worm chews through 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?