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Inquiry Approaches

The National Science Education Standards mandate that science teachers

"plan an inquiry-based program", "focus and support inquiries", and"encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry." Inquiry is an approach

to teaching that involves a process of exploring the natural world, that leads

to asking questions and making discoveries in the search of new

understandings. Inquiry is a method of approaching problems that is used

by professional scientists but is helpful to anyone who scientifically

addresses matters encountered in everyday life. Inquiry is based on the

formation of hypotheses and theories and on the collection of relevant

evidence. There is no set order to the steps involved in inquiry, but childrenneed to use logic to devise their research questions, analyze their data,

and make predictions. When using the inquiry methods of investigation,

children learn that authorities can be wrong and that any question is

reasonable.

The most abstract component of inquiry is imagination. Both students and

professional scientists have to be able to look at scientific information anddata in a creative way. This unconventional vision allows them to see

patterns that might not otherwise be obvious.

Teachers can incorporate inquiry approaches to learning, for example, by

allowing small groups of students to explore a particular natural

phenomenon that might exhibit certain trends or patterns. The children can

then reconvene as a class, discuss their observations, and compile a list of 

several different hypotheses from this discussion. Each group can choose

a hypothesis to investigate. Several groups might choose to replicate the

same study to reduce the bias effects of any one group's techniques.

Depending on their age, children might design their own experimental

apparatus, use probes attached to computers, or employ sophisticated

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software to analyze data or create charts and graphs. Data based

predictions can be the foundation for further investigation.

Inquiry-based learning need not always be a hands-on experience. In fact,doing hands-on science with step-by-step procedures can stifle students'

own inquiry, distorts what science is all about, and may impede students'

learning. Reading, discussion, and research can allow students to inquire

into scientific questions. Teacher can facilitate inquiry in the classroom by:

 Acting as facilitators rather than directors of students' learning

Providing a variety of materials and resources to facilitate students'

investigations

Modeling inquiry behaviors and skills

Posing thoughtful, open-ended questions and helping students do the

same

Encouraging dialogue among students and with the teacher 

Keeping children's natural curiosity alive and as a teacher, remaining a

curious, life-long learner 

Hands-On

Many people might say, "Gee, those sound like buzzwords to me. Do they

have any substance?" The answer is yes. If children are generating their 

own ideas in a student-centered classroom, they need the freedom to be

physically active in their search for scientific knowledge. How can children

begin to understand the nature of the world in which they live if they

experience it vicariously? For this reason, the majority of the activities that

students perform should be physical explorations. Physical explorations not

only make the concepts more tangible but also appeal to children's diverse

learning styles and take advantage of their multi-sensory strengths. If 

children are physically involved, they are more apt to be mentally engaged.

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Children spontaneously try to explain things that they experience, and

feeding their curiosity with the raw materials of potential scientific

discoveries promotes this natural theory building. By itself, however, it doesnot lead to a mature understanding of scientific concepts. The authors of 

the National Science Education Standards maintain that hands-on activities

can increase the probability that students will be engaged in rich inquiry,

but do not guarantee that they are learning as intended. Similarly, teaching

children abstract concepts without engaging their interest and facilitating

their understanding via concrete, experiential examples leads to "shallow"

knowledge (or, in many cases, no knowledge at all, as such lessons are

quickly forgotten).

Scientific concept building is thus a two-way street. Highly abstract

concepts are rarely developed spontaneously; such development requires

instruction. Nor can in-depth understanding be gained without knowledge of 

concrete examples to fill out the skeleton of an abstract concept.

 An inquiry-oriented, "hands on" approach to science instruction stimulates

the natural curiosity and theory-building inclination of students while

providing a solid conceptual framework for supporting the development of 

accurate concepts. Such experiences provide the raw material from which

mature scientific theories are constructed. To increase a "minds-on" factor 

to a "hands-on" approach, teachers should decrease the "cookbook" nature

of whatever labs they conduct and sequence the hand-s on activities before

any readings or lectures so that students can explore topics before learning

the terms. (See Learning Cycle for additional information.)